Currently, our Blue Pacific is faced with a three-pronged crisis, juggling the devastating effects of climate change and disasters the impact of COVID-19 on top of the Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) crisis, and the fragile economic health of the region. Of course, the 2050 strategy must take some extraordinary timing challenges into account. Partnerships that do not conflict with, but rather–are aligned and in flow with the vision and priorities of our 2050 Strategy. Partnerships that recognise and support the collective strength and wellbeing of our Blue Pacific region. We are interested in, and open to inclusive, and enduring partnerships. We have a shared commitment to protect and leverage this value. The Strategy is founded on the firm recognition of the strategic, cultural, and economic value that our Blue Pacific region holds. These include climate change and oceans, economic development, technology and connectivity, and people-centred development. The shaping of the strategy will articulate our collective priorities for the benefit of all Pacific people. The conversations at community and personal levels are still ongoing. In this regard, Forum Leaders are set to endorse a 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent this year. While international partners may have made their geostrategic shift to the “Indo Pacific”, our Forum Leaders are determined to articulate and drive the strategic interests and our development priorities of our own region – the Blue Pacific. Our 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent came from the discussions and decisions of our Pacific Islands Forum Leaders. This is a role we take seriously, and it is with this in mind that we are developing the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, asserting the voices and leadership of our Pacific people, in shaping the destiny of our region. We are the custodians of the world’s largest, most peaceful, and abundant ocean, its many islands, and its rich diversity of cultures. Together we represent 40 million people and are stewards of over 40 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Islands Forum comprises 18 nations, acting collectively and in solidarity as one Blue Pacific Continent, for a peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous region. As I watch the unfolding news updates in global headlines, I am reminded of the absolute necessity of those well-worn truths: leaving no one behind, putting people first, bringing the most vulnerable to the centre. I cannot help but note that our success stories sing most because they are deeply rooted in human connection. In recent weeks, in meetings across three continents, I have continued to reflect on the affirmations that our Pacific approaches bring to global challenges. Whether we are talking about household families, villages, or national populations, if we are not speaking to the realities of everyday people, all the policy and high-level language is unable to connect. Taking our Pacific challenges- and solutions to the world has always required coherent, clear messaging on the issues close to our collective heart. SG Puna spoke to a ministerial roundtable on Health, Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans The commentary below takes its cue from remarks led by Forum Secretary General Henry Puna, at the Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo Pacific in Paris, France, on February 22, 2022.
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