Pacific Island Forum 2024

September 10, 2024

The Pacific Island Forum (PIF) is an organization that brings together countries from the Pacific region to work together on important issues like peace, security, and development. In 2024, the PIF held its annual meeting in Tonga from August 26 to 30. This meeting attracted over 1,500 delegates from 40 countries, showing how the forum has gained importance as major powers like the USA and China compete for influence in the Pacific region, which is rich in resources.

Historical Background

The PIF was founded in November 1971 with Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand, Tonga, and Western Samoa as its original members. In 1981, the organization renamed its economic cooperation body to the Forum Secretariat, which still helps the PIF achieve its goals today. Currently, the forum has 18 member countries.

Member States

The PIF includes: – Australia – Cook Islands – Federated States of Micronesia – Fiji – French Polynesia – Kiribati – Nauru – New Caledonia – New Zealand – Niue – Palau – Papua New Guinea – Republic of Marshall Islands – Samoa – Solomon Islands – Tonga – Tuvalu – Vanuatu.

The forum unites diverse nations, with population variances as significant as from over 25 million (Australia) to as few as 1,500.

PIF’s Core Objectives

The PIF’s main goal is to make the Pacific region stronger and more resilient, ensuring its members’ peace, security, and prosperity. Climate change is a big issue for many of these countries, so tackling environmental problems is a central focus of the forum.

What is the “Pacific Way”?

One unique feature of the PIF is how it solves disagreements among its members. The PIF uses what’s called the “Pacific Way,” which focuses on building consensus and strengthening relationships. The idea is that the member countries, known together as the “Blue Pacific Family,” work together to find peaceful solutions to their problems.

Key Issues Discussed at the 2024 Summit

At the 2024 summit in Tonga, the forum discussed several important topics:

New Caledonia Unrest: There is ongoing violence in New Caledonia due to calls for independence by the Kanak people.

Climate Change: A key topic was the creation of a climate fund, following a strong statement from UN Chief Antonio Guterres about the urgent need for action.

Regional Security: Australia proposed a police training center to strengthen law enforcement in the region, partly as a way to reduce China’s growing influence.

Taiwan’s Status: There was controversy over whether to continue recognizing Taiwan as a development partner. Some members wanted to remove this recognition, but in the end, the forum decided to stick with the current agreements.

Global Engagement and Influence

In the past, the PIF didn’t get much attention from other countries. However, in recent years, it has become more important, especially as major global powers like China and the USA try to increase their influence in the region. This became particularly clear after China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, sparking concern among other countries about the rising geopolitical tensions.

As global interest in the Pacific region grows, the PIF is likely to become even more influential. The forum may need to change how it operates to keep up with this increased attention. With new countries wanting to join as dialogue partners and the competition between world powers intensifying, the PIF is expected to play a key role in the future of regional cooperation and security in the Pacific.

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