Asia Regional Integration Center

The Pacific Islands Forum represents Heads of Government of all the independent and self-governing Pacific Island countries, Australia and New Zealand. The 16 members of the Pacific Islands Forum include Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The South Pacific Forum Economic Ministers Meeting endorsed a proposal for a Pacific Regional Trade Agreement in July 1997. On 18 August 2001, the leaders signed the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) and the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) at the 32nd Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru.