Investment in the Pacific must be purposeful, predictable and people-centered, said Pacific Islands Forum chair and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele.
Addressing about 200 delegates at The Pacific Agenda – Investment, Security and Shared Prosperity Summit at the East-West Centre’s Keoni Auditorium in Honolulu, Hawai’i on Tuesday (Fiji Time), Mr Manele said for the Pacific, success was not shared solely by the scale of investment.
He said it was also measured by its impact on communities, societies or in the villages — whether a child had electricity to study at night, whether farmers could reach markets, whether digital connections allowed young people to participate in the global economy were what mattered most.
“The predominant urgent issues and investment priorities for the Pacific Islands Forum members are climate-resilient infrastructure, renewable energy transition, sustainable ocean-based industries, fisheries value-addition, digital connectivity and human capital development to name a few,” Mr Manele said.
“We welcome sustainable investments that build local capability, transfers skills and technology, and enhance national systems.”
Mr Manele said in an era of volatility and heightened strategic competition, Pacific leaders had recognised that their strength lay in deepening cooperation among themselves and strengthening their own strategic autonomy to drive their priorities with the support of their partners.
He said for the Pacific Islands Forum family, approaches to partnerships were guided by a simple principle — “cooperation must strengthen Pacific resilience and elevate Pacific agency through deepened regionalism”.
“For us, economic development is security, climate resilience is stability and survival, and mutual respect is the foundation of partnership.
“This, in so many ways underscores the importance of a deliberate, coordinated and collective approach to strengthening engagement with our development partners, including the United States of America.”
Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel, Fiji’s Ambassador to the United States Ilisoni Vuidreketi and several Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders and ministers are in the Hawaiian capital Honolulu to participate in the US-Pacific investment summit in a bid to advance the region’s collective economic priorities and strengthening strategic partnerships with the United States.
The Forum delegation is led by Mr Manele and supported by Forum secretary general Baron Waqa.
