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India offers customised capacity-building for Pacific Island Countries
India’s External Affairs Minister proposes customised capacity-building programmes for Pacific Island Countries (PICs) at the 2nd Foreign Ministers’ Meeting under the FIPIC framework in New York. The meeting is held alongside the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and highlights India’s ongoing initiatives with PICs across health, digital, renewable energy, space, and ocean cooperation.
India-Pacific Island Countries Cooperation:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Capacity-Building Proposal | Provides for customised training programs tailored to the specific priorities of individual PICs, participation of PIC professionals in specialized training programs in India, and development of training modules based on needs identified by each participating country. |
| Healthcare Cooperation: Hospital | Provides for establishment of a 100-bed super-specialty hospital in Fiji. |
| Healthcare Cooperation: Hemodialysis Machines | Hemodialysis machines have been supplied to: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Palau, Nauru, Kiribati, and Marshall Islands. |
| Healthcare Cooperation: Sea Ambulances | Twelve member states have requested a total of 20 sea ambulances, and delivery of the sea ambulances is anticipated by March 2027. |
| Healthcare Cooperation: Artificial Limb Camp | An artificial limb fitment camp is planned to be held in Fiji, and approximately 650 patients are expected to benefit. |
| Indian Pharmacopoeia Recognition | The Indian Pharmacopoeia has been recognized by Fiji, Nauru, and Solomon Islands. |
| Medicines Supply | Medicines have been supplied to Nauru. |
| Digital and IT Cooperation: Commitments | India has committed to establishing Centres of Excellence in Information Technology and training programs for local trainers. |
| Digital and IT Cooperation: Completion | Centres of Excellence in Information Technology and training programs for local trainers have been completed in: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands, and Marshall Islands. |
| Renewable Energy and Solarisation: Household Coverage | Provides for solarisation of 2,800 households across 14 Pacific Island countries, and these initiatives have been completed. |
| Renewable Energy and Solarisation: Women Training | Seventy women are trained as solar engineers. |
| Space and Ocean Cooperation: Proposed Institutions and Locations | Provides for a Space Technology Application Centre in Papua New Guinea, and a Sustainable Coastal and Ocean Research Institute at the University of the South Pacific. |
| Space and Ocean Cooperation: Focus Areas | Authorises cooperation across space technology applications, ocean research, coastal management, and climate-related research. |
| India-UN Development Partnership Fund: Project Status | India has implemented 20 projects through the fund, with 3 projects currently in progress. |
| India-UN Development Partnership Fund: Focus Areas | Comprises focus areas of climate change mitigation, promotion of renewable energy, advancement of sustainable development, improvement of healthcare systems, and development of water infrastructure. |
| India-UN Development Partnership Fund: Highlighted Ongoing Projects | Highlighted ongoing projects comprise: Federated States of Micronesia (health) and Tuvalu (water infrastructure). |
| Quick-Impact Projects (QIPs): Invitation | India has extended invitations to PICs to submit proposals for Quick-Impact Projects. |
| Quick-Impact Projects (QIPs): Key Features | Mandates projects designed to generate measurable impact at the community level, prioritises the utilization of local resources, and provides for Indian funding support as needed. |
| Quick-Impact Projects (QIPs): Priority Areas | Comprises priority areas of processing of locally produced goods, support for educational institutions, and community development initiatives. |
| Quick-Impact Projects (QIPs): Proposal Status | To date, proposals have been received from 7 member states. |
| India’s Wider Pacific Engagement: Platforms | Provides for cooperation with PICs through the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). |
| ISA and CDRI | International Solar Alliance provides for advancing solar energy cooperation, and CDRI provides for promoting disaster-resilient infrastructure. |
| Relevance to PICs | ISA and CDRI are particularly relevant to PICs due to heightened vulnerability to sea-level rise, extreme weather events, cyclones, and climate change. |
| 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent: India’s Position | India has formally expressed its support for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. |
| 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent: Broad Areas | Comprises broad areas of climate change mitigation and adaptation, effective ocean governance, promotion of sustainable development, enhancement of regional resilience, and strengthening of regional cooperation. |