Recognizing and reaffirming the strong relationship between the United States and the Pacific Islands.

Whereas the Pacific Islands are home to roughly 10,000,000 residents, including over 8,600,000 in Papua New Guinea, constituting diverse and dynamic cultures and peoples; Whereas the people of the Pacific Islands are spread across an expanse of the Pacific Ocean equivalent to 15 percent of the Earth’s surface, including the three subregions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia; Whereas the United States is a Pacific country with ties that span over 150 years and shared values and interests with the Pacific Islands, including through the Compacts of Free Association with the Freely Associated States, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau; Whereas the United States and Pacific Island nations are bound by shared interests and values, including— (1) the need to combat climate change and rising sea levels; (2) the desire to see a prosperous Pacific region free from coercion; (3) a commitment to protecting regional peace and security that fully respects the sovereignty of all nations; (4) advancing economic prosperity free from coercion through trade and sustainable development; and (5) supporting democracy, good governance, the rule of law and human rights, and fundamental freedoms; Whereas the United States exports over $400,000,000 in goods to Pacific Island countries, and two-way trade between the United States and Pacific Island countries amounts to nearly $832,000,000 in a year; Whereas the United States launched the Small and Less Populous Island Economies Initiative in March 2021 to strengthen United States collaboration with island countries and territories, including in the Pacific Islands, on COVID–19 economic challenges, long-term economic development, climate change, and other shared interests; Whereas successive United States administrations have recognized the importance of the Pacific region, including the Pacific Islands, in high-level strategic documents, including— (1) the 2015 National Security Strategy; (2) the 2017 National Security Strategy; (3) the 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report, which identified the Pacific Islands as critical to U.S. strategy because of our shared values, interests and commitments (4) the 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy, which stated that the United States will seek to be an indispensable partner to Pacific Island nations Whereas the United States has deepened its diplomatic engagement with the Pacific Islands through several recent initiatives, including the Pacific Pledge that provided an additional $100,000,000 in 2019 and $200,000,000 in 2020, on top of the approximately $350,000,000 that the United States provides annually to the region to support shared priorities in economic and human development, climate change, and more; and Whereas the Pacific Islands matter for America, and America matters for the Pacific Islands: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) affirms the importance of the United States relationship with the Pacific Islands and recognizes the importance of United States-Pacific Island partnerships to promote peace, security, and prosperity for all countries through a rules-based regional order that respects the sovereignty and political independence of all nations; (2) urges the Biden administration to continue to work with the Pacific Islands to— (A) preserve the Pacific Ocean as an open and vibrant corridor for international maritime trade; (B) promote trade and sustainable development; and (C) address socioeconomic challenges related to public health, education, renewable energy, digital connectivity, and more; (3) reaffirms its support for regional efforts to address the challenges posed by climate change, including by strengthening resilience to natural disasters and through responsible stewardship of natural resources; (4) continues its support of the vision, values, and objectives of existing regional multilateral institutions and frameworks, such as the Pacific Islands Forum, the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders, and the Pacific Community, including the— (A) 2014 Framework for Pacific Regionalism; (B) 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security; and (C) Boe Declaration Action Plan; and (5) recognizes the importance of working closely with United States allies and partners with existing relationships and interests in the Pacific Islands, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan, in advancing common goals.

Summary: This resolution affirms the importance of the U.S. relationship with the Pacific Islands and recognizes the importance of U.S.-Pacific Island partnerships to promote peace, security, and prosperity for all countries through a rules-based regional order that respects the sovereignty and political independence of all nations. The resolution urges the Biden Administration to continue to work with the Pacific Islands to preserve the Pacific Ocean as an open and vibrant corridor for international maritime trade; promote sustainable development; and address socioeconomic challenges related to public health, education, renewable energy, and digital connectivity. The resolution reaffirms the support of the House of Representatives for (1) regional efforts to address the challenges posed by climate change; and (2) the vision, values, and objectives of existing regional multilateral institutions and frameworks, such as the Pacific Islands Forum, the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders, and the Pacific Community. Finally, the resolution recognizes the importance of working closely with U.S. allies and partners with existing relationships and interests in the Pacific Islands, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan, in advancing common goals.