Pacific’s first ever summit on child-wellbeing convened this week

In a joint effort, the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Secretariat and UNICEF have convened the Pacific’s first Child-Wellbeing Summit, this week from 24 to 26 February at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat in Suva, Fiji.

The first of such Summit which is currently in progress at the Forum Secretariat is attended by Ministers and senior officials of the respective 17 Pacific Islands countries, including key stakeholders, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and child welfare with the collective action and commitment to creating a safer, inclusive, supportive and enabling environment for all the children in Pacific.

At the conclusion of the Summit, a report will be consolidated and translate further into tangible steps for implementation at both regional and national level. The Summit brings together Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) member states, governments and partners to take stock of the child-wellbeing and chart the way forward together to strive to protect the future of Pacific children.

The initiative emphasizes the collective commitment by the Pacific family to support, protect and empower the Pacific children, enabling them to reach to their full potential. Through the whole of Pacific approach, the Summit is a platform for the Pacific Island Forum Member States, governments and development partners to assess the state of child wellbeing in the region and chart a unified way forward.

The comprehensive discussions through the Summit will guide informed policy formulation and actions to nurture a conducive environment for the development of Pacific children, enabling them to reach to their full potential in life. It will ensure that children’s wellbeing continues to be embedded across all priorities and within the context of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent (2050 Strategy).

The Summit began yesterday with the two day Senior Officials Meeting, followed by a Ministerial Dialogue tomorrow.

The 17 Pacific Island Countries participating in the Summit include Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and New Zealand.

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