REMARKS: Secretary General, Baron Divavesi Waqa, at the 6th Pacific-France Summit

Your Excellency, President Emmanuel Macron,
Your Excellencies, Pacific Islands Forum Leaders,

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Bonjour and warm Pacific greetings to you all.

It is indeed an honour and privilege to join you today for this very important dialogue. I also join our Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in conveying our sincere gratitude to Your Excellency, President Macron, and to the people of Nice and the Republic, for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to all our delegations here in Nice.

We commend your exemplary leadership in co-hosting the Third United Nations Ocean Conference. This is an event of vital importance not only to our region, but to all who share this one Blue Planet. The oceans are not only central to our identity and way of life. They are the lifeblood of our Blue Pacific economies, our cultures, and our futures. Hosting this Summit alongside UNOC sends a powerful message: that the French Republic sees and hears the Blue Pacific, and is committed to walking together with us as partners on the definitive voyage ahead.

Excellencies, we express deep appreciation for convening this 6th Pacific -France Summit. It remains an important demonstration of France’s enduring commitment to high-level dialogue with our Blue Pacific region. As we gather today, we do so not merely as neighbours, but as partners bound by shared values and a common responsibility to safeguard our Pacific peoples, our environment, and our collective future.

As a long-standing Forum Dialogue Partner, France has shown strong support for advancing our regional priorities - be it in the areas of climate action, ocean governance, or regional peace and security. These priorities are not incidental—they are central to our collective vision, as reflected in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, our long-term roadmap for regional resilience, unity, and prosperity.

The Blue Pacific is navigating a world of rapid change. The evolving geopolitical landscape, shaped by shifting global power dynamics, including the posturing of the United States and other major partners, continues to affect the stability of our region and the nature of our external engagements. 

Mr President, your keynote address at the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue was both timely, and compelling. Your emphasis on strategic autonomy, multilateral cooperation, and unwavering adherence to international law strongly resonates with the Blue Pacific’s own approach, grounded in dialogue, respect, and consensus-building.

These are not abstract ideals. They are the lived experiences for our region. They are principles that underpin our responses to crises, our solidarity in the face of challenge, and our determination to lead with unity and integrity.

Mr President, thank you for your Government’s leadership in facilitating the High-Level Forum Troika Plus Mission to New Caledonia last October. The Forum Troika Plus mission reflected the depth of our regional concern, but also our shared commitment with France to support peace, stability, and meaningful dialogue. We commend the constructive engagement of the French State and the Government of New Caledonia, and we acknowledge your personal commitment, and that of Minister Valls, in progressing dialogue toward a new political arrangement beyond the Nouméa Accord.

The Forum Secretariat remains committed to supporting an inclusive, peaceful, and regionally supported resolution to the political impasse. We reaffirm our solidarity with all communities in New Caledonia, and our readiness to work with France in fostering trust, mutual respect, and locally owned solutions.

Excellencies, as we chart new pathways for regional cooperation, I am pleased to inform you of the new Partnership and Engagement Mechanism. This was endorsed by Forum Leaders to ensure that the Forum’s collaboration with Dialogue Partners, like France, is structured, strategic, and aligned with the 2050 Strategy. 

This includes a new tiering framework that recognises partners’ presence and impact across our Forum island countries. We expect to finalise the full set of criteria in 2025, with provisional implementation in the lead-up to the 54^th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Honiara later this year.

Mr President, I look forward to your government’s deeper engagement with our region through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. This ensures the inclusivity and coherence of our collective efforts. It also ensures support for the full participation of ALL our Forum Members, especially those with limited capacity to engage completely. The Forum Secretariat exists to serve its Members, and we stand ready to further support effective and mutually beneficial engagements with France.

Excellencies, this is our sixth gathering as Blue Pacific leaders over a period of 22 years. Our partnership should now reflect confidence, maturity, and purpose, grounded in mutual respect, guided by our shared Ocean, and driven by a common desire to leave no one behind. 

On behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, thank you for your continued commitment to our Blue Pacific. We stand readiness to work with the French Republic in advancing our shared aspirations, anchored in the Pacific Way, and guided by our enduring vision for a just, resilient, and secure Blue Pacific Continent.

Merci beaucoup. Tubwa Kor. Thank you.