First-Ever Pacific Partnership Strategy of USA (2022)

“WE STRIVE FOR EFFECTIVE, OPEN AND HONEST RELATIONSHIPS AND INCLUSIVE AND ENDURING PARTNERSHIPS—BASED ON MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPECT—WITH EACH OTHER, WITHIN OUR SUBREGIONS, WITHIN OUR REGION, AND BEYOND.”

– THE PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM
2050 STRATEGY FOR THE BLUE
PACIFIC CONTINENT (2022)

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

Introduction

The Pacific Islands region spans nearly 15 percent of the Earth’s surface — part of an “ocean continent” eight times the size of the United States. Within it are nations and territories, with rich diversity of people and the environment they steward. The Pacific Islands region connects the United States with the broader IndoPacific; the nations and territories of the Pacific Islands are our friends, relatives, and close neighbors – two million U.S. citizens call the Pacific Islands home.

Geography links the region’s future to our own: U.S. prosperity and security depend on the Pacific region remaining free and open. For decades, the United States and the Pacific Islands have worked together to realize that vision, from the Solomon Islanders who built airstrips side by side with American and Allied troops in World War II, to the Fijian ship-riders who sail with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and U.S. Navy today. Upon this foundation of peace, the Pacific Islands have grown their economies; built the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), a critical driver of regional action; protected and sustainably managed the Blue Pacific environment, which is vital to global health, commerce, stability, and security; and contributed internationally as leading advocates for accelerated action to combat the climate crisis.

Even so, the region faces urgent challenges. Most of all, the climate crisis is the region’s top security concern, bringing rising seas, stronger and more frequent storms, warmer oceans, and severe, imminent threats to people in the Pacific and the Pacific way of life. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is pervasive throughout the region, damaging the marine environment and depriving Pacific islanders of livelihoods, food, and economic security. COVID-19 halted tourism, which is struggling to rebound, and vector-borne diseases outbreaks continue to threaten the area. Meanwhile, as the PIF stated in its 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent: “We occupy a vitally significant place in global strategic terms. As a consequence, heightened geopolitical competition impacts our Member countries.” Increasingly, those impacts include pressure and economic coercion by the People’s Republic of China, which risks undermining the peace, prosperity, and security of the region, and by extension, of the United States.

These challenges demand renewed U.S. engagement across the full Pacific Islands region. To that end, President Biden is elevating broader and deeper engagement with the Pacific Islands as a priority of U.S. foreign policy. This national strategy – the first-ever from the U.S. government dedicated to the Pacific Islands – both reflects and advances that commitment.

Objective

The United States is a Pacific nation, with its homeland including the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Hawai’i. We have an interest in partnering with the Pacific Islands to drive global action to combat climate change. We have an interest in maintaining free, open, and peaceful waterways in the Pacific in which the rights to the freedom of navigation and overflight are recognized and respected, people are prioritized, trade flows are unimpeded, and the environment is protected. We also have an interest in ensuring that growing geopolitical competition does not undermine
the sovereignty and security of the Pacific Islands, of the United States, or of our allies and partners. Based on these interests, the United States seeks four complementary and overlapping objectives:

1. A STRONG U.S.-PACIFIC ISLANDS PARTNERSHIP

The foundation of our engagement in the Pacific Islands must be strong ties between the United States and the Pacific Islands, individually and collectively. We recognize that, as a committed partner to the Pacific, we must enhance our enduring relationships, especially with the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia, with which we have Compacts of Free Association. Doing so requires a substantial increase in the overall U.S. diplomatic presence and engagement in the region through new embassies, additional personnel from across the U.S. government, and enhanced U.S. Coast Guard and defense engagements.

2. A UNITED PACIFIC ISLANDS REGION CONNECTED WITH THE WORLD
The Pacific Islands region is stronger united, with the Pacific Islands Forum at its core. The Pacific Islands Forum provides a platform for the Pacific Islands to speak with a common voice to drive Pacific priorities and engage other partners, including the United States, a proud Dialogue Partner ofthe organization. We will coordinate with other nations, including through the Partners in the Blue Pacific, that share our aims: to support a free and open region that benefits people in the Pacific, to address Pacific priorities working together with the Pacific, and to do so according to principles of Pacific regionalism, transparency, and accountability.

