Nadi, Fiji – 14 August 2025 – Around 200 Pacific Island leaders, policymakers, and partners gathered for Pacific Cyber Week 2025 on 11-14 August in Nadi, reaffirming a united call for practical solutions, stronger collaboration, and regionally driven cyber resilience.

The event builds on the Pacific Islands Forum’s decision to consolidate cybersecurity initiatives into one coordinated platform, following recommendations from the Pacific Cyber Capacity Building and Coordination Conference in 2023. This year’s gathering was jointly organized by the Oceania Cyber Security Centre and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, with support from the Partners in the Blue Pacific: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Opening the conference, Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications, Hon. Manoa Kamikamica, stressed the urgency of collective action:

“By deepening collaboration, we can better protect critical sectors, share threat intelligence and knowledge, and build a safer digital environment for the Pacific. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Discussions underscored the shift from symbolic engagement to tangible outcomes. Pacific nations are calling for practical tools and infrastructure, co-designed partnerships, accountability from global platforms, strengthened cyber sovereignty, and coordinated regional approaches to build resilient and equitable digital security.

The outcomes of Pacific Cyber Week directly advance the Lagatoi Declaration Action Plan endorsed by Forum ICT Ministers:

• Priority Area 4: Digital Security and Trust – Building confidence in digital services through secure infrastructure and policy frameworks.
• Priority Area 5: Digital Capacity Building and Skills Development – Moving beyond workshops to develop skilled local cyber teams and culturally sensitive user protection.
• Priority Area 6: Regional Cooperation and Representation – Strengthening cross-border collaboration and ensuring Pacific voices shape global cyber governance.

Delegates highlighted that the Pacific must lead its own cyber capacity building journey, shifting from donor-led models to regionally co-designed strategies. This includes developing a common framework, sharing knowledge and tools, and strengthening networks of professionals across the region. These collectively highlights a clear takeaway from the event, that if we want a safer and more resilient Pacific, we must provide solutions that are practical, sustainable, and locally owned, rather than just superficial training.

Pacific Cyber Week 2025 marks a significant step forward, ensuring that the Pacific’s digital future is not only resilient but also secure, inclusive, and owned by the region. This work falls under the wings of the Pacific E-commerce Initiative as it is aligned with the Pacific Regional E-commerce Strategy and Roadmap’s Measure 4.1.2 ‘Adopt other relevant laws and regulations increasing confidence for consumers and businesses and predictability of E-commerce’, and Measure 6.2.3 ‘Accelerate business and consumers readiness to pre-empt or mitigate cybersecurity and cyber safety risks’.