Political Reviews

The Region in Review: International Issues and Events, 2015 nic maclellan

Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 2015 jon fraenkel, michael leach, howard van trease

The Contemporary Pacic, Volume 28, Number 2, 429–488 © 2016 by University of Hawai‘i Press

429 The Region in Review: International Issues and Events, 2015

The Paris Agreement on Climate Since her appointment at the 2014 Change, adopted by 195 nations, was in , Sec- the culmination of a year of action retary-General Dame Meg Taylor has by Pacific Island governments and bedded down a series of reforms in the communities. Global warming was Forum Secretariat in Suva. These inter- the central issue of security and rights nal changes come as part of a broader in 2015, and there were significant transformation of the regional archi- advances on regional oceans and tecture (Maclellan 2015d) through the ­climate policy—a positive example of Council of Regional Organizations of the collective advocacy dubbed the the Pacific (crop) and newer institu- “New Pacific Diplomacy” (Fry and tions like the -based Pacific Islands Tarte 2015). Development Forum (pidf). Throughout the year, the Pacific Even as the regional intergovern- Islands Forum Secretariat (pifs) intro- mental organizations were debating duced the new Framework on Pacific their mandate and structure during Regionalism, establishing a process 2015, there were significant changes to prioritize regional public policy. of leadership. As Pacific countries Despite improved relations after the mobilized for the climate negotia- 2014 elections in Fiji, Prime Minister tions in Paris, the director-general of Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama again the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional refused to join the annual Forum lead- Environment Program (sprep), David ers meeting, held in Port Moresby in Sheppard, announced his resignation. September. and After six years at the helm, Sheppard Fiji continued to assert their leadership was replaced by his former deputy, ambitions, while governments held Kosi Latu of Sāmoa. summits with , , , At the pidf, Feleti Teo resigned to and Republic of Korea. take up the position as head of the There was increasing debate over Western and Central Pacific Fisheries human rights across the region, on Commission in March. Former Fiji violence against women, the abuse of Secretary of Foreign Affairs Amena asylum seekers on Manus and , Yauvoli stood in as an interim execu- and the right to self-determination in tive before François Martel of Sāmoa non-self-governing territories. Public was appointed in September as the concern over West Papua prompted full-time pidf secretary-general. debate at the Forum leaders’ meet- Martel has worked for many years in ing, while the Melanesian Spearhead resource management, biodiversity, Group expanded its reach to grant conservation, and climate change. associate membership to Forum Fisheries Agency (ffa) and observer status to a coalition of Director-General James Movick West Papuan independence groups. ­completed his first three-year term in

430 political reviews • region in review 431

2015 and was endorsed by ffa mem- on the following: Population and bers to serve a second term to 2018. Health (chaired by spc); Human In an unexpected move, the direc- Resource Development (University of tor-general of the Melanesian Spear- the South Pacific, or usp); Sustain- head Group (msg) secretariat in Port able ­Development (sprep and pifs); Vila, Peter Forau, resigned his post in Marine Sector (spc and ffa); Informa- November, two years before the end tion and Communications Technology of his second term. Plans to establish (usp); Lands (spc); and Gender (spc “Melanesian Solutions” as the sec- and pifs). retariat’s commercial arm could not The appointment of Dame Meg make up for funding shortfalls as the Taylor as the first female pifs msg work program expanded during secretary-general coincided with 2015. Departing his post, Forau also the replacement of the 2005 Pacific reflected on divergences within the Plan by a new Framework on Pacific msg over democracy in Fiji and West Regionalism. For Taylor, “regionalism Papua: “There have been some influ- had lost its politics under the Pacific ences exerted on some of our members Plan,” while the new Framework about how they should relate to Fiji provides “a process for identifying during the time when the govern- the region’s public policy priorities” ment was not an elected government. (Taylor 2015). And so some of those relationship Described as “the master strategy issues are still around, and sometimes for strengthening cooperation and something has happened between, integration between the states and for example, Papua New Guinea and territories of the Pacific region,” the Fiji” (rnzi 2015). In early 2016, Fiji’s Framework was tested throughout Amena Yauvoli was named as a candi- 2015. The pifs hopes that the new date for the post. Framework will help clear a cluttered At year’s end, Audrey Aumua was Forum agenda, narrow the number of appointed as deputy director-general items placed before overwhelmed lead- of the Secretariat of the Pacific Com- ers, delegate tasks to regional ministe- munity (spc), taking over from Fekita rial meetings, and provide a mecha- ‘Utoikamanu. As a former World nism for non-state actors to engage in Health Organization regional repre- policy formulation. sentative, Dr Aumua will head the In April, eight representatives from spc’s Suva operations, supporting across the region were appointed Director-General Dr Colin Tukuitonga to the Framework’s Specialist Sub- at the spc’s Nouméa headquarters. Committee on Regionalism (sscr) At a crop meeting in Nouméa to manage the process for identifying in February, agency chiefs agreed and prioritizing high-level regional to a review of regional governance public policy. Chaired by the Forum and financing, to be led by former secretary-general, the members spc Director-General Jimmie Rod­ include regional representatives from gers. The collaborative work of the Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia, and crop agencies is currently managed /, as well as through seven crop Working Groups sectoral representatives from Smaller 432 the contemporary pacific • 28:2 (2016)

