Judicial Symposium 2025 Opens In Honiara

June 19, 2025

Judicial Officers across the Pacific and international fisheries legal experts are gathering in Honiara over a three (3) days Symposium. This marks yet another significant regional event co-hosted by the Honourable Chief Justice of Solomon Islands Sir Albert R. Palmer, CBE, and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), with the last being one co-hosted in 2019.

The three-day Symposium, opened on Wednesday at the FFA Conference Centre, brings together Chief Justices, Puisne Judges, and very senior officials of the Magistracy. International legal experts and international fisheries law specialists were invited for this audience to deliver on this year’s theme “Recent Developments in International Fisheries Law”.

As fisheries issues inter-connect with other emerging developments within the space of ocean governance, Judicial Officers need to be apprised with these issues and the growing complexity that may be presented in cases that may come before the courts requiring attention to national laws and other relevant legal frameworks on fisheries and current developments of law in the fisheries space.

The symposium aims to deepen awareness and understanding of legal developments at the national, regional, and international levels, particularly in relations to fisheries governance and enforcement.

In his opening remarks, Chief Justice Albert Palmer stressed the vital role of the judiciary in managing the region’s shared marine resources.

“This gathering is a rare privilege, bringing together some of the finest legal minds from across the Pacific to deliberate on one of our region’s most critical assets: our shared fisheries and marine resources,” he said.

“It is a platform to reinforce our collective responsibility, deepen our regional legal coherence, and inspire judicial innovation in the face of emerging environmental and legal complexities.”

FFA Director-General Mr Noan Pakop, in his welcome address, highlighted the importance of strong judicial systems in protecting the Pacific’s tuna fisheries.

“Too often, discussions on fisheries management emphasise the roles of scientists or negotiators. But it is our courts that deliver rulings which not only resolve disputes but also create enduring legal precedent,” he said. “The law is the compass by which we navigate the stewardship of our ocean. And our judiciary is the anchor that ensures our course remains just, consistent, and resilient.”

Delegates will explore key international legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal and flag State obligations, enforcement challenges, responses to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, and climate change. The sessions are designed to foster open discussion, encourage regional exchange, and strengthen judicial capacity on legal matters central to the Pacific Ocean’s governance.

The Judicial Symposium is part of FFA’s long-standing commitment to support robust legal and institutional frameworks in the region. First held in 2011, and last convened in 2019, the Symposium provides a rare and valuable space for Pacific judges to engage in legal dialogue specific to the fisheries sector, in recognition of the crucial role they play in upholding the rule of law and protecting regional fisheries.

Chief Justices from Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are joined by senior judges, magistrates and officials. They were officially welcomed in a special opening ceremony, that included a choral performance in their honour.

The three-day Symposium will conclude on Friday, 20 June 2025.

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