By Pita Ligaiula
Pacific Islands Forum Leaders have endorsed new regional measures on kava, fisheries and labour, including the establishment of a dedicated Regional Labour Ministers Meeting to strengthen coordination on workforce and labour mobility issues.
Leaders endorsed the KAVA Declaration, recognising kava as a unique Pacific cultural and economic asset and calling for stronger protection of its Pacific origins, traditional knowledge, cultural identity and heritage.
The declaration is intended to strengthen Pacific ownership of kava, expand value addition and market opportunities, and protect the interests of Pacific producers and communities as the product gains greater international trade exposure.
Leaders said the declaration was an important step towards safeguarding the long-term interests of Pacific kava producers.
On fisheries, Leaders recognised the sector as a strategic asset of the Blue Pacific and backed a phased, Member-led consideration of the Regional Fisheries Development Fund feasibility assessment.
The work will also consider broader activities linked to the East New Britain Initiative(ENBI), informed by the Forum Fisheries Agency(FFA) process.
Leaders stressed the need for greater Pacific participation across the fisheries value chain so that Members can secure more economic benefits from the region’s fisheries resources.
They said any development of the proposed fund and related initiatives must maintain national ownership, economic accountability and equitable access, while ensuring sustainability and consistency with existing fisheries governance arrangements.
The focus is on moving beyond harvesting resources to increasing Pacific participation in processing, value addition and other parts of the fisheries value chain.
Forum Leaders also endorsed the establishment of a Regional Labour Ministers Meeting as a dedicated ministerial mechanism within the Forum architecture.
They also endorsed its associated Business Case and Ministerial Charter, while taking into account the ongoing review under the Regional Review and Assessment (RRA).
Leaders said labour and workforce governance had become strategic regional priorities, with growing implications for economic resilience, labour mobility, skills development, workforce sustainability and inclusive growth.
The new meeting is intended to provide dedicated political leadership on labour and workforce issues across the region.
Leaders said it would complement the existing Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) and Forum Trade Ministers Meeting (FTMM) rather than duplicate their roles.
FEMM will continue to provide oversight of regional economic policy and integration, while FTMM will oversee regional trade and labour mobility policy.
The Labour Ministers Meeting will focus specifically on labour and workforce priorities.
Leaders said the three ministerial mechanisms would strengthen policy coherence, regional coordination and implementation of the Resources and Economic Development priorities under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
