Reflecting on 2023, Prime Minister Mark Brown said it was an exceptional year for the Cook Islands and its ministers.

“2023 has been a good, solid year for the Cook Islands,” Brown told Cook Islands News in an interview last week.

He commended the Cabinet, associated ministers, and all members for carrying the load with dedication.

Speaking to Cook Islands News, Brown acknowledged the year’s swift pace. Starting with election petitions, parliamentary work was briefly on hold until the swearing-in of the Speaker and Members of Parliament in March.

Among the year’s highlights, Brown listed the economic recovery in tourism, with additional flights from Jetstar and the reopening of the Australian border playing a significant role in getting the country back on track.

He also emphasised the immense year he had on the international stage, serving as chair of the Pacific Islands Forum. Besides his national duties, he considered it a privilege and honour to represent the Pacific region.

Delving into his foreign engagements, Brown recalled his first meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister to raise Pacific concerns about the discharge of nuclear wastewater.

He then mentioned his invitations to the Hiroshima G7 meeting, the India summit, the US Summit with Pacific Islands countries, and the UN General Assembly, where the Cook Islands, for the first time, addressed the assembly under its own flag.

Continuing his list of achievements, Brown highlighted his co-chairing of the Presidential Summit with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

He also mentioned the Cook Islands’ invitation to attend a conference at the International Energy Agency, the only Pacific Island country and the only nation dealing with minerals to be invited. This conference focused on critical mineral supply and involved the biggest mining countries.

Later in the year, the Cook Islands successfully hosted the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, receiving positive feedback from attendees.

Brown acknowledged the team effort that made this event possible.

The year concluded with his attendance at the COP28 meeting in Dubai. Brown emphasised that the Cook Islands’ profile on the international stage has never been higher than it is today.

Looking ahead, Brown declared 2024 a “big year” of preparation for the Cook Islands’ 60^th anniversary in 2025.

He promised a year of acceleration, with the completion of capital projects initiated in 2023.