Commentary

Will 2014 be the watershed year for the Forum? The ingredients are there – a new secretary general, the return of Fiji, a roadmap for reform of the institution and the Pacific Plan, and growing international interest in the post-Forum dialogue. Just mix, stir and serve.

Just as media are alive and vigorous in Polynesia, so are the many attempts by those who are in power to control it. Taming the media is often done by redefining media freedom, and especially in dislodging its role in scrutiny of power. A state without a critical media is a state where there are no checks and balances of power.

The call for climate leadership is shaping up as the main issue for this year’s Pacific Island Forum summit being held in the Marshall Islands. Perhaps Pacific leaders should stop inviting big countries to the post-Forum dialogue and start inviting big cities as a way to tackle climate change

Due to the heavy focus on climate change action, little has been done by the Marshall Islands in the year since the UN report on nuclear testing report was presented. Officials in Majuro say that is expected to change as they look to engaging UN system in response to various aspects of the nuclear legacy.

Tonga, Fiji, and other island states are more sensitive than ever to any outside pressure, particularly by their development partners, in regards to what the island states perceive as interference in internal matters

Pacific islands should care about their ranking in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) annual listing because it is an evaluation of border control, enforcement of laws, and systems and services to address prostitution, child abuse, and related trafficking issues.