Pacific Alliance Leaders Meeting

The Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) is a forum between the government of Japan and leaders in the Pacific Islands region.[1][2]

PNG’s PM Mekere Morauta at the luncheon meeting of PALM 2 held in April 2000

The Pacific Island Leaders Meeting was established by Japan in 1997 in order to facilitate and strengthen relations with the leaders of the nations of the Pacific Islands Forum.[1] Since its foundation, PALM has become an important venue of dialogue between Japan and Pacific Island nations for important issues such as development aid and climate change.

PALM meetings

There have been five PALM meetings since the forum's founding - 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009.[1] The first meeting took place in Tokyo in 1997, while the most recent forum met in Hokkaido, Japan in May 2009.[1]

PALM 4

At the meeting of the fourth forum Pacific Island Leaders Meeting (PALM 4) in 2006, Japanese and Pacific leaders adopted the Okinawa Partnership. Under the Okinawa Partnership, Japan agreed to increase its commitment to the development of Pacific Island Forum countries.[1]

PALM 5

The 5th forum of the Pacific Island Leaders Meeting (PALM 5) took place between May 22–23, 2009, in Hokkaido.[1] The meeting was jointly co-chaired by then Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso and the Premier of Niue Toke Talagi, who was also the chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum at the time.[1]

The 2009 PALM summit was divided into three main themes or objectives.

  • The first theme was entitled, "Eco-friendly: creating a Pacific Environmental Community," which addressed the issues concerning the environment and climate change.[1]
  • The second theme was called "Rich: Overcoming vulnerabilities and promoting human security." This objective discussed what are known as human security issues, including health, water supply, and education in the small island states of the Pacific.[1] The main focus of this discussion was to build the capacity of these resources. Japan planned to discuss its efforts to alleviate the impact of the Global financial crisis of 2008–2009 on the Pacific island nations.[1]
  • The third theme was called "We are Islanders: People to People exchange."[1] This theme's objective was to strengthen cultural exchanges of people between Japan and the Pacific Islands in a way that would benefit both sides strategically.[1]

Fiji, which is under a military dictatorship, was invited to the 2009 PALM forum. However, Commander Frank Bainimarama, the leader of the 2006 coup, was not invited to the meeting.

PALM 6

The sixth forum of the Pacific Island Leaders Meeting (PALM 6) will take place between May 25–26, 2012.[3]

References
  1. "Tongan PM to attend Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting in Japan". Matangi Tonga. 2009-05-15. Archived from the original on 2009-10-03. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  2. "Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA). May 18, 2021. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  3. "MOFA: The 6th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM6)".
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