Cook Islands officials advocated for fairer development financing mechanisms, emphasising the need for alignment with the Pacific’s 2050 Strategy and consideration of Small Island States’ vulnerabilities, during a meeting with South Korean representatives to review cooperation progress.

Cook Islands joined Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) representatives in a meeting with counterparts from the Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Seoul last week for the Korea–Pacific Islands Inter-Sessional Meeting.

The meeting serves as a platform to review South Korea’s contributions to regional development and assess progress on the Joint Action Plan for Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity in the Pacific, a key outcome of the inaugural ROK–Pacific Islands Leaders Summit in 2023.

During the meeting, officials acknowledged South Korea’s ongoing partnership with the Pacific, including through initiatives such as the ROK–Pacific Islands Forum Cooperation Fund, which has supported projects including the development of a data-driven framework for sustainable transport in the Pacific Islands, the creation of decision-ready tools for coastal and marine spatial planning, and the implementation of climate prediction services.

According to the Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI), the meeting underscored the importance of strengthening oversight by Pacific Island Countries in the articulation of development priorities for international partnerships.

Senior Officials emphasised that priorities must align with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent (2050 Strategy), which partners should recognise as the region’s primary framework for development.

Such alignment is essential to ensuring that development cooperation with partners is both effective and impactful.

Senior officials from Smaller Island States (SIS), including the Cook Islands, raised concerns about their specific vulnerabilities, calling for targeted assistance that takes into account the particular development challenges of SIS members.

Cook Islands head of delegation, MFAI’s Amelia Fukofuka-Murare, emphasised the need for reform in global financing mechanisms, particularly in the criteria used by partners to determine access to development funding by Small Islands Developing States.

“Reforming global financial mechanisms, including the removal of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Development Assistance Committee (DAC), criteria, is essential to ensuring fair access to development financing for all Pacific nations,” Fukofuka-Murare said.

“True development partnerships must focus on empowering nations to achieve self-sufficiency and long-term resilience rather than fostering dependency.

“To this end, it is crucial that all partners align their efforts with the 2050 Strategy and the individual development plans of Pacific Islands, ensuring that both regional and bilateral programmes address the specific needs of Pacific nations in a sustainable and impactful way.”

The OECD DAC, graduated the Cook Islands to high-level income status in 2020 – that status preventing the Cook Islands from accessing development funding available to Pacific countries, including those provided by South Korea through the Korea-Pacific Islands Joint Action Plan.

Fukofuka-Murare also called for these reforms to be considered by all development partners on a bilateral basis, advocating for financing approaches that acknowledge the unique circumstances of Pacific Island Countries and focus on sustainable solutions.

“While the 2050 Strategy, provides the overarching framework for PIF international partnerships through the regional modality, the Cook Islands look forward to working closely with South Korea in the coming months to explore more bilateral cooperation arrangements that can support resilience strengthening and ocean prosperity initiatives.”

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of South Korea and Pacific Island Countries to strengthen cooperation in key areas such as climate resilience and disaster response, robust public health systems, capacity-building and skills development, and enhanced connectivity and digital transformation. “As both sides continue to deepen their engagement, these discussions will carry forward to the ROK-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers Meeting to convene later this year, where shared priorities will be further advanced,” MFAI said.