BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Acting Foreign Affairs Minister, John Tuhaika Jr urges Pacific leaders, scientists, traditional custodians and youth to use the Pacific Islands Ocean Conference 2025 to strengthen the region’s collective voice and safeguard the ocean.

Opening the conference in Honiara on Monday, September 29, 2025, he said the Pacific Ocean is not only the Pacific Islands’ greatest natural resource, but it is their very identity.

He told participants that the ocean shapes culture, sustains livelihoods and connects the region to the world.

The minister outlined three main purposes for the gathering which are; to unite science, policy and traditional knowledge, to align Pacific priorities with global agendas and to ensure that communities, youth and early-career professionals have their voices heard.

“This conference strengthens our collective Pacific voice and ensures that the blue Pacific is shaping the global ocean agenda, not simply reacting to it,” Tuhaika said.

He warns that the region’s ocean space, which covers nearly a third of the world’s exclusive economic zones and provides more than half of the global tuna catch, faces massive pressure from climate change, sea-level rise, pollution and biodiversity loss.

“For Pacific peoples, the health of the ocean is the health of our societies, our economies and our future generations,” he said.

Tuhaika said the conference is not just about discussion, but about aligning knowledge, culture and policy into collective action to secure resilience, sustainable use, youth empowerment, and maritime sovereignty.

“The decisions we make here will resonate far beyond these shores. They will shape the well-being of our ocean, our people and our planet for generations to come,” he said.

The week-long conference brings together government officials, regional organisations, traditional leaders and scientists to map a path towards 100 per cent effective ocean management for the blue Pacific continent.

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