Pacific Islands Join Forces in Fiji to Reinforce Life-Saving Rescue Efforts with a New Unified SAR Framework!

Published on December 3, 2025

In a moment of unity and resolve, Pacific Island nations have reaffirmed their shared commitment to safeguarding lives at sea. The recent 10th regional Search and Rescue (SAR) Workshop, hosted in Suva from 11 to 15 November 2025, marked a new chapter for maritime safety across the Pacific. Representatives from more than a dozen island states and global partners gathered under the banner of solidarity — determined to defend seafarers, travellers and coastal communities from the dangers of the deep blue.

This workshop was not just talk. It was action. Over five intense days, delegates reviewed past progress, sharpened regional rescue strategies, and walked away with renewed purpose — and a clear roadmap for the years ahead.

A Gathering of Pacific Guardians: Who Joined and Why It Matters

The workshop, orchestrated by the Pacific Community (SPC) together with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and hosted by the Government of Fiji, brought together government and SAR‑agency voices from across the region. Participating countries included Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu — and larger partners including Australia, New Zealand, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF), and technology partners such as satellite operator Iridium Satellite.

This level of participation demonstrates shared recognition: the Pacific’s vast seas, dispersed islands, and increasing maritime and aviation traffic demand robust, coordinated rescue capacity.

Revisiting the Plan — Building SAR Capacity with Purpose

A central task for participants was to review the existing Pacific Search and Rescue Steering Committee (PacSAR) Strategic Plan 2022–2026. This plan, built on four core “pillars” — governance, coordination, operational response and prevention — has guided efforts to harmonise SAR systems across the region.

During the workshop they didn’t stop at retrospective evaluation. Delegates agreed to launch inter‑session work on the next five-year roadmap (2027–2031), aiming to further elevate rescue standards, interagency cooperation, and readiness across all Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). spc.int+1

Beyond high-level strategy, participant nations also shared national‑level progress: implementing local SAR protocols, upgrading communication infrastructure, and strengthening national coordination mechanisms — aligning them with global best practices.

Aligning with Global Standards — Why Conventions Matter

A major outcome was emphasis on aligning regional SAR operations with globally accepted legal and operational frameworks. Delegates discussed the importance of adhering to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (1979), whose adoption guarantees that sea‑rescue procedures meet international standards across borders.

Equally, participants examined how the region’s SAR efforts fit within global aviation‑maritime coordination standards: notably those set out by the IAMSAR framework from the IMO and ICAO, and incorporated within the latest Asia/Pacific SAR Plan (version 5.0, 2025) for aeronautical and maritime coordination.

By recommitting to these standards and frameworks, Pacific nations signal their intent to guarantee that every distress alert — whether from a fishing boat, cargo vessel, or aircraft — triggers a fast, coordinated, and internationally accepted response.

From Theory to Sea: Mass Rescue Exercise Tests Readiness

Strategy, agreements and frameworks are essential… but lives depend on execution. Hence, the closing moments of the workshop featured a large‑scale mass rescue exercise orchestrated by the host — the Fiji Navy along with national SAR agencies. The drill simulated a complex, multi-agency maritime disaster, involving rescue vessels, coordination centres, satellite comms, pre‑hospital teams and humanitarian response.

The mock drill served as a powerful test: could Pacific SAR systems, stretched across thousands of kilometres and many jurisdictions, operate as one? According to observers, the answer was a confident “yes.” This exercise gave real-world confidence that when disaster strikes, coordination will overcome isolation — and lives could be saved.

Shared Challenges Across the Pacific — Why Cooperation is Non-Negotiable

The Pacific Ocean is vast — covering more than 50 million square kilometres. Its many islands are small, dispersed, and often remote. This geography combines with unpredictable weather, limited resources, and varying economic capacities to make SAR operations extremely challenging.

For many smaller island states, building standalone SAR capacity is impractical. That is why the regional model championed by PacSAR is vital: cooperation, shared resources, common protocols, and mutual assistance — ensuring that when distress is signalled from remote seas, help is neither delayed nor denied.

Global Partnerships, Local Impact — Building a Culture of Rescue

International partners contributed significantly to the workshop’s success. The IMRF, for example, provided insights from global SAR operations, guidance on best practices, and facilitated data‑sharing frameworks.

The engagement of agencies such as the IMO and ICAO underscores the global nature of maritime safety, and the necessity for consistent standards regardless of where emergencies happen. The involvement of satellite communications providers and tele‑medicine services further reflects modern complexity — in remote Pacific waters, timely alerts and remote medical support can make the difference between life and tragedy. spc.int+1

For island communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on the ocean — fishermen, inter‑island travellers, coastal dwellers — the PacSAR initiative is more than bureaucratic policy. It is a lifeline.

Looking Ahead: What Comes Next for Pacific Maritime Safety

With the 2022–2026 strategic plan now mid‑way through, the commitment by all stakeholders to begin work on the 2027–2031 road map is a promising sign. The coming plan is expected to deepen coordination, expand training, improve community–level readiness, and further streamline international cooperation.

In addition, the workshop stressed the importance of increasing accession to international conventions like the SAR Convention, and accelerating implementation of the agreed regional technical arrangement — the Pacific Search and Rescue Technical Arrangement for Cooperation (SAR TAfC) — across all PICTs.

Finally, countries pledged to broaden the reach of SAR services — ensuring that even remote communities have access to distress alerting systems, rescue response, and post‑rescue support.

Pacific Promise: United for Safety, United for Life

As the final session closed, the atmosphere in Suva was one of hope, resolve and collective purpose. Across the Pacific — from the tiny atolls of Tuvalu to the vast waters around Papua New Guinea — island peoples rely on the sea. It is their livelihood, their heritage, their connection to the world. But the sea can be unforgiving.

With the 10th PacSAR Workshop, these nations chose not to leave safety to chance. They chose cooperation. They chose standards. They chose solidarity. And in that choice, they reaffirmed an enduring truth: across the Pacific, every life matters.