The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s Pacific Quality Infrastructure Principles (PQIP) initiative, in partnership with the Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP), held a workshop on Local Content Policy with key infrastructure-related government ministries and private sector representatives from Solomon Islands this month. The initiative aimed to create greater opportunities for Solomon Islands people and businesses to participate in and benefit from infrastructure development. As part of the initiative, participants undertook a study tour to Sydney, Australia, where they exchanged insights with the New South Wales Government, educational institutions, and private sector representatives on approaches to promoting local employment, developing workforce skills and strengthening the capacity of local businesses to participate in infrastructure projects. The study tour provided practical examples and valuable lessons to inform the development of a Local Content Policy tailored to the Solomon Islands context, supporting inclusive economic growth and strengthening local participation in infrastructure delivery. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #PQIP Photo Credit: Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP)

Pacific finance leaders brought regional priorities to the Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue on Climate Fiscal Resilience in Bangkok, co-hosted by the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action and the Asian Development Bank earlier this month. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) joined finance leaders from across the region to shape shared messages ahead of COP31. The message was clear: climate finance must be accessible and fit for purpose. From strengthening national capacity and mobilising investment to simplifying access and scaling up concessional finance, the Pacific is advancing solutions that respond to its unique vulnerabilities and resilience needs. Through regional initiatives such as the Climate Finance Access and Mobilisation Strategy and the Pacific Resilience Facility, the Pacific is working to translate climate commitments into tangible, community-level resilience. As the region looks towards COP31, Pacific leaders reaffirmed the importance of regional cooperation and Pacific-led solutions. On the frontline of climate change, the Pacific is also at the forefront of solutions. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #COP31 #ClimateAction

The 12th Meeting of the Pacific Economic Sub-Committee was convened today, in person and virtually, at the Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji. Ms Ayako Yamaguchi-Eliou, Secretary of Finance of the Government of the Marshall Islands, chaired the meeting, with support from the Deputy Secretary General (Governance), Desna Solofa, and PIFS staff. Forum Member government officials and Heads of Mission attended the meeting. The discussions focused on the impact of the Middle East Crisis, a regional risk-mitigation facility for renewable energy, the fisheries development fund, and climate and disaster risk finance, including the Pacific Resilience Facility, among other agenda items. #OneBluePacific #PIF #SUBCOMMITTEE

The 14th Pacific Islands Standards Committee (#PISC) meeting was held virtually on 20 October 2026 under the Pacific Quality Infrastructure Initiative (#PQII), bringing together regional members to strengthen cooperation and advance standards development across the Pacific. The meeting reflected on PISC’s progress in 2026, reviewed actions from the previous meeting, and discussed options for the dissemination and pricing of PISC Regional Standards. Members also received updates from work carried out under the Pacific Islands Testing Committee (#PITC), Pacific Islands Metrology Committee (#PIMC), PISC Technical Committees on Building and Construction, Food and Food Products, and Kava, and the Codex Coordinating Committee for North America and the Southwest Pacific (#CCNASWP). Guided by international best practices, the PQI Initiative is a key intervention area under the Pacific Aid-for-Trade Strategy 2026–2030 (#PAfTS) and supports implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. #PISC #PQII #Standards #QualityInfrastructure #PacificRegion #RegionalCollaboration #AFT

PIF Members have held their first briefing and Talanoa with Israel on MASHAV Development Cooperation at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, bringing together Heads of Mission and senior officials, participating in person and virtually. PIF Secretary General, Baron Divavesi Waqa, welcomed Israel’s Ambassador to Fiji and Pacific Island Countries, H.E. Maya Yaron, and Head of MASHAV, H.E. Ambassador Eynat Shlein, who travelled from Israel to the Pacific for engagements across the region. The Talanoa provided an opportunity for Forum Members to share national and regional priorities, development challenges and capacity-building needs, and to explore practical opportunities for knowledge-sharing and partnerships through MASHAV that respond to Pacific priorities and deliver tangible benefits for communities across the Blue Pacific Continent. Responding to priorities raised by Members, Ambassador Yaron emphasised that partnership begins with listening to Pacific needs, highlighting water security as one area raised during the Talanoa and the importance of matching identified needs with appropriate technical expertise, training and capacity-building opportunities. Ambassador Shlein shared examples of MASHAV’s development cooperation globally and in the Pacific. Her visit to Fiji follows engagements in Papua New Guinea and will continue to Samoa, providing an opportunity to deepen understanding of Pacific priorities and explore practical areas for future cooperation. #OneBluePacific #PIF #MASHAV #DevelopmentCooperation

