The text of this statement was released by Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

A workshop on “Strengthening Shared Understanding Among the Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP) and Pacific Islands: Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)” was held 24-26 January 2023 at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii.

This workshop brought together officials and experts from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat; the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency; the Pacific Fusion Centre; along with Pacific Island representatives; PBP partners Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States; and PBP observers including the European Union, France, and India.

The participants discussed the challenges around IUUF and MDA in the Pacific through a series of plenary sessions led by regional subject matter experts. The workshop culminated in discussions about regional priorities and opportunities for deepening cooperation on MDA. The workshop strengthened shared understanding of the IUUF and MDA challenges facing the Pacific, and identified areas for further cooperation.

For further information on PBP see:

Joint Statement on the Announcement of the Partners in the Blue Pacific Initiative

Joint Statement on Partners in the Blue Pacific Foreign Ministers Meeting