Political will and better coordination needed to translate security commitments into action

Sustained leadership, strengthened regional architecture, people-centred planning, and coordinated partnerships would help the region translate security declarations and commitments into action, panellists at a side event at the 55^th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting have said.

‘Towards a region of peace and security: From political vision to action’, hosted by the Pacific Security College and Palau Community College, brought together representatives from government, civil society, education and regional organisations to discuss how the Pacific can move from strategic vision to practical implementation, ensuring a peaceful, resilient and secure region.

Honourable Jennifer S. Olegeriil, Palau’s Minister for Justice, said governments and the region had to be accountable for the commitments they had made.

“The Pacific has been very clear about the region we want it to be. We certainly have the vision. It’s about turning those visions into heartfelt, tangible outcomes. It must start with political will, and perhaps even more importantly, for that political will to continue,” she said.

Minister Olegeriil said countries across the region needed to work together to address security challenges, while being conscious of their respective capacities and capabilities.

“The Pacific is not a one-size-fits-all. We don’t all need to have the same capabilities, but we do need to know what we can do ourselves, where we have gaps, and where we can rely on one another. Regionalism – that to me is the value of being a region,” Minister Olegeriil said.

“How do we build the relationships that allow us to respond together when a challenge crosses our borders? Because the threats we are dealing with today do not respect those borders. Whether we are talking about transnational organised crime, cyber threats, maritime security, climate-related challenges, or other emerging risks – no single country can address all of these issues alone.”

Tuvalu’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade, Honourable Paulson Panapa, said having the political will to implement the region’s security commitments meant choosing regional unity over fragmentation, and embedding Pacific values and a people-centred approach to security.

“Political will is expressed when leaders deliberately prioritise regional solidarity, even when geopolitical competition pressures countries to act alone,” he said.

“The region has strong frameworks. We have the Boe Declaration, the 2050 Strategy, Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace, but political will means ensuring that these commitments are executed, not just referenced.

“Political will is shown when leaders ensure security decisions reflect Pacific values, community voices, and holistic definitions of security.”

Minister Panapa said leaders needed to maintain momentum between meetings through continuous engagement, strengthening implementation architecture, and ensuring national agencies deliver on regional commitments.

“Momentum requires structure, predictable political engagement through the year…to keep leaders connected to implementation, rather than waiting for the annual summit,” he said.

He also encouraged leaders to look ahead to emerging risks, not just reacting to crises, to keep a focus on long-term resilience.

Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen, Head of the School of Ecology and Resilience Development at the Pasifika Communities University in Fiji, and former Director-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), said the region had demonstrated its ability to work together, pointing to the success of the FFA and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement.

“As Pacific people, we’ve shown consistently that when we work together, we can achieve anything, as long as we have a common purpose and common will,” she said.

“The Pacific already benefits from very rich, diverse and capable regional mechanism organisations, so I don’t think that the primary challenge is a lack of institutions. Rather, it’s ensuring that our regional architecture operates in a coherent and connected way and ensuring that regional architecture continues to work in support of the priorities established not just by our leaders but by our people at any level, including in the community.”

Dr Tupou-Roosen said responding to the interconnected security challenges confronting the region, including maritime security, food security, energy security, economic security, as well as gender-based violence, drugs, health crises, and online harms, required stronger cohesion across regional organisations. She also highlighted the need for stronger interagency coordination, and ensuring regional architecture was fit for purpose and that regional action remained firmly connected to national priorities.

“[It’s] not about creating more institutions, [but] making the best use of what we’ve got,” she said.

Villaney Remengesau, a Palauan disability rights advocate who was elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in June, reflected on what practical action to address security challenges would look like in reality.

“If we meet again in three to five years, we want to see real changes in our lives, in our daily lives. Enough of talking. We need action,” she said.

“We want to see a stronger community that is resilient, better prepared for climate change and disaster. We also want to see stronger economic and energy security, more opportunities for our people. We also want to see safer communities, that is that we have protection for our people against online and offline threats and organised crimes.

“And we want to see more younger people involved in the decision-making process because the decisions made today will impact their future.”

The speakers also reflected on the role of partners in supporting the region. Moderator Viliame Bovoro, Director of the Pacific Fusion Centre, acknowledged that to achieve many of its goals, the Pacific needed partnerships and resourcing.

“We need the assistance, to work with partners to bring some of this vision, to be able to drive action, and to be able to implement and execute,” he said.

Minister Olegeriil said the Pacific was fortunate to have many partners who genuinely wanted to support the region, but that the support needed to be coordinated and aligned with Pacific priorities.

“Clearly identified priorities can also help better tailor assistance, support and funding that will benefit and produce sought outcomes, rather than become additional hurdles. Sometimes the challenge is not a lack of support; it is that we have many partners doing good work, but not always in a way that is connected to what others are doing,” she said.

“Sustainability is very important. We welcome training. We welcome technical expertise. We welcome resources. But ultimately, a good partnership should leave us stronger and more capable than we were before when that partnership ultimately ends and we have to do it on our own.

“We should all be working towards a Pacific that is not simply supported by its partners, but a Pacific that is stronger, more capable and more confident in meeting its own security agenda, with the help and support of friends.”

Ms Remengesau echoed the need for better coordination and alignment with Pacific priorities.

“We need to ensure that our regional organisations and development partners work closely together, are better coordinated, so they can deliver better results for the people,” she said.

“We have many priorities, but we don’t see the results affecting the lives of our people. So, we want actions. We want to see the results.”

Following the panel discussion, Director of the Pacific Security College, Professor Dave Peebles launched the 2026 Pacific Peace and Security Dialogue Report.

The report highlights that stronger regional cooperation will be critical in implementing solutions to address the region’s security challenges, described as a ‘polycrisis’.

“The idea behind the polycrisis is that these really big challenges, like climate change and geopolitics and transnational crime and supporting and promoting human development, are all sort of running together and feeding off each other and making for a very complicated situation. That’s the serious challenge part of it,” Professor Peebles said.

“But really, the opportunity and the hope is that this is a challenge that the Pacific can overcome. And I’d say three things: vision, community, and trust.

“And working together as one region doesn’t diminish sovereignty; it actually adds to sovereignty as well.”

Read the 2026 Pacific Peace and Security Dialogue Report online.