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The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental consultative organization which aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific Ocean and represent their interests. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum; the name was changed in 2000 to better reflect the correct geographic locations of its member states both in the north and south Pacific.
Member states are: Australia, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
The decisions of the Forum are implemented by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), which grew out of the South Pacific Economic Cooperation bureau (SPEC). As well as its role in harmonising regional positions on various political and policy issues, the Forum Secretariat has technical programmes in economic development, transport and trade, and chairs the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP).
New Zealand and Australia are much larger in population (with the exception of Papua New Guinea) and wealthier than the other small, poor, and in some cases outright impoverished island nations that make up the rest of the forum. They are significant aid donors and big markets for exports (for instance, through a concessional tariff deal on textiles exports from Fiji to Australia). Australia's population is around twice that of the other 15 members combined and its economy more than five times larger. In Papua New Guinea (in Bougainville) and the Solomons, New Zealand and Australia have recently conducted peacekeeping/stabilization military operations. These military assistance/intervention are legitimized by the Biketawa Declaration, which was adopted at the 31st Summit of Pacific Islands Forum, held at Kiribati in October 2000.
History
From 5 to 7 August 1971, the first meeting of South Pacific Forum was initiated by New Zealand and held in Wellington, with attendants of seven countries including the President of Nauru, the Prime Ministers of Western Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, the Premier of the Cook Islands, the Australian Minister for External Territories, and the Prime Minister of New Zealand. It was a private and informal discussion of a wide range of issues of common concern, concentrating on matters directly affecting the daily lives of the people of the islands of the South Pacific, devoting particular attention to trade, shipping, tourism, and education. Afterwards this meeting was held annually in member countries and areas in turn. In 1999, the 30th South Pacific Forum decided to transform into Pacific Islands Forum, with relatively more extensive and formal way of discussion and organization. Immediately after the forum’s annual meeting at head of government level, the post-forum dialogue is conducted at ministerial level with forum dialogue partners around the world.
Main policies
The mission of Pacific Islands Forum is “to work in support of Forum member governments, to enhance the economic and social well-being of the people of the South Pacific by fostering cooperation between governments and between international agencies, and by representing the interests of Forum members in ways agreed by the Forum”.
Aims and activities
Membership
So far (2006) there are 16 member countries, including (in alphabetical order) Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
12 Forum dialogue partners include (in alphabetical order) Canada, China, European Union, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, UK, and USA.
Institutions and legal framework
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat was established initially as a ‘Trade Bureau’ in 1972 and later became the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Cooperation (SPEC). The name South Pacific Forum Secretariat was approved by member governments in 1988 and changed to Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in 2000.
There are four divisions in the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and each of these divisions has direct responsibility for a range of programs designed to improve the capacity of the Forum member countries and to co-ordinate action on matters of common interest: 1. Development and Economic Policy 2. Trade and Investment 3. Political, International and Legal Affairs 4. Corporate Services
Pacific Regional Trade Agreement
The aim of Pacific Regional Trade Agreement is to boost trade between the island nations of the Pacific. Australia and New Zealand are associate members of PARTA.
Comparison with other Regional blocs
See also
External link
International organizations | New Zealand-Pacific relations | 1971 establishments
Thài-pêng-iûⁿ-tó Lūn-toâⁿ | Pacific Islands Forum | Forum des îles du Pacifique | 太平洋諸島フォーラム
"Pacific Islands Forum"