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat's Economic Policy Team, led by Salaseini Raiwalui, met with Aholotu Palu, Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company (PCRIC), and his team recently. With many Forum Island Countries now facing drought risk from El Niño, the discussion focused on how PCRIC is supporting members through pre-arranged disaster risk finance. The teams also explored ways PIFS and PCRIC can work more closely to help countries prepare for climate shocks before they hit. We look forward to continued collaboration with PCRIC in strengthening the Blue Pacific's financial resilience. #PCRIC #ElNino #disasterriskfinance #ClimateResilience #OneBluePacific @PacificInsuran2

46 Days to Go | Pacific E-commerce Symposium 2026 The Pacific E-commerce Symposium 2026 will bring together regional stakeholders to advance digital trade, strengthen partnerships, and explore practical solutions that can help Pacific businesses reach new markets, and contribute to economic growth and resilience across the region. #pacificecommercesymposium2026 #OneBluePacific #PacificEcommerceInitiative #partnership #AidforTrade #pacifictrade #ecommerce

WORK WITH US! The SAFE Agricultural Trade Facilitation through Economic Integration in the Pacific (SAFE) aims to enhance the regional economic integration. The proposed consultancies will support this objective by increasing intra-regional and international trade, while strengthening private sector participation in regional economic integration. All applicants will need to register at tenders.net/forumsec to make a submission.

#RegionalTrade Under the Pacific Quality Infrastructure Initiative (PQII), the third Technical Committee Meeting (TC3) on Regional Kava Standard Development is held in Nadi, Fiji from 12-14 Octoer 2026. The meeting is focusing on advancing practical, robust, and regionally harmonized kava standards to strengthen product quality, safety, authenticity, and consistency, while enhancing market access for Pacific kava. Team Leader Trade at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Natalia Patternot provided remarks on the opening day and emphasized that the work of TC3 is an important initiative directly aligned to the region’s Kava Declaration and the Regional Kava Development Strategy. Ms Patternot highlighted the importance of ensuring that national contexts inform regional work to develop practical, harmonized standards that strengthen quality infrastructure, build confidence in Pacific kava, and support access to regional and international markets. Strengthening regional standards and quality infrastructure, while advancing the Regional Kava Development Strategy, supports the Pacific Aid-for-Trade Strategy 2026–2030 and the vision of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent by enhancing regional cooperation, expanding export opportunities, supporting sustainable livelihoods and preserving the cultural heritage of Pacific kava. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #RegionalTrade #RegionalKavaDevelopmentStrategy

#COP31 A recap of the Champions’ briefing following the Pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji, which included a dialogue with the Pacific COP31 Climate Envoys on advancing the region’s key climate priorities. As the Pacific prepares for #COP31, the Pacific Political Climate Champions will play a vital role in elevating regional priorities, strengthening global advocacy, and ensuring Pacific voices shape the global climate agenda. Initiated in 2021, the Pacific Political Climate Champions is a One CROP-supported mechanism that strengthens political-level advocacy for Pacific priorities at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conferences of the Parties (COPs). Through collective leadership and a united Pacific voice, the Champions help drive momentum for meaningful global climate action. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #ClimateAction

INVITATION TO TENDER! The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) invites suitably experienced and qualified individuals to apply for the following position under the Pacific Correspondent Banking Relationships Project: Payments System Advisor to the National Reserve Bank of Tonga (NRBT) For more information: projects.worldbank.org/.../p… #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#COP31 As the Pacific concluded the Pre-COP31 meetings in Nadi, which included a special Leaders’ segment in Tuvalu, regional momentum is building towards COP31, with a shared focus on advancing the Pacific’s climate priorities and securing meaningful global commitments. Today’s briefing for Political Climate Champions and Pacific COP31 Climate Envoys reinforced the importance of a united regional approach, ensuring Pacific voices, priorities and solutions remain at the forefront of global climate negotiations. “The most vulnerable in the Pacific depend on you when you go to COP31. It is imperative that we work together as one Pacific, with one voice,” said Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Baron Divavesi Waqa. As the region looks towards COP31, Pacific solidarity and collective leadership will be critical to translating decades of climate advocacy into concrete action, stronger commitments and outcomes that protect Pacific communities and keep the 1.5°C limit within reach. More: lnkd.in/gr9wiqQ2