Island States (sis), civil society, and of excellence on youth development. the private sector. In a key decision, leaders endorsed pifs called for submissions on the Implementation Framework for regional initiatives in May; sixty-eight the msg 2038 Prosperity for All Plan, submissions were received and con- an overarching regional strategy that sidered by the sscr in July. The sscr maps priorities for the next twenty- recommendations were then submitted five years. to the annual Forum Officials Com- For Papua New Guinea, 2015 mittee in August, before consideration marked the fortieth anniversary of by Forum leaders at their September independence. Port Moresby hosted retreat in Papua New Guinea. the fifteenth Pacific Games in July and The committee advanced five the forty-sixth Pacific Islands Forum proposals on climate change, West in September. These events were trial Papua, information and communica- runs, as the PNG capital prepares to tions technology, maximizing returns host the next msg summit in 2017 and from fisheries, and action on cervical the Asia-Pacific Economic Coopera- cancer. In Port Moresby, some of these tion (apec) summit in 2018—a major issues were delegated to crop agen- challenge for accommodation, trans- cies and ministers for further review, port, security, and communications. while others were addressed in official As Forum chair, PNG Prime Minis- statements, such as the 2015 Pacific ter Peter O’Neill reaffirmed a com- Islands Forum Leaders Declaration on mitment of aid in the amount of 300 Climate Change Action. million kina to other Island countries Compared to the Pacific Plan, over five years, as a significant part which was dominated by technocrats of his country’s regional diplomacy with limited public input, the Frame- (k1.00 is approximately us$.32). work process has begun with signs O’Neill has pledged k100 million to of increased transparency. All sscr , with a k20 million submissions were posted online (pifs tranche presented to the Sogavare 2015d) and nongovernmental organi- government at the msg summit in zations gained unprecedented access June. With Smaller Island States angry at the Civil Society Organisation about the lack of support from the Regional Forum, held before the Port Forum Secretariat in Suva, Papua New Moresby leaders meeting. Despite this, Guinea has also pledged us$3.7 mil- leading women’s activist Claire Slatter lion for the creation of an sis office. has questioned whether the new policy O’Neill’s relationship with Fiji is “old kava in a new tanoa,” stating: Prime Minister Bainimarama has “For ngos, the jury is still out on the remained tense, as the two countries framework” (Slatter 2015). joust over regional leadership. The At their June summit in , Fiji prime minister attended the msg msg leaders also endorsed a series summit alongside O’Neill in June but of reports and declarations cover- snubbed the Forum leaders meeting in ing trade, policing, sports, violence September. against women, emergency response Despite renewed engagement at the coordination, and plans for a center official and ministerial level, Bainima- political reviews • region in review 433 rama suggested that Fiji would only the more detailed conversations” (pifs fully rejoin the Forum if Australia and 2015c). New Zealand were to leave the orga- Beyond its Island members, the nization: “I will not participate in any Forum works with a diverse range Forum leaders meeting until the issue of partners, from long-standing of the undue influence of Australia donors such as Japan, the European and New Zealand and our divergence Union (EU), and the , to of views is addressed” (Bainimarama emerging players like , India, 2015a). Despite this, Bainimarama and Indonesia. In a speech in May, visited Australia in October to open pifs Secretary-General Taylor said: the Australia-Fiji Business Forum. “There is unprecedented interest by a Australia’s minister for International wide range of external actors in our Development and the Pacific, Steven region—some new, some old, and Ciobo, visited Fiji three times during all combined to present a crowded the year. and complex geopolitical landscape” In late 2014, Fiji and Australia pro- ­(Taylor 2015). posed a regional gathering of leaders Taylor noted in her speech: “Pres- for February 2015, without consulting ently, it is an uphill battle for the lead- the Forum chair or secretary-general. ers to articulate and put forward their The meeting was abandoned in embar- own collective agenda at the regional rassed silence after a number of coun- level when there are so many actors tries questioned the agenda. Instead, and partners at the table.” During the the inaugural Forum Foreign Affairs year, the Forum reassessed the role Ministers Meeting (ffamm) was held of the seventeen Post-Forum Dia- in Sydney in July 2015 to discuss logue (pfd) partners: , , coordination on disaster manage- People’s Republic of China, European ment and relations with development Union, France, India, Indonesia, , partners. At the September Forum, Japan, Republic of Korea, , leaders agreed that the ffamm will be , , , , an annual event and will be attended , and United States. by representatives of Forum associ- In their annual Forum communi- ate members , New qué, leaders “noted with concern that Caledonia, and . there was limited regional cohesion by By winnowing out the regional pfd partners due to varying levels of agenda through the Framework pro- regional engagement, therefore making cess and the ffamm, leaders hope to it difficult to identify where the Forum reduce the number of topics discussed has formed clear issues-based coali- at their annual retreat. NZ Foreign tions with partners” (pifs 2015b). Minister Murray McCully noted: Leaders called for a strengthened “Forum Leaders have asked for the annual pfd plenary that should focus space to discuss priority strategic on Island priorities, as well as seizing issues during their annual Forum opportunities to talk in the margins