The Pacific Islands Forum’s annual meeting begins: The organisation and the issues being discussed

What is the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)?

Formed in 1971, PIF is an intergovernmental organisation which consists of 18 member states located in the Pacific region. Australia and New Zealand are among the wealthiest and largest countries which are part of the organisation — other member states are Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands etc.

The PIF aims to push for economic growth, enhance political governance and security for the region, and strengthen regional cooperation. “Our vision is for a resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity, that ensures all Pacific peoples can lead free, healthy and productive lives,” according to the website of PIF.

The organisation discusses priority issues at its annual meeting, where decisions made by the member states are reached by consensus. The decisions are implemented by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

Climate change high on the agenda

In this year’s annual meeting, climate change is high on the agenda — several PIF members are among the world’s worst-affected countries, especially due to rising sea levels.

On Tuesday (August 27), a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report revealed that faster-than-average sea level rise, ocean warming, and acidification are threatening the Pacific Islands. The South West Pacific was worst hit by sea level rises, in some places by more than double the global average in the past 30 years, according to the analysis.

Speaking to reporters in Tonga, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the findings of the report and said, “I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS – Save Our Seas – on rising sea levels… Rising seas are amplifying the frequency and severity of storm surges and coastal flooding. These floods swamp coastal communities. Ruin fisheries. Damage crops. Contaminate fresh water. All this puts Pacific Island nations in grave danger.”

To tackle these challenges, PIF members have been pushing to raise funds for climate action. Notably, the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) — a regional financing facility established by PIF — is currently $380 million short of its $500 million target, according to a report by Nikkei Asia.

China-US tussle under the spotlight

Another issue which is being widely discussed at the summit is the ongoing tussle between China and the US for influence over the region.

In recent years, China has deepened its ties with PIF members — observers suggest that this is one of the reasons why PIF’s annual summit has gained wider recognition. The Asian country signed security and policing agreements with the Solomon Islands, in particular, setting off alarm bells in Australia and the US.

This year’s PIF meeting features the forum’s largest-ever delegation from China and a sizable deputation from the US, led by Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, according to a report by the Associated Press.

In an interview with Islands Business earlier in August, Mark Brown, the Cook Islands prime minister and outgoing chair of the forum, said, “We’ve been mindful that our region is of great interest from a geopolitical perspective over the last few years or so… But the security issues that are seen by our bigger development partners are not the same security issues that we consider as important.”