Development Cooperation Unit

The 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent

The University of the South Pacific (USP), as a valued member of the CROP (Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific) family, plays a strategic role in advancing the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific continent. It contributes through its focus on fostering regional research, innovation, and education aimed at sustainable ocean and island development. USP supports capacity building, promotes regional and global collaboration, and provides expertise in areas such as human resource development, climate resilience, ICT, marine resources, and sustainable development. Notably, USP’s pioneering research uniquely weaves indigenous and traditional knowledge with modern scientific approaches, creating holistic solutions vital for the region’s resilience and sustainability. This integrated research is crucial for the achievement of the 2050 Blue Pacific vision, ensuring that the region’s rich cultural heritage informs sustainable development trajectories and regional policy-making, ultimately fostering a resilient, sustainable, and prosperous Blue Pacific by 2050.

 

 

Read the 2050 Strategy

USP's CROP Contributions and Collaborations

The Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) is a ground-breaking regional initiative designed to support 15 Pacific countries address their ongoing challenges to improving the quality of education; USP plays an integral role as the host of the PacREF Facilitating Unit, demonstrating its strong commitment to advancing the framework’s goals. As the sole regional university in the Pacific, USP actively supports this regional effort initiated by Pacific Education Ministers, emphasising the importance of collaboration to achieve sustainable development goal SDG4 on quality education.

 

The USP Centre for Sustainable Futures (CSF) is strategically designed to be a cornerstone of USP’s contribution to the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy by cultivating climate experts, and integrating indigenous knowledge with modern science, promoting marine stewardship, and climate-resilient decisions. The center achieves this through education, promoting collaboration, providing evidence-based research, a gender equality, and aims to build stronger leadership and innovation which allows the USP to promote the strategy’s goals for a secure and inclusive Blue Pacific region.

Established at The University of the South Pacific in 2023, The Pacific Dialogue is a Track Two initiative dedicated to fostering informed discussion and policy-relevant research on the geopolitical and security challenges facing the Pacific region. The Pacific Dialogue annually convenes a diverse group of participants – including current and former officials, academics, researchers, and civil society representatives – to build trust, enhance mutual understanding, and deepen strategic insight. In addition, The Pacific Dialogue publishes a Discussion Paper series which advances new thinking on critical geopolitical and security issues.

The Dialogue provides a platform for independent, innovative, and practical policy thinking that supports regional security efforts and complements formal diplomatic and intergovernmental processes. In addition to generating actionable ideas and options, The Pacific Dialogue is committed to providing a forum for the next generation of Pacific leaders and thinkers.

The rebranding of the Ministerial forum from the Forum Education Ministers Meeting (FEdMM) to the Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) signifies a shift in hosting responsibilities from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) to the University of the South Pacific (USP), which hosts the Pacific Regional Education Framework Facilitation Unit (PacREF PFU). CPEM convenes Education Ministers, senior officials, educators, development partners, and policymakers from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, as well as Australia and New Zealand. This high-level event aims to address key education priorities aligned with the Pacific Regional Education Framework and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. The Government of Papua New Guinea hosted the 2025 CPEM through it’s Ministry of Education in partnership with USP, continuing the tradition of regional collaboration. The inaugural CPEM took place from March 20–23, 2023, in Auckland, New Zealand, focusing on key issues such as education financing, quality, resilience, inclusion, and equity. 

The University of the South Pacific (USP) leverages its co-chairmanship of the Pacific Islands Universities Regional Network (PIURN) to strengthen its position as the premier higher education institution in the region. Through PIURN, USP drives collaborative initiatives that address critical regional challenges, enhances research and training, and supports the goals of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, solidifying its role as a key enabler of sustainable development across the Pacific.

In 2024, USP demonstrated its commitment to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific by serving as the Lead Agency for regional leadership development programs and supporting digital inclusion efforts. Specifically, USP led the development of leadership capacity-building initiatives focused on inclusivity, supported efforts to bridge the gender digital divide, lead charge on education via the People-Centered Development and played a key supporting role in initiatives to strengthen climate change efforts by facilitating early warning and climate finance initiatives, thus contributing to the Strategy’s goals of a secure, inclusive, and sustainably developed Blue Pacific region.

The Thematic Advisory Groups (TAGs) serve as the technical coordination arms for the 2050 Strategy, responsible for collaborating with agencies, monitoring progress, developing implementation plans, and providing strategic advice to leaders. USP actively contributes to this framework by holding key Deputy Chair positions in the areas of Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security, People-Centered Development, and Climate Change and Disaster. These leadership roles enable USP to directly influence the development and implementation of strategies within these critical areas of the 2050 Strategy, ensuring that USP is working towards regional support.