PM Modi attended FIPIC summit in Papua New Guinea

Tags: Summits International News

PM Modi attended the third India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit in Papua New Guinea 23 May. 14 countries from the Pacific Islands (PICs) attended the summit.

An overview of the news

•  The summit was led by Papua New Guinea's PM James Marape and PM Modi. 

• As part of India's Act East Policy, the Prime Minister of India announced a 12-point development plan for the Pacific Island Nations.

• The 12-point development plan focuses on a number of areas including health care, renewable energy and cyber security.

• The two leaders also launched a translation of the Tamil classic ‘Thirukkural’ to the Tok Pisin language of Papua New Guinea. 

• The translated book is co-authored by linguist Subha Sasindran and Sasindran Muthuvel, Governor of West New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea. 

PM Modi's 12-point action plan

• A 100-bed regional super specialty hospital in Fiji

• Setting up a regional IT and cyber security training hub in Papua New Guinea

• Sagar Amrut Scholarships-100 scholarships in the next five years

• Jaipur foot camp in Papua New Guinea in 2023

• FIPIC SME development project, 

• A solar project for government buildings

• Provide desalination units for drinking water

• Supply sea ambulances

• Set up dialysis unit

• Emergency helpline number

• Set up Jan Aushadi kendras

• Set up yoga centres.

Pacific Island nations 

• The Pacific Islands are island geographic regions of the Pacific Ocean.

• Pacific Island nations include the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

About India Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)

• It was launched during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Fiji in November 2014.

• FIPIC includes India and 14 of the island countries – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

About FIPIC summit

• FIPIC-I, in 2014, took place at Suva, Fiji’s capital city.

• India announced various development assistance initiatives and other cooperation projects in areas of climate change, trade, economy, telemedicine and tele education, IT, grants for community development projects, etc.

• FIPIC-II summit took place in 2015 in Jaipur.

• In 2019, the Leaders of the Indo-Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) meeting (consisting of delegations from 12 of the 14 Pacific Island countries) was held in New York on September 24, 2019.