Pacific leaders lock in terms for New Caledonia mission amid packed agenda

Finding a way to de-escalate violence and promote dialogue in crisis-hit New Caledonia will be a key objective of an upcoming fact-finding mission to the French territory, Pacific leaders said on Friday.

Leaders of the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum endorsed the terms of reference for a high-level “Troika-plus” mission to New Caledonia in their communique that capped a five-day summit in the Tongan capital. 

France’s handling of pro-independence riots that engulfed the New Caledonian capital of Noumea in May has featured prominently at this year’s forum, putting decolonization firmly in the spotlight, along with climate change and a new Australian-backed Pacific policing initiative. 

Speaking after the leaders’ retreat on the island of Vava’u, Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said the visiting mission had three main objectives.

“[First,] to gather information to better understand the situation in New Caledonia, including interviews and field visits with all stakeholders relevant to the resolution of the crisis in New Caledonia,” he told reporters. 

“Second, to support the ongoing efforts by the state and the government of New Caledonia to call for peace and stability, a de-escalation of ongoing violence and promotion of dialogue between the parties.”

The mission – consisting of leaders from the Cooks Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji – would also report back with recommendations to forum leaders, he said. 

French Ambassador to the Pacific, Veronique Roger-Lacan, said on Thursday that France was ready and committed to a fact-finding mission but also noted that ultimately it required sign off from Paris.

A record number of attendees were registered for this year’s forum, including the largest ever Chinese delegation, underscoring heightened geopolitical interest in a region that is home to some of the smallest and most remote nations on the planet. 

Leaders endorsed the Australian-backed Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI), though the communique noted the need for “further national consultation” on how members engage with the initiative.

Earlier this week, the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) said the PPI should not be used for “geo-strategic denial” by big powers, in a reference to efforts by Australia to sideline China’s policing efforts in the region. 

“We agree in principal on the terms of the Pacific policing initiative,” Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele told reporters when asked directly about his position on the initiative. 

While PIF leaders outlined a broad strategy to help resolve unrest in New Caledonia, efforts to secure a U.N. human rights mission to Indonesia’s Papua appear to have fallen far down the agenda. 

The PIF has called on Indonesia since 2019 to allow the mission to go ahead. But this year’s communique mentioned the issue of West Papua only briefly, noting previous discussions. 

Forum leaders also received an apology for the lack of action from Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, who along with Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka were appointed special envoys to secure the mission last year by the MSG. 

The final document endorsed the applications of Guam and American Samoa for associate members status, but with the understanding that a review of the regional architecture was ongoing. That could have “implications on the associate membership criteria, including entitlements,” the communique said. 

Leaders also agreed to support the Republic of the Marshall Islands in its efforts to engage the United States towards a justified resolution to its nuclear testing in the Pacific. 

Climate change, like always, loomed large over discussions. Pacific nations have made it clear that a warming planet poses the single biggest threat to the region.

Leaders recognized the “urgency to complete” negotiations on a landmark mandatory universal levy on greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry.

The communique also said that leaders had agreed to elevate the issue of sea level rise politically, including at the United Nations General Assembly.

Some of the strongest language in the document was reserved for the disappearance of correspondent banks in the Pacific.

The communique expressed “grave concerns” about the negative socioeconomic impacts of de-banking, which threatens to sever an important and affordable link to remittances.