Pacific Leaders, at their annual gathering last week, agreed to develop a comprehensive region-wide health workforce strategy focusing on quality training and retention measures, which will be considered by Pacific Health Ministers in the coming year.
The elevation of health and education as standing agenda items for future annual meetings of Leaders was among several key outcomes of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, hosted by the Kingdom of Tonga in the beautiful islands of Vava’u and Tongatapu.
On the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), Leaders welcomed commitments from Australia (AUD$100 million), Saudi Arabia (USD$50 million), the People’s Republic of China (USD$500,000), and the United States (USD$5 million) in 2023. They further urged Forum Dialogue Partners to pledge contributions to ensure the PRF’s initial financing target of USD$500 million is met by 1 January 2026, with a longer-term goal of USD$1.5 billion in capitalisation. Leaders also acknowledged and welcomed the Republic of Nauru’s pledge of AUD$1 million over five years towards PRF capitalisation, the United Kingdom’s provision of technical support valued at GBP1.3 million, and an additional pledge by the United States of USD$20 million.
“The financial commitments by Forum Members and partners towards the capitalisation of the PRF are appreciated. We will sustain advocacy efforts to support the early operationalisation of the PRF so assistance can reach our vulnerable communities sooner rather than later,” said Prime Minister Mark Brown.
The focus on community support for resilience across all Pacific sectors was also evident in the fisheries space, where Leaders commended the implementation of the Pacific Regional Framework on Scaling-Up Community-Based Fisheries Management (CBFM) and welcomed its extension for another five years as a fit-for-purpose tool in coastal fisheries.
Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deploying the high-level Forum Troika Plus Mission to New Caledonia, in line with the request of the Government of New Caledonia, and noted the agreement of the French State and the Government of New Caledonia on the Terms of Reference for the Mission. Leaders endorsed the Terms of Reference.
“We will continue working closely in the coming weeks with the Secretariat and representatives from New Caledonia, France, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and Fiji, as part of the Organising Committee for the Forum Troika Plus Mission, to confirm the timing and engagement schedule,” said Foreign Secretary Tepaeru Herrmann.
Leaders also resolved to elevate the visibility of the Smaller Island States, their priorities, challenges, and contributions at national and regional levels. They urged Pacific Regional Organisations to target assistance within their work programmes to support SIS collective and unique priorities.
Prime Minister Brown together with the Cook Islands delegation convey their deepest gratitude to His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister, the Government and people of the Kingdom of Tonga, including the communities of Tongatapu and Vava’u for the excellent arrangements made in hosting the 2024 Leaders’ meeting, and for the warm hospitality extended to all delegations during their stay in Tonga.
The full Communique of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Retreat can be viewed at: https://forumsec.org/publications/reports-communique-53rd-pacific-islands-leaders-forum-2024
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