Suva, Fiji: The Government of Fiji's Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration has convened the country's Maritime Security Committee for a conference focused on safety and security at Fiji's borders.

The two-day conference - supported by the Government of the United Kingdom - brought together key stakeholders from across the maritime security space, as well as a cohort of academics from King’s College London, to discuss the protection of Fiji's seaports and borders, and the wider Blue Pacific continent.

The reinvigoration of the country's Maritime Security Committee comes at a crucial time for Fiji, with geopolitical, transnational crime, and other illegal activity encroaching on the country's maritime doorstep. The conference had a distinct focus on recognizing not only the unique challenges and responsibilities that come with protecting Fiji’s vast oceanic domain, but also the rich maritime heritage that has shaped the country’s – and the wider Pacific’s – identity for millennia.

The conference also underscored the critical collaboration between Kings College London and the Maritime Security Committee in bolstering interagency maritime policy, legislative authority, and strategic insight to safeguard the Blue Pacific through formalized partnerships. This approach seamlessly blends cutting-edge academic expertise with practical policy applications, ensuring that the legislative measures and strategic initiatives crafted are not only robust and forward-looking but also fully equipped to address the distinct challenges confronting Fiji and the Pacific region.

As a large ocean state, Fiji is inherently vulnerable, with its maritime borders serving as both first line of defence and its most exposed frontier. The country’s Exclusive Economic Zone is 70 percent larger than its landmass and is ranked as the 26th largest sovereign ocean space in the world; this vast expanse of ocean representing not just an economic lifeline, but also the country’s greatest security challenge.

Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration, Hon. Pio Tikoduadua, spoke at the opening of the conference and said that the committee and its work embodied the notion of the Pacific being an 'Ocean of Peace':

"This notion reinforces our collective strength, integration and inter-connectedness, and advocates for countries like Fiji to assert ownership of their resources, and to take decisive action in their best interests. But we must go further."

British High Commissioner to Fiji, His Excellency Dr. Brian Jones, added:

"Maritime security isn't just about the surface of the sea, it's as much about space, or the cables that connect us, or the seabed. We're in a complex environment, that make all of our jobs complicated, and just like the sub-sea or what lies above, our determination should be as deep, and our ambition should be as high."

Munkhtuya Altangerel, UN Development Programme Pacific Office in Fiji Resident Representative, said that any investment in maritime security is an investment in economic stability:

"Protecting our maritime domain is not just a matter of national security – it is crucial for our economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and regional stability. The Blue Pacific isn't just a place on a map, it is our sprawling ocean home, a tapestry of islands, and a shared legacy."

The conference concluded on 22 August.

For further media enquiries please contact:

Nick Turner, Communications and Advocacy Specialist, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji. (P) +679 971 6458 - (E) nicholas.turner@undp.org