Pacific Islands Forum

Why in the News?

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) recently held its annual conference in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, on August 26.

About Pacific Islands Forum (PIF):

Which countries are in the Pacific?

Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia are the three main island groups that make up the Pacific Islands. The fourteen nations dispersed around the South-West Pacific Ocean are referred to as Pacific Island countries (PIC). They are listed below;

Forums and associations about the PIC

Among the associations with PIC are:

Pacific Islands Forum: With 18 member nations and territories, the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is a regional intergovernmental organization that seeks to enhance communication and collaboration between its members. The forum’s headquarters are in Suva, Fiji, and it was founded in 1971.

Partners in Blue Pacific: The United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom make up this informal mechanism. It seeks to improve diplomatic and commercial ties in the area while aiding the Pacific island nations.
“Climate crisis, connectivity and transportation, maritime security and protection, health, prosperity, and education” are some of the sectors in which collaboration is included.

What does it mean to interact with PIC?
Pacific Island nations are important for several reasons:

a. Strategic Location: Between Asia and the Americas is the PIC’s advantageous geographic location. They are significant for trade, commerce, and military strategy because of their location.

1. Economic factor: 90% of international trade is transported by sea, and PIC is a part of the wider Indo-Pacific region, which is essential to this trade.
2. Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs): PIC has some of the largest and most resource-rich EEZs in the world, even though it is one of the smallest and least inhabited states.
3. Geopolitical Importance: A large number of PICs are also involved in regional organizations that play a major role in both regional and global affairs, such as the Pacific Islands Forum.

Significance of PIF

Goals:

• To promote economic expansion, improve regional security and political governance, and fortify regional collaboration.
• Its objective is for a resilient region of peace, harmony, security, prosperity, and social inclusion in the Pacific that guarantees the freedom, health, and productivity of all Pacific peoples.
• It strengthens the Pacific’s ability to navigate geopolitical tensions between major powers like the US and China.
• It advocates for global climate action and funds resilience efforts through the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) to support vulnerable Pacific nations.
• It fosters cooperation among its 18 small island states, fostering joint decision-making on key regional issues.
• The forum promotes sustainable economic development through regional trade and investment initiatives.
• It focuses on protecting the Pacific’s ecosystems by addressing issues like ocean pollution and overfishing.
• The Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Forum carries out the decisions.
  Members of PIF have been actively working to raise money for climate action.
• Notably, PIF launched the Pacific Resilience mechanism (PRF), a regional finance mechanism that is currently $380 million steer of its $500 million goal.
• The Framework for Pacific Regionalism, which the Forum Leaders approved in 2014, serves as the foundation for the Forum’s operations. It lays forth the goals, ideals, strategies, and methods for achieving deeper regionalism in the Pacific.

What changes have occurred in PIC’s relations with India?
The following are a few changes in the India-PIC relationship:
Forum for Cooperation in the India-Pacific Islands (FIPIC): This multinational organization was created in 2014 to facilitate cooperation between India and the 14 countries that make up the Pacific Islands.
First Summit 2014: In November 2014, the heads of state or government of the aforementioned nations convened in Suva, Fiji, where the concept for the yearly summit was conceived.

Second Summit 2015: On August 21 and 22, 2015, Jaipur hosted the Forum for India Pacific Cooperation’s (FIPIC-2) second summit.

India and Fiji bilateral relations: In 1970, not long after Fiji won its independence from Britain, India and Fiji established diplomatic ties.

India and Fiji have collaborated on projects related to training and development through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program, defence, agriculture and related sectors, humanitarian assistance disaster relief support, etc.

Examples :

Establishment of the Sustainable Coastal and Ocean Research Institute (SCORI) in Fiji, which was decided upon during the second FIPIC summit in 2015, and the President of India’s awarding of the coveted “Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2021” to Sai Prema Foundation Fiji, Fiji’s largest NGO.

As part of its operational deployment in the Pacific Ocean, INS Satpura visited Fiji in 2022.

In 2023, Fiji played host to the 12th World Hindi Conference. “Hindi-Traditional Knowledge of Artificial Intelligence” served as the theme for the event.

What elements might help to improve relations between India and the PIC?
India’s relationship with the PIC can help it in several ways. India could benefit from several potential advantages in these connections, including

a. Common history: In the 1800s, a large number of Indian immigrants were brought to the area as indentured plantation labourers and many of these labourers eventually made the PIC their home.
This might lay the groundwork for India and the PIC to have close ties.

1. Strong diaspora presence: There are sizable Indian diaspora populations in the PIC, mostly in Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG). These groups might act as a link between the PIC and India, fostering closer links on both the cultural and economic fronts.
2. Climate change and sustainable development: The effects of climate change, including as increasing sea levels and harsh weather, could affect both PIC and India. Cooperation between the two areas can help with adaptation and mitigation of climate change.
3. Blue Economy: The PIC can promote the blue economy and aid in the expansion of India’s economy because of its resource-rich EEZs.
4. Strategic location: The Indo-Pacific area, where the PIC is situated, is growing in importance on a worldwide scale as a result of its involvement in international geopolitics.

India is becoming a more powerful nation in terms of both economy and military, and the PIC is interested in working with it to gain access to its resources.

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