Delivered by the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum and Prime Minister of Cook Islands, Hon Mark Brown
at the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Plenary
08 November 2023, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Excellencies, Colleague Leaders
Honourable Ministers
Representative of our Associate Members
Forum Observers
Heads of Regional Agencies in the Pacific
Ladies and gentlemen
Kia Orana!!
Excellencies and Colleague Leaders, I thank you for availing yourselves to be here in person at our meeting today and I trust that you are all enjoying the warm Cook Islands hospitality.
At the outset, allow me to also acknowledge your willingness to reinstitute the Forum Leaders Plenary model of engagement this year.
It allows us as Leaders the opportunity to consider and discuss regional issues that have been developed and come through regional processes, together with the key regional and senior officials who have contributed to its development.
Furthermore, it allows us the time and space as political leaders to have deeper discussions on other pertinent issues within the privacy of our Leaders Retreat.
That said, I also welcome in the room this morning the presence of our Heads of CROP Agencies, our Associate Members and our Forum Observers.
You are and will continue to be, critical to our regional efforts as a collective as it is your support and Excellencies and Colleague Leaders, I thank you for availing yourselves to be here in person at our meeting today and I trust that you are all enjoying the warm Cook Islands hospitality.
At the outset, allow me to also acknowledge your willingness to reinstitute the Forum Leaders Plenary model of engagement this year.
It allows us as Leaders the opportunity to consider and discuss regional issues that have been developed and come through regional processes, together with the key regional and senior officials who have contributed to its development.
Furthermore, it allows us the time and space as political leaders to have deeper discussions on other pertinent issues within the privacy of our Leaders Retreat.
That said, I also welcome in the room this morning the presence of our Heads of CROP Agencies, our Associate Members and our Forum Observers.
You are and will continue to be, critical to our regional efforts as a collective as it is your support and partnerships that will support the advancement of our priorities.
Indeed, and as you have heard many times over the last few days, the theme of this Leaders Meeting is: Our Voices, Our Choices, Our Pacific Way : Promote, Partner, Prosper.
I would hope that when we leave from Rarotonga at the end of this week, we will leave with a deeper appreciation and shared understanding of what it means when we, as a region, speak about the importance of and respect for “our voices, our choices and our pacific way.”
Yes, the geo-strategic interest in our region may be at an all-time high, but it will not and should not dictate how we advance and progress the priorities that we have determined through the 2050 Strategy and its Implementation Plan.
It is important therefore that we are united in our purpose and commitment towards our collective vision for a resilient pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity that ensures all our peoples lead free, healthy and productive lives.
Added to this, I am deeply committed to ensuring that we work together effectively; whether as Leaders, regional agencies, or partners. To this end, how we review and reposition our region’s architecture over time remains a critical agenda for everyone of us here today.
Excellencies, Colleague Leaders, with that in mind, I acknowledge that we have a comprehensive agenda before us today.
It is reflective of the amount of work that our officials have progressed inter-sessionally, and I take this opportunity to commend them for their efforts.
In that regard, I hope that we will be able to quickly dispose off a number of agenda items today given the clear recommendations from our relevant officials and Ministerial meetings for our consideration today.
Meitaki ma'ata, I now invite the Secretary General to say a few opening remarks.
[ENDS]