#PRECOP31 Media Release: Fiji Pledges US$10 Million As Pacific Climate Finance Drive Gains Momentum Ahead of COP31 Pacific Leaders and global partners are advancing a shared regional commitment to strengthen access to climate and disaster resilience financing, with new contributions towards the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) announced during the Pacific Pre-COP31 meetings in Nadi, Fiji. At the high-level event, Turning Climate Finance into Community Resilience, the Prime Minister of Fiji, Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka, announced a US$10 million contribution to the capitalisation of the PRF. Read full media release here: forumsec.org/publications/re… #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #COP31 #ClimateFinance

#PRECOP31 At the Pre COP 31 meetings in Nadi, Fiji, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat held a side event on Financial Protection against climate related shocks. One critical area was to raise awareness and strengthen understanding of Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) products so Forum Island countries can make informed decisions of which products to access, how and when to access and the necessary enabling environment that ensures effective use of the DRF product. The side event highlighted key findings from the recent DRF Instrument Mapping exercise, sharing Forum Island Countries experiences in strengthening governance reforms to access and mobilise disaster risk financing, while raising awareness of barriers and opportunities to advance risk-informed development across the region. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #COP31

#PRECOP31 At the Pre-COP 31 High-Level Session on Pacific Energy Transition – From Ambition to Implementation, Pacific Leaders, Ministers and development partners highlighted the region’s renewable energy ambitions, national commitments, key COP31 initiatives, and priority opportunities for investment and partnership. “The BELAU Declaration endorsed by our Forum Leaders sends a strong political signal on the need to take urgent action towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and transitioning away from fossil fuels towards 100% renewable energy consistent with 1.5-degree Celsius pathways. Having just returned from Tuvalu, where we witnessed first-hand the impacts of climate change on one of our atoll nations, the urgency before us could not be clearer.” – Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Baron Divavesi Waqa. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #COP31

#PRECOP31 Deputy Secretary General, Desna Solofa, met with the Director of the Santiago Network Secretariat, Ms. Carolina Fuentes Castellanos on the margins of the Pre-COP31 meetings. The engagement provided an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration and strategic alignment on loss and damage, a key priority for the Forum Island Countries already experiencing the realities of loss and damage. As the Road to COP31 gathers momentum, continued partnership and coordination are critical to translating commitments into meaningful action and ensuring that the priorities and needs of climate-vulnerable countries remain central to the global climate agenda. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #COP31

#PRECOP31 Fakafetai lasi for your warm hospitality and your powerful voice #Tuvalu This week, Pacific and world leaders gathered in Tuvalu for a special Leaders’ Segment as part of the Pre-COP31 meetings being held in Fiji. The Pacific has long been a champion and powerful voice for ambitious climate action. This week, Tuvalu, on behalf of the Pacific, opened its shores to the world, invited leaders to see first-hand the realities of a changing climate and its impacts on our homes, communities, cultures, livelihoods and very way of life. Pacific voices must be at the heart of global climate decision-making. Our region’s unique vulnerabilities, lived experiences and priorities must not only be heard, but meaningfully reflected in the decisions that shape our collective future. The Pacific is not simply asking the world to listen. We are calling for our realities to be recognised, our voices to carry weight, and our communities to be part of shaping solutions. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #COP31

#PRECOP31 The Leaders’ Plenary took place in Nadi, Fiji, on 6 October as part of the Pre-COP31, bringing together Pacific and global Leaders to advance collective climate action and strengthen momentum towards COP31. “As Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum and AOSIS, our experience at recent UN gatherings in New York was fortifying. Island nations stood tall on climate science, the energy transition, expediting climate finance, and securing a landmark declaration on protecting our sovereignty amidst sea-level rise. As we always do in the Pacific, we recommit today with greater resolve to finding solutions with the world. Excellencies, when Pacific Leaders met in Palau last month, we endorsed and issued the BELAU Declaration. It is a clear message to the world: the Pacific will continue to advocate, act, and demand that we work together to keep 1.5°C within reach. You have heard this before, but I will reiterate it again: 1.5 is about our security, our prosperity, and the future of our generations.” – President of Palau and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, H.E. Surangel Whipps Jr. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #COP31