REMARKS: Opening Remarks by Secretary General, Baron Divavesi Waqa, at the Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting

•    Your Royal Highness Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala, Chair of the Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting; 
•    Honourable Ministers; 
•    CROP Colleagues;
•    Excellencies; 
•    Ladies and Gentlemen:

•    I am honoured to join you today and thank the Chair for his insightful opening. In the spirit of complementing those remarks, I will focus on our strategic priorities as we convene under the Pacific Islands Forum.

•    Let me first acknowledge Tonga’s effective leadership over the past year. Under Tonga’s Chairmanship, our Forum has reinforced its unity and amplified our collective voice on critical issues such as climate action, sustainable development, and economic resilience.

•    Our work is guided by the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, our long-term blueprint for regional unity and prosperity. The success of this Strategy hinges on enhanced cooperation, strong leadership, and inclusive participation. In that spirit, the Forum’s High-Level Political Talanoa process is examining how to realign our regional institutions to meet the 2050 vision, and its outcomes will inform recommendations to our Leaders in Solomon Islands.

•    Today’s agenda reflects our core shared challenges and opportunities. Peace and Security remain paramount; we must safeguard our region as a zone of peace amid evolving geopolitical dynamics.

•    Resources and Economic Development are equally crucial; we will explore cross-sector opportunities for sustainable growth, including initiatives like the Pacific Resilience Facility, our Pacific-led fund to strengthen community resilience.

•    Climate Change and Disasters demand urgent, unified action. As an existential threat to our region, climate change will be a major focus, including how we mobilise as one for ambitious outcomes at COP31, the first “Pacific COP” to be hosted by Australia.

•    Likewise, Ocean and environmental stewardship is critical. We will address issues from nuclear legacy challenges to the sustainable management of marine resources, informed by the recent talanoa on Deep Sea Minerals.

•    Our discussions also put people at the center. People-Centered Development means ensuring our collective efforts improve the daily lives of Pacific citizens. We must carry forward the outcomes of recent dialogues on education, health, and social inclusion to guide our Leaders’ decisions at the upcoming Leaders Meeting next month.

•    Finally, Technology and Connectivity will enable our future progress. By advancing digital transformation and infrastructure, we can bridge distances, boost innovation, and strengthen regional unity.
•    Honourable Ministers, as we deliberate on these matters, let us do so with candor and in the cooperative spirit of the Pacific Way. Our discussions today will directly shape the outcomes of the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Honiara. Let us engage frankly and constructively to give our Leaders a strong, united mandate as we look ahead.

•    In closing, I again acknowledge Tonga’s leadership and thank all Members for your commitment to our Forum family. I am confident that our work today will pave the way for a successful Leaders’ Meeting and a more resilient, united Blue Pacific future.

•    Thank you.