Pacific regional organisations are reviewing next steps on nuclear contamination and preparations for the 40th anniversary of the Rarotonga Treaty, as the region continues to address the long-term legacy of nuclear testing.
The seventh meeting of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) Taskforce on Nuclear Legacy Issues was held at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, with members discussing nuclear developments and preparations for the second Meeting of States Parties to the Rarotonga Treaty in December.
The meeting was chaired by Marshall Islands Ambassador to Fiji and the Pacific Islands, Junior Aini.
Members also considered the final report of the Preliminary Independent Review on Nuclear Contamination in the Pacific and discussed next steps following its findings.
The December meeting will coincide with the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Rarotonga Treaty’s entry into force. The treaty establishes a South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.
The taskforce received an update on the Marshall Islands’ signing of the treaty, through Foreign Minister Kalani Kaneko, on the margins of the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in August 2026.
Members were also briefed on the launch of the Pacific edition of the Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons, an initiative focused on youth engagement in nuclear disarmament.
The meeting forms part of ongoing regional efforts to address nuclear legacy issues, strengthen cooperation and advance discussions on contamination and the effects of nuclear testing in the Pacific.