of meetings. A standing Forum Foreign international meetings. Ministers meeting would give them As European fishing nations such this space by taking responsibility for as Spain seek to extend operations in 434 the contemporary pacific • 28:2 (2016) the Pacific, the European Commis- join an interim epa agreement that Fiji sion has been expanding high-level and Papua New Guinea reluctantly talks with regional organizations. EU adopted in 2009 to guarantee their Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias sugar and fish exports to Europe. But Cañete attended the 2015 Forum, fol- this interim deal has little attraction lowing participation by EU Commis- for smaller island states, especially sion President José Manuel Barroso those without the capacity to establish in 2011, EU Climate Commissioner fish canneries. Connie Hedegaard in 2011 and 2013, At the 2014 Forum in Palau, and High Representative of the Union EU High Representative Catherine for Foreign and Security Policy Baron- Ashton made a firm commitment that ess Catherine Ashton in 2014. Europe would soon finalize the epa EU development assistance is negotiations. Despite this pledge, in largely channeled through the 11th May 2015 the European Commission European Development Fund (edf11), trade commissioner called for defer- which globally allocates €30.5 billion ment of further epa negotiations for in 2014–2020 (€1.00 is approxi- three years, sparking outrage from mately us$1.13). As the ACP (African, many Pacific countries. pifs Secretary-­ Caribbean, and Pacific)–EU Joint Par- General Taylor said: “For the Euro- liamentary Assembly convened in Suva pean Commission to propose a defer- in June, the and pifs ment of the negotiations without a signed the edf11 Regional Indicative formal political dialogue, particularly Program. Worth €166 million, this given its previous assurance to Pacific program will be allocated between the leaders in 2014, is unacceptable” (pifs fifteen Pacific members of the ACP 2015a). group. Much as Island governments EU trade with the Pacific has complain about ’s “boo- increased over the last five years, with merang aid,” Australia’s overseas aid nearly half of all Pacific exports in program is a model of development agriculture and 11.6 percent in fisher- effectiveness compared to the Euro- ies (however, this constitutes only 0.1 pean Union’s notorious inflexibility percent of total EU trade). Despite reg- and Japan’s rigid and unresponsive ular EU expressions of trade support, bureaucracy. Despite Japan’s signifi- European fisheries policy is adversely cant bilateral aid and long-term cul- affecting the finalization of a compre- tural influence in the northern Pacific, hensive regional Economic Partnership Japanese prime ministers rarely visit Agreement (epa), first proposed in the Pacific Island countries—a sharp con- 2000 ACP-EU Cotonou Treaty. trast to recent engagement by China, The regional epa treaty was due to Indonesia, and India. be finalized in 2007, but there have In May, Japan continued its series been no formal negotiations between of Pacific leaders’ summits, known trade ministers since 2007 or any as palm, organized every three years negotiations between officials since since 1997. At the seventh palm October 2013. The European Union is Summit in Iwaki City, Prime Minis- trying to pressure Pacific countries to ter Shinzo Abe pledged ¥55 billion political reviews • region in review 435

(us$452 million) over the next three and , as the Australian gov- years for projects in disasters, climate, ernment prepares for the replacement fisheries, trade, and tourism. of its Collins-class submarine force. For some, Tokyo’s high-level Beyond Japan, other Asian nations engagement with the region is becom- are seeking to counter rising Chinese ing a ritual. Fiji’s ambassador to influence in the region. In August, Japan has criticized the palm process, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating: “The issues to be discussed are hosted the second Forum for India– highly controlled by Japan. There is Pacific Islands Cooperation in Jaipur. little real engagement with senior offi- Modi made pledges on agriculture, cials from the Pacific Island countries food processing, fisheries, e-networks to work up the agenda for palm and for telemedicine, solar energy, and to promote ownership amongst all the climate change. He suggested that a parties” (Mataitonga 2014). Space Technology Applications Centre The palm meeting reviewed the could be built in a Pacific country to controversial Pacific Environment support telemetry programs for India’s Community (pec) Fund, a us$66 burgeoning space program. He also million initiative on solar technology­ proposed health-care visits to the established at the 2009 summit. Islands by the Indian Navy, a good- The pec program was managed will effort already undertaken by the through the Forum Secretariat, which US, Australian, French, and Chinese is ­supposed to be a policy body, armed forces (Times of India 2015). although energy programs are more Korea is also trying to extend often implemented by the spc. The regional ties beyond its embassies in pec provided the same amount to each Papua New Guinea and Fiji, through Island nation, even though Ambassa- annual regional meetings of senior dor Mataitonga argued: “The one- officials and a triennial Korea-Pacific size-fits-all approach in the provision Foreign Ministers Meeting (first held of development assistance needs to in 2011). The October 2015 Korea- change to focus attention on country Pacific officials meeting in Seoul specific needs” (Mataitonga 2014). promoted the country’s support on Japan’s aid is subordinate to its ­climate change, with Korea hosting the fisheries and strategic policy in the new Green Climate Fund Secretariat. Islands region. Japan and the United In 2015, Seoul doubled its funding to States are seeking support from us$1 million annually for the Korea– Australia and New Zealand for their Pacific Islands Forum Cooperation­ strategic competition with China in Fund, established in 2008. the western Pacific. After passage of China’s strategy in the region controversial