The Ninth Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers (PWWM) Meeting concluded on 26 August in Honiara, with ministers from 14 Pacific Island countries and territories committing to urgent action to strengthen water and sanitation across the region.
The forum, held from 25–26 August, brought together ministers and senior representatives from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, alongside regional organisations and development partners including the Pacific Water and Wastewater Association (PWWA), the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, Australia and New Zealand.
In their communiqué, ministers reaffirmed that safe, reliable and sustainable water and sanitation are fundamental to the health, dignity, security and resilience of Pacific peoples. They highlighted the urgent need for renewed national action and regional solidarity to address access gaps, noting that nine million Pacific Islanders lack basic sanitation and five million do not have access to safe water.
The communiqué stressed that water is not only an economic issue but also a fundamental human right and a matter of regional security.
The forum emphasised the importance of resilience to climate change and natural disasters, noting the Pacific’s vulnerability to droughts, floods and other hydro-meteorological events. Ministers called for stronger investment in hydrological services, disaster preparedness and innovative infrastructure solutions to ensure water and sanitation systems can withstand these challenges.
Ministers also recognised the vital role of Pacific water and wastewater utilities, supporting continued efforts to strengthen governance, capacity and performance through peer learning and collaboration. The communiqué endorsed the creation of a Pacific Water Security Warriors programme to develop a new generation of champions advocating for water security nationally, regionally and internationally.
They also resolved to carry the Pacific’s priorities into global forums, including the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, and reaffirmed their commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6. They agreed that no Pacific Islander should be left behind in this effort.
The Tenth Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers Meeting will be hosted by French Polynesia in 2026, where progress on these commitments will be reviewed.
The 16th Pacific Water and Wastewater Conference and Expo, which runs alongside the ministers meeting, continues today and will conclude tomorrow, 28 August 2025. The Expo is showcasing the latest innovations, technologies and solutions for the region’s water and sanitation challenges.
Pacific Water Warrior Mechanism
The Solomon Islands Government, through the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, has called for the creation of a new regional advocacy initiative – the Pacific Water Warrior Mechanism – to strengthen the Pacific’s voice on water security at all levels.
Speaking at the Ninth Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers Meeting, Permanent Secretary Dr. Christopher Vehe said the initiative would empower champions from across the region, including ministers, technical leaders, women, youth and civil society. He stressed that water must be recognised not only as a technical issue but also as a political, economic, health and survival priority for the Blue Pacific.
Dr. Vehe noted that, for the first time, water will be formally placed on the agenda of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, which will be held in Honiara next month. He explained that Solomon Islands had successfully tabled a paper on water and sanitation at the recent Forum Officials Committee in Suva, paving the way for outcomes of the Ninth PWWM to be presented directly to regional leaders.
He described this as a “historic achievement” and urged fellow ministers to support elevating water to the highest political level.
The Pacific Water Warrior Mechanism is intended to drive advocacy in both regional and international forums, including the UN Water Conference in Dubai in 2026 and the World Water Forum in Riyadh in 2027.
It will also nurture a new generation of Pacific Water Warriors through training, mentoring and leadership development, in partnership with regional organisations such as the Pacific Community, the PWWA, its Young Water Professionals Programme and the Pacific Resilience Partnership Water Security Working Group.
Dr. Vehe called on ministers to endorse the mechanism as a long-term regional initiative to mobilise resources, build capacity and ensure continuity of political leadership for water security in the Pacific.
He also urged support for recognising outgoing, current and incoming PWWM chairs as champions of Pacific water security, with strong backing from regional institutions to maintain water as a priority issue in Pacific Islands Forum and United Nations processes.
Emphasising the urgency of collective action, Dr. Vehe said that without water there can be no health, food security, resilience or sustainable development. He added that Solomon Islands, as host of the Ninth PWWM, is committed to ensuring that water security remains at the centre of regional discussions and that leaders, both present and future, are empowered to carry this agenda forward.
Regional leaders have now formally endorsed the Pacific Water Warrior Mechanism, which has been included in the Ninth PWWM communiqué as a long-term initiative for the Blue Pacific.
