France Pacific Command Conducts First Pacific Coast Guard Network Seminar to Strengthen Indo-Pacific Strategy
The Commander of the Asia-Pacific and French Polynesia maritime zones, Rear Admiral Jean-Mathieu Rey, headed the first seminar conducted by the Pacific Coast Guard Network on November 15-16, 2021. This seminar was held via teleconference and has brought together representatives from 20 Pacific States and interregional agencies. This seminar enabled the strengthening of mutual knowledge and cooperation in the surveillance of exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in order to collectively respond to the challenges of the fight against trafficking and natural disasters.
This initiative is also in line with the priorities and goal of French President Emmanuel Macron to launch a coast guard network to strengthen the security links with the Oceania partners in the framework of the French strategy for a safe and open Indo-Pacific. This network is supported by the two French Pacific territories - French Polynesia and New Caledonia.
French Navy and its major contributions to this initiative
The armed forces, and more particularly the French Navy, are one of the major contributors to this function by carrying out daily maritime surveillance operations. They also carry out maritime rescue, pollution clean-up, fishing and environmental policing missions as well as the fight against illicit trafficking.
In addition, in the framework of fishery monitoring in the Asia-Pacific region, they benefit from a solid experience in terms of cooperation with several coastal countries in the scope of regional agreements (Western & Central Pacific Western Fishery Commission) in order to preserve the halieutic resources and the marine environment.
This seminar was participated by the Pacific Forum, Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Pacific Islands Regional Marine Spill Contingency Plan (PACPLAN) and Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Unseenlabs, and the European Union for the Pacific. While the participating countries include Australia, Chile, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States of America, Vanuatu, and the Philippines.
The next annual seminar will be organized in June 2022 in New Caledonia.