Enter The Pragmatists

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has a rare quiet moment. He pledged funds for Niue, a regional governance project, regional transport reviews and an extension to a regional trade agreement in Apia. Photo: Samantha Magick

A sense of inclusiveness and the open wallet of Australian Prime Minister John Howard characterized the 35th Pacific Islands Forum in Samoa early August. The meeting was largely free of the controversy that has dogged the summit in recent years. The only really sore point, the vote over the Pacific's nominee as African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) group secretary-general, played out on the margins, but symbolized fundamental shifts in the Forum.

The predicament of Nauru and the Forum's contribution to "nation building" in Solomon Islands loomed large over the proceedings.

Nauru is near economic collapse. Forum leaders directed Secretary-General Greg Urwin to work with the Government of Nauru as a matter of "high priority, to develop a proposal on how the Forum could assist."

Australia is already leading the effort to help Nauru. But Urwin hoped to have a team there within a couple of weeks of the Apia meeting. "The situation can't brook much delay," he says.

Nauru's status is of particular concern to the Forum's smallest members, the Small Islands States (SIS) grouping. Marshall Islands President Kessai Note said they heard a very simple plea from Nauru-that the country needs help.

The SIS leaders are partly motivated by the future of their nationals working in Nauru, some of whom have not been receiving full pay. But Note says Nauru has also been a good friend to many countries in the region in the past-for example, providing transport links for Cook Islands and Kiribati.

Forum chair and Samoan Prime Minister Tuileapa Sailele Malielegaoi says, "We are following exactly the strategy we took with the Solomon Islands…we have equated the problems that occurred in Nauru to be of similar significance to what occurred in Solomon Islands."

If Nauru is the new focus for regional assistance, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) was being portrayed as a success story. In their communiqué, Forum leaders agreed to remain engaged in nation building and reform in Solomon Islands.

Leaders take their positions at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Apia. Photo: Samantha Magick

Solomons Prime Minister, Sir Allan Kemakeza said of RAMSI, "(we have) brought the law and order situation to normalcy. That must be the greatest achievement RAMSI has bought to Solomon Islands. Before RAMSI there were a lot of killings, there was a lot of extortion...before RAMSI came we were not able to pay our public officers, people couldn't move freely."

The incoming coordinator of RAMSI, Australian diplomat James Batley, was at the Forum to meet Pacific leaders and officials. He doesn't expect a major change in approach, "law and order and policing contributions remain fairly important," but says there is a shift into building up government structures and economic reform. Batley was at pains to point out that he doesn't "pretend all experience in that area comes from Australia and New Zealand, (there is) some very relevant experience in the region."

Some perennial Forum issues were given new impetus at this meeting. Leaders agreed to adopt the Forum Principles on Regional Transport Services, such as commercial sustainability, government responsibility for regulatory systems, and greater regional cooperation.

Australia will provide an additional A$2 million to the process of improving governance and transparency in air services and management in the region. "In their current state, many regional transport services are economically unsustainable and place an extensive burden on the economies of Forum island countries," the Australian government stated.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark urged the leaders “not to slip back into mere process.” Photo: Samantha Magick

The Australian fund will give Forum members access to specialist economic, financial and legal expertise to help them make key policy decisions in the transport sector.

But moves to create a single regional airline were resisted. "There does not seem to be any appetite coming through for regional airlines," New Zealand's Helen Clark stated.

The economic and health impacts of AIDS/HIV also figured highly in leaders' discussions. A detailed implementation plan on a new HIV/AIDs regional strategy will be distributed to Forum members by the end of this year.

The inaugural December sitting of the Western and Central Pacific Tuna Commission in Federated States of Micronesia gave fisheries discussion renewed energy.

As Greg Urwin stated, "the region is not getting nearly the return from fisheries resources that it would like." The leaders "…agreed to seek increased sustainable returns from fisheries resources including through the increased participation of resource owners in the fishing industry."

Forum Fisheries Agency Director, Feleti Teo, says it is time for his organization to "take stock." Teo says the FFA wants to see through the take up of the Vessel Monitoring System (VMA) and the on board observer's program. "Observers are only covering 20 percent of the boats in operation," Teo says. "We want the operators to bear the cost but fishermen never want anyone to be watching them."

Open Arms

Leaders and officials at the Samoa Forum figuratively, and in some cases literally, embraced new French Polynesia President Oscar Temaru. After many years on the margins, French Polynesia was accepted as a Forum Observer, and Temaru formally addressed the leaders. In their communiqué the leaders "supported the principle of French Polynesia's right to self-determination."

At the request of New Zealand's Clark, Tokelau also addressed the formal session of the Forum. In one of the more poetic addresses, Acting Ulu, Pio Tuia said, "I feel very much like a little bird amongst eagles… You are all accomplished flyers-some soaring, some cruising at high altitudes, some hitting air turbulence, while some are coming in to land-in order to refuel.

"I know that if I fall, you the great leaders of this great region of ours will reach out and not just cushion my fall, but to point me in the right direction."

Clark referred to the fact that Tokelau was moving towards a referendum on its future political status. "Before long it is likely Tokelau will be sitting behind its own name-plate as a member of the Forum. I look forward to that if it is the wish of its people." Tokelau is a self-administering territory of New Zealand. However, it is moving towards free association with New Zealand, in a similar arrangement to the Cook Islands.

The Forum leaders also agreed to accept Thailand as a post-Forum dialogue partner. Forum officials chairman, Isikeli Mataitoga acknowledged "there is some concern" over the ever-increasing number of Forum Dialogue partners (now 13) and suggested there may be some review of the criteria in future.

