Salutations
Your Excellencies,
Honourable Prime Ministers,
Honourable Ministers,
Commissioners of Police from Fiji and across our Pacific,
Representatives of Regional and International Organisations,
Heads of Law Enforcement and Security Agencies,
Representatives of partner agencies, stakeholders, and distinguished speakers,
Development Partners,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Ni Sa Bula Vinaka and a very warm welcome to Fiji.
Acknowledgements
1. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we stand today, Ki Nasosowaqa, Vua na Turaga na Tui Tabanivoniwai, and pay my respect to their Chiefs, past and present, as well as emerging leaders and I acknowledge their enduring role within the Vanua and its stewardship. We are honoured to stand on this land through their guardianship and generosity.
2. NOTE: The Late Taukei Nahohowaqa Tui Tabanivono-i-wai, Ratu Samuela Bureburenawai Naulago.
3. It is both an honour and a privilege for Fiji to host this historic Pacific Transnational Crime Summit 2026 — bringing together Pacific leaders, Police Ministers, Commissioners of Police, regional institutions, development partners, and international agencies at a time when our collective security environment is becoming increasingly complex, interconnected, and rapidly evolving.
4. I acknowledge the leadership of the Fiji Police Force and the Australian Federal Police for jointly advancing the vision for this Summit following the announcement made in Suva in December 2025 by Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu and Commissioner Krissy Barrett.
5. I also warmly welcome the participation of the Prime Ministers of Tonga, the Cook Islands and Tuvalu, attending in their capacities as Ministers responsible for Policing, alongside the 10 Police Ministers, 18 Commissioners of Police, technical experts, stakeholders and partners represented here today.
6. Your presence reflects the seriousness of the challenges before us and, more importantly, our collective determination to respond together as one Pacific family.
Connected by Ocean, United in the Fight
7. The theme of this Summit — “Connected by Ocean, United in the Fight” — speaks directly to the identity we share and the responsibility we collectively carry as Pacific nations.
8. For generations, the Pacific Ocean has connected our islands, our economies, our cultures, and our peoples. It has sustained livelihoods, enabled trade and exchange, and shaped our identity as one Blue Pacific Continent.
9. Far from dividing us, our ocean has always united us.
10. It is this shared heritage that underpins Fiji’s vision of an Ocean of Peace — a Pacific region characterised by peace, stability, cooperation, solidarity, mutual respect, and collective security.
11. However, we must also recognise the changing strategic realities confronting our region.
12. The very ocean that connects us is being increasingly exploited by transnational criminal networks engaged in illicit narcotics trafficking, cyber-enabled crime, money laundering, human trafficking, illegal fishing, environmental crime, online exploitation, illicit resource extraction, and other forms of organised criminal activity.
13. At the same time, climate change, economic vulnerabilities, porous maritime borders, and rapid technological change continue to place additional strain on our institutions and communities, creating vulnerabilities that organised criminal networks are quick to exploit.
14. This presents not only a law enforcement challenge, but a broader human security challenge.
15. Crime undermines development. Crime weakens institutions. Crime threatens social cohesion. Crime exploits vulnerable communities and youth, crime erodes the peace and stability upon which our future prosperity depends.
16. That is why national security and regional security must ultimately translate into human security.
The Ocean of Peace and the 2026 Melanesian Ocean Summit
17. Ladies and Gentlemen, only days ago, Pacific leaders gathered in Port Moresby for the inaugural Melanesian Ocean Summit 2026 — a landmark regional summit focused on strengthening Melanesian leadership in ocean governance, marine protection, maritime cooperation, and regional resilience.
18. One of the most significant outcomes of that Summit was the endorsement of the Melanesian Ocean Corridor of Reserves (MOCOR) Declaration — a transformative regional initiative to establish a connected network of Marine Protected Areas across Melanesia and the wider Pacific.
19. While MOCOR is fundamentally an ocean governance and conservation initiative, its implications for regional security are equally significant.
20. Effective ocean governance and maritime security are inseparable.
21. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, maritime trafficking, environmental crimes, illicit resource extraction, and transnational organised criminal activities increasingly intersect across our maritime domain.
22. Strengthening regional cooperation through initiatives such as MOCOR will therefore also strengthen maritime domain awareness, surveillance cooperation, maritime enforcement coordination, and the protection of sovereign maritime resources.
23. Importantly, it reinforces the principle that our ocean must remain a space of peace, lawful use, cooperation, and collective stewardship — not a space exploited by criminal networks and destabilising activities.
24. This is the practical expression of the Ocean of Peace concept.
25. An ocean protected not only from environmental degradation, but also from insecurity, exploitation, criminal abuse, and activities that undermine regional stability.
The Evolving Threat Landscape
26. Ladies and Gentlemen, the threats posed by transnational crime in our region are no longer distant or abstract. They are present, evolving, and increasingly complex.
27. The Pacific is being increasingly used as a transit corridor for illicit narcotics, with growing evidence that some Pacific Island countries are now shifting from being transit points to destination markets.
28. This trend is deeply concerning. It places enormous pressure on our policing systems, border agencies, justice institutions, health systems, and communities.
29. We are also witnessing the rapid rise of cybercrime, financial scams, online exploitation, and money laundering activities that transcend physical borders and challenge traditional law enforcement responses.
30. Human trafficking and the smuggling of persons continue to pose serious risks, particularly for vulnerable groups, undermining human dignity and eroding the social fabric of our societies.
