Solomon Islands has urged Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to turn years of commitments into concrete action and sharpen the Forum’s priorities in a rapidly changing global environment.

Speaking at the 55th Forum Leaders Plenary Meeting in Koror, Minister of Foreign Affairs & External Trade, Honourable Rick Houenipwela, challenged Leaders to ask whether the Forum’s decisions are actually delivering for Pacific people.

“As we gather for our 55th Leaders Meeting, building on 54 Communiqués, it is timely that we pause and ask ourselves honestly, whose priorities have we truly been serving?” he said.

“The world is changing, but our region must not change its principles and values. Rather, it must change its strategic posture.” Houenipwela said in a government press statement.

He pointed to the Review of Regional Architecture (RRA) as a pivotal chance for Leaders to decide what the region prioritises over the coming decade.

“This review is not a technical exercise for officials alone. It is our opportunity, as Leaders, to decide what this region truly prioritises,” he said.

Solomon Islands also backed reopening talks to separate the Forum Leaders Meeting from the Dialogue Partners process, giving Leaders dedicated space to deliberate while keeping partners engaged.

“This is not a diminishment of partnerships. It is the discipline that will sustain our Forum and protect its integrity in decades to come,” he stressed.

He called for greater regional integration where it delivers tangible benefits, reform where institutions fall short, and a genuinely One-CROP Pacific.

“Our answer is a region that works collectively, prioritises deliberately, and engages the world from strength grounded in our own interests—not from positions handed to us by others,” he said.

His parting challenge: ensure this meeting is remembered not for its Communiqué, but for its resolve.