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 Pacic, 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 Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, 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 Fiji-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. Papua New Guinea 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 India, Japan, France, 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 Nauru, 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 Indonesia 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 Australia/New Zealand, 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 Solomon Islands, 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 Honiara, 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 United States, to of views is addressed” (Bainimarama emerging players like China, India, 2015a). Despite this, Bainimarama and Indonesia.