BY NED GAGAHE
Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has highlighted the importance of conducting a “national consultation” on the Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI) to deepen understanding of its core pillars and strengthened national ownership.
The PPI, a major regional effort aimed at boosting collective peace and security across the Pacific Islands, is backed by Australia.
The Australian government has committed around AUD $400 million over the next five years to support the initiative, which includes developing new Policing Centers of Excellence in the region.
This initiative is designed to align with the Pacific Islands Forum’s peace and security goals outlined in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and builds on recent experiences with the Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF).
“At the Forum Retreat, we endorsed the initiative in principle, as was the decision of the cabinet. However, the consensus was that while the leaders endorsed the initiative, we still need to undertake national consultations,” said Prime Minister Manele.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the national consultations are essential as the country reviews its national security and border strategies.
These consultations will help identify gaps and determine how the PPI can be integrated into the country’s strategic framework.
“We will conduct further analysis to determine the best approach for engaging with the PPI during the development of the implementation arrangements as requested by leaders,” he added.
Additionally, Prime Minister Manele noted that during the Forum, the MSG Leaders discussed the 2015 MSG Framework for establishing an MSG Police Unit, which aligns with one of the proposed pillars of the Pacific Policing Initiative.
