Legal and technical representatives from the Governments of Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea have successfully concluded a two-day bilateral technical and legal meeting on the maritime boundary in Honiara.
This marks a significant step forward in strengthening cooperation and progressing work towards bringing into force their shared maritime boundaries Treaty, in direct support of the priority reaffirmed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to urgently conclude outstanding maritime boundaries and extended continental shelf work.
The meeting brought together technical and legal officials from both countries to review the 1989 maritime boundary Treaty Line established under the Treaty between the Independent State of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands concerning sovereignty, maritime and seabed and cooperation on related matters.
During the meeting, delegates considered technical and legal analysis relating to the southern endpoint of the Treaty boundary in the Coral Sea area.
Discussions were supported by the Pacific Community (SPC), including presentations on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and approaches to maritime boundary delimitation in the Pacific region.
A key outcome of the meeting was that both delegations welcomed the recommendations presented by SPC and both Countries agreed to progress the technical and legal work necessary to finalise the Treaty boundary and support the process of bringing the Treaty into force.
Speaking on behalf of Solomon Islands, Brian Akwasia, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Ocean and Climate Change Desk within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, stated: “This meeting marks an important step towards bringing the maritime boundary Treaty between the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea into force. We thank Papua New Guinea for its constructive engagement and acknowledge SPC and its consortium of partners for their invaluable technical and legal support in helping both countries advance this work as prioritised by our governments.”
The meeting also agreed to consider provisions to reinforce the permanence and stability of the maritime boundary, in line with regional commitments under the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ 2021 Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-Related Sea-Level Rise.
Speaking on behalf of Papua New Guinea, Bonaventure Hasola, Acting Director, National Oceans Office-Department of Justice & Attorney General, stated: “Papua New Guinea is pleased with the progress achieved during this meeting and the agreement reached with the Solomon Islands to advance the processes required to bring our maritime boundary Treaty into force. We thank the Government of the Solomon Islands for its warm hospitality and acknowledge SPC and its consortium of partners for their continued support in advancing this critical work.”
Both delegations reaffirmed their commitment to working collaboratively to finalise the Treaty text and complete the necessary domestic and bilateral processes required to bring the maritime boundary Treaty into force at the upcoming 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau in September in 2026.
The delegations further expressed their appreciation to the Pacific Community (SPC) and its consortium of partners for their continued technical assistance and support throughout the process.
The bilateral meeting was supported through the Pacific Maritime Boundaries Programme, a multi-year initiative coordinated by SPC and funded by the Government of Australia, the United Kingdom and the European Union, in collaboration with a Consortium of Partners.
