Pacific leaders urge global support for resilience financing in US advocacy mission

The Prime Minister of Tonga and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dr ‘Aisake Valu Eke, and Forum Secretary-General, Baron Waqa, are visiting the United States this week.

Their mission aims to secure funding for the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), an initiative designed to help communities in the region prepare for and respond to challenges like climate change.

In a statement, Eke says the advocacy trip comes after Forum economy ministers approved the PRF Establishment Agreement during a special meeting in Tonga last month.

He says the mission coincides with major global meetings held by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He adds that this is key to engaging international partners in supporting the PRF, which aims to provide financial resources without adding further debt to Pacific nations.

"It is an opportunity to engage further the Pacific Islands Forum’s development partners and multilateral institutions to support the Pacific-owned and Pacific-led regional resilience financing facility for Pacific communities, without incurring a further debt burden for our Members.

“Our message is simple: the Pacific Islands Forum is serious about the PRF. We are saying to our development partners that the time to act is now, and to support the PRF so that we can demonstrate the transformative power of this grant investment vehicle, to predictably finance our communities’ resilience needs," Eke says.

Waqa also pointed out the mission's significance in achieving the Forum's long-term vision for sustainable development.

He says the trip aims to attract new investments and support the PRF.

Watch Carson K. Sigrah, Federated States of Micronesia's Ambassador to Fiji, during the Forum Economic Ministers Meeting in Tonga last month.

“This advocacy mission is about unlocking new capital flows and scaling up investments in the PRF from transformative partnerships that deliver for our Pacific people.

"We have fundraised about US$150m from COP28 (2023) to COP29 (2024).

"We are committed to mobilising resources to raise the balance of US$350m to reach the US$500m capitalisation target for the PRF by COP31 in 2026. We aim to take a ratified PRF Treaty to COP30.

"We are engaging with institutions and Governments that can help the PRF as a Pacific-owned priority to assure access to finance for our communities when we launch our first call for proposals at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau in 2026,” Waqa says in a statement. 

Photo/PacificIslandsForum

The PRF Treaty will be presented to Forum Leaders at their meeting in September 2025 in the Solomon Islands for signature, and thereafter, to deposit their instruments of ratification by the end of 2025.

Both Eke and Waqa agree that the US mission reaffirms the Pacific Islands Forum’s dedication to fostering international cooperation and finding innovative solutions that address the region's unique challenges while supporting unity and independence among Pacific nations.