Lessons Learned and Strategic Operationalisation of Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace in the Pacific

This summary note provides an initial attempt to compile an overview of the existing regional peacebuilding architecture in the Pacific region. It outlines concrete recommendations for development partners and the donor community on how the Ocean of Pacific Peacebuilding Architecture can be strengthened to ensure impactful implementation of global and regional commitments on peacebuilding and sustaining peace - including the Communique of the 53rd Pacific Forum Leaders Meeting (Tonga, August 2024)
 

These recommendations provide valuable considerations for the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review, as well as aim to encourage further discussions and dialogue on regional peacebuilding architecture in the Pacific.

Key messages include:

• The Pacific policy frameworks offer comprehensive guidance on ‘human security’, but not on the ‘peace’ element of the ‘peace and security’ policy.
   
• Systematic and institutionalised engagement with local peacebuilding networks in the Pacific provides a strong foundation for sustaining peace.
   
• Financial resources need to be reallocated from the security sphere to peacebuilding and sustaining peace.
   
• The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), among other regional organisations, has great potential to scale up sustaining peace in the region.