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Pacific Islands Forum

Pacific Islands Forum
General information
NamePacific Islands Forum (PIF)
Administrative centerSeat of Secretariat
Member states16
title=16
Australia Australia
Cook Islands Cook Islands
Fiji Fiji(suspended 2 May 2009)
Kiribati Kiribati

Marshall Islands Marshall Islands
FM Micronesia
Nauru Nauru
New Zealand New Zealand
Niue Niue
Palau Palau
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea
Samoa Samoa
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands
Tonga Tonga
Tuvalu Tuvalu
Vanuatu Vanuatu
Government
Secretary GeneralTuiloma Neroni Slade Samoa
Forum Leaders Meeting ChairVanuatu Edward Natapei|established_event1=as South Pacific Forum
as South Pacific Forum1971
as PIF2000
Geography
Total Area3295781.1 sq mi (8538293 km2)
Demography
Population Est.32.5 million
Density (pop.)4/km2 (10.4/sq mi)
Economy
GDP PPPUS$ 929.263 billion¹ (2008) (2008)
GDP (PPP) per capitaUS$ 28,543
Other information
HDI(+) 0.753¹ (2007/08) (medium) (97th¹)
Currency12
title=12
Australia Nauru Australian dollar
Cook Islands New Zealand/Cook Islands dollar
FM Palau Marshall Islands United States dollar
Fiji Fijian dollar
Kiribati Australian/Kiribati dollar
New Zealand Niue New Zealand dollar
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinean kina
Samoa Samoan Tala
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands dollar
Tonga Tongan paʻanga
Tuvalu Australian/Tuvaluan dollar
Vanuatu Vanuatu vatu
Time zone11
title=11
Australia UTC+8
Australia UTC+8:45
Australia Palau UTC+9
Australia UTC+9:30
Australia FM Papua New Guinea UTC+10
Australia FM UTC+10
FM Solomon Islands Vanuatu UTC+11
Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Zealand Tuvalu UTC+12
Kiribati Tonga UTC+13
Kiribati UTC+14
(UTC)
Websitewww.forumsec.org

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The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum. In 2000, the name was changed; Pacific Islands Forum is more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries and Australia. It is an official observer at the United Nations.

The mission of Pacific Islands Forum is “to work in support of Forum member governments, to enhance the economic and social well-being of the people of the South Pacific by fostering cooperation between governments and between international agencies, and by representing the interests of Forum members in ways agreed by the Forum”. Its decisions are implemented by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), which grew out of the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation (SPEC). As well as its role in harmonising regional positions on various political and policy issues, the Forum Secretariat has technical programmes in economic development, transport and trade. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General is the permanent Chairman of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP).

Australia and New Zealand are generally larger and wealthier than the other countries that make up the rest of the forum, Australia's population is around twice that of the other 15 members combined and its economy is more than five times larger. They are significant aid donors and big markets for exports from the other countries. Military and police forces as well as civilian personnel of Forum states, chiefly Australia and New Zealand, have recently been part of regional peacekeeping and stabilization operations in other states, notably Solomon Islands (2003-), Nauru (2004 � 2009), and Tonga (2006). Such regional efforts are mandated by the Biketawa Declaration, which was adopted at the 31st Summit of Pacific Islands Forum Leaders, held at Kiribati in October 2000.


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