The Tongan Crown Prince has urged Pacific leaders to define peace beyond security at a major regional summit in Suva this week.
Speaking at the 2025 Pacific Regional and National Security Conference in Fiji, Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala emphasised the need for a unified Pacific vision built on peace, not just security.
“I think wording it as an Ocean of Peace is a very important part for us to understand,” he said. “If you say security, we might be thinking about the human security, climate change, but if you say peace, we understand what you mean.”
The Crown Prince was part of a high-level panel alongside political leaders from Niue, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Solomon Islands.
He said Pacific nations must go further in defining what peace means to the region.
“We need to explore more what is our definition of peace, what kind of peace do we want,” he said.
“Our security role is to secure our future,” he added. “And I think on our development side, it’s for them to secure a better future for our children than us.”
The Minister for Police, Paula Piukala, also attended the conference.
The three-day conference in Suva, leaders was expected to consider the Ocean of Peace proposal at the upcoming Forum Leaders Meeting.
