Recently, the External Affairs Minister of India hosted the FIPIC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New York on the sidelines of the United Nation General Assembly.

About FIPIC

• The FIPIC was launched in November 2014 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Fiji.
• Purpose
  • Enhance India’s engagement in the Pacific region beyond the Indian Ocean.
  • Foster cooperation in climate change, clean energy, digital connectivity, trade, space technology, and capacity building.
• Participants: 14 Pacific Island countries; Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
• Economic Cooperation: India–Pacific Island trade is around USD 300 million annually (USD 200 million exports, USD 100 million imports).
  • Initiatives include a FIPIC Trade Office at FICCI, Business Accelerator, and community project grants.

Key Initiatives

• USD 1 million fund for climate change adaptation and clean energy.
• Pan-Pacific Islands e-network for digital connectivity.
• Visa-on-arrival for Pacific nationals at Indian airports.
• Diplomat training, visitors’ programme, and enhanced grant-in-aid for local projects.
• 12 Point Action Plan announced at FIPIC III , 2023.
• • It covers healthcare, cyberspace, clean energy, water, and Small and Medium Enterprises.
  • It includes a cardiology hospital in Fiji, dialysis units and sea ambulances across all 14 PICs, and Jan Aushadhi Centres for affordable medicines.

Significance

• Strategic: Expands India’s presence in the Pacific, complementing its Indian Ocean focus.
• Economic: Opens trade and investment opportunities with nations having vast Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
• Developmental: Supports island states through health, technology, training, and climate resilience initiatives.
• Diplomatic: Reinforces India’s role as a development partner with a people-centric, sustainable agenda.

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