The FIPIC or the Forum for India Pacific Islands cooperation, is a multi-country organisation established in 2014 for ensuring coordination among 14 Pacific Islands countries and India. The 14 countries include the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Fiji, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Papua Guinea, and Palau. 

The first annual summit of the FIPIC was held in Suva city of the Fiji nation in 2014 between all State heads or Government heads of mentioned nations. The 2nd summit of the Forum (FIPIC-2) was held in Jaipur on the 21st and 22nd of August 2015, and it helped in achieving great progress in improving India’s engagement with the Forum’s 14 Pacific Island members. At the forum, global issues that concerned the members, such as climate change and reforms of the UN, were discussed. Bilateral interactions between the leaders enhanced the summit. The summit is hosted annually. 

What do you mean by the FIPIC summit?

The FIPIC is a new international organisation that owes its origins to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s November 2014 visit to Fiji. Fiji, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Micronesia, Palau, Niue, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are all members of FIPIC, while India is the 15th member. On August 21-22, 2015, India held the second FIPIC summit in the pink city of Jaipur, Rajasthan. 

Key statements made during the second FIPIC summit.

• Measures to enhance the capacity of the island states to deal with natural disasters, including but not limited to the use of space tech for early warning systems and human resource development.
• Forty-three women from eight island countries have been educated as solar engineers during the previous three years. In each Pacific Island country, India would train 70 more female solar engineers & assist in the electrification of 200 to 2800 homes (PIC). This would give a source of income for rural women, but it will also save a million dollars in kerosene.
• In each PIC, at least one info, and a Systems laboratory will be built. In addition to enhancing local IT facilities, it will allow individuals to benefit from services such as Tele-education and telemedicine.
• Since Indian generic medications are currently channelled through third nations, they are relatively expensive in PIC. India has offered to build a pharmaceutical production plant & distributing centre in the Pacific Islands region and a Line of Credit to help finance the project.
• The provision of a free visa has now been expanded to PIC nationals.
• Persons carrying diplomatic or official passports and nationals of Argentina, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Jamaica, Hungary, Mauritius, Maldives, Poland, Mongolia, South Africa, and Uruguay are granted free visas. In addition, 14 PICs have been added to a list.
• Diplomats from the PIC were offered training seminars in India.

Indian Interests in Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation 

Traditionally, the Indian establishment’s focus was limited to the Indian Ocean, where it appeared to play a significant role. However, with China’s growing influence in practically every region of the world, such as the Indian and Pacific Oceans, India’s approach to foreign policy must alter to reflect current geopolitical realities. India has increased its outreach to Pacific Island states to counter China’s rise.

Apart from geopolitical considerations, growing cooperation with the PIC will benefit India’s economic interests. The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest ocean, covering 46 percent of the world’s water surface and 33 percent of the total land area. It has 41 sovereign states, plus Taiwan, and 22 non-independent territories. The Pacific Ocean, which has abundant marine resources, contributes to 71% of the world’s ocean fishing harvest. Although PICs cover a limited geographical region, their exclusive economic zone (EEZ) spans a significant portion of the ocean with enormous mineral and other hydrocarbon resource potential. The importance of energy resources for a developing nation like India is unrivalled.

To gain permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India needed the support of the majority of the country, regardless of its size, wealth, or geopolitical importance. In the United Nations, PICs make up a significant voting group, and they are also an influential group at international climate discussions. PIC’s support will aid in the protection of Indian interests in global climate talks. There are sufficient reasons to take India’s relationship with the PIC to the next level.

Conclusion

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, opted to visit Fiji immediately after the island nation’s democracy was restored following an eight-year hiatus. He met with state heads and Govt. from fourteen Pacific island states and bilateral meetings to strengthen India’s participation in the region and recommended that a ‘Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) be conducted regularly.