Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers have been urged to keep the region united and ensure Pacific priorities remain at the centre of international engagement as growing global interest in the region intensifies.

Opening the 2026 Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in Suva today, Chair and Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Rick Houenipwela told ministers there has “never been a more important time” for Pacific nations to stand together and speak with one voice.

He stressed that while partnerships with global powers remain important, the Pacific’s agenda must continue to be shaped “by the Pacific, for the Pacific.”

Houenipwela says the region is facing increasingly complex challenges across security, the economy, climate change, ocean governance, technology and institutional reform, requiring stronger regional cooperation rather than division.

He says ministers have a responsibility to ensure the Pacific engages with the world from a position of unity, confidence and collective purpose.

The meeting comes at a time of heightened geopolitical competition in the Pacific, with regional leaders balancing relationships with major partners including Australia, New Zealand, China and the United States, while maintaining that Pacific nations should determine their own priorities. The issue has gained renewed attention following China’s missile launch into the Pacific last month, which is expected to be discussed during the Suva meeting.

Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa echoed the call for stronger regional cooperation, saying the Forum Secretariat remains committed to supporting a regional organisation that is more strategic, responsive and focused on delivering outcomes.

Waqa says ministers’ decisions will help shape the evolution of Pacific regionalism and strengthen the Forum’s ability to respond to emerging challenges while implementing priorities set by leaders.

The annual Foreign Ministers Meeting brings together representatives from the Forum’s 18 member countries and territories to finalise recommendations ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau later this year. Discussions are expected to cover regional security, climate action, economic resilience, institutional reform and implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

As host of the meeting, Fiji once again finds itself at the centre of Pacific diplomacy. Suva is home to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and continues to serve as the region’s key diplomatic hub, reinforcing Fiji’s role in facilitating dialogue on some of the Pacific’s most pressing challenges. Recent regional engagements, including the Forum Troika meeting held in Suva, have also highlighted Fiji’s growing importance in advancing Pacific-led cooperation and regional governance.