The 4th PIPG Conference concluded on Friday, August 16, 2024, in Koror, Palau, after a day dedicated to discussing two major issues for the Pacific region: gender-based violence (GBV) and the threat of illicit drug trafficking.

Before the start of the sessions, participants visited Palau’s National EEZ Surveillance and Emergency Operations Center, where they were introduced to Palauan maritime legislation and the legal and practical issues surrounding marine space management.

During the first session, which focused on combatting gender-based violence in the Pacific, Ms. J. Uduch Sengebau Senior, Vice President and Minister of Justice of the Republic of Palau, presented the country’s strategy to address GBV. Ms. Mereseini Rakuita, Senior Strategic Lead for Pacific Women at the SPC, then provided an overview of the current crisis in the region. Discussions centered on how to incorporate gender equality into budget planning within legislative processes, with concrete examples from Vanuatu’s civil society presented by Ms. Tatavola L. Matas, Coordinator of the Vanuatu Women’s Centre. This session highlighted the importance of legislative action to prevent and combat GBV while strengthening support for victims.

In her intervention, Ms. Tepuaraurii TERIITAHI emphasized that, despite gender parity being observed in the French Polynesian Assembly, violence against women remains an unfortunate reality in Polynesian society. She also acknowledged the efforts of numerous associations actively fighting against this issue. As the only female representative at the table, she urged her counterparts to support and promote the empowerment of women and their inclusion in all sectors of society in their respective countries.

The second part of the morning focused on the ever-present threat of illicit drug trafficking in the Pacific. Parliamentarians examined the current state of drug trafficking in the region through a presentation by Associate Professor Jose Sousa-Santos from the University of Canterbury. Mr. Collie Brown, Regional Advisor on Transnational Organized Crime at UNODC, discussed the regulatory frameworks and regional cooperation needed to effectively tackle this issue. Finally, Ms. Kalesi Volatabu, Director of Drugs Free Fiji, shared civil society initiatives that complement legal actions and support communities affected by this scourge.

The afternoon featured an open session where PIPG members could raise issues of particular concern. During this session, Mr. Antony GEROS criticized the recent French law of July 25, 2024, which requires the disclosure of influence relations with foreign powers, as a hindrance to the UN-led decolonization process in French Polynesia. He called for a reference to these intimidation tactics by French institutions to be included in the final declaration. Mr. GEROS also expressed his dismay at the worsening situation in Kanaky, with an 11th death caused by a French gendarme leading to local reprisals. While condemning the violence, he reaffirmed his support for the Kanak cause. He praised the administering power’s acceptance of the troika representing the Pacific Islands Forum as a mediator and encouraged all parties to return to the path of dialogue.

The day concluded with the adoption of the Ngibtal Declaration, which emphasizes the need for a people-centered human security approach to address complex challenges such as climate change, cybersecurity, gender-based violence, and drug trafficking. It calls for enhanced regional cooperation, the protection of cultural values, and the promotion of inclusive and sustainable policies to ensure the stability and well-being of the Pacific islands.

To strengthen the PIPG, the Declaration established a working group composed of five members (French Polynesia, Tonga, Palau, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands) tasked with analyzing the institutional structuring options proposed by the Permanent Secretariat. The group has been mandated to consult all PIPG members and report on its work before the end of 2024. The chosen structure for the new PIPG will be formalized during its next conference, to be held in Fiji in August 2025.