3. A RESILIENT PACIFIC ISLANDS REGION PREPARED FOR THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND OTHER 21ST-CENTURY CHALLENGES

The Pacific Islands region (1) faces daunting and mounting challenges. Chief among these challenges is the climate crisis, an existential threat to many Pacific Islands. The United States is committed to maintaining its global leadership in combatting the climate crisis, while partnering with the Pacific Islands in adapting to and managing the impacts of climate change on lives, health, and livelihoods. The region also faces challenges to security and sovereignty, including in the maritime domain. The Biden Harris Administration will work in partnership with Pacific governments and people to ensure they have the autonomy and security to advance their own interests. We support the Pacific Islands as they guard against corruption and protect the dignity of Pacific Islanders.

4. EMPOWERED AND PROSPEROUS PACIFIC ISLANDERS

To fully empower the Pacific to capitalize on the opportunities of the 21st century, the United States is committed to increasing trade and investment with the Pacific Islands; expanding people-to-people ties, including through the Peace Corps; increasing English-language programming and overall professional advancement; bolstering health architecture in the Pacific; and providing educational and development opportunities for Pacific Islanders, with a particular focus on women and youth.

Fact Sheet

“The United States is a proud Pacific power.  We will continue to be an active, engaged partner in the region.”
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

“The history and the future of the Pacific Islands and the United States are inextricably linked.”
Vice President Kamala Harris

The Pacific Islands region – an “ocean continent” spanning nearly 15 percent of the Earth’s surface – is a vital sub-region of the Indo-Pacific. It holds opportunities and challenges, from the climate crisis to an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. The United States recognizes that geography links the Pacific’s future to our own: U.S. prosperity and security depend on the Pacific region remaining free and open.

To that end, the Biden-Harris Administration is elevating broader and deeper engagement with the Pacific Islands as a priority of its foreign policy. This national strategy, the first-ever from the U.S. government dedicated to the Pacific Islands, both reflects and advances that commitment. It supports the Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States and is aligned with the goals of the Pacific Island Forum’s 2050 Strategy.

As part of its Pacific strategy, the United States will pursue four objectives:

I. A STRONG U.S.-PACIFIC ISLANDS PARTNERSHIP

 The foundation of our engagement in the Pacific Islands must be strong ties between the United States and the Pacific Islands, individually and collectively. We will:

• Fulfill and Increase U.S. Commitments to the Pacific: We will fulfill our historical commitments and strengthen our enduring relationships with the full Pacific Islands region, including by:
  • Successfully completing negotiations on the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) with the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia
  • Successfully concluding negotiations on the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Annex amendments and associated Economic Assistance Agreement for 2023 and beyond
• Build U.S. Capacity to Support the Pacific: The United States will demonstrate the level of diplomatic attention the Pacific deserves and position ourselves to best meet the needs of Pacific Island countries, including by:
  • Expanding U.S. diplomatic missions from six to nine across the Pacific
  • Deploying additional personnel across the Pacific
  • Reestablishing a USAID mission in Fiji

II. A UNITED PACIFIC ISLANDS REGION CONNECTED WITH THE WORLD

The Pacific Islands region is stronger united, with the Pacific Islands Forum at its core.  The Pacific Islands Forum provides a platform for Pacific Islands to speak with a common voice to drive Pacific priorities and engage other partners, including the United States ‑ a proud Dialogue Partner of the organization.  We will coordinate with other nations and do so according to principles of Pacific regional cooperation, transparency, and accountability. We will:

• Bolster Pacific Regionalism and Elevate the Pacific in the Regional Architecture: The Pacific Islands are stronger when regional institutions are strong.  The United States will continue to support the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), ensuring it remains at the center of the regional architecture.  The U.S. will elevate its commitment to Pacific regionalism by:
  • Appointing the first-ever U.S. envoy to the PIF
  • Encouraging connectivity with existing multilateral groupings, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Quad
  • Supporting other regional organizations
• Coordinate with Allies and Partners, within and beyond the region: The United States will continue to closely coordinate with our Allies and Partners to ensure our support for the Pacific Islands is effective and meets the needs of the people. We will prioritize consultation and coordination with the Pacific Islands and the PIF, including by:
  • Bolstering the Partners in the Blue Pacific, an initiative among Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to better meet the needs of people across the Pacific

