Koror, Palau – Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders held a series of Dialogues on 01 September 2026 as part of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (55PIFLM).
Guided by this year’s theme, B.E.L.A.U. – Building Economies: Life. Action. Unity, the Forum Leaders gathered in Koror, Palau to exchange perspectives on the priorities, opportunities and challenges shaping the Blue Pacific region and to advance implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Chaired by the President of Palau and PIF Chair, His Excellency Surangel Whipps Jr., the dialogues connected Forum Leaders with Heads of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP), representatives of the private sector and civil society, Associate Members, Country Observers, Forum Observer Organisations, and Dialogue Partners.
Bringing together the length and breadth of the Forum family, the dialogues highlighted the value of inclusive regional cooperation in advancing shared Pacific priorities.
Forum Leaders and Heads of the CROP discussed how strengthened regional coordination supports coherent advice, implementation and accountability for Leaders’ priorities. Discussions covered digital transformation and artificial intelligence governance, renewable energy and energy security, climate and ocean priorities, and the Review of the Regional Architecture, including the transition towards a more coordinated One-CROP approach.
Forum Leaders also held its dialogue with regional civil society and private sector representatives to discuss the impacts of the energy and fuel crisis on households, communities, businesses and economies across the Blue Pacific.
In their dialogue with Associate Members and Country Observers, Leaders heard perspectives on the priorities, vulnerabilities and aspirations of the wider Forum family, reinforcing the need for regional processes and solutions that reflect the diversity of the Blue Pacific.
High level participation by the Forum Observer Organisations included the President of the Asian Development Bank, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, the Vice President of the World Bank and the Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat. Discussions with them focused on the importance of international financing and development cooperation that is predictable, principled and responsive to Pacific priorities and circumstances.
Forum Leaders also had an opportunity to hold a dialogue with the Forum Dialogue Partners where all twenty-one of them attended at various levels of representations including Minister and Deputy or Vice Minister levels.
They discussed how international partnerships can remain responsive to Pacific priorities amid increasing pressure on development financing and growing competition for resources.
Discussions focused on targeted investment, strengthened development cooperation, and advancing implementation of the Pacific Roadmap for Economic Development in alignment with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Support towards the capitalisation of the Pacific Resilience Facility were also offered including the announcement of a USD14 million pledge from the United Kingdom.
Together, the dialogues reinforced the role of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent as the region’s shared framework for collective action, bringing the Forum family and its key stakeholders together around shared priorities for the Blue Pacific.