By Pita Ligaiula in Honiara, Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has called on Pacific nations to move quickly to settle outstanding maritime boundaries and advance 100 percent ocean management.
He said the work was about sovereignty, security, and protecting the region’s Blue Pacific future.
“Today, we celebrate Pacific leadership rooted in culture, sovereignty, and collective action as we secure the future of our Blue Pacific Continent. I am honoured to welcome our provincial leaders, who remind us that every treaty and commitment is anchored in ancestral knowledge, kinship, and the Pacific Way,” Manele said Tuesday at the side event on finalising Maritime Boundaries and Advancing 100 percent Ocean management.
Manele highlighted progress already made through diplomacy and technical work.
“In the region, 36 of the Pacific’s 48 shared maritime boundaries have already been settled, leaving only 25 percent unresolved.
While this demonstrates Pacific leadership in ocean diplomacy, the remaining boundaries still present risks to sovereign rights, resource management, and our Blue Pacific vision. It is now time for decisive action to complete outstanding 12 boundaries and advance the 19 Extended Continental Shelf submissions,” he said.
Manele also congratulated Marshall Islands and Kiribati for ratifying their maritime boundary treaty, calling it “our sustained commitment to international law and to finalising the remaining boundaries as we move toward 100 per cent ocean management.”
He highlighted the collaboration between Torba Province in Vanuatu and Temotu Province in Solomon Islands under the Motalava Boundary Treaty and Tirvau Agreement as a “powerful example of partnership and what ocean management looks like in practice.”
Manele framed the event as both progress and a call for unity.
“Let today be a celebration of progress, partnership, and Pacific solidarity,” he said.
He acknowledged the role of regional organisations — including SPC, the Forum Secretariat, the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, and FFA — as well as development partners Australia, the UK, and the EU.
