RELEASE: Forum Leaders to engage in High-Level Political Talanoa

Suva, Fiji, 16 May 2025 – The Pacific Islands Forum has commenced the third phase of the Review of the Regional Architecture. As agreed by the Forum Leaders, a High-Level Political Talanoa process is now underway across all Forum Member countries. 

This pivotal phase will see a three-member High-Level Persons Group holding in-country engagements with Forum Heads of Government, Ministers and Senior Officials to gather perspectives on the current regional system, and to shape a more integrated regional mechanism to drive the Leaders Vision under the 2050 Strategy. 

The three-member team endorsed by the Forum Leaders comprises of Hon. Gerald Zackios of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Peseta Noumea Simi of Samoa and Dr Jimmie Rodgers of the Solomon Islands. 

“This High-Level Talanoa Process will focus on listening to the views of our Leaders and reaffirming the Pacific as a region of deep dialogue, shared stewardship, and collective action,” said Forum Chair, Prime Minister Aisake ‘Eke of Tonga. 

“As we navigate complex global shifts, these conversations are central to ensuring our regional architecture remains fit-for-purpose and firmly grounded in Pacific priorities and values,” he added. 

The review, which began in 2024, comes at a time of increasing geopolitical interest in the Pacific. It offers an important opportunity for Forum Members to reassert leadership over regional cooperation and set a course that strengthens Pacific unity and resilience in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. 

The outcomes of these high-level Political Talanoa will directly inform recommendations to Forum Leaders at its annual meeting in Solomon Islands in September, helping to define how institutions, partnerships, and processes can better serve the Pacific people into the future. 

The High-Level Political Talanoa began this week with Prime Minister Hon. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa in Samoa. 

[ENDS] 

Background: Initiated in 2019, the Review of the Regional Architecture is a Forum Leader-led mandate designed to assess whether current regional governance arrangements effectively support collective priorities. Phase One and Two involved technical assessments and broad-based stakeholder consultations. Phase Three – the Political Talanoa – elevates the dialogue to the highest political level.