Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — “After more than a decade as an observer, I am happy to announce that American Samoa has joined its brothers and sisters at the table of the Pacific Islands Forum,” Governor Lemanu P. S. Mauga said last week after American Samoa’s application for Associate Member of the Pacific Islands Forum was approved by forum leaders during the meeting the governor attended in Tonga.

US territories Guam and American Samoa are now associate members of the Pacific Islands Forum, with the latest leaders’ meeting seeing their status elevated from observers.

The 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting concluded last week in Tonga, having addressed key regional issues and strengthened ties across the Pacific.

Both US territories presented applications to the forum and were considered for associate membership status, chair Mark Brown told media at the PIF foreign minsters’ meeting a few weeks ago.

Brown told media at the PIFLM’s final press conference in Tonga where Guam and America Samoa’s engagement in the forum will be guided by the 2025 associate member policy until the conclusion of the regional architecture review.

“In terms of the smaller islands states this is the sub-grouping of our members of the forum that was established over 30 years ago to recognize the unique challenges.

“In the coming year we will see an elevated visibility on the smaller Island states.”

American Samoa’s Governor Lemanu P.S. Mauga was in Tonga for the PIF Leaders’ Meeting when its application to be an associate member of the PIF was approved. 

In the proposed ASG FY2025 budget, under Special Programs with the Governor’s Office, a request of $200,000 is listed for the Pacific Island Forum. There is no breakdown of the amount — does it include travel to meetings or is it the total for membership in the PIF?

Gov. Lemanu has noted that “this membership will allow us to work with all the leaders of the Pacific to address our common challenges as part of the Blue Pacific Continent,” in a press release announcing American Samoa’s change of PIF status.

Prior to this, American Samoa held an observer status, which the US has supported for all US territories — Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Marianas — since granted by the Forum in 2011, under the State Department’s request.

In a State Department document, it stated that “a territory cannot represent itself in any international body if the rules of that body do not allow for such participation.”

It goes on to note that “U.S. territories would not qualify to be members of the PIF as they are not independent and self-governing Pacific Island countries.”

Former Gov. Togiola Tulafono was the sitting governor at the time the Forum granted observer status to American Samoa, saying at the time that the territory “will enjoy the chance to come back to what he calls the Pacific family,” and that “it is important for the Pacific territories to be part of that dialogue.”

During the passage of the PIF resolution by the Fono, last month August, supporting the Lemanu’s administration’s application for associate membership, Togiola spoke of his efforts to get a ‘seat’ at the Forum — he went at least four times to Washington D.C. — and under then State Department Secretary Hillary Clinton, Am. Samoa was given the okay to take an observer seat.

He said at the time, the Forum also advised that it would be good to take the next step, to become an associate member. He pointed out that as an associate Am. Samoa can speak at the Forum, even though they cannot vote — but their ‘voice’ can be heard on matters pertaining to Pacific issues.

And with the Lemanu administration receiving US approval, under State Department Secretary Blinken, of its application for the Forum associate membership, Togiola said it was an important step in the relationship with our Pacific family.

During the resolution discussion, Senate President Tuaolo Fruean also mentioned that the next step would be to become a full member of the Forum.

Samoa News notes that two of the French territories — French Polynesia and New Caledonia — are part of the Forum’s 18 full members.

(Sources: Te Ao News, talanei.com, Samoa News archives, uTube archives, ASG)