![[REMARKS] Opening Remarks by the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Hon Feleti Teo at the Ocean of Peace Talanoa](https://forumsec.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/0Q0A7642.JPG "[REMARKS] Opening Remarks by the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Hon Feleti Teo at the Ocean of Peace Talanoa")
Delivered by the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Hon Feleti Teo at the Ocean of Peace Talanoa.
Embedding gender equality and social inclusion as a fundamental pillar for the implementation of the Ocean of Peace Declaration.
22 July 2025
Bula Vinaka and a very good afternoon to all in attendance.
Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I thank the organisers of the Talanoa for according to me the honour to offer some brief remarks at the start of this Ocean of Peace Talanoa.
I understand the sub-title for the Talanoa is “embedding gender equality and social inclusion as a fundamental pillar for the implementation of the Ocean of Peace Declaration”.
I believe that the Ocean of Peace Declaration is currently a work in progress and is intended for submission to the PIF Leaders meeting in September in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
The draft Ocean of Peace Declaration is grounded on the Ocean of Peace Initiative, initially championed by the Prime Minister of Fiji, the Hon Sitiveni Rabuka.
The Ocean of Peace Initiative is now a PIF regional initiative, as it was endorsed and embraced as such by PIF Leaders last year in in their meeting in Tonga.
Because of that endorsement, the PIF officials were charged to further develop, refine and frame the initiative as a regional initiative, instead of a Fiji national initiative.
And therefore, the so-called Ocean of Peace Declaration is part of that regional framing which is an ongoing exercise.
So, I view this Talanoa as a continuation of the regional conversation on framing the regional Ocean of Peace Initiative.
Against that backdrop, and with the presence in Suva this week of Ministers and senior government officials and representatives of civil society who are responsible for gender equality and social inclusion, it is a timely opportunity to hear of their perspectives on how gender equality and social inclusion could contribute to the advocation and maintenance of peace as envisaged by the Ocean of Peace Initiative and its related declaration.
As citizens of the Blue Pacific Continent, our aspiration for a peaceful Pacific is encapsulated in the Leaders’ vision under the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy - for a resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity, that ensures all Pacific people can lead free, healthy and productive lives.
So, as representatives of various governments and communities in the Blue Pacific Continent, we are bound by a shared vision that peace must not only be preserved, but it must be nurtured, deepened, and made truly meaningful to all citizens of the Blue Pacific Continent.
As Prime Minister of Tuvalu, I am delighted this afternoon to share my perspectives on the contribution of gender equality and social inclusion from the experience of Tuvalu to the maintenance of peace as envisaged by the Ocean of Peace initiative.
There are five general observations I wish to share.
What constitutes peace?
Firstly, as a starting point, I think it is imperative to this Talanoa (discourse) that we embrace and share the same understanding of what constitutes peace. My basic proposition is that peace is not simply the absence of conflicts.
Instead, I would argue that peace occurs where there is the presence of justice, where there is social inclusion, and where there is respect of relationships grounded in mutual care and responsibility.
From a gender equality and social inclusion perspective, peace is when women and men, boys and girls, walk through life in safety, with dignity, and enjoy equal opportunities.
And so, when we speak of an Ocean of Peace, we are not only simply referring to geopolitical security dynamics.
We are in fact talking about the deeper fabrics and structures of our societies, about how we treat each other in our homes, how we treat each other in our villages, and in our institutions.
We cannot expect peace in our region while there is violence in our homes and villages.
We cannot claim for the Pacific the trophy of Ocean of Peace, while our women live in fear, while our children witness or experience abuse behind closed doors, while half of our people are excluded from decisions that shape their future. Peace must begin at home.
And peace must be lived every day, in the choices we make, and in the policies we craft, and in the relationships we build.
[ENDS]
