After Solomon Islands switched recognition from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China, it also put the upcoming Pacific Island Forum on the verge.20
All 21 donor nations, including the US, China, and Taiwan, have been removed from the guest list for the September summit. Taiwan’s allies in the region say China pushed hard to keep Taiwan out.
Opposition MP Peter Kenilorea Jr called it “a massive missed opportunity” to engage with global donors. China may still hold side meetings with Pacific leaders, risking a deeper split in the bloc.
What is the Pacific Island forum about?
The Pacific Islands Forum brings the region together to address pressing issues and challenges, and foster collaboration and cooperation in the pursuit of shared goals. Founded in 1971, it comprises 18 members: Australia, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent | Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
The 2050 Strategy sets out our long-term approach to working together as a region.
Our vision is for a resilient Pacific region characterized by peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity, ensuring that all Pacific peoples can lead free, healthy, and productive lives.
The Blue Pacific Continent is our home, ocean, lands, and shared heritage.
As Pacific Leaders, we are firmly committed to ensuring the health and well-being of our people, as well as human rights and equity for all. We place great value on our ocean and land, and celebrate a deep connection to our community, natural environment, resources, livelihoods, faiths, cultural values, and traditional knowledge.
We work with our people to deliver on a vision that they will help to nurture. We welcome the support of our national and regional institutions in these efforts. We have often taken on challenges much bigger than ourselves. Many of our nations have gained political independence and have set new paths for their future. Our governance is maturing, and our people have much higher expectations of transparency and accountability. Our public services are supporting a gradual improvement in our well-being and quality of life. Much work remains, yet we are confident of success.
Leaders’ Commitment to 2050:
As large oceanic countries and territories, we are the custodians of nearly 20 percent of the Earth’s surface, and we place great cultural and spiritual value on our oceans and lands, as part of our shared heritage.
We occupy a vitally significant place in global strategic terms. As a consequence, heightened geopolitical competition impacts our Member countries. Further, there is increasing commercial and state-sponsored interest in our region’s ecological and natural resources. This is reflected in the global community’s current interest in the “Blue Economy,” suggesting a growing demand for our resources in the years to come.
Under current trends, the global temperature rise is expected to exceed 1.5°C before 2040 and 2°C between 2041 and 2060, unless there are rapid, deep, and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions.
Averting and managing the worst-case scenarios requires urgent, robust and transformative action globally, regionally, and nationally.
While collective greenhouse gas emissions from the Blue Pacific Continent are just over 1%2 of global emissions, we are at the frontline of the adverse impacts of climate change.
Harnessing untapped potential for policy interventions to enhance carbon sequestration of the ecosystems and Exclusive Economic Zones of the Blue Pacific Continent could generate substantial climate benefits. The Blue Pacific Continent continues to experience damaging impacts of climate change and requires timely access to scaled-up, effective, and sustainable climate finance.
The Opportunity to Shape our Future
To leverage this strategic and economic value while addressing our most significant threats, including climate change, we are deeply committed to working together, ensuring that our regional efforts complement the national interests of our Members. As the Blue Pacific Continent, we engage with our partners from a position of strength, unity, and solidarity on matters of collective interest.
We will prepare and position ourselves through technology, scientifically based research, cultural values, traditional knowledge, and equitable partnerships to secure our ocean and derive economic benefits from its resources in a manner that maintains environmental integrity and drives sustainable economic prosperity and development for all Pacific peoples.
We will continue to support one another in our shared responsibilities, both in times of positivity and challenge. Furthermore, it is vital to our Blue Pacific Identity that we resolve any challenges or disputes in our own unique Pacific Way, involving consensus-based decision-making, while respecting sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in national affairs.
Above all, our efforts must always lead and contribute to the security, prosperity, and well-being of our people.
The 2050 Strategy presents an opportunity to engage with and shape the most significant dynamics and influences on our region, thereby securing our long-term well-being and prosperity. Through the Strategy, we will ensure we are resilient and ‘future-ready’ by being able to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to hazardous climate events, geopolitical and security trends, and other unanticipated shocks.
