Fostering peaceful sustainable development in the Pacific under the 2030 Agenda

The Pacific is often characterized as a subregion of relative peace because the absence of inter-State conflicts, but episodes of violence, political unrest and instability have hampered development in these island States; a “business as usual” approach to development does not guarantee that the Pacific will remain peaceful in the future. The link between peace and development is a central tenet of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, presenting an opportunity to expand on traditional concepts of development and security. In the context of Sustainable Development Goal 16 and safeguarding development gains in the Pacific, to foster peaceful sustainable development in the subregion, development approaches need to be revisited, in particular cases in which pervasive exclusion and inequality are linked to potential drivers of conflict. In the present paper, four areas are highlighted: resource scarcity; migration and displacement; urbanization; and exclusion and inequality. Climate change is a threat multiplier that is exacerbating these development challenges. In this paper, it is proposed that for Pacific island countries, policy emphasis on strengthening institutions – both formal and informal – combined with conflict-sensitive programming will go a long way towards mitigating drivers of the factors pushing conflict and realizing the intent of Sustainable Development Goal 16 as “the peace goal”. Acknowledging the limited reach of Pacific island State institutions, many such solutions need to be implemented through informal structures. At a subregional level, revisiting the Pacific Human Security Framework 2012-2015 in the context of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 16 may also offer new ways to guide and monitor peaceful development.