By Pita Ligaiula in Honiara, Solomon Islands
Outgoing Chair of the Smaller Island States (SIS), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)President Wesley Simina, has urged Pacific leaders to keep the region’s most vulnerable nations at the centre of Forum priorities.
“It has been an honour for the Federated States of Micronesia to serve as Chair of the Smaller Island States grouping over the last year,” Simina said at the opening of the SIS Leaders Meeting in Honiara this morning.
Simina said SIS leaders had identified four priority actions for the grouping: securing reliable air and sea transport, advancing fisheries development, strengthening regional procurement and health workforce mechanisms, and improving access to climate finance.
“Indeed, the securing of reliable air and sea transport, advancing fisheries development, strengthening regional procurement and health workforce mechanisms, and enhancing access to climate finance are not abstract issues — they are the realities that we contend with on a daily basis,” he said.
He stressed that the challenges faced by SIS nations — from connectivity to climate change and economic viability — highlight why they remain “an indispensable part of the Forum family.”
“For the Federated States of Micronesia, these realities are lived every day. Our nation is vast in ocean yet scattered in islands, facing the high costs of distance, limited connectivity, and extreme exposure to climate change,” Simina said.
“Our remoteness and vulnerability are not signs of weakness, but enduring reminders of why the SIS must continue to stand together. Our grouping reminds the region that the measure of Pacific solidarity lies not in averages, but in our ability to elevate the most vulnerable among us.”
Simina said the theme of the 54th Pacific Islands Forum — “Iumi Tugeda: Act Now for an Integrated Blue Pacific Continent” — carried particular weight for SIS members.
“For us, ‘acting now’ should not be a mere slogan but an imperative of survival. Similarly, ‘integration’ means a regional system that does not leave anyone behind but recognises that the strength of our Blue Pacific lies in the inclusion of its most vulnerable,” he said.
Looking ahead, Simina called for the consolidation of the SIS Development Fund to ensure SIS priorities are backed with finance and urged international partners to recognise the realities of smaller states.
“Leadership in our Blue Pacific is shared — and it is through this collective approach that SIS will continue to transform vulnerabilities into opportunities for our peoples,” he said.
Simina concluded by handing over the SIS chairmanship to Kiribati President Taneti Maamau.
