Spain’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Luis Planas attended the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau on 1 September 2026, where he highlighted international law and multilateral cooperation as key to addressing global challenges. In his address, he reaffirmed that Spain would align its commitment with the priorities set by Pacific states, particularly marine protection, climate adaptation and food security.
Planas praised Pacific states as “great ocean states” that manage and protect vast maritime areas. This, he said, gives rise to a shared responsibility to strengthen rules and expand cooperation. He referred to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific, which brings together the region’s long-term goals, and cited the Pacific Resilience Facility, which aims to strengthen capacity to prepare for natural disasters and climate-related risks, as a practical tool. According to the minister, Spain intends to build on existing programmes and deepen cooperation in this area.
The government sees Spain’s maritime profile as a basis for closer partnerships with island states. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food highlighted an increase in official development assistance in 2025, which is expected to provide additional scope for projects in climate-resilient infrastructure and sustainable use of the sea. The information published so far leaves specific initiatives, their scale and timelines open; according to the government, coordination with regional partners is the priority.
Spain’s participation in the Pacific Islands Forum comes amid growing geopolitical interest in the Pacific region. Competing interests in natural resources and security issues have recently broadened the regional agenda. Planas countered this with a rules-based approach aimed at strengthening international rules, transparent procedures and joint institutions. He also stressed that multilateral forums are the right setting for establishing commitments and fairly sharing the burdens climate change places on small island states.
Spain has maintained dialogue formats with countries in the region for years and supports projects on fisheries management, marine monitoring and adaptation to rising sea levels. In Palau, the minister indicated that Spain would continue along these lines and link them more closely with regional strategies. The government ties this to its aim of jointly advancing the protection of marine ecosystems, food security and resilience to climate risks.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).