Pick up any newspaper in the last week and about the only aspect of the annual Pacific Forum that got any coverage was the kind of shirt Prime Minister John Key wore.

That it got so much attention reflects poorly on the reporters caught up in dross, but it also underlines the now desperate nature of the Forum itself.

The communiqué from the 41st Pacific Forum is, quite simply, a disgrace. It does not inspire, it does not reach out and unite.

It is a waste of money and a kind of technical checklist for office wallahs who get off on that kind of thing.

No one was looking after it, that much was obvious.

Back in the early days of the Forum, the leaders themselves used to construct it. Australia and New Zealand often heavied the other leaders into saying something.

They were not always guaranteed to get their way.

This was the case in the 1990 Forum in Vanuatu when Australia wanted soft words in the communiqué about the US chemical warfare disposal base on Johnston Atoll, between Hawaii and the Marshall Islands.

Bob Hawke lost the battle and was furious.

One senses then that the bureaucrats really took over the forum communiqué process. It became a glad-bag of assorted pet projects. Leaders at one conference issued ringing support to Sweden’s bid to get on some UN panel; Cook Islander Geoffrey Henry, who was the media speaker for the communiqué when such positions existed, admitted he did not have a clue what it was about. 

Fiji, of course, argues that the Forum is now the plaything of Canberra and Wellington.

The 41st communiqué suggests that if the white powers are in charge, then they are doing an appalling job; this thing

was a mess.

It noted – although not in so many words – that hardly any leaders attended the Forum this year.

They all had good notes from their mothers excusing their attendance but the reality is that Vanuatu was not worth the effort.

The communiqué praised Vanuatu’s leadership this year and expressed condolences for New Zealand over the loss of a soldier in Afghanistan.

The communiqué referred to the “millennium development goals” although it was far from clear whether they were happy with it or not; just that there are going to be a whole lot more meetings.

The communiqué argued at para 5 “climate change remains the greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific.” 

The “greatest threat” used to be AIDS.

They called for a “meaningful legally binding agreement on emissions reduction must be reached urgently and without delay”.

Forum communiqués have legendary reputations for sentences that actually mean nothing. Sometimes they are not even sentences. Take this 50-word thing: “To enable Forum Island Countries to realise the full benefit of rapidly scaled-up international financing commitments to support implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation
efforts, help build the resilience of vulnerable countries, particularly the SIS, and enhance the transparency of funding flows based on identified national and regional priorities.”

Despite reading it several times, I’m no wiser on what it is actually calling for.

Much of the rest of the climate change stuff has been said many times before. It is a kind of Robert the Bruce and his spider diplomacy, I guess.

Leaders thanked Japan for giving them US$66 million for environment projects; so one assumes a Japanese diplomat fiddled with the communiqué to get that in.

Then the communiqué meanders off on a check list, with “leaders commended”, “leaders reaffirmed” and “leaders endorsed” sprinkled through this worthless document.

Buried away was some useful stuff.

At para 29, the leaders of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) highlighted five key issues for their attention of Leaders in response to major trends, or to unexpected events in the region. The definitions at least give a useful work programme that requires action rather than more meetings; like giving people safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Fisheries get a heavy word count, but little action. This is an unacknowledged reflection that the Forum itself no longer has any power over fisheries issues. The issues behind it are fought in other venues nowadays.

Leaders asserted the “critical importance of effective oversight to ensuring that the region’s aviation services meet international safety and security standards.”

Fair amount of self-interest for leaders in that; after all when they head to Cancun for another save the world global warming meeting, they’ll want to be sure the planes a properly maintained.

They tossed in some paragraphs about football, renewable energy and labour mobility. None of it was new.

The first mention of the Four Letter F word comes at para 45 when leaders bravely bucked passed to a sub-committee any discussion of whether Fiji should be allowed to participate in a trade negotiation treaty, Pacer Plus.

On the wider issue they called for “commencement of political dialogue in Fiji between parties on the principles of genuine, inclusive dialogue without preconditions or pre-determined outcomes.”

That was it; a statement of nothingness.

The leaders hailed the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands but said nothing about when this neo-colonial group is going to give independence back to the people of the Solomons.

Oh, but the leaders did “commended the initiative of RAMSI to stage a photographic exhibition”…. I bet that caused a ripple of excitement through the region.

“Leaders recognised that transnational crime remains a threat to national and regional stability and requires effective national law enforcement agencies, continuing regional cooperation and pledged high level political commitment to combat this threat.”

Well, what else could they have said?

They provided empty words about small arms, sex violence and international disarmament. They called for the US to pay the Marshall Islands for nuclear damage; more Robert the Bruce stuff, the same sentiments have been in communiqués for decades.

At para 68, the leaders “reiterated the critical importance of ensuring the sustainable development, management and conservation of our ocean.”

Interestingly enough, behind what they call the “Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape” is an interesting and powerful idea.

Communiqué writers, though, crush the life out of it.

The document then meanders away into meaningless kitchen work and announces the date of the next forum; a week before the opening of the Rugby World Cup in Auckland.

What an astonishing coincidence! Amazing! What a blessing from God; free plane flights and boxes at Eden Park! Miracles never cease.

Oh to be a Pacific leader.

I bet next year’s communiqué will be short.

August 7, 2010

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