PM Rabuka Champions ‘Ocean of Peace’ Vision for Pacific Unity

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has reaffirmed Fiji’s commitment to regional unity through the Ocean of Peace concept, calling for a Pacific where peace, cooperation and mutual respect guide relationships.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday, Rabuka said the concept reflects Fiji’s goal for a region where “strategic competition is managed, stability is prioritised, and coercion is avoided.”

He said the Ocean of Peace is central to Fiji’s vision for Pacific security, rooted in unity and regionalism, and draws on the values of the Treaty of Rarotonga to preserve the Pacific’s land and sea for future generations.

“The Ocean of Peace gives us the opportunity to weave the threads of our Pacific past with our vision for our Pacific future,” Rabuka said.

He announced that work is underway to present the Ocean of Peace Declaration at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Honiara this September.

Rabuka urged Pacific peoples and global partners to support the vision, noting that it reflects core Pacific traditions of peace-building through dialogue and understanding.

“By the Ocean of Peace, we’re putting a face to that adjective—pacific—we’re the Pacific,” he said.