During his engagements thus far, President Simina opened the Smaller Island States (SIS) Meeting and formally handed over the chairmanship to Kiribati, which focuses on the unique needs and aspirations of smaller island states within the Pacific Islands Forum.

The President also participated in the P-ACP meeting, the Pacific subgroup of the wider African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) group of countries, engaged with the European Union under the new Samoa Agreement, aligning the FSM’s voice with other Pacific nations on issues of trade, development cooperation, and climate resilience within the broader ACP framework.

In addition, President Simina convened an informal meeting with fellow Micronesian leaders of the Micronesian Presidents Summit (MPS) to discuss matters of shared concern, reflecting the continued commitment of Micronesian states to speak with a united voice on sub-regional priorities within the Forum.

The Leaders Meeting continues in Honiara with plenary and retreat sessions, where leaders are expected to deliberate on and endorse two key outcomes. The first is the “Ocean of Peace” Declaration, a landmark statement reaffirming the Pacific’s collective commitment to peace, security, and regional stability, rooted in the shared heritage of the Pacific Ocean as a unifying and peaceful space. The second is the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), to support the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, which is a Pacific-led initiative designed to finance resiliency projects and enable countries to better prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change, natural disasters, and other crises, representing a practical and sustainable financing mechanism to address the region’s most pressing vulnerabilities.

President Simina is also using the opportunity to underscore the Federated States of Micronesia’s strong advocacy for the Global Methane Pledge, seeking the support of Forum members to accelerate collective action on methane emissions. The pledge, launched in 2021, calls for a global reduction of methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030, recognizing methane as one of the most potent greenhouse gases driving climate change.

For the FSM, which faces irreversible impacts from rising sea levels and intensifying weather events, curbing methane is critical to reaching the 1.5-degree celsius target and slowing warming in the near term. The call gains further significance in light of Australia’s bid to host the 31st Conference of Parties (COP31) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in partnership with Pacific Island countries, where the Pacific region rallies to elevate and accelerate climate ambition and leadership.

President Simina reaffirms the FSM’s commitment to the Pacific Islands Forum family and advancing regional solidarity on key issues.

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