security laws by the Abe ­continues to be debated by govern- government, with significant sections ments, academics, and think tanks. of the population and a burgeon- A major conference on China and ing youth movement angered by the the Pacific was held at the National integration with US strategic policy, ­University of in February Tokyo is bidding to sell submarines to ­(Powles 2016), while the Lowy Insti- Australia in competition with France tute in Sydney developed an interactive 436 the contemporary pacific • 28:2 (2016) website to monitor Chinese-funded committed to its policy of developing aid projects, especially as China over- new markets and building new trade takes Australia as the major aid donor relationships. This is by engaging to Fiji. with its non-traditional development Over three-quarters of Chinese partners like China in order to create aid to the region comes as conces- new trade and investment opportuni- sional loans, through a us$2 billion ties that benefit us all” (Fiji Sun 2015). loan facility launched in 2013. Pacific The following month, Prime Minis- leaders see China’s aid program as a ter Bainimarama met with Chinese supplement to existing aid partners, ­President Xi Jinping in Beijing. according to Samoan Prime Minister Fiji’s growing links with Asia were Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi: “Differ- evident when Thai Prime Minister ent countries, development partners General Prayut Chan-o-cha visited of the region, have different priorities, in September as the chief guest at the and that’s why I mention that China pidf summit. Fiji’s role in the UN comes in as providing supplementary Asia-Pacific group was highlighted resources available to the region, when Peter Thomson, Fiji’s UN covering those areas which are not ambassador, was nominated as the covered in traditional aid donor group’s candidate for the presidency ­programs” (Blades 2015). of the UN General Assembly in 2016. In 2015, the China Export Import If successful, this would be the first (Exim) Bank agreed to fund us$195 time a Pacific Islands representative million for Papua New Guinea’s has led the General Assembly. controversial Pacific Marine Indus- Fiji has also been strengthening trial Zone (pmiz) project, under links with Russia, as part of Suva’s construction by China’s Shenyang post-coup diversification of diplomatic International Economic and Techni- relations. Fiji Foreign Minister Ratu cal Cooperation Limited. The pmiz Inoke Kubuabola said: “The Russian includes proposals for an export wharf Federation is especially important and sewerage plant alongside ten fish- given the positive and invaluable sup- processing plants, near Madang on port that Fiji received from them with Papua New Guinea’s north coast. regard to UN Peacekeeping Missions, The number of Chinese tourists in the face of strong objections from to Fiji grew from 4,000 (in 2009) to traditional partners” (Fiji Ministry of 28,000 (in 2014), and in March 2015, Information 2014). officials announced that Chinese and Even though Fiji established Fijian nationals can travel to each ­diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union other’s country without a visa. in 1974, Japan-based diplomat Isikeli In June, a series of trade and Mataitoga only presented his creden- investment agreements worth us$331 tials as Fijian ambassador to Russia million were signed at the Fiji-China in 2010. The February 2012 visit to Economic and Trade Coopera- Nadi by Sergei Lavrov was the first by tion Conference in Suva. Fiji Trade a Russian foreign minister. Prime Min- Minister Faiyaz Koya noted: “The ister Bainimarama made a state visit ­Bainimarama Government is fully to Moscow in July 2013, the first by a political reviews • region in review 437

Fijian leader, signing five cooperation (sdgs). This was achieved when the agreements on defense, investment, new global objectives were adopted and trade. at a major UN summit in September, In January 2016, Russia delivered with sdg14 on the conservation and a shipment of containers to Suva, sustainable management of oceans and reportedly including small arms, a seas. helicopter, and other military equip- That month, Fiji Prime Minister ment. Acting Fiji Military Forces com- Bainimarama told the UN General mander Rear Admiral Viliame Nau- Assembly: “As a founding member of poto stated that the equipment will the UN’s Group of Friends of Oceans rearm Fijian peacekeepers in place of and Seas, Fiji has been working to “outdated weapons” (Doherty 2016). establish a high-level global platform As media speculated on the 2016 arms to ensure that we meet sdg14” (Baini- shipment, a Russian Foreign Ministry marama 2015c). With support from spokesperson confirmed: “A batch of Sweden, the will estab- Russian small arms and munitions is lish Triennial Conferences on Oceans being supplied to Fiji at the official and Seas, with five international request of that country. These weap- conferences spanning the 2015–2030 ons will be used by Fiji’s mechanized period of the Sustainable Development infantry battalion which is part of Agenda. the United Nations Disengagement During 2015, there were a series Observer Force deployed in the Golan of initiatives to advance the oceans Heights” (tass 2016). agenda, extending the work of the In 2014, forty-five Fijian UN peace- Forum Fisheries Agency and the Par- keepers were captured in the Golan ties to the Nauru Agreement (pna)— Heights by the Islamist Al-Nusra one of the success stories of Pacific Front, highlighting the need for bet- regionalism. ter protection at a time the Vladimir In May, delegates gathered in Suva Putin regime has expanded military for the Pacific Ocean Alliance: High operations closer to the Israel-Syria Hopes for High Seas meeting. The alli- border. Speculation that the Russian ance, launched at the 2014 Conference small arms are a sign of anti-Western on Small Island Developing States, alignment was somewhat undercut by began operations with pifs’s Dame the December delivery from Korea of Meg Taylor as Pacific Ocean commis- anti-riot guns and teargas grenades sioner. In a new spirit of cooperation (nfp 2016). The Fijian authorities will with nongovernmental organizations, happily take military support from the Forum has obtained funding from East and West! Conservation International to sup- Some Deep Water Fishing Nations port the Office of the Pacific Ocean (dwfns) have tried to undercut Commissioner, housed in pifs. Other regional efforts for tuna manage- green multinationals are working with ment. In response, Pacific diplomats Pacific nations like Palau and have worked to ensure there was a to create protected marine zones. specific goal on the oceans in the new pna ministers from Papua New global Sustainable Development Goals Guinea, Solomon Islands, , 438 the contemporary pacific • 28:2 (2016)

