strategic vision

Type: Regional Consultative Process (regions covered: Pacific)

Established: 1996

Objectives:

The Pacific Immigration Development Community (PIDC) is a forum for official immigration agencies of the Pacific Region, enabling the Heads of the Participating States’ immigration agencies to discuss issues of mutual interest and to foster multilateral co-operation to strengthen the members' territorial borders and the integrity of their entry systems with the ultimate goal to build and enhance quality immigration and border management practices across the Pacific region.

PIDCs' approach and work in the region is underpinned by its core values of commitment, openness, family and teamwork, trust and respect, integrity, innovation and flexibility, good governance, rule of law and leadership. Members are at all times expected to uphold these values and inspire those they serve.

Membership of the PIDC is open to all official government immigration agencies within Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and includes Australia and New Zealand. Immigration departments that have signed the PIDC Memorandum of Understanding to become members include: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna. 

PIDC vision

Secure international movement of people for safe and prosperous Pacific Communities.

PIDC Mission

Strengthen Pacific border integrity and promote economic prosperity through regional collaboration, modernisation, facilitating secure, seamless, and efficient international movement of people.

PIDC's strategic objectives are:

  • Enhance national immigration border to contribute to international security;
  • Facilitate cross border travel to support social and economic development; and
  • Collaborate to create effective national immigration agencies.


PIDC key areas of work:

  • Developing and harmonising immigration policy and legislation across the region to meet international standards
  • Collating, exchanging and analysing targeted information to build a clear picture of regular and irregular migration in the Pacific and support evidence-based policy
  • Representing the views of Pacific immigration agencies at regional and international forums, and collaborating with partner agencies
  • Ensuring immigration officials are equipped with the skills and tools to manage borders in the region and prevent immigration and related crime


Current Thematic Focus

Specific areas of discussion include:

  • Asylum and refugees
  • Border management
  • Combatting migrant smuggling
  • Counter-trafficking
  • Labour migration
  • Migration data
  • Migration policy and legislation


Chairing Country

  • Current Chair: Solomon Islands (2024-2025)
  • Past Chairs: Vanuatu (2023-2024), Papua New Guinea (2022-2023) Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, the Marshall Islands

PIDC Board

PIDC Board, comprising eight members, including a dedicated representative of the smaller Pacific Island States, is elected annually at the Annual Conference for a one-year term. The PIDC Board is a permanent subsidiary body of the PIDC and is mandated through the PIDC Constitution to act on behalf of the PIDC to provide governance oversight of the day-to-day operational activity of the PIDC Secretariat, other PIDC Subsidiary Bodies and Sub-committees.

The Board meets three times per year (in February, November and a day immediately prior to the Annual Conference) to monitor the implementation of the PIDC annual work plan.

Secretariat

PIDC Secretariat is based in Apia, Samoa and is responsible for progressing PIDC’s work between Annual Conferences and meeting objectives under the PIDC 3-year Strategic Plan. PIDC operates as a legal entity status in Samoa and has been provided diplomatic privileges under its headquarters agreement with the Samoan Government.

Members

21 Member States and territories

  • American Samoa
  • Australia
  • Cook Islands
  • Micronesia
  • Fiji
  • French Polynesia
  • Kiribati
  • Marshall Islands
  • Nauru
  • New Zealand
  • New Caledonia
  • Niue
  • Palau
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Samoa
  • Solomon Islands
  • Tokelau
  • Tonga
  • Tuvalu
  • Vanuatu
  • Wallis and Futuna Islands

Note: Founding Members: Australia, the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa.

Observers

2 Observer States

  • Canada (through Canadian Border Servic es (CBS) and Canada Immigration and Citizenship)
  • USA (through US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE))  

Observer Organizations (7 Organizations)

  • African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Intra-Migration Facility
  • International Air Transport Association (IATA)
  • International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP)
  • Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat ( PIFS)
  • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
  • United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Meetings

The Annual Pacific Immigration Directors’ Conference takes place from May to June period each year.

  • June 25-27, 2024, Honiara, Solomon Islands, 26th Regular Annual Meeting
  • June 24, 2024, Honiara, Solomon Islands, PIDC Board Meeting
  • March 18-22, 2024, Apia, Samoa, Regional Workshop for National Contact Points, Profile Contact Group, and Maritime Contact Group
  • March 14-15, 2024, Apia, Samoa, PIDC Board Meeting
  • June 20-22, 2023, Port Vila, Vanuatu, PIDC 25th Regular Annual Meeting
  • August 8-10, 2022, Nadi, Fiji, PIDC 24th Regular Annual Meeting “Overcoming challenges, building resilience”
  • June 29-30, 2021, Virtual Event, PIDC Regular Annual Meeting (RAM)
  • June 24-25, 2021, Virtual Event, PIDC 47th Board Meeting (Teleconference)June 4-6, 2019, Rarotonga, Cook Islands , Pacific Immigration Development Community Regular Annual Conference
  • June 26-28, 2018 Nadi, Fiji, 21st Pacific Immigration Directors Annual Conference “Climate Change and Migration”
  • June 25, 2018, Fiji, PIDC Board Meeting
  • March 6-9, 2018, Apia, Samoa , Second Executive Leadership and Management Training “Strengthening Immigration Leadership in the Pacific”
  • June 20-23, 2017, Apia, Samoa, 20th Annual Pacific Immigration Directors Conference “Our Waka: Advancing Approaches to Regional Migration Challenges for a Safe and Prosperous Pacific ”
  • June 19, 2017, Apia, Samoa, PIDC Board Meeting
  • February 27, 2017, Palau, PIDC Board Meeting
  • July 19-21, 2016, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 19th Pacific Immigration Directors' Conference (PIDC) “New Beginning and Growth” [ Communiqué ]
  • July 28-30, 2015, Apia, Samoa, 18th PIDC “Our Voyage towards Tomorrow”
  • April 29 - May 01, 2014, Kokopo, Papua New Guinea, 17th Pacific Immigration Directors' Conference (PIDC) “Economic Growth and National Development through Skilled Entry Programs” [ Press release ]
  • November 21 - 23, 2012, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 16th Pacific Immigration Directors' Conference (PIDC) “Securing Pacific Oceanic Gateways through Effective Use of Information” [ Communiqué ]
  • October 30 - November 02, 2011, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, 15th Pacific Immigration Directors' Conference (PIDC) “Good Governance, Strong Laws, Secure Borders” [ Release ]
  • October 19-20, 2010, Port Vila, Vanuatu, 14th PIDC “Consolidating PIDC status as a valuable entity” [ Release ]
  • October 6 -8, 2009, Sydney, Australia, 13th IPDC “Focus on the Future” [ Release ]
  • September 16-18, 2008, Brisbane, Australia, 12th IPDC [ Release ]
  • August 15-17, 2007, Samoa, 11th PIDC
  • October 17 - 19, 2006, Wellington, New Zealand, 10th PIDC [ Communiqué ]
  • August 30 - September 01, 2005, Nadi, the Republic of Fiji, 9th PIDC [Communiqué ]
  • September 8-10, 2004, Republic of Palau, 8th PIDC [ Communiqué ]
  • September 10-12, 2003, Nuku'alofa, Kingdom of Tonga, 7th PIDC [ Communiqué ]
  • September 17 -19, 2002, Niue, 6th PIