The first General Assembly of the Pacific Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (PIPA) concluded on Thursday, 10 September 2026 at the Assembly of French Polynesia, following three days of proceedings and culminating in the adoption of the Vaiete Declaration.
The day opened with the third and final thematic session, devoted to PIPA’s regional and international role. Mr Younous OMARJEE, Member and Vice-President of the European Parliament, delivered a video message to the delegations addressing ocean protection, climate change and the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement, as well as prospects for cooperation between the European Parliament and PIPA.
The Samoan delegation provided an update on the Pacific–European Union Parliamentary Assembly, established under the Samoa Agreement, and members discussed how it could work alongside PIPA. Mr Miles YOUNG, Director of the Human Rights and Social Development Division of the Pacific Community (SPC), joined online to discuss potential collaboration with PIPA on gender equality and climate change. He also announced that a joint panel would be held during the Pre-COP meeting in Fiji.
The Reverend Professor Upolu Lumā VAAI, Vice-Chancellor of Pasifika Communities University, and Ms Niki RATTLE, Ombudsman of the Cook Islands and former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament, also addressed the Assembly. They shared their reflections on a Pacific parliamentary model rooted in the region’s values and spirituality, as well as on women’s political participation. These presentations were followed by an extensive round of contributions from the delegations.
The General Assembly then determined the composition of its committees. A committee dedicated to women parliamentarians and women’s political participation was established, with the Hawaiian delegation entrusted with its interim chairmanship. A second committee was created to address sovereignty in its broadest sense, encompassing political, cultural, food, energy and digital sovereignty.
Responsibility for monitoring relations with the European Union was assigned directly to the PIPA Bureau and Secretariat. Meanwhile, a proposal submitted by Rapa Nui to establish a committee on accessibility and connectivity for Pacific territories was postponed until 2027 at the delegation’s request.
The morning’s technical session was devoted to the presentation of PIPA’s new visual identity and website.
The afternoon focused on the section-by-section review and adoption by consensus of the Vaiete Declaration. The Declaration affirms a shared Pacific parliamentary voice founded on dialogue, security in all its dimensions and the vision of an “Ocean of Peace”. It also sets out PIPA’s priorities for the coming year: climate change, women’s political participation, leadership and ethics, artificial intelligence, and the strengthening of its regional and international partnerships.
Two amendments were incorporated into the Declaration: the addition of a spiritual dimension to the forms of security mentioned in the text, and the rewording of a paragraph relating to information monitoring.
The General Assembly subsequently confirmed Vanuatu as the host country for its next General Assembly in 2027. It also endorsed the principle of a new annual calendar, under which the General Assembly would be held in February or March, separately from the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.
The proceedings concluded with a gift-giving ceremony for all delegations, followed by a group photograph and the lowering of the PIPA flag.
This final day marked the conclusion of PIPA’s first General Assembly, which enabled the organisation to strengthen its institutional framework, adopt its first joint political declaration and define its priorities for the coming year, ahead of its next meeting in Vanuatu in 2027.