III. A RESILIENT PACIFIC ISLAND REGION PREPARED FOR THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND OTHER 21ST CENTURY CHALLENGES

The Pacific Islands region faces daunting and mounting challenges.  Chief among these challenges is the climate crisis, an existential threat to many Pacific Islands.  The United States is committed to maintaining its global leadership in combatting the climate crisis, while partnering with the Pacific Islands in adapting to and managing the impacts of climate change on lives, health, and livelihoods.  The region also faces challenges to security and sovereignty, including in the maritime domain.  The Biden-Harris Administration will work in partnership with Pacific governments and people to ensure they have the autonomy and security to advance their own interests.  We support the Pacific Islands as they guard against corruption and protect the dignity of Pacific Islanders. We will:

• Combat the Climate Crisis and Build Climate Resilience in the Pacific: Of all the 21st-century challenges we face, none is more pressing for the Pacific Islands region than climate change. We will collaborate with the Pacific Islands to tackle the climate crisis and limit its effects on the Pacific, including by:
  • Striving to enhance the adaptive capacity and build upon the resilience of Pacific Islands to the devastating impacts of climate change through the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) 
  • Collaborating with partners and international institutions to improve Pacific Island countries’ access to adaptation finance from multiple sources
  • Driving action and supporting investment in climate mitigation in the region
• Support Marine Conservation, Maritime Security, and Sovereign Rights: The United States will support the Pacific Islands as they continue to shoulder the great responsibility of stewardship over the Blue Pacific Continent, including by:
  • Increasing United States Coast Guard (USCG), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Department of Defense (DOD) presence
  • Coordinating security cooperation and training with likeminded partners and with civil society
  • Developing sustainable, climate resilient “blue” economies to sustainably manage Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), including fisheries and protected areas and coordinate security cooperation and training with other partners
• Support good governance and the human rights of all people: The Pacific Islands region is home to diverse democracies and participatory governance. The United States will continue supporting democracy, human rights, and good governance, including by:
  • Building capacity among Pacific Island stakeholders in government, private sector, media, academia, and civil society

IV. EMPOWERED AND PROSPEROUS ISLANDERS

To fully empower the Pacific to capitalize on the opportunities of the 21st century, the United States is committed to increasing trade and investment with the Pacific Islands, including through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment; expanding people-to-people ties, including through the Peace Corps; increasing English-language programming and overall professional advancement; bolstering health architecture in the Pacific; and providing educational and development opportunities for Pacific Islanders, with a particular focus on women and youth.

• Create Economic Opportunities and Forge Connectivity: The United States will partner with the Pacific Islands and partners and allies to drive economic growth and prosperity regionally and globally. We will focus on key logistics, transportation, and technologies to enhance connectivity within the Pacific Islands region and with the world, including by:
  • Collaborating with partners on submarine cable implementation and upgrades and other connectivity options
  • Working with Pacific Island leaders to leverage private sector solutions to advance strategic projects and commercial priorities in the region.
    
• Bolster Health Architecture to Promote Health Security: The United States will partner with public-health experts and networks to improve how the region effectively prevents, detects, and responds to infectious disease threats, including by:
  • Working to meet the COVID-19 vaccination needs of the region to lift the Pacific Islands out of the emergency phase of COVID-19
  • Strengthening regional health security in preparation for future outbreaks
    
• Partner with Pacific Islanders to Strengthen People-to-People Ties and Seize 21st Century Opportunities. We will support Pacific Islands in their objective to ensure that everyone can realize their full potential including by:
  • Offering enhanced educational experiences through student and professional exchange, enhanced curriculum, and the establishment of Pacific Studies programs in the United States
  • Empowering Pacific youth through leadership development opportunities
  • Returning Peace Corps volunteer presence to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu this year and actively exploring options for opening missions in other countries.

Foot notes

(1) They are the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands(CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.