Kiribati, Nauru, Federated States of sion means that purse seiners based in Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall American Sāmoa risk being shut out Islands met in June in Pohnpei to of Pacific Island Exclusive Economic coordinate management of the skip- Zones. jack tuna fishery through the Vessel Beyond the oceans, 2015 was Day Scheme (vds). the year of regional mobilization on In July, the eleventh ffa ministe- climate change, as countries prepared rial meeting in Tuvalu endorsed a new for the December Conference of the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Parties (cop21) of the UN Framework Pacific Fisheries. The strategy aims to Convention on Climate Change in document stocks of the four key tuna Paris. species in the Pacific, combat Illegal, The importance of climate action Unlicensed and Unregulated (iuu) was brought home by disasters across fishing, and bring back bigeye tuna the region, including Cyclone Pam in from its current depleted state. March. Pam affected 45 percent of In December, New Zealand’s Tuvalu’s population and also reached Ambassador for Economic Develop- Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and ment Shane Jones angered pna mem- . was hardest bers by arguing for a quota-based hit—Pam’s 270 kilometer/hour winds payment system, even though the destroyed critical infrastructure in Port auctioning of vds permits has seen an Vila and rural centers, leaving tens of increase in revenues to pna members thousands of people without homes from us$64 million (2010) to us$357 and damaging food gardens. Damage million (2015). pna Chief Execu- was estimated at us$450 million—64 tive Officer Transform Aqorau said: percent of the country’s gross domes- “You have to really wonder whether tic product (adb 2015). there is value in (New Zealand) A strong El Niño Southern Oscil- having a person running around the lation in 2015–16 has also caused Pacific ­rubbishing the (Vessel Day) significant drought and frosts across scheme. . . . Instead of attacking the Melanesia and eastern Australia, vds which is paying for teachers, with negative impacts on agriculture, nurses and doctors, they should be water supply, women’s labor, and supporting us and the positive work village health. By year’s end, up to we have done to make nations self- 770,000 people in Papua New Guinea reliant” (Rika 2015). were ­living in locations where food pna’s success comes as the United was very scarce or extremely scarce States has given notice of plans to (Bourke, Allen, and Lowe 2016). withdraw from the South Pacific Some villagers in Vanuatu became Tuna Treaty by 2017, ending its most reliant on food aid because crops important geopolitical arrangement were growing slowly after being with the Islands region. The end of the wiped out by Cyclone Pam, although twenty-seven-year-old treaty comes the innovative nongovernmental after Washington agreed to pay us$89 organization program Yumi Stap million for its 2016 fishing days and Redi Long Klaemet Jenis had success- then reneged on the deal. The US deci- fully prepared many villages through political reviews • region in review 439

­community resilience initiatives a tough statement as they caucused (Maclellan 2015e). before the Forum. All called for the Climate policy caused tensions Paris Agreement to limit global aver- within the Pacific Islands Forum, as age temperature increase to less than countries debated divergent priorities 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial between Australia, New Zealand, and levels, a stronger target than Australia the Forum Island Countries. Ongoing and New Zealand have accepted. tensions between pifs and pidf were A week after the pidf summit, highlighted by a series of declarations Forum leaders met in Port Moresby. on climate change in the lead-up to the With Australia and New Zealand in Paris negotiations. the room, the resulting Forum Decla- In May, Prime Minister Bainima- ration on Climate Change was weaker rama argued: “As we see it, Australia than the pidf’s Suva Declaration. and New Zealand have been put to Media and community reaction forced the test on climate change and been the pifs to release a defensive state- found wanting. So it should be no ment, stressing the positive elements of surprise that we have formed the view the Forum declaration (crop 2015). that at the very least, their position In November, the Green Climate as full members of our island nation Fund (gcf) announced its first round Forum needs to be questioned, re- of eight grants, including a us$31 examined and redefined. They simply million water supply and waste project do not represent our interests as we in Fiji. After the defeat of conserva- face this critical matter of survival” tive Australian Prime Minister Tony (Bainimarama 2015a). Abbott by his more liberal colleague Ahead of cop21, Kiribati Presi- Malcolm Turnbull, Australia has dent Anote Tong wrote to world rejoined the gcf board as co-chair. leaders asking them to back a global In December, Pacific governments moratorium on new coal mines and and nongovernmental organizations mine expansions—a challenge to made strong interventions in the Australia, which plans new mines global climate talks in Paris. Mar- in Queensland’s Galilee basin. Tong shall Islands Foreign Minister Tony rejected the excuse by Australian de Brum played a leading role in the politicians that coal is necessary to lift “Higher Ambition” Coalition, which people out of energy poverty: “I keep forged a broad alliance to strengthen hearing this argument that it’s about commitments from industrialized the poor. Well, we are the poor and we nations. will disappear. I don’t think it’s about The final Paris Agreement includes the poor, it’s about the rich” (Pacnews several crucial elements for the Pacific, 2015). including the aspirational goal limiting In July, the Polynesian Leaders temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius Group issued the Taputapuatea Dec- above preindustrial levels, a strength- laration on Climate Change, while in ened mechanism for loss and damage, early September, the pidf issued the and the provision for scaled-up and Suva Declaration on Climate Change, simplified access to climate finance for and the Smaller Island States delivered small island developing states. 440 the contemporary pacific • 28:2 (2016)

