Baron Waqa starts role as secretary-general of Pacific Islands Forum

Baron Waqa began his role as secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji on Monday, the regional organisation said.

The former Nauruan leader is the first from the Micronesian state to assume the region's top diplomatic post based in Suva.

Accompanied by his wife Louisa, Waqa was welcomed to the forum secretariat with a traditional Fijian ceremony, sevusevu.

Baron and Louisa Waqa are welcomed at the Forum Secretariat in Suva on Monday. Photo/PIF

Forum chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said he and other regional leaders look forward to working with Waqa.

"It is a great honour to have Secretary-General Waqa at the helm of our Secretariat," Brown said in a statement.

"I and indeed all leaders look forward to working with him to progress the priorities of our region in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, for the benefit of the Pacific peoples.

"Our vision is for a resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity that ensures all Pacific peoples can lead free, healthy, and productive lives.

"On behalf of our members, I commend SG Waqa and the work he will lead to deliver on this collective vision."

Waqa was criticised for his treatment of refugees, among other issues.

His appointment was under intense scrutiny with some political commentators questioning his diplomatic background.

One expert said the secretary-general's role was expected to be someone like Papua New Guinea's Dame Meg Taylor, Australia's Greg Urwin, or former Samoa judge Neroni Slade - someone with an "unblemished political record" such as the man Waqa replaced, former Cook Islands prime minister Henry Puna.

Waqa's appointment was made as part of a move to repair the rift that had threatened the regional body.

New Zealand and Australia have backed Waqa with former Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta saying he has the "requisite skills" to represent the Pacific.

Henry Puna did not have the option to extend his tenure at the forum secretariat. Photo/supplied

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said Canberra would support Waqa's appointment as it was part of an "agreement that allowed the family to reunite".

However, some commentators said Waqa's record while he was president of Nauru was "certainly controversial".

He was accused of receiving bribes and had turned the country's judiciary "on its head".

He was heavily criticised for his handling of hundreds of asylum seekers that Australia had placed on Nauru.

A group of protesters - Nauru 19 - which included most of the opposition and former cabinet ministers, underwent over three years of court trials from a protest at parliament, with some members jailed while others were forced out of the country.

Puna has returned to the Cook Islands, but he said earlier he believed he had left the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in a better, more united condition than when he arrived in 2021.

Puna did not have the option to extend his leadership of the forum secretariat into a second term, with one expert saying he "sacrificed" it to lure back the Micronesian members after they split from PIF in 2021.

Other PIF members include Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Waqa also met with staff at the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, which reported that Waqa looked forward to working closely with OPOC in pursuing ocean priorities for the region.

Waqa's term ends in 2027.