Prime Minister James Marape has concluded Papua New Guinea’s participation at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Koror, Palau, after using high-level regional and bilateral engagements to push for Pacific unity, economic security, climate action, ocean protection and stronger regional cooperation.
He returned to Port Moresby. PM Marape then led the maiden drive on the new Transnational Highway from Port Moresby to Morobe through Gulf Province yesterday. This missing link has connected the Southern Region with Momase and Highlands Regions, a milestone achievement for the country as it prepares to celebrate its 51st Independence Anniversary this month.
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Back to the meeting….
Hosted by Palau President His Excellency Surangel S. Whipps Jr. under the theme “B.E.L.A.U. – Building Economies: Life. Action. Unity,” the Forum brought Pacific leaders together to address challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent.
Prime Minister Marape in a statement said PNG, as the Pacific’s largest island nation, had a responsibility to contribute to regional peace, resilience and economic advancement.
“The world around us is increasingly fragile, but our strength as Pacific nations remain in our collective unity,” he said.
“We cannot change our geography. We are part of this region forever, and we must therefore stand together and protect the interests of our people.”
Prime Minister Marape warned that geopolitical tensions, wars, climate change, imported inflation and disruptions to global trade and energy supplies were placing increasing pressure on Pacific economies.
He urged Forum members to strengthen regionalism under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and supported Fiji Prime Minister Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka’s Ocean of Peace concept.
“Our seas are not for conflict or geopolitical rivalry. They are our greatest shared natural asset and must remain an Ocean of Peace for future generations,” he said.
Prime Minister Marape also called for stronger Pacific-led security cooperation, including serious consideration of the proposed Waqa Moana Concept to strengthen cooperation against transnational organized crime and drug trafficking.
He said PNG would continue its security partnerships with Australia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Indonesia while ensuring Pacific countries remained at the centre of decisions affecting regional security.
Climate action featured prominently in PNG’s participation, with Prime Minister Marape pledging K20 million towards the Pacific Resilience Facility, a Pacific-owned mechanism supporting community-level climate resilience and adaptation.
In discussions with Green Climate Fund Executive Director Ms. Mafalda Duarte, he called for stronger climate financing and greater recognition of the contribution Pacific forests and oceans make to global climate mitigation.
The GCF has approved US$85.4 million across four projects benefiting PNG, in addition to US$4.3 million in Readiness and Preparatory Support, including a US$63.4 million REDD+ results-based payment.
“Papua New Guinea and the Pacific are not merely victims of climate change. Our forests and oceans are major global carbon sinks, and the environmental services provided by our people must be properly measured, valued and rewarded,” Prime Minister Marape said.
He also promoted the Melanesian Ocean Corridor of Reserves (MOCOR) to strengthen marine conservation, sustainable fisheries and Indigenous-led ocean governance.
Prime Minister Marape called for Pacific economies to move beyond dependence on aid by developing industries around their own natural resources.
He promoted PNG’s East New Britain Initiative, which calls for tuna and other fisheries resources harvested from Pacific waters to be processed and value-added within Pacific countries.
“Our ocean contains enormous wealth, but that wealth must create industries, employment and income for Pacific people,” he said.
Prime Minister Marape encouraged all development partners — including Australia, the United States, New Zealand, China, Japan and Europe — to increase trade, investment and market access for Pacific products.
“The Pacific does not want to remain dependent on aid. We want investment. We want markets for our products. We want industries established in our countries,” he said.
“Our message to all our friends is simple: come and do business with us.”
A major outcome was the signing of a Framework Agreement on Development and Technical Cooperation with Niue, covering trade, investment, tourism, education, labour mobility, health, agriculture, fisheries, climate resilience, energy and infrastructure.
Prime Minister Marape also held bilateral talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Rt Hon. Christopher Luxon, focusing on education, technical training, labour mobility, aviation and the Bougainville peace process.
Discussions included PNG’s planned investment of more than K11 billion in education interventions over the next decade and the proposed direct Port Moresby–Auckland air service.
In discussions with United States Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, Prime Minister Marape called for greater US investment in energy, mining, petroleum, infrastructure and downstream processing. He welcomed the proposed US$60 million Regional Energy Security Initiative and raised concerns about US visa-bond requirements affecting PNG travellers.
Prime Minister Marape also met China’s Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs, His Excellency Qian Bo, discussing trade, investment, energy, LNG exports and regional affairs.
He reaffirmed PNG’s longstanding One-China policy while encouraging China to increase imports from PNG and invest in downstream processing, infrastructure, energy and employment-generating industries.
“China has been a reliable economic partner, including by opening its market to our fisheries and agricultural products. We appreciate this, and we want to expand that relationship further,” Prime Minister Marape said.
He stressed that PNG welcomed cooperation with all partners and wanted development and security relationships increasingly complemented by trade, commerce and investment.
Prime Minister Marape thanked President Whipps, the Government and people of Palau, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and fellow Pacific leaders for successfully convening the meeting.
He said PNG would continue working with Forum members and international partners to turn regional commitments into practical benefits for Pacific communities.
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“Papua New Guinea went to Palau with a clear message: the Pacific must remain united, peaceful, economically strong and in control of its own future,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“We will remain friends to all and enemies to none, but the interests of Pacific people, our ocean and future generations must always come first.”