Despite this, Organisation for Nauru are suffering from extreme lev- Economic Co-operation and Develop- els of physical, emotional, psychologi- ment (oecd) nations continue to pre- cal and developmental distress. The varicate over commitments on climate Commission finds that the inevitable financing, current emissions reduction and foreseeable consequence of Aus- targets still guarantee temperature tralia’s transfer of children to Nauru is increases of 2.7 to 3.4 degrees, and the that they would be detained in breach Paris agreement includes an explicit of article 37(b) of the Convention on clause stating that “Article 8 of the the Rights of the Child” (ahrc 2015, Agreement does not involve or provide 200). a basis for any liability or compensa- In the face of reports on assault, tion” (cop21 2015). abuse, and rape in the centers, then Beyond the campaign for climate Immigration Minister Scott Morrison justice, there were extensive public falsely claimed in 2014 that staff from debates about human rights across Save the Children working in Nauru the region. As the UN Human Rights were making false reports and coach- Council conducted its Universal Peri- ing detainees. Two reviews in 2015 odic Review (upr) of human rights in confirmed that there is no evidence to Kiribati, Minister for Women Tanga­ back up these claims, and the Austra- riki Reete said that climate change lian government apologized and paid continues to be one of the country’s compensation to Save the Children biggest threats to upholding human (Moss 2015). rights (Radio Australia 2015). Nauru Justice Minister David During the year, the United Adeang defended his country’s human Nations also conducted uprs for rights record, even as critics chal- the ­Federated States of Micronesia, lenged Nauru’s treatment of opposi- Nauru, and Australia. For the ­latter tion members of Parliament (Farrell two ­countries, the uprs revealed 2015). Two opposition members were widespread ­international concern over briefly jailed and mp Roland Kun the offshore processing of asylum was denied a passport to reunite with seekers, with a hundred countries his family overseas. In response to formally raising issues with Australian international concern, New Zealand ­government policy. The UN Subcom- suspended its aid funding for Nauru’s mittee on the Prevention of Torture judicial system. visited Nauru in February, calling for In April, the UN Permanent Forum changes in the operation of Austra- on Indigenous Issues (unpfii) held a lia’s asylum-seeker detention center special half-day session on the Pacific (unspt 2015). Islands. Aboriginal legal scholar Other independent reviews into Professor Megan Davis of Australia treatment of refugees on Nauru have served as chair of the 2015 Permanent revealed damning evidence about the Forum in New York, which recom- prevalence of sexual and physical mended that “the United Nations assault. A report on children in deten- High Commissioner for Refugees tion by the Australian Human Rights focus on the vulnerability of indig- Commission found: “Children on enous peoples in the Pacific region, political reviews • region in review 441 particularly in view of the effects of to upgrade their membership in the climate change” (unpfii 2015b). Pacific Islands Forum from associate In a statement, a caucus of Pacific to full membership. France’s Overseas groups from , Papua New Minister George Pau-Langevin lobbied Guinea, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and at the 2015 Post-Forum Dialogue, Hawai‘i condemned the failure of the while the French Polynesia govern- United Nations to develop “a concrete ment raised the issue as President plan to implement the Right of Self Édouard Fritch hosted the Polynesian Determination and delist the UN Non- Leaders Group summit in Tahiti. Self Governing Territories” (unpfii In July, the Forum sent a special 2015a). ministerial mission, led by PNG For- Ever since the UN General Assem- eign Minister Rimbink Pato, to French bly re-listed French Polynesia as a Polynesia to assess the application. non-self-governing territory in May When Forum leaders considered the 2013, France has stubbornly refused ministerial mission report, however, to acknowledge the authority of the they once again deferred a decision. A United Nations over self-determina- key concern was whether the existing tion in French Polynesia. As required governance arrangements of French under Article 73e of the UN Charter, Polynesia would enable its government France submitted information to the “to participate independently and United Nations about New Caledo- effectively as a full member, in the full nia in 2014 and 2015; however, Paris complement of political deliberation, refused to formally submit informa- decision making and commitments of tion on French Polynesia in either year the Forum” (pifs 2015b, item 23). (unga 2015, 3). This was a diplomatic reference to During 2015, msg leaders contin- France’s ongoing control of the judi- ued to publicly support independence ciary, defense, and other key sectors leader Oscar Temaru’s call for talks (Corbin 2013). on self-determination. Reaffirming France continued to lobby for the the “inalienable right of the people change at the November 2015 France- of