The sense of inclusiveness extended to non-government organizations (NGOs). Prime Minister Tuilaepa said at the official opening ceremony, "it is essential that civil society, the media, the private sector, and other institutions do their part in promoting good governance. These sectors have a right to hold governments to a high standard. But it is equally important for the media, civil society and other groups to also hold themselves to the same high standards and ethics they expect from their governments."

Forum Fisheries Agency Director, Feleti Teo saw fisheries gain increased attention from leaders. Photo: Samantha Magick

The NGOs met just before the leaders, and presented their recommendations to Greg Urwin. Some of these, such as the suggestion that "the PICTA/PACER three year review be deferred" and that leaders "lobby at the United Nations to have (among others) West Papua and Hawaii re-inscribed on the UN Decolonisation Committee list," will go nowhere. But generally they were well received, with Tuilaepa describing their report as "excellent." Perhaps the most tangible evidence of the new status of NGOs was the fact that Helen Clark visited their official function along with the Samoan Prime Minister within an hour landing in Samoa, despite that being after 10 p.m.. She told the NGO leaders that "getting agreement for an NGO forum was probably one of the most controversial things…it was pushed very much by New Zealand because we believe civil society has a big role to play alongside government."

There was also general discussion around a possible relationship between the U.S. territories and the Pacific Islands Forum in Samoa, according to Urwin. "We do understand the Governor of Guam (Felix Camacho) is interested in exploring what kind of relationship (can be developed) and we will seek to respond to that." He says on many issues "it makes very little sense unless you talk about the whole region, for security...you can't just draw a line down the middle."

Palau's Vice President, Sandra Pierantozzi, agrees that the Forum should look at working with Guam and CNMI when it comes to fisheries, matters relating to EEZs, security and other issues.

Australia's Open Wallet

Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced a number of funding initiatives in Samoa, saying, "This is our patch. We have a special responsibility in this part of the world. I believe that very strongly."

A$6 million will go to the Pacific Governance Support Program to fund 21 activities aimed at public sector expertise and regional approaches to shared problems.

"The lesson of the Solomons and the PNG arrangements is that governance is very much at the heart of stability in the Pacific," Howard stated.

Projects will involve the Australian Electoral Commission, the Australian Public Service Commission, the Taxation Office, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Federal Court of Australia among others.

Howard also announced the extension of the South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement (textiles, clothing and footware provisions) to 31 December 2011. It was due to expire in December this year.

And Australia pledged $4 million towards the establishment of the Niue Trust Fund, adding to the NZ$5 million already allocated from New Zealand. The Fund has been set up in response to the devastating impact of Cyclone Heta which struck Niue in January this year and prevented Niue from hosting this Forum meeting as originally planned.

Niue Premier Vivian Young said he was "absolutely delighted" by Australia's contribution. "It gives my people confidence that we will have our little nation in about 2,000 years time."

While it has to be said a lot of the money and benefits pledged by Howard to various funds and projects will find its way back to Australia through consultancies, linked business interests (such as Australia's textile industry) and other channels, the initiatives were welcomed by the leaders.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare said, "People are appreciating that Australia has a role to play. Australia's resources have been excellent."

Moving the Pacific Plan

Samoan Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi was a pragmatic Forum Chair. Photo: Samantha Magick

The much discussed, little-understood Pacific Plan was moved forward in Samoa.

At the official opening of the Forum, Tuilaepa said "at its most basic level, the Pacific Plan must work for the people…otherwise, there will be little relevance to our communities of an initiative conceived to be a defining watershed for the Pacific."

Greg Urwin says "initially it will look at vital sector by sector cooperation, at harmonizing, where possible, processes and procedures and at the means by which the best cooperation among our regional organizations, might be guaranteed."

Clark as outgoing chair and one of the main drivers of reform at the Forum, urged its members "not slip back into mere process. We need concrete, practical and early benefits for Forum member countries."

With the terms of reference for the preparation of the Pacific Plan now approved, a task force will move on starting to flesh it out. Leaders expect a detailed report by mid-2005.

All of which means more work for the Forum Secretariat. And while Australia and New Zealand have been quick to fund a number of new initiatives, Urwin says the situation in terms of island nations' contributions to the Forum is improving. "We've had some results in the last few weeks," he says, and while there are still some arrears, "Solomon Islands made a contribution this year, which I think was pretty manful of them."

Urwin was pleased with the way the Samoa meeting played out. "There was a high degree of harmony. I'm detecting more optimism among members." Urwin himself received a standing ovation on entering a private lunch with the leaders on the final day-quite a turn around from the angst his appointment caused among those governments who felt as an Australian, his appointment broke with Forum convention.

On the last day of the Forum, ACP leaders sat in a circle, much like a village meeting, to decide on their Pacific nominee for the position of ACP secretary-general. They decided on Papua New Guinea nominee, former foreign minister Sir John Kaputin, by a large margin over the Samoan candidate, current ACP assistant secretary-general Dr Pa'o Luteru.

Speaking minutes after the vote and summing up the week, Tuilapea said "we practice diplomacy very nicely at the Forum" and "We are a region of mature leaders, we go into these things with great understanding." Tuilaepa was a graceful host, and graceful in defeat. And he is clearly a great pragmatist, saying at the opening of the Forum, "What is clear is that globalization, even if it does deal an unfair hand to small island economies, is here to stay. There is not much else to do but accept the challenge and exploit to the full opportunities globalization offers to our island nations."

In many ways, that sums up the new Pacific Islands Forum. It is less about ancient obligations and traditional ties, and more about how to operate in a different world, and with Australia's and New Zealand's renewed engagement, a region that looks very different. That might stick in the throats of some leaders, but many Pacific Island countries have little choice but to be pragmatic.