Palau’s Special Envoy of the President, Steven Victor, told the Melanesia Ocean Summit underway in Port Moresby that Pacific nations must harness ocean resources to drive prosperity, stressing that conservation must go hand‑in‑hand with economic growth.
“It is about financing our transition to a sustainable blue economy and ensuring that the wealth of our resources stays within our islands,” he said.
Victor highlighted Palau’s 20‑year migration channels programme as proof that local action can deliver regional success, while urging nations to adopt the Unclogging Pacific Prosperity Plan.
The plan calls for managing 100 percent of Pacific waters sustainably, with 30 percent under high protection, while building scientific and financial capacity to control their own resources.
He pointed to East New Britain’s initiative as an example of a transition to a blue economy to retain benefits in the Pacific and reaffirmed Palau’s leadership as the first nation to ratify the High Seas Treaty.
“The health of our waters depends on the health of the islands,” he said, urging others to join.
The envoy concluded that economic resilience and ocean stewardship must advance together, so Pacific nations can secure livelihoods and long‑term prosperity for their people.
