FIPIC: India-Pacific Islands Cooperation, Members, Objectives and 12-Point Plan

Subject: GS 03: International Relations

Context: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar chaired the FIPIC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New York on the sidelines of the 81st UNGA.

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About FIPIC

• The Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) is India’s platform for strengthening cooperation with 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs).
• Focus Area: It covers areas such as development partnership, climate change, health, education, trade, technology and disaster resilience.
• Origin: FIPIC was inaugurated on 19 November 2014 at Suva, Fiji, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Fiji.
  • India announced cooperation in climate change, trade, telemedicine, tele-education, IT and human-resource development.
• Objectives
  • Development Partnership: FIPIC promotes cooperation in healthcare, education, clean energy, water security and capacity building.
  • Climate & Disaster Resilience: It seeks to support Pacific island countries in addressing climate change, disaster management and sustainable development.
  • Economic Cooperation: The framework facilitates trade, investment, entrepreneurship and SME development between India and Pacific Island countries.
  • Strategic Engagement: It strengthens India’s engagement with Pacific Island states in regional and multilateral forums, including on Indo-Pacific issues.
• Members: FIPIC comprises India and 14 Pacific Island Countries
  • Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
• Major Summits
  • FIPIC-I: Suva, Fiji (2014)
  • FIPIC-II: Jaipur, India (2015).
  • FIPIC-III: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (2023) 
    • A 12-point action plan was announced at the FIPIC III Summit
• 12-Point Action Plan
  • Health: India proposed a 100-bed regional super-speciality hospital in Fiji, along with dialysis facilities, generic medicine centres and Jaipur Foot camps.
  • Education & Technology: The plan includes 1,000 Sagar Amrut scholarships over five years and strengthening IT/cybersecurity capacity.
  • Climate & Energy: It promotes solarisation of government buildings and cooperation in clean energy and climate resilience.
  • Water & Maritime Services: India proposed desalination units and sea ambulances for Pacific Island countries.
  • Enterprise & Connectivity: The plan supports SME development, emergency helplines and capacity-building, reflecting India’s development-partnership approach.

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