NEW YORK, USA – September 26, 2025 – Her Excellency President Hilda C. Heine joined fellow Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for the annual UN–PIF Leaders Meeting, held on the margins of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly. This high-level dialogue serves as a vital platform for deepening the partnership between the Pacific region and the UN system.
This year’s meeting came at a pivotal moment, with the Pacific advancing the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the UN undertaking its UN80 reform initiative to strengthen global governance. Leaders focused on shared priorities, including climate action, peace and security, and strengthening multilateralism and regional cooperation.
Speaking on the topic of Peace and Security, President Heine reaffirmed the Pacific Islands Forum’s commitment to sustaining peace, stability, and resilience across the Blue Pacific Continent, underscoring the importance of the “Pacific Way” — a tradition of dialogue, cooperation, and peaceful resolution of differences — as a guiding principle for regional security. President Heine highlighted the Forum’s commitment to the soon-to-be endorsed Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration, which reflects the region’s vision of peace anchored in Pacific values and international law. She emphasized the urgent need to address emerging security threats, including illicit drug trafficking, the ongoing nuclear legacy, and the existential impacts of climate change and sea level rise on peace and stability.
President Heine called for strengthened partnerships between the Pacific and the United Nations to safeguard peace, including advancing nuclear disarmament, enhancing maritime security, and recognizing climate change as a core global security challenge. She reiterated that sustainable peace is built on collaboration, respect for sovereignty, and shared responsibility among nations.
President Heine concluded by reaffirming the Pacific Islands Forum’s determination to protect the peace hard-won by past generations, and to work with the international community to ensure a secure, resilient, and prosperous future for the Blue Pacific Continent.
