Context: The island nation of Tonga hosted the annual meeting of the Pacific Island Forum from August 26 to 30. The week-long meeting was held in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga, and was attended by more than 1,500 delegates from around 40 countries.
About Pacific Island Forum (PIF)
- Formed in 1971, PIF is an intergovernmental organisation which consists of 18 member states located in the Pacific region.
- Member states (18):
- 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, and Vanuatu.
- Australia and New Zealand are among the wealthiest and largest countries which are part of the organisation.
- 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, and Vanuatu.
- Aim: To push for economic growth, enhance political governance, strengthen regional cooperation and enhance climate and maritime security for the Pacific region.
- Working:
- Annual Forum: The Pacific Islands Forum holds an annual meeting where leaders from member countries discuss and decide on issues affecting the region. The decisions are implemented by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (located in Fiji).
- Dialogue Partners: The Forum engages with external partners, including countries like the USA, China, Japan, India and the European Union, through the Forum Dialogue Partners process.
- Observer Status: Some territories and organisations, like the Asian Development Bank and the Commonwealth Secretariat, hold observer status.
- Agenda (2024): In this year’s annual meeting, climate change and the China-US battle for influence over the strategic region were the dominating discussions.
Important challenges faced by Pacific Island Forum (PIF) countries:
Sea-level rise due to Climate change:
- The recently released 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. Several PIF members are among the world’s worst-affected countries due to rising sea levels.
- PIF members have been pushing to raise funds for climate action. The Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) is a regional financing facility established by PIF to fund initiatives that enhance the resilience of Pacific Island countries to climate change and natural disasters.
Tussle between China and the US for influence over the region:
- Earlier, it was Australia and New Zealand which functioned as security partners in the region. In recent years, China has deepened its ties with PIF members. In 2022, China signed a security pact with Solomon Islands.
- China has also pressured nations in the grouping to reject the inclusion of Taiwan, with Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Nauru now accepting this position. This has set off alarm bells in Australia and the US.