French Polynesia to self-determi- Oceania summit in Paris. French nation,” Prime Minister Manasseh President François Hollande stated: Sogavare told the UN General Assem- “I hope that the Pacific Islands Forum bly on 1 October: “Solomon Islands could welcome to its breast both New calls on the administering power to Caledonia and French Polynesia as full fully cooperate with the work of the members, and as an Special Committee. We note that 30 associate member. These three territo- years of nuclear testing by the admin- ries will be our representatives” (Les istrative power caused widespread Nouvelles Calédoniennes 2015). The atomic radiation and has resulted in issue now returns to the Forum Sec- considerable health and environmental retariat, which will conduct a review concerns” (Sogavare 2015). of the criteria for admission of new Throughout the year, France and Forum members. This review will be the governments of New Caledo- submitted to the 2016 Forum Officials nia and French Polynesia lobbied Committee for consideration, before it 442 the contemporary pacific • 28:2 (2016) is sent back to Pacific foreign ministers mination to be held over the next five and leaders. years. Port Moresby is sensitive about France’s regional relations are still external interference in Bougainville, affected by memories of past nuclear highlighted by PNG government policies. On the thirtieth anniversary anger over Australia’s announcement of the French terrorist attack against of plans to expand diplomatic repre- the Rainbow Warrior, and the sev- sentation in Buka. Despite this, the entieth anniversary of the bombing Pacific Islands Forum deployed an of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Pacific elections monitoring team in May to governments spoke out on nuclear observe elections for the Autonomous issues. At the Nuclear Non-Prolif- Bougainville Government (abg), led eration Treaty review conference in by Fiji and Vanuatu officials. President May, Papua New Guinea joined other John Momis was returned to office Pacific countries to call for more over eight other candidates. urgent action on nuclear disarmament Momis has argued that indepen- (Maclellan 2015b). dence for Bougainville can only be As well as decolonization in ter- secured by reinvigorating extractive ritories under the mandate of the UN industries, including the Panguna Special Committee, there are other gold and copper mine. In March, the self-determination struggles in post- abg enacted the Bougainville Min- colonial nations that are increasingly ing Act 2015, transforming rights affecting regional relations, such as for Bougainville Copper Ltd (bcl), West Papua (Indonesia), Bougainville the Rio Tinto subsidiary that ran the (Papua New Guinea), and Rapa Nui Panguna mine until the conflict of the (Chile). 1990s. Since passage of the Mining Chile’s colonial policy in Rapa Nui Act, there has been widespread debate provides a strategic foothold in the about customary landowner rights, eastern Pacific, at a time Chile is join- especially following media reports that ing other Pacific Rim countries in the the PNG government might purchase Transpacific Partnership Agreement. bcl’s Panguna stake (Jubilee Australia Chilean and French forces conduct 2015). regular joint search-and-rescue maneu- The regional debate over West vers, while Chilean officials attended Papua made significant advances in the South Pacific Defense Ministers’ 2015 (Maclellan 2015a). The Face- Meeting in Port Moresby in April. book generation across Melanesia is Chilean military personnel regularly ramping up the pressure and Pacific serve alongside US, Australian, and governments are starting to take New Zealand naval forces in regional notice: the issue was included in the military exercises such as rimpac, agenda of both the msg summit in Pacific Partnership, and unitas Honiara and the Forum leaders meet- (Chandramohan 2015). ing in Port Moresby. Bougainville poses a looming In December 2014, Vanuatu challenge for the Forum and the churches and customary chiefs, sup- Melanesian Spearhead Group, with ported by the government, hosted a proposed referendum on self-deter- a meeting to form a united front political reviews • region in review 443 between three strands of the West Vanuatu and New Caledonia’s Front Papuan nationalist movement, uniting de Libération Nationale Kanak et Jayapura-based activists and exiled Socialiste (flnks). On the eve of the campaigners. In February 2015, the msg summit, outgoing msg Chair newly created United Liberation Victor Tutugoro of the flnks publicly Movement for West Papua (ulmwp) expressed reservations about Indone- submitted an application for full msg sia expanding its role in the msg: “For membership. the flnks, the msg is an organisation Indonesia worked to blunt the of Melanesian countries. As I see it, diplomatic advances of the West Indonesia is not part of the Melane- Papuan nationalist movement. In sian bloc” (Maclellan 2015a). March, Indonesian Foreign Minister The divergent views among Mela- Retno Marsudi traveled to Papua New nesian leaders were brought to a head Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Fiji. In at the Honiara summit in a historic May—a month before the msg sum- decision to expand the msg’s reach. mit—President Joko Widodo visited An uneasy consensus led to the grant- West Papua and Papua New Guinea, ing of associate member status to announcing clemency for five political Indonesia and observer status to the prisoners and other concessions. ulmwp. To dodge questions over With Papua New Guinea maintain- Indonesian sovereignty, the msg lead- ing close ties to its Asian neighbor, ers agreed that “the ulmwp be admit- Fiji has also improved ties to Jakarta, ted as an observer under the regional symbolized by former Indonesian and international category repre- President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono senting Melanesians living abroad,” opening the 2014 pidf summit and despite the ulmwp representing Indonesia’s role in co-chairing the groups both inside and exiled from Multinational Observer Group for West Papua (msg 2015, 6). Fiji’s elections. At the