Delivered by Henry Puna, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum at the Pacific Islands News Association -Pacific Islands Forum MOU Signing
05 February 2024
Thank you to everyone here, and especially the PINA Vice President Robert Iroga and PINA Manager Makereta Komai and your board members and representatives of the media.
It is truly an MOU moment worth celebrating, as we renew a commitment to a journey which has helped set the standard for media partnerships not just in the Pacific, but globally.
May I recognise the pioneering history of PINA’s founding leaders of Pacific media –at the same time the Forum was also convening as the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Cooperation, SPEC. Vinaka to you PINA for staying the distance and reporting our stories as the Ocean region, and the Blue continent.
I know I am one of a line of Secretary Generals of the Forum who have been part of your reporting and that this MOU is a testament to our long vuvale history. This MOU represents the ongoing commitment we have to ensuring we deliver on the directive from our leaders to ensure their decisions and directions are communicated as widely as possible.
The partnership with you recognises that communication of the Pacific Way is not a one-way path, but a complex ocean of currents. With the challenges of digital transformation, the ongoing rise of misinformation and fake news, and the security context of media and its watchdog role, let me reassure you of our continued partnership to help you deliver media integrity, excellence, accuracy, and voice for the people we both serve.
Our 2050 Implementation Plan is now underway and you are important partners in that work as we ensure our people, our voices, and our Pacific Way are at the centre of securing a future that delivers the best possible outcomes for all. Vinaka, and thank you.
[ENDS]
