A 30-year plan for the pacific region has been signed today in Suva, Fiji.
The 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific has been agreed to by the nations of the 51st Pacific Islands Forum, a collective vision emphasising regionalism, and unity, in the wake of new geopolitical challenges.
But after days of summit discussion, the different priorities among Pacific leaders are obvious.
While Australia and New Zealand renewed their focus on security concerns amid China's growing influence in the region, Niuean Premier Dalton Tagelagi says, for his nation, rising oceans due to climate change are a much greater threat.
“We got to focus on our priorities which is climate change and of course, the oceans.
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“That’s what we should be focusing on in order to protect our region. That’s more important than other geopolitics and whatever.”
Australia has been obstructive on the issue in the past. many pacific leaders are hoping that will change under the new government.
The agreement also heralds greater regional cooperation for managing issues like food security. Good news for many locals, fisherman Keni Tekei says, competition and rising fuel costs means had made his profession increasingly unaffordable in recent years.
“The Chinese boats the Japanese boats they come and they sell it we buy off them.
“The leaders have to make the rules better for the young generation going forward.”
But the summit is only a partial success story. Kiribati was one of five Micronesian nations that withdrew from the forum last year for reasons that included a belief they had been side-lined by bigger countries.
A shock says, the president of the Federated States of Micronesia David panels, considering the Suva agreement, reached last month, addressed many long-time concerns plaguing some of the smaller nations such as Kiribati, giving Micronesian countries more power.
"If there is no equity in representation at the forum then the forum cannot be credible going forward.
"So when we achieved the Suva Agreement and all the reforms contained in there I think it went beyond what we were asking for."
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