Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says his next trip to the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) is when the Pacific Islands Forum adopts his ‘Ocean for Peace’ policy that was proposed at the 53rd Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting in Tonga last month.
Speaking at the ‘Launch of Fiji’s Foreign Policy White Paper’ Rabuka said in his address to the UNGA Meeting last year, he would have an ‘Oceans for Peace’ policy to take back to New York.
Rabuka said this was adopted in the last PILMs in Tonga, last month; however, his framework is expected to be adopted in Honiara in the Solomon Islands next year.
The Prime Minister highlighted that he had asked the President, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere to address in his place as the Leader of Government, at the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
Rabuka added that the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is working with the Fiji Government to draft his plan for collective nations in the Pacific, calling for peace and security in the region.
Meanwhile, Rabuka says Fiji’s Foreign Policy White Paper is not merely a checklist of current foreign policy actions or a catalogue of Fiji’s bilateral and multilateral relationships.
Instead, Rabuka describes the White Paper as a strategic framework designed to adapt to changing global dynamics and enhance Fiji’s role in international affairs.
The Prime Minister said that the White Paper promotes the concept of an “Ocean of Peace,” positioning this initiative as Fiji’s contribution to peace and security in its immediate neighbourhood and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
“It sets out underlying principles of Fiji’s foreign policy, our overarching objectives, our broad priorities, and the ways in which domestic and foreign policy are closely intertwined.”
Rabuka stresses that the true measure of a country’s foreign policy lies in its ability to recognise, adapt and evolve with the world around it.
Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Lenora Qereqeretabua states that the White Paper serves as a key platform to clarify how Fiji’s foreign policy aligns with international objectives for a domestic audience.
“It will put in place a whole of government machinery where foreign and domestic policies are coordinated and where all arms of government will work towards an integrated national strategy.”
Moving forward, the Foreign Policy White Paper will define Fiji’s priorities and guide the nation’s international engagements, reflecting a commitment to proactive and responsive diplomacy.
