Partnerships vital to strengthen Pacific [1]
Friday, September 7, 2018 - 17:17. Updated on Thursday, September 13, 2018 - 12:01.
Partnerships and cooperation are vital for building a strong and secure Blue Pacific continent, said President of Nauru and Forum Chair President Baron Divavesi Waqa, at the 49th Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru on 4 September.
The meeting between Pacific Leaders, Dialogue Partners, and Forum Observers, focussed on strengthening regional security and resilience under the theme “Building a Stronger Pacific – Our People, Our Islands, Our Will’.
President Waqa said it recognises that the future of the Pacific will be determined by its people.
Although the Pacific region must drive and forge its own development future, he acknowledged that “we cannot do this in isolation” in an ever-growing globalised world, and given the transboundary nature of many of the challenges faced by Pacific countries such as climate change, marine pollution, unsustainable fishing, and transnational crime.
“Building a Stronger Pacific means maintaining our collective focus on achieving a region of peace, security, social inclusion and prosperity while realising opportunities to collaborate with likeminded partners – both traditional and new – in support of this vision.”
Two dialogues were held on the second morning of the forum, one with eighteen Dialogue Partners to the Forum focussing on 'Building a Strong Pacific – Strengthening regional security to ensure safety and wellbeing for all'.
A range of approaches were discussed to enhance regional security from greater cooperation, to addressing climate change as a security risk, as well as strengthening regional maritime security.
The second dialogue was held with the Forum’s Associate Member and Observers focussing on 'Building a Strong, Resilient and Sustainable Blue Pacific'.
Discussion was on opportunities for collaboration and action towards a region that is more resilient to the effects of climate change and disaster risk.
The 18 Dialogue Partners to the Forum include Canada, People’s Republic of China, Cuba, European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.
The Forum’s Associate member is Tokelau and Observers include American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Guam, Timor Leste, Wallis an& Futuna, ACP Secretariat, Asian Development Bank Commonwealth Secretariat, International Organisation for Migration, United Nations Secretariat, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, and the World Bank.
The 49th Pacific Islands Forum was held from 3 to 6 September 2018.