Prime Minister Mark Brown at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau this week. MFAI/26083105
Cook Islands has secured two significant investment announcements from the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau.
The weeklong summit saw the country secure major infrastructure and environmental investments while deepening its diplomatic and regional partnerships.
Prime Minister Mark Brown concluded the weeklong meeting and returns home after securing funding for Marae Moana, “the Cook Islands’ sacred ocean”, in partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund and BirdLife International.
He also returns home following the landmark announcement of the NZ$101 million Penrhyn port project, co-funded by New Zealand and the United States in partnership with the Cook Islands.
Brown met with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to announce the project on the margins of the Forum Leaders Meeting this week.
“Everything we carried to this Forum, we carried on behalf of our people,” Brown said. “From a lifeline port for Tongareva to lasting protection for our ocean, this has been a week of turning long-held priorities into action, on our own terms, and for our own future.”
Brown was a leading advocate for the Pacific Resilience Facility, the Pacific’s first collectively owned international financial institution, which is now established in the Kingdom of Tonga.
“The Pacific Resilience Facility is a fund by the Pacific, for the Pacific. I have been part of this journey from the very beginning, and to see it now delivering in our communities is a proud moment for our whole region.”
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said in a statement that the Prime Minister also held a series of bilateral meetings in Palau.
He met with Peters, who welcomed the progress on the Penrhyn project and discussed New Zealand’s hosting of the Forum in 2027.
The PM also met with representatives from China, as the two countries look ahead to 30 years of diplomatic relations in 2027 and toward deepening practical cooperation in areas such as technology, machinery, equipment and capacity building.
Brown met with Japan, marking 15 years of diplomatic relations and welcoming the cooperation between the two countries – from a new inter-island vessel to grassroots funding in support of local communities – with officials set to explore how the partnership can be strengthened further.
He held talks with the Nippon Foundation on ocean stewardship and opportunities for young Cook Islanders, as well as with Singapore, reaffirming a warm relationship and a shared focus on economic resilience, energy security, and the transition to renewable energy.
OPM stated that bilateral meetings were also held with Spain and Canada to discuss deepening cooperation, as well as with the Green Climate Fund to explore further funding opportunities to strengthen the Cook Islands’ resilience.
Cook Islands also took part in meetings for the Smaller Island States, the Polynesian Leaders Group (whose Charter the Cook Islands is helping to develop), and the Pacific ACP grouping, and joined the Ocean Partnership Roundtable hosted by Palau.
At the Leaders’ Retreat, the Forum agreed on a number of significant outcomes for the region. Among them was resolving the framework that will guide how the Pacific engages its partners, reinforcing a transparent, accountable and Pacific-led approach to partnerships in support of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Brown thanked Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr and the people of Palau for their warm hospitality, and he reaffirmed the Cook Islands’ commitment to a united, resilient and self-determining Blue Pacific.
