House OKs bill extending diplomatic privileges to Pacific Islands Forum

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would extend diplomatic privileges to the Pacific Islands Forum, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Caribbean Community. 

Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from Texas, said the legislation, titled “Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment to Enhance Relations Act” or PARTNER Act, is a concrete step to deepen U.S. alliances and keep America at the center of global diplomacy.

The House passed the bill by voice vote.

 “At a time when our competitors are working overtime to expand their influence in Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Africa, we cannot afford to sit back,” said Castro, the bill's main author.

He urged the Senate to pass the bill and get it on the president’s desk.

The Forum is the region's premier political and economic organization, comprising 18 members across the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1971, the Forum is being courted by the world’s superpowers, including the U.S. and China, for its influential power in the Pacific island region where geopolitical tensions are escalating.

“This is another way for our nation to show commitment and diplomatic engagement with nations, especially throughout our strategic Pacific region,” said Rep. Uifa’atali Amata Radewagen, American Samoa’s delegate to the U.S. Congress and a co-sponsor of the bill.

The PARTNER Act extends privileges and immunities under the International Organizations Immunities Act to regional organizations considered crucial to U.S. leadership and foreign policy priorities. 

“Our country’s Indo-Pacific Strategy states in no uncertain terms that no region is of more consequence to the world and to everyday Americans than the Indo-Pacific,” said Rep. Ed Case (D-HI). 

“The United States and our allies and partners around the world who are aligned with an international rules-based order share the common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific whose governance, priorities, goals and prosperity are determined by the countries of the Indo-Pacific without manipulation and dominance by malicious actors," he added.

Case noted that the Pacific Islands themselves face the challenges of increased natural disasters and human and drug trafficking, economic sustainability and threats to democracy.

“It is crucial that the United States continue to extend our hand of full partnership in assisting the countries of the Pacific to meet these challenges, as we have for generations,” Case said.

The PARTNER Act would also extend privileges and immunities to the European Organization for Nuclear Research, an international organization that is engaged in cutting-edge physics research. 

“The exchange of knowledge and ideas across borders not only promotes peace, but also serves as a powerful instrument to address urgent global challenges,” said Rep. Bill Foster, a Democrat from Illinois.

 “As a physicist, I spent more than two decades working with colleagues from around the globe at Fermilab in Illinois, where scientific collaboration transcended national boundaries and helped us better understand the world around us,” said Foster, who also co-sponsored the bill.

He added that the bill would “help solidify our long-term partnership with CERN and maintain our nation's role as a leader in scientific research.” 

Other cosponsors of the bill are Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Yoing Kim (R-CA), Johnny Olszewski (D-MD), Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL).

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