Despite some States falling out, Unity was the byword of the leaders
Venkat Raman in Suva, Fiji, July 15, 2022
It is difficult to say whether the 51st Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) that concluded in Fiji on Thursday (July 14, 2022) was a success, but the leaders accepted to address the growing Climate Challenge jointly and forge unity and solidarity.
With Kiribati leaving the Forum the day before the Summit was due to commence in the Fijian Capital, three other countries out of 18 member-states abstaining, and some leaders expressing concern (including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern) that the region was at the risk of militarisation with China expanding its influence, the Summit appeared somewhat shaky but there appeared to be a consensus that cooperation rather than discard is the way forward.
Climate Emergency declared
There is no final communique yet, but the Forum is expected to declare a ‘Climate Emergency’ and call for a rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming. The Leaders reinforced the Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, which strikes an urgent tone on climate change and repeatedly calls for accelerated and drastic action to reduce emissions.
The Communique is also expected to support Vanuatu’s push to secure a request from the United Nations to ask the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Climate Change.
It praises the move of the Australian government led by Anthony Albanese (who was present at the Forum) to lift Australia’s emissions reduction target but gives only a brief mention of its push to host a United Nations Climate Change Conference with Pacific Island nations.
Ms Ardern told us at her media briefing that every member-country recognises the real threat posed by Climate Change and that cooperation is the only way forward. As she had predicted earlier, the Forum has called for increased bilateral cooperation with Kiribati and hoped to see “greater solidarity and closer cooperation among PIF countries for common development.”
Mr Bainimarama told a press conference that he was keen to bring the COP (Conference of the Parties under the aegis of the UN to come to the Pacific region. He had recently sent a message to Australia saying on social media that he had urged Mr Albanese to introduce more ambitious targets consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.
“Throughout every meeting and discussion, I have held this week, I have been clear and consistent in asking for more ambitious climate commitments,” he said.
The New Zealand government has announced $10 million for a seed bank in Fiji, the first funding from its $1.3 billion Climate Fund set up in October 2021.
America’s US$ 600 million package
The recent defence pact signed by the Solomon Island with China saw the return of the United States of America to the region with its Vice-President Kamala Harris addressing the Forum virtually (an unprecedented move) at the invitation of Fiji’s Prime Minister and Forum Chairman Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama. She pledged US$ 600 million to the region over the next ten years as a part of the South Pacific Tuna Treaty.
Ms Harris described the grant a a ‘milestone that reflects robust and growing commitment of the USA to the Pacific Islands region. It follows President Joe Biden’s appointment of a Special Presidential Envoy for Compact Negotiations and the launch of the Partners in the Blue Pacific, a new coordination initiative among the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to support Pacific priorities more effectively. It also builds on five decades of close cooperation with the Pacific Islands Forum, including as a founding Dialogue Partner; US$ 350 million in annual US assistance to the Pacific; and deep people-to-people ties, including among the 1.4 million Pacific Islanders who live across the United States.
Ms Harris also said that her country will expand its diplomatic presence in the South Pacific with the establishment of an embassy in Kiribati and Tonga, in addition to participation in several other projects and programmes.
The Treaty enables the US fishing fleet access to the Pacific, supporting livelihoods across the region, and providing a platform for broader cooperation, including combating the scourge of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Many leaders have been wary of the defence and security pacts that are likely to follow trade and aid arrangements between China and the PIF countries. The Defence Pact signed by China with the Solomon Islands and the fear of many such pacts likely to emerge in the future has had a rippling effect. Ms Ardern said that New Zealand, like the rest of the PIF countries, will keep their doors open for the possible return of Kiribati to the Forum, which was backed by PIF Secretary General and former Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna. He said that the leaders had agreed to consult with each other before signing any defence deals in the future.
The 2050 Strategy
The US will also appoint its first-ever envoy to the PIF and formulate a National Strategy on the Pacific, again a first.
While the outcome of the 51st PIF meeting will be reflected in the developments over the next few months, the 2050 Strategy holds some promises.
As the Forum’s Director of Programmes Zarak Khan told Al Jazeera, the Strategy has been inspired by the success of similar models in Asia which used incremental five-year plans to achieve long-term goals.
“After the launch, we will enter the implementation plan phase, which will see new meetings in September and October at which we will discuss agency delegation, and resource allocation, identify specific targets and introduce enabling action plans that will be finalised at that time,” Mr Khan said.
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