Pacific foreign ministers have endorsed a new regional peace and security action plan as the region faces an increasingly complex security environment, including illicit drugs, transnational crime, humanitarian emergencies and emerging non-traditional threats.
Meeting ahead of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, ministers recognized the need for a more cohesive regional security architecture supported by agile and responsive mechanisms, and endorsed the draft Regional Peace and Security Action Plan 2026–2030 for consideration by Forum Leaders.
They stressed that implementation must be led by Forum members, reflect different national capacities, be properly prioritized and adequately resourced.
Ministers also weighed a Solomon Islands-led proposal for a Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Regional Security Treaty, which would bring together the Biketawa Declaration, the Boe Declaration and the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration.
While ministers encouraged further consideration of the proposal by Forum members, they acknowledged that additional consultations are required before it advances further.
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On policing, ministers agreed in principle to institutionalize the Pacific Police Ministers Meeting as a ministerial-level decision-making mechanism within the Forum architecture, though the proposal still will undergo further national consultations before being referred to Leaders, with any final arrangements needing to avoid duplication, consider the capacity and resource implications for members and complement existing regional security mechanisms.
They similarly agreed in principle to formally recognize the Joint Heads of Pacific Security within the Forum’s Peace and Security Architecture, backing its referral to Leaders in Palau, with further work needed on institutional arrangements, including meeting sequencing, membership, Secretariat transition and reporting lines.
A separate item, the Waqa Moana concept, also won in-principle support for referral to Leaders, subject to further national consultations.
Ministers flagged the need to address the social impacts of illicit drugs and broader transnational crime through an integrated regional response, directing the Forum Sub-Committee on Regional Security to work with relevant regional mechanisms to develop appropriate responses and provide an update to Leaders in 2027.
On the humanitarian front, ministers endorsed the Pacific Humanitarian Response Coordination Mechanism Policy and Operating Guidelines and supported their referral to Forum Leaders.
They also discussed the proposed Integrated Regional Response Mechanism and Regional Operations Deployment Framework, though noting that further consultations are needed on both proposals.
Taken together, the outcomes underline the Forum’s push to strengthen regional coordination and ensure Pacific-led responses to a widening range of traditional and non-traditional security challenges.
