A multinational grouping called Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) was developed for cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Islands Nations in the year 2014. In-depth information regarding the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) is provided in this article. This is an important topic for the IAS exam.
Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)
- The 14 countries include the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
- FIPIC highlights India’s efforts to expand its engagement in the Pacific region.
- It should be noted that India is determined to play a major role in Indo-Pacific and FIPIC is in line with the
- The Pacific Island Nations are significant as these countries have relatively large exclusive economic zones (EEZs). They also offer promising possibilities for future cooperation.
Other Details
- India offered some major assistance to projects through FIPIC. It includes:
- Establishing a special fund for adapting to climate change
- Setting up a trade office in India
- Improving digital connectivity
- Extending the facility of visas on arrival at Indian airports for all the 14 Pacific Island countries
- Increasing cooperation in space technology
- Training diplomats from these countries, etc.
- Moreover, India increased the annual “Grant-in-Aid” from USD 125,000 to 200,000 for each of these 14 Pacific Island countries.
- The total annual trade between the Indian and Pacific Island countries is approximately $300 million. The exports constitute $200 million and imports are around $100 million.
FIPIC Summits
- FIRST SUMMIT:
- The first summit of FIPIC was held in Suva, Fiji in November 2014.
- India committed to establishing a ‘special fund of US$1 million for adapting to climate change vis-a-vis clean energy.
- India expressed its keenness to closely collaborate with Pacific Island nations and advance their development priorities.
- SECOND SUMMIT:
- The second summit of FIPIC was held in Jaipur, India in August 2015.
- In line with India’s Act East Policy, India actively promoted good relations with smaller island nations of the South Pacific.
- Both parties decided to collaborate on key areas like the blue economy, oil and natural gas, mining, IT, health care, fishing, and marine research.
- The heads of 14 countries reiterated their support for India’s bid for permanent membership at the reformed United Nations Security Council.
- THIRD SUMMIT:
- The third summit was held in Papua New Guinea on 22 May 2023. It was co-chaired by Indian and Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister.
- The Prime Minister of India highlighted that small island nations of the Pacific Ocean are in fact “large ocean states”.
- He further talked about the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. He assured that India would continue to support Pacific island states in every possible way.
- He also acknowledged new challenges with respect to supply chains of food, fuel, fertilizer and pharma are emerging in recent times apart from the already existing hurdles such as climate change, natural calamities, poverty and famine.
- The Governor General of Papua New Guinea conferred the Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu (GCL) to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- It is the highest civilian award in Papua New Guinea.
- On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Modi was also conferred with the Companion of the Order of Fiji, the highest honour of Fiji, by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji.
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