31. At the same time, illegal fishing and broader environmental crimes continue to threaten the sustainability of the marine ecosystems upon which our economies, food security, and livelihoods depend.
32. What is clear is that these threats are interconnected, adaptive, and transnational by nature.
33. No single Pacific nation can confront them alone. That is why regional cooperation remains absolutely essential.
Strengthening Pacific Regional Security Architecture
34. Fiji is proud to be one of the 22 members of the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police organisation, established in Suva in 1970, reflecting our long-standing commitment to regional policing cooperation.
35. We are equally proud of the Pacific Transnational Crime Network, established in 2002, which today remains one of the Pacific’s most important operational security mechanisms.
36. Through the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre in Samoa and the 29 Transnational Crime Units (TCU) operating across 21 Pacific countries — including Fiji’s four TCUs in Suva, Nadi, Rakiraki and Savusavu — we continue to strengthen intelligence-sharing, operational coordination, and collective enforcement capability across our region.
37. This Summit also supports the implementation of the Pacific Policing Initiative and builds upon the strength of bilateral and regional partnerships.
38. These mechanisms represent Pacific regionalism in action – practical, cooperative, Pacific-specific and Pacific-led.
39. The Vuvale Partnership between Fiji and Australia continues to enable the Fiji Police Force to extend support across the Pacific through training, technical cooperation, operational coordination, and police-to-police partnerships.
40. This demonstrates what trusted and enduring partnerships can achieve when grounded in mutual respect and shared regional responsibility.
Strategic Framework for Collective Action
41. Ladies and Gentlemen, our response to transnational crime must now evolve with the changing threat landscape.
42. We must strengthen intelligence-sharing and information coordination across our region.
43. We must modernise legislation and legal frameworks to respond effectively to emerging criminal methodologies.
44. We must improve maritime surveillance, border management, and domain awareness.
45. We must strengthen cyber capabilities, financial monitoring systems, and digital investigative capacity.
46. We must invest in policing infrastructure, technology, training, and institutional resilience.
47. And we must deepen operational interoperability among our law enforcement agencies and regional security institutions.
48. At the same time, our response must remain firmly grounded in the Pacific Way. The Pacific Way reminds us that lasting security is built not only through enforcement, but through trust, dialogue, partnership, inclusion, community resilience, and collective responsibility.
49. This Summit therefore presents an important opportunity to renew and strengthen Pacific-led approaches to regional security cooperation.
Alignment with Fiji and Regional Priorities
50. For Fiji, this work aligns strongly with our National Development Plan and Vision 2050, the Ministry of Policing Strategic Plan 2025–2030, the Boe Declaration, the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the MSG Security Strategy, and our collective regional security architecture.
51. Importantly, it reflects Fiji’s commitment to Strategic Priority 2 of the Ministry of Policing Strategic Plan — Counter-Narcotics and Transnational Crime — focused on disrupting criminal networks before they harm our communities.
52. It also advances Strategic Priority 4 — Maritime Policing and Forward Presence — recognising the strategic importance of protecting our maritime domain and strengthening law enforcement presence across our ocean spaces.
53. Our actions must also remain aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the goals relating to peace, justice, strong institutions, sustainable communities, and partnerships.
54. Security is not separate from development. Without stability and safety, economic growth, investor confidence, social cohesion, and development cannot be sustained.
A Pacific Vision for Peace, Security and Resilience
55. Ladies and Gentlemen, the success of this Summit will not ultimately be measured by the number of speeches delivered or communiqués issued.
56. Its success will be measured by:
i. Stronger regional cooperation;
ii. Better intelligence-sharing;
iii. More effective joint operations;
iv. Stronger legislative and institutional frameworks;
v. Enhanced maritime security coordination;
vi. Safer communities;
vii. Reduced harm from organised crime; and
viii. Renewed regional commitment to protecting our Blue Pacific.
57. This Summit is not simply about confronting crime. It is about protecting our people. Protecting our communities. Protecting our ocean and protecting the future of our region.
58. Let this Summit send a clear message to the world:
i. The Pacific is united;
ii. The Pacific is resilient; and
iii. The Pacific will not allow transnational organised crime to undermine the peace, stability, and prosperity of our Blue Pacific Continent.
59. With the combination of our ongoing regional and bilateral efforts, and the multiplier effect of us standing together, our region will continue to stand up to those that threaten our Blue Pacific Continent and our Pacific Way. Fiji therefore proposes that the Pacific Ministers of Police Meeting be tasked with the oversight role of the implementation of the Ocean of Peace Declaration within our regional architecture.
Conclusion
60. The challenges of transnational crime are complex, evolving, and without regard for borders.
61. But equally, our strength lies in our unity, our cooperation, and our resolve to act together.
62. Fiji is proud to stand alongside our Pacific neighbours and partners in this collective effort. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthening regional cooperation, supporting practical Pacific-led solutions, and advancing a safer and more secure Pacific for all.
63. I commend the Fiji Police Force and the Australian Federal Police for their leadership in convening this inaugural Summit, and I thank all participants for your dedication, your expertise, and your shared purpose.
64. Let this be the beginning of sustained and meaningful action.
65. Together, connected by our ocean and united in purpose, we can safeguard our people and secure our shared future.
66. Ensuring that our region continues to remain a true Ocean of Peace for generations to come.
67. Vinaka Vakalevu and Thank You.
