Honiara: Pacific Island leaders opened their annual summit in the Solomon Islands on Monday, with climate change and regional security set to dominate discussions.
The weeklong Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) began in Honiara with a meeting of small island states. Leaders of the 18-member body, including Australia and New Zealand, are expected to gather for a retreat in the seaside settlement of Munda on Thursday.
In a notable departure from previous years, the summit is being held without donor partners such as China, the US, and Taiwan. The Solomon Islands barred foreign observers after a dispute over Taiwan’s participation. While three members maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei and three others have defense compacts with Washington, most have formal relations with Beijing.
Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele defended the exclusion, calling it temporary while the forum reviews its rules on non-member attendance. “The Pacific region must always lead, drive, and own its own agenda and not be distracted by divisive issues pushed by external media,” he said.
Forum Secretary-General Divavesi Waqa said the gathering will focus on regional priorities, including climate change, ocean governance, security, and economic resilience.
Manele said the meeting’s theme – ‘Lumi Tugeda: Act Now for an Integrated Blue Pacific Continent’ – underscores the urgency of collective action. “If ever there was a time that demanded strengthened Pacific regionalism and collective action, it is now,” he added.
‘A healthy ocean is essential for a healthy climate’
⬆️ Strong message from voyagers from traditional seafaring canoes, the TePuke🇸🇧 and Uto ni Yalo🇫🇯 as they arrived at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting #54PIFLM pic.twitter.com/mJ1CLsEpFI
— Ambassador for Climate Change (@AusAmbClimate) September 8, 2025
Leaders are expected to sign the Fiji-led ‘Ocean of Peace’ Declaration, which stresses environmental stewardship, peaceful dispute resolution, and rejection of coercion.
Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the pact reflects the region’s vulnerability to climate disasters and its history of resource exploitation.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is due in Honiara on Wednesday after a stop in Vanuatu, where he is expected to sign a landmark security and economic pact. Australia’s push to co-host the COP31 climate conference with Pacific nations will also be on the agenda, amid criticism of Canberra’s fossil fuel record.
Vanuatu recently led a case at the International Court of Justice, which ruled that states must act urgently to cut emissions to address existential threat of climate change.
The Solomon Islands, once criticised in the West for deepening ties with Beijing under its previous leader, has moved to repair relations with Australia under Manele. But balancing ties with rival powers remains a delicate challenge.
The PIF’s 18 members are Australia, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
