The second day of the first General Assembly of the Pacific Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (PIPA) opened in Papeete with the presentation of its first-ever activity report, covering the period from September 2025 to August 2026. On behalf of the Bureau, the Honourable Peterson OTI, Speaker of the Parliament of the Solomon Islands, reviewed the organisation’s first institutional year, which included the establishment of an interim secretariat, the drafting of the rules of procedure, the adoption of an institutional identity and the first steps towards regional recognition, particularly by the Pacific Islands Forum. The report also outlined five priority areas for the coming year, including climate change, women’s participation in politics and the implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. It was adopted by consensus.
The morning continued with the second thematic session, devoted to parliamentary diplomacy. Professor Philippe POIRIER of the University of Luxembourg joined by videoconference to provide a comparative overview of interparliamentary organisations around the world. He emphasised that parliamentary diplomacy complements government diplomacy without replacing it. Ms Niki RATTLE, Ombudsman of the Cook Islands and former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament, then shared her experience as Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Small Branches network, highlighting several examples of twinning arrangements between Pacific and Australian parliaments.
The afternoon began with a technical session on the digitalisation of Pacific parliaments. Sarah MARKIEWICZ of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) presented four practical guides developed with the IPU’s Pacific Regional Hub and the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Areto then presented its Face Forward initiative, an application designed to protect women and gender-diverse people in politics from online harassment.
The General Assembly subsequently held its budget session, presented by President Antony GEROS. He proposed changing PIPA’s calendar, with the next General Assembly envisaged for February or March 2027, and aligning the organisation’s financial year with the calendar year. A transitional budget for the period from September to December 2026 and a draft budget for 2027 were presented and subsequently adopted by consensus by the full members.
The late-afternoon session was devoted to the adoption of PIPA’s rules of procedure. Complementing the Statutes, this document sets out the practical operation of the organisation, particularly with regard to continuity of governance, members’ contributions, financial management, the secretariat and committees. Several amendments, including those proposed by Australia concerning transparency and gender representation, were discussed before the document was adopted in its entirety.
Marked by the adoption of PIPA’s first budget and rules of procedure, this second day of proceedings strengthened the organisation’s institutional framework and paved the way for further discussions on Thursday, 10 September in Papeete.
