In a significant moment for Pacific diplomacy, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka delivered a compelling address at the National Press Club of Australia earlier this week, where he strongly championed a shared Pacific future built on unity, respect, and peace.
His speech, delivered during an official visit to Australia, placed Fiji’s voice at the forefront of regional leadership with a renewed call for solidarity through a Pacific-led initiative that he has been championing—the “Ocean of Peace.”
At the centre of the Prime Minister’s message was a clear reminder that the challenges we face as Pacific Islanders such as climate change, economic pressures, criminal activity, and cyber threats demand Pacific solutions driven by Pacific people.
“Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where our renewed and elevated Vuvale Partnership needs a further step up to an agreement or treaty, the Ocean of Peace,” Mr Rabuka said.
Facing the realities of a changing region
Mr Rabuka outlined the stark realities affecting Fiji and the wider Blue Pacific Continent. With climate change accelerating, the threat to our way of life is real. At the same time, rising levels of transnational crime, including the illicit drug trade, pose an increasing danger to regional peace and economic stability.
As Fiji plays a pivotal role as a financial and logistical hub, it also finds itself at the crossroads of these global currents.
The recent Fijian national budget, Mr Rabuka noted, has already responded with funding for 1,000 additional police officers as part of efforts to tackle the country’s growing drug challenge.
“Our rich resources in the Pacific, particularly fish, are coveted by many,” he said.
“We have faced a scourge of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, impacting our economic wellbeing and damaging our fragile Pacific environment.”
He also pointed to the rising dangers of cybercrime as the region becomes increasingly connected, urging closer cooperation with neighbours and international partners to protect borders and enforce laws.
A Pacific vision for peace
The Prime Minister’s proposed Ocean of Peace initiative offers a home-grown framework for a more secure and stable Pacific future.
He presented ten guiding principles for endorsement by the Pacific Islands Forum, principles rooted in the Pacific Way, which emphasises dialogue, respect, consensus, and community.
These include peaceful dispute resolution, respect for international norms, freedom to determine one’s own security policy, freedom of navigation, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and environmental stewardship.
Mr Rabuka paid homage to the legacy of Fiji’s founding father, the late Tui Nayau, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, who first introduced the Pacific Way to the world at the United Nations General Assembly in 1970.
“This is our opportunity to weave the threads of our Pacific past with our vision for our Pacific future,” Mr Rabuka said.
He explained how the Fijian phrase mai cegu mada, “come rest a while” stands for more than just hospitality; it embodies the heart of Pacific diplomacy.
It is through listening, sharing stories, and taking time that true understanding and consensus emerge.
Deepening ‘Vuvale’ ties with Australia
Reinforcing the strength of the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership, Mr Rabuka praised the deepening cooperation between Suva and Canberra across security, defence, and development.
He welcomed the regular high-level visits between both nations and highlighted shared training programmes, such as the participation of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces in Exercise Talisman Sabre and police training at Brisbane’s Pinkenbar Centre.
“These visits highlight how the Fiji-Australia partnership can contribute to the Ocean of Peace,” Mr Rabuka stated.
“Partners such as Fiji and Australia need to be able to rely on each other.”
He emphasised that being vuvale, a family, means not just working together, but also facing tough challenges side by side, with trust, humility, and understanding.
Championing Pacific voices on the world stage
As preparations ramp up for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Honiara this September, Mr Rabuka expressed hope that the Ocean of Peace declaration would gain full support from regional leaders.
He also reaffirmed Fiji’s support for Australia’s bid to co-host COP31, emphasising that Pacific voices must shape global climate responses that directly impact their homes and livelihoods.
Mr Rabuka once again underlined the value of Pacific traditions in solving modern problems.
“Fiji pioneered the dialogue as a new approach to climate negotiations with a Pacific concept of storytelling,” he said.
“So, mai cegu mada. Let us talk. Let us talk climate change.”
The PM’s address makes clear that the Blue Pacific’s strength lies in its unity and its values.
“We are the Pacific. And by the Ocean of Peace, we are putting a face to that adjective—Pacific.”
Rabuka lays a wreath and pays his respects to fallen soldiers at the Australian War Memorial. Picture: FIJI GOVERNMENT
PM Rabuka greets a Indigenous Australian elder Ms Violet Sheridan. Picture: FIJI GOVERNMENT
