Fiji Participates in the 8th Korea–Pacific Islands Senior Officials’ Meeting

The Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Dr Raijieli Taga, represented Fiji at the 8th Korea–Pacific Islands Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) held in Nadi on 21 May 2026.

The Meeting brought together senior officials from Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) member countries and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to review progress in the Korea-Pacific partnership and discuss future cooperation priorities for Blue Pacific region.

Dr Taga highlighted Fiji’s appreciation for Korea’s growing contribution to regional priorities through development cooperation, climate resilience initiatives, maritime and fisheries support, renewable energy cooperation, digital transformation and capacity-building programmes delivered through agencies such as the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Republic of Korea-Pacific Islands Forum Cooperation Fund.

The Permanent Secretary also welcomed progress made in implementing the Action Plan for Freedom, Peace and Prosperity in the Pacific adopted at the 2023 Korea-Pacific Islands Summit.

During the Meeting, Fiji underscored the importance of strengthening strategic cooperation with Korea in addressing emerging regional challenges, including climate change, energy security and transnational crime.

Dr Taga reiterated that climate change remains the single greatest threat facing Pacific Island countries and highlighted Fiji’s preparations to host the Pacific Pre-COP consultations in partnership with Australia and Tuvalu later this year, as part of the lead-up to COP31.

Fiji also raised concerns regarding the evolving global fuel and energy crisis and its impacts on Pacific Island economies and essential services. The Permanent Secretary noted the recent invocation of the Biketawa Declaration by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in response to the crisis and emphasised the importance of working with partners such as Korea to strengthen regional fuel security, renewable energy transition, resilient supply chains and energy infrastructure.

The Meeting also discussed enhanced cooperation in maritime affairs, fisheries management, combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and support for the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace declaration.

On the margins of the Meeting, Dr Taga held a bilateral meeting with Deputy Chung to discuss key areas of Fiji-Korea bilateral cooperation.

Discussions included the current global fuel crisis and opportunities for cooperation on long-term energy resilience, including renewable energy technologies, battery storage systems, fuel reserve planning and energy infrastructure development.

Dr Taga also conveyed Fiji’s appreciation for Korea’s ongoing development support, including the construction of the Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Tamavua, capacity-building programmes and technical cooperation initiatives.

The bilateral meeting further discussed potential high-level engagements between Fiji and Korea, maritime and shipbuilding cooperation, forestry collaboration, future trade and investment opportunities, and people-to-people connectivity.

The Senior Officials’ Meeting served as an important platform to advance discussions ahead of the 7th Korea–Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for 2027 and follows the elevation of Korea-Pacific relations to the Leaders’ Summit level in 2023.