Pacific countries are small but collectively their votes matter on global resolutions - O'neill

Pacific regionalism is a good platform for discussion of all the important issues that affects our people on a daily basis.

This was the message from the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Peter O’Neill at the University of the South Pacific during his lecture on Pacific Regionalism.

O’Neill highlighted Pacific countries are small but collectively their votes matter on global resolutions so they are able to position themselves in a very strategic manner that will draw attention from the international community.

He added that in the Pacific, we are often underestimated but we are leading some of the global discussions that are taking place on climate change, trade and investment, the agendas of the APEC.

O’Neill stated that climate change is one of our greatest challenges of this era and acknowledged the leadership that Fiji is providing in many of the discussions that has taken place in many of the arenas including COP23. 

He says Papua New Guinea will be the first Pacific country to host APEC in November of this year.

He says the visiting global leaders will include the President of the United States, the President of China and the President of Russia.

O’Neil, who has been in parliament for the last sixteen years, says that these global economies control 50% of the global trade and GDP and all the Pacific Island members will have the opportunity to engage meaningfully with them.

When asked by a student about including West Papua in the APEC as well, O’Neill had replied that West Papua was an act of free will and that it was a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group and already participates in sub-regional discussions.

West Papua has a population of thirteen million which is three million more than Papua New Guinea.

Indonesian‑controlled Papua and West Papua form the western half of the island of New Guinea and its fight for independence is ongoing.