{"id":39743,"date":"2026-06-29T15:59:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T13:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=39743"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:16:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T14:16:04","slug":"new-paper-proposes-turning-the-ocean-of-peace-declaration-into-a-regional-treaty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=39743","title":{"rendered":"Pacific Islands: New paper proposes turning the Ocean of Peace Declaration into a regional treaty"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY .<\/p>\n

An article from the Pacific Security College<\/a><\/p>\n

Evolving the\u00a0Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration\u00a0into a regional peace and security treaty could provide predictability in a period of increasing geostrategic competition, a new policy paper published by the Pacific Security College suggests.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nLeaders at the Ocean of Peace Commemorative Ceremony at the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders\u2019 Meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Photo: Pacific Security College<\/center><\/p>\n

The Ocean of Peace: Vision to Treaty\u00a0<\/a> weighs the benefits and risks of turning the\u00a0Ocean of Peace Declaration, endorsed by Pacific leaders in 2025, into a legally binding agreement. The paper proposes negotiating a new regional peace and security treaty as a Protocol to the\u00a0Treaty of Rarotonga.<\/p>\n

Author Ben Burdon said that, amid growing geopolitical tensions, it was useful to reflect on how the Pacific could maximise its agency and authority in its own interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pacific\u2019s strategic vision is made clear in the\u00a0Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration,\u201d Mr Burdon said.<\/p>\n

[Editor’s note: Click here for a copy of the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration<\/a>. Note that it commits to cultivating a culture of peace grounded in the Pacific Way.]<\/p>\n

\u201cEmbedding the Ocean of Peace and Pacific values and norms into international law and practice, as has been done with nuclear weapons, fishing and climate change, is a potential next step.<\/p>\n

\u201cNegotiating a new treaty as a protocol to Rarotonga would turn a respected nuclear-free zone into a legally binding regional peace and security system \u2013 one built and owned by the Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n

The protocol proposed in the paper \u2013 dubbed \u2018Rarotonga II\u2019 \u2013 includes principles such as establishing the Pacific as a Zone of Peace, recognising climate security as a peace obligation, and providing a mechanism for external partners to formally commit to Pacific peace and security law and practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cRarotonga II would introduce prior consultation, transparency and collective discussion. It would reduce surprise and mistrust between Pacific countries and external powers, while strengthening regionalism,\u201d Mr Burdon said.<\/p>\n

In 2027, China is expected to acquire the capability to retake Taiwan militarily. While capacity does not equate intent, Mr Burdon\u2019s paper notes that the Pacific\u2019s strategic geography would be critical for military access and denial.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile a regional peace and security treaty is not without risk, the strategic guardrails set out in such an agreement could help the Pacific manage the difficult geopolitical environment ahead,\u201d Mr Burdon said.<\/p>\n

Professor Dave Peebles, Director of the Pacific Security College, said the paper\u2019s publication comes at a time of growing uncertainty across the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pacific\u2019s capacity to come together in pursuit of common goals remains one of its greatest strengths \u2013 and one that carries particular weight in an increasingly contested strategic environment,\u201d Professor Peebles said.<\/p>\n

(Article continued in right column)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Question for this article:<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

\n

Where in the world are zones of peace?<\/a> <\/center><\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n

(Article continued from left column)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe proposal will undoubtedly generate both support and critique. That\u2019s its value, when the topic is so important and the stakes are so high.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolicy papers published by the College are designed to prompt careful reflection and constructive debate, and to create space for diverse perspectives on the region\u2019s most pressing issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ocean of Peace: Vision to Treaty\u00a0includes insights from four regional experts with backgrounds spanning international law, diplomacy, politics, academia and governance: Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Dr Sandra Tarte, Dr Anna Naupa and Sione Tekiteki.<\/p>\n

Tuiloma, former Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, observed that Mr Burdon\u2019s account of the sensitivities involved in developing a new protocol to the Treaty of Rarotonga was both realistic and perceptive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI broadly agree with his assessment of both the possible benefits and the attendant risks, particularly the danger of destabilising existing security relationships, fragmenting Pacific unity, and inviting geopolitical backlash,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Tuiloma acknowledged the challenges of making and revising treaties and suggested that rather than reopening the\u00a0Treaty of Rarotonga, it could be more practical to strengthen implementation of the existing text.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pacific is strongest when it acts collectively. Whatever form the next steps for the Ocean of Peace may take, they will need to be guided by unity and deepened regionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Tarte, from the University of the South Pacific, recognised the clear pathway set out by the paper for codifying key principles of the Ocean of Peace, while bolstering the key role the\u00a0Treaty of Rarotonga\u00a0plays in the Pacific\u2019s security architecture.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt significantly advances thinking around how to manage inter-state tensions and external engagement, thereby promoting greater transparency in security matters and reaffirming the rules-based order,\u201d Dr Tarte said.<\/p>\n

Dr Tarte acknowledged that the\u00a0Ocean of Peace Declaration\u00a0has provided a pivotal platform for advocating Pacific priorities on the global stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is time to take the next step and, as this discussion paper explores, to \u2018turn vision into law\u2019,\u201d Dr Tarte said.<\/p>\n

Dr Naupa, from the Pacific Security College, welcomed Mr Burdon\u2019s pragmatism in leveraging the 40-year-old\u00a0Treaty of Rarotonga\u00a0and his consideration of what Pacific deterrence options look like in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

She emphasised the importance of inclusive consultation and grassroots-driven processes in any future regional peace and security decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cState-led security strategies must be Pacific peoples-centred and address historical legacies,\u201d Dr Naupa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDesigning a regional deterrence model needs to consider how these long-standing elements of Pacific regional policy would be integrated into the preventative diplomacy model proposed by Burdon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Tekiteki, from the Auckland University of Technology Law School, said an Ocean of Peace protocol would be an attempt to institutionalise and safeguard Pacific agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea of an Ocean of Peace treaty framed as a protocol to the\u00a0Treaty of Rarotonga\u00a0is compelling, particularly in its attempt to move the Pacific beyond the largely normative framing of the Blue Pacific Continent towards something more concrete and grounded in legal order,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeeper regional security coordination may strengthen solidarity and collectively position the region against intensifying geopolitical competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Pacific Security College\u2019s policy paper series\u00a0<\/a> aims to contribute a diversity of views and ideas to regional conversations about the journey to 2050.<\/p>\n

– – – – – –<\/p>\n

If you wish to make a comment on this article, you may write to coordinator@cpnn-world.org with the title “Comment on (name of article)” and we will put your comment on line. Because of the flood of spam, we have discontinued the direct application of comments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY . An article from the Pacific Security College Evolving the\u00a0Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration\u00a0into a regional peace and security treaty could provide predictability in a period of increasing geostrategic competition, a new policy paper published by the Pacific Security College suggests. Leaders at the Ocean of Peace Commemorative Ceremony at the … Continue reading Pacific Islands: New paper proposes turning the Ocean of Peace Declaration into a regional treaty<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,79],"tags":[32],"class_list":["post-39743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-disarmament","category-east-asia","tag-east-asia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39743"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39752,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39743\/revisions\/39752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}