SOUTH PACIFIC FORUM

organization established in 1971 to provide a forum for heads of government to discuss common issues and problems facing independent and self-governing states of the South Pacific. Headquartered in Suva, Fiji, the forum includes Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western Samoa. At the initial meeting in 1971, senior officials recommended that a permanent bureau be established to deal with economic matters. In 1972 this motion was approved. The resulting group, the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation, which was established in April 1973, aims to facilitate member cooperation on trade, tourism, transportation, and economic development.