Regional and International Partners

PIPA maintains an institutional relationship with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as part of its objective of strengthening the parliamentary dimension of Pacific regionalism.

The foundations for this relationship predate the formal establishment of PIPA. At the 2023 annual conference of the Pacific Islands Parliaments Group (PIPG) in Tonga, then Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna addressed parliamentary delegations and called for closer cooperation between the executive and legislative branches at the regional level. In particular, he encouraged stronger collaboration between the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the future regional organisation of Pacific parliaments, with both institutions working in complementary ways to better serve Pacific countries, communities and peoples.

Following PIPA’s establishment, the Natadola Declaration was formally transmitted to the Forum and dialogue was initiated on the contribution that Pacific legislatures can make to the regional architecture and implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

PIPA has since participated in the Forum’s consultation processes concerning implementation of the 2050 Strategy and is a member of the Political Leadership and Regionalism Thematic Advisory Group (PLR TAG).

Participation in the TAG provides an avenue for parliamentary perspectives to contribute to regional implementation while helping PIPA connect regional priorities with the legislative, budgetary and oversight work of member parliaments.

The relationship is intended to be complementary: PIPA does not replace the executive-led role of the Pacific Islands Forum, but helps ensure that the region’s legislatures can contribute more systematically to Pacific regionalism.

PIPA is developing substantial cooperation with the Pacific Community (SPC), drawing on the complementarity between PIPA’s regional parliamentary network and SPC’s technical expertise.

The PIPA Secretariat has participated in consultations and meetings connected with SPC’s strategic planning and has worked with SPC counterparts to identify possible longer-term areas of cooperation.

Areas discussed have included:

• institutional support to PIPA and its Secretariat;
• support to PIPA General Assemblies and governance processes;
• development of PIPA’s digital platform and parliamentary knowledge resources;
• regular parliamentary engagement on regional policy priorities;
• stronger links between Pacific legislatures and implementation of the 2050 Strategy; and
• support to cooperation among women parliamentarians.

SPC has also engaged its development partners on possible resources for future joint activities.

Initial areas in which PIPA and SPC are seeking to translate this dialogue into practical cooperation include climate change and parliamentary engagement in international climate processes, and women’s political participation and leadership.

A proposed joint PIPA–SPC initiative ahead of COP31 explores how Pacific parliamentarians can complement government diplomacy, broaden political ownership of Pacific climate priorities and strengthen parliamentary follow-up of international commitments.

PIPA is developing an institutional dialogue with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the global organisation of national parliaments.

This relationship received strong support from the IPU’s Secretary General, Ambassador Anda Filip, who met with the full PIPA Board at the outset of her mandate in May 2026. The meeting reflected her long-lasting support for strengthening regional inter-parliamentary cooperation and for ensuring that the perspectives of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and their parliaments are more effectively represented in international parliamentary fora.

Direct discussions between the PIPA Board and the IPU leadership have identified strong common interests in areas including:

• parliamentary diplomacy, dialogue and peace;
• sustainable development;
• climate and ocean governance;
• democratic resilience;
• women’s political participation;
• parliamentary innovation and digital transformation; and
• capacity development for Pacific legislatures.

Working-level relations have also been established between the two Secretariats.

PIPA and the IPU are exploring the appropriate long-term institutional relationship between the organisations. The PIPA Board has identified Permanent Observer at the IPU status as a possible initial pathway. Any formal application is subject to consideration and approval through PIPA’s own governance processes.

Practical exchanges have already begun, including cooperation around parliamentary digital-transformation resources developed by the IPU and its partners for Pacific legislatures.

PIPA maintains a developing dialogue with the European Parliament.

The relationship reflects both the importance of parliamentary diplomacy and the longstanding political, economic and institutional links between Europe and the Pacific.

Discussions within PIPA have particularly considered how exchanges can complement the formal parliamentary architecture established under the Samoa Agreement, including the Pacific–EU Parliamentary Assembly.

The European Parliament has welcomed PIPA’s establishment and expressed openness to continued exchanges on matters of common interest.

Potential areas of dialogue include climate and ocean governance, sustainable development, democratic institutions, parliamentary diplomacy and the role of legislatures in international cooperation.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has a longstanding record of supporting parliamentary development and inter-parliamentary cooperation across the Pacific.

UNDP has continued to support PIPG, and then PIPA during its institutional development, including through assistance related to members’ participation in activities, supporting high-level expertise during events and cooperation around parliamentary capacity development.

PIPA and UNDP also share interests in areas including democratic governance, parliamentary institutional strengthening, women’s political participation, digital transformation, sustainable development and implementation of regional and global commitments.

PIPA’s approach is to combine such external support with progressively stronger member ownership and financing of its own core institutional functions.