Maritime Security Strategy workshop successfully concluded
A one-day workshop aimed at providing critical reflections and validation of the Solomon Islands Maritime Security Strategy (MSS) was concluded at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) Friday last week.
The workshop gathered together experts and top officials from relevant Government Ministries and Agencies, State Owned Enterprises, Private Sector Representatives and Development Partners whose collaboration resulted formulating the draft strategy.
The workshop represents a critical moment in the evolution of Solomon Islands’ maritime security interests and highlighted the collective commitment in the safety, security, and sustainable development of the country’s maritime domain.
Group Photo of facilitators and workshop participants.
With vast maritime resources and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that spans approximately 1.58 million square kilometers, the country faces complex maritime security challenges, such as Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, transnational crimes such as drug and human trafficking, and threats posed by climate change and geopolitical tensions.
To address these challenges, the proposed Maritime Security Strategy Framework (2024–2027) has been developed with the aim to strengthen the country’s maritime security architecture in a comprehensive, technology-driven, and regionally aligned manner, that is also reflective of the recently launched National Security Strategy.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Police, National Security & Correctional Services (MPNSCS) Karen Galokale highlighted that as the Government moved closer to finalizing the framework, it is important to engage relevant stakeholders in ensuring the strategy is sound, inclusive, and truly reflective of both national and regional priorities.
“This workshop is to subject the draft strategy to critical reflection, validation, and enhancement through critical insights and expertise to ensure the strategy is not only relevant but also aligned with our collective vision for the future of maritime security in the Solomon Islands and the wider Pacific region,” Galokale said.
Workshop in progress last week.
Discussions at the workshop centered around the strategic vision and mission of the framework, its proposed governance and institutional structures, the technological and legal frameworks it entails, as well as the regional and international cooperation mechanisms that will underpin its success.
The workshop also reviewed the proposed implementation roadmap that will guide efforts from 2024 to 2027. A workshop on this review was postponed last year but the Ministry will continue to validate the proposed timeframe of the framework.
Partners in the MSS included the Solomon Islands Maritime Security Agency, the Solomon Islands Ports Authority, the Forum Fisheries Agency, Development Partners including Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China and other key stakeholders who have contributed to the development of the strategy.
Ends///
– Government Communication Unit