The Cook Islands warmly welcomes the adoption last night by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders of the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration, endorsed at the closing of their plenary meeting in Friendship Hall, Honiara. Leaders’ collective commitment was symbolised through the signing of a Valu paddle, a traditional gesture representing unity, respect, and shared responsibility across the Blue Pacific.
First introduced by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in 2023, the initiative reflects the Pacific’s determination to adapt to a rapidly changing global environment. Prime Minister Hon. Mark Brown joined Leaders in acknowledging the foresight of the Fiji Prime Minister and reaffirmed solidarity to ensure a robust process for operationalisation. The Declaration was shaped through the work of officials with the support of the Forum Secretariat, reflecting Pacific ownership and engagement, and stands as a new and powerful regional tool for enduring peace.
The Declaration reinforces the equality and sovereignty of all Forum Members, alongside the shared responsibility to safeguard peace for all Pacific peoples. It affirms that lasting peace must be inclusive, recognising the vital contributions of women, youth, and communities in building resilience and shaping development. It further calls on partners and external actors to respect and support the vision Leaders have set, engaging with the region in ways that uphold the Pacific Way, strengthen collective peace, and advance a positive peace defined not only by stability but also by wellbeing, opportunity, and dignity. As Prime Minister Brown noted, this vision must translate into the daily realities of Cook Islanders, whether in Rarotonga or the Pa Enua, through resilience, opportunity, and wellbeing.
For the Cook Islands, peace must remain central. Implementation must give practical effect to the vision of peace through a mechanism that enables it, resources that sustain it, and integration across the CROP system and partnership mechanisms to ensure it becomes meaningful for Pacific peoples. The effectiveness of the Declaration will ultimately be measured by its ability to deliver positive peace, said PM Brown, a Pacific where stability is matched by wellbeing, resilience, and opportunity. Leaders will receive a clear report on operationalisation when they next convene in Palau.
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