Fourth Pacific Islands Ministers Meeting Communiqué

Ministers, Advisors and Sports Administrators of 19 out of the 22 Pacific Island nations and territories, together with the Council met in , on 3 July 2015 under the theme “Governments and – Working Together for the Pacific Islands People”.

Formal presentations were made by The Hon. Justin Tkatchenko, Minister for Sports and 2015 Pacific Games, Papua New Guinea; The Hon. Madame Valentine Eurisouké, of ; The Hon. Magele Mauiliu of ; The Hon. Iliesa Delana of ; The Hon. Fe’ao Vakata of , The Hon. Daniel Toara Kalo of and Mr. Vidhya Lakhan, President of the Pacific Games Council.

As a result of these presentations, Ministers and Sports Administrators reached the following conclusions:

1. Ministers acknowledged with thanks and deep appreciation the role of the host country of Papua New Guinea and the Organising Committee PNGOC2015 for all of their work and preparation for the staging of the 15th Pacific Games.

2. Ministers paid special tribute to the Government of Papua New Guinea for their financial and technical support for the delivery of the 2015 Pacific Games, and for their support for sport in the region.

3. Ministers re-dedicated themselves and their governments to promote Pacific Values in Sport – commitment, discipline, integrity, fair play, respect of cultural and ethnic differences, gender equality, fair play, and to fight against doping.

4. Ministers agreed to lift the profile of sports in their countries - to provide funding and resources to encourage the youth of the Pacific into sports participation and ultimately into the Pacific Games so that they may be exposed to these Pacific Values in Sport.

5. Ministers agreed to use Sport and the promotion of physical activity including in schools as a positive vehicle, particularly amongst the Youth, to combat non-communicable diseases, bullying and other social problems prevalent in Pacific communities today.

6. Ministers referred to the presentations by UNESCO and Oceania National Olympic Committees and re- affirmed the importance of the Berlin Declaration on Sport for All, and agreed to the formal resolutions contained in the Annexure to this Communiqué.

7. Ministers agreed to respect the autonomy and independence of sport, including national sporting organizations, but urged all sports leaders and organisations to strengthen the fight against doping and to promote and practice good governance.

8. Ministers agreed to support the Pacific Games Council’s endeavours to ensure the Pacific Games is recognised internationally as the premier multi-sports event in Oceania.

9. Ministers agreed to support the success of the Pacific Games Council’s first measures to integrate Australian and athletes into the Pacific Games, in the sports of Weightlifting, , Rugby 7s and , noting that these sports are where Pacific Island nations and territories perform strongly.

10. Ministers congratulated the International Olympic Committee for its Solidarity programs delivered through Lausanne and through the Oceania National Olympic Committees to assist the development of Pacific Island athletes.

11. Ministers agreed to expand their support for the development of athletes in Pacific Games teams by appropriating the necessary funds to sport development and national representation of elite athletes.

12. Ministers congratulated the work of Oceania Regional Anti-Doping Organisation for its testing programs to be undertaken at 2015 Pacific Games in conjunction with the Government of Papua New Guinea.

13. Ministers applauded the role the Papua New Guinea Government has played in creating positive legacies from hosting the 2015 Pacific Games in terms of new and improved facilities, and the development of not only future athletes, but enhanced skills for the broader population. These legacies are capable of being emulated by other Pacific Island nations and territories.

14. Ministers noted with approval the substantial investment being made by the Governments of Vanuatu and Tonga in preparation for hosting the 2017 and 2019 Pacific Games. Ministers also noted with approval the substantial legacies for sport achieved by the Governments of New Caledonia, Samoa and Fiji from their respective hosting of recent Pacific Games.

15. Ministers noted with approval presentations from the Ministers/Assistant Ministers of , , , , , , Tahiti Nui, Tonga, and .

16. Ministers agreed to convey the outcomes of the Sports Ministers’ Meeting to their respective Heads of Government to ensure that these outcomes can be included on the future agenda of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ meetings. It was further agreed to forward this communiqué to Forum leaders through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

17. Ministers agreed to re-convene at the in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 3 July 2015

ANNEXURE

Ministers agreed and resolved that:

a. Acknowledging the value of sport for development in the Pacific, reaffirm the Declaration of Berlin as a set of key recommendations for the future of sport in the Pacific. b. Endorse the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) as lead agency for implementation of the Declaration in the Pacific. c. Agree that each country and national governing body approves a focal point to work as a partner in implementation of the Declaration in the Pacific. d. Endorse the short term first step project on evaluation of the contribution of sport for development in the Pacific for immediate implementation. e. Endorse the longer term proposal to fully develop the detailed implementation plan by 31 December 2015 based on the recommendations of the ONOC/UNESCO workshop of 30 April 2015, including the call for partnerships and resources.