Smaller island states stand united on shared priorities

Koror, Palau – Smaller Island States Leaders met on Monday, kickstarting the week of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting with Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., assuming the role of chair of the Smaller Island States.

Taneti Maamau, president of Kiribati, joined colleague leaders virtually from Tarawa to hand over the SIS chair.

In his remarks, Maamau reminded SIS leaders that “it is in gatherings such as this that give leaders the privilege and opportunity to converge ideas and solutions for the complex challenges that we face, especially as Smaller Island States,” thanking leaders for their support to Kiribati during its tenure as Chair of the SIS over the last 12 months.  

Whipps reaffirmed the theme of the weeklong engagements: B.E.L.A.U – Building Economies: Life. Action. Unity, emphasizing that “building stronger economies is not an end in itself; it must elevate the livelihoods of our people, create tangible and sustainable opportunities for our economies, and unite us in our ongoing efforts to deepen regionalism through integration."

"It is fitting that the Smaller Island States Leaders meeting is the first of our Leaders’ meetings this week. The clarity and unity we establish here will ensure a stronger SIS voice in the wider Forum deliberations this week," he added

Central to SIS leaders' discussion was their commitment to work together to address shared challenges and harness opportunities that can be achieved as a collective through their agreed four priority areas, which are identifying and securing reliable and affordable air and sea transport; advancing fisheries development; strengthening regional procurement and health workforce mechanisms; and access to climate change finance.  

SIS leaders agreed on eight focus areas under these four priorities to galvanize targeted support to the SIS grouping.

Building on discussions from their 2025 meeting, SIS leaders also considered and endorsed a revised set of membership criteria, updated to remain current and to more closely reflect the key vulnerabilities and characteristics facing the SIS grouping today.  

Whipps further added that it was only fitting that the SIS leaders' meeting marks the first formal leader-level engagement in the weeklong meetings, recognizing the opportunity it offers for the SIS to consolidate its positions to ensure a stronger SIS voice in the wider Forum deliberations throughout the week.  

Established in 1992, the SIS grouping comprises the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu.

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