msg summit, In the presence of a large Indone- Prime Minister Bainimarama stated: sian delegation—but not the governors “Indonesian sovereignty over West of Papua and West Papua provinces— Papua cannot be questioned. . . . the the Island leaders approved “that msg has no choice but to deal with associate membership be accorded to Indonesia in a positive and con- Indonesia representing the five Mela- structive manner. The best hope for nesian provinces in Indonesia” (Papua, improving the lives of the people of West Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, West Papua is to work closely with and East Nusa Tenggara). The future the Indonesian government, one of role of the five governors is unclear, the most vibrant democracies in the given the historic difference between world” (Bainimarama 2015b). Papua and West Papua (which In contrast to Fiji and Papua New remained under Dutch administration Guinea, Solomon Islands under Prime until the 1960s) and the other three Minister Sogavare has expanded provinces (which were part of Indone- diplomatic support for the West Papua sia from independence in 1949). nationalist movement. This comple- The issue of West Papua has not ments long-standing solidarity from been considered by the Pacific Islands 444 the contemporary pacific • 28:2 (2016)

Forum since 2006, but it was one of Islands by the so-called “five eyes five core topics proposed to Forum alliance”: the US National Security leaders through the Framework on Agency (nsa), the Australian Signals Pacific Regionalism. At the Forum, Directorate (asd), the NZ Govern- leaders recognized Indonesia’s sover- ment Communications Security eignty over the Papuan provinces but Bureau (gcsb), the Communications “called on all parties to protect and Security Establishment Canada (csec), uphold the human rights of all resi- and the UK Government Communica- dents in Papua and to work to address tions Headquarters (gchq). the root causes of such conflicts by Documents released in 2015 show peaceful means” (pifs 2015b). Forum that New Zealand’s electronic surveil- Chair Peter O’Neill was tasked with lance agency gcsb is targeting most consulting with Indonesia on a pos- Pacific Island neighbors (Hager and sible fact-finding mission to discuss Gallagher 2015c). Since 2009, the the situation in West Papua. gcsb intelligence base at Waihopai The message about dialogue hasn’t has moved to “full-take collection,” gotten through to Indonesia’s hard- indiscriminately intercepting Asia- line defense minister, Ryamizard Pacific communications and providing Ryacudu, with the former army chief them en masse to the nsa through of staff stating that West Papua should the controversial intelligence system not be an issue for regional discussion: XKeyscore, which is used to monitor “There are countries that are getting e-mails and Internet browsing habits. involved in the issue of Papua. For According to other documents, the us, Papua is in the United Republic of asd has also been targeting telecom- Indonesia. There is no other solution munications in Indonesia and the to talk about it, that’s it, that’s the Pacific Islands. The Age newspaper way it is. So this is so that everyone reported that “asd and gcsb person- will know that that doesn’t need to be nel intercepted mobile phone calls spoken about” (Nicholson 2015). from a signals intelligence collection Beyond debates over self-determi- facility near Honiara, codenamed nation, the rights of women in Papua caprica and probably located at New Guinea and other Island nations Camp ramsi, the headquarters of raised international comment, with the Regional Assistance Mission to extensive reporting of violence against the Solomon Islands. With a view women and children. A Human Rights to expanding coverage of Solomon Watch report on family violence in Telekom’s network, the asd and gcsb Papua New Guinea called on the PNG also conducted a radio frequency government to expedite the implemen- survey, codenamed preboil, at the tation of the 2013 Family Protection Australian Federal Police facility at the Act (hrw 2015). Guadalcanal Beach Resort near Hen- Following publication of govern- derson Airport” (Dorling 2015). ment documents by Edward Snowden, According to another nsa docu- Wikileaks, and other whistle-blowers, ment, New Zealand’s gcsb also tar- there is renewed evidence of intel- geted government officials in Solomon ligence surveillance in the Pacific Islands during 2013. These included political reviews • region in review 445 the permanent secretary of the Min- School of Public Policy, The Australian istry of Foreign Affairs, the prime National University. minister’s chief of staff and permanent Chandramohan, Balaji. 2015. Chile and ­secretary, a senior foreign affairs offi- the Southeast Pacific. The Diplomat, cial, and even a leading anti-corrup- 20 December. tion campaigner, Benjamin Afuga of cop, Conference of the Parties. 2015. Paris Forum Solomon Islands International Agreement, United Nations Framework (Hager and Gallagher 2015a, 2015b). Convention on Climate Change. 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Building an for Pacific Influence. The Guardian, Inclusive and Independent Institution for 22 January. Pacific Islanders. Speech at Meeting on Agreement to Institutionalize pidf. Suva, Dorling, Phillip. 2015. Top-Secret Docu- 6 May. ments Reveal Australia Targeting Indone- sia, South Pacific Mobile Phone Networks. ______. 2015b. Speech to msg sum- The Age, 6 March. mit plenary session. Heritage Park Hotel, Honiara, 26 June. Farrell, Paul. 2015. Nauru Says Facebook Block a “Temporary Restriction” to Keep ______. 2015c. Statement by J V Baini- Public Safe from “Sexual Perverts.” marama, Prime Minister of the Republic The Guardian, 11 May. of Fiji, UN General Assembly, New York, 1 October. Fiji Ministry of Information. 2014. Fiji & Russia 40th Anniversary: Commemorating Blades, Johnny. 2015. Pacific Aid Donors 40 years of Diplomatic Relations between Grapple with China’s Rise and Influence. the Republic of Fiji and the Russian Fed- Radio New Zealand International, 2 eration. 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