REMARKS: H.E. Wesley Simina, President of FSM at the Small Island States Leaders Meeting

•    Colleague Leaders of the Smaller Island States and your distinguished delegations
•    Representatives of our CROP Agencies
•    Ladies and Gentlemen

•    Kamorale to you all!

•    It has been an honour for the Federated States of Micronesia to serve as Chair of the Smaller Island States grouping over the last year.

•    I am pleased that this year, our officials have worked together to identify and streamline four priority actions for the SIS that will form the focus of our advocacy and mainstreaming as the SIS across existing regional mechanisms and processes.

•    Indeed, the securing of reliable air and sea transport, advancing fisheries development, strengthening regional procurement and health workforce mechanisms, and enhancing access to climate finance are not abstract issues - they are the realities that we contend with on a daily basis.

•    I remain of the view that the Smaller Island States remain an indispensable part of the Forum family. Though few in number, SIS embody the challenges we experience as a region — the stark reality of climate change, the challenges of connectivity, and the tests of economic viability.

•    For the Federated States of Micronesia, these realities are lived every day. Our nation is vast in ocean yet scattered in islands, facing the high costs of distance, limited connectivity, and extreme exposure to climate change.

•    Our remoteness and vulnerability are not signs of weakness, but enduring reminders of why the SIS must continue to stand together. Our grouping reminds the region that the measure of Pacific solidarity lies not in averages, but in our ability to elevate the most vulnerable among us.

•    The theme for the 54th Pacific Islands Forum this year — “Iumi Tugeda: Act Now for An Integrated Blue Pacific Continent” — carries particular resonance for the Smaller Island States.

•    For us, “acting now” should not be a mere slogan but an imperative of survival.

•    Similarly, “integration” means a regional system that does not leave anyone behind but recognises that the strength of our Blue Pacific lies in the inclusion of its most vulnerable.

•    Strategically, we must now look to the future. The task ahead is to consolidate the SIS Development Fund, so that our priorities are not only acknowledged but financed. We must also continue to demand that regional and international partnerships recognise our realities — small in scale, but vast in ocean, culture, and resilience.

•    As FSM concludes its term as Chair, I extend gratitude to my fellow Leaders for your solidarity.

•    Leadership in our Blue Pacific is shared — and it is through this collective approach that SIS will continue to transform vulnerabilities into opportunities for our peoples.

•    With those few remarks and in line with established practice, I seek the meetings support for our colleague, President Maamau of Kiribati to assume the Chair of this 2025 SIS Leaders Meeting.

•    I thank you.