9th Pacific Island Leaders' Meeting (PALM9) Joint Communiqué.pdf

PALM9, held virtually on July 2, 2021, was co-chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Nata. Leaders from Japan, Australia, Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu (collectively, "PALM Leaders") reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the PALM partnership and achieve a shared vision for the region.

Key Points:

1. Strengthening PALM Partnership:
- Recognized the importance of the PALM process in promoting friendly and cooperative relations between Japan and Pacific Island Forum (PIF) countries.
- Committed to further strengthen the partnership based on mutual trust, respect, and shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and environmental protection.

2. Regional Visions:
- Discussed the "Framework for Pacific Regionalism" by PIF and Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" vision.
- Agreed to work together to achieve common priorities outlined in the communiqué's paragraph 7.

3. Japan's Commitment:
- Prime Minister Suga welcomed PIF's "Blue Pacific Continent" initiative and Japan's "Pacific Island Cooperation Initiative" and "Pacific Partnership" policy.
- Japan committed to continued development cooperation and people-to-people exchange, with a focus on COVID-19 response, sustainable oceans, climate change, disaster resilience, and economic development.

4. Five Priority Areas of Cooperation:
- COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Japan committed to providing 300,000 vaccine doses to PIF countries by the end of 2021. Both sides committed to cooperating on health, economic recovery, and climate-resilient recovery.
- Sustainable Oceans: Leaders committed to promoting a rules-based maritime order, combating marine plastic pollution, and ensuring sustainable fisheries management.
- Climate Change and Disaster Resilience: Leaders committed to enhancing climate ambition, supporting PIF countries' climate adaptation, and strengthening disaster resilience.
- Sustainable Economic Development: Leaders committed to promoting quality infrastructure, trade, investment, tourism, and local industry development.
- People-to-People Exchange: Leaders recognized the importance of people-to-people exchange in strengthening the PALM partnership.

5. International Cooperation:
- Leaders committed to cooperating on global initiatives, including supporting the safe and secure hosting of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, addressing North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, and reforming international organizations.

6. Future Outlook:
- PALM Leaders committed to continuing and strengthening the PALM partnership, with plans to hold an interim ministerial meeting and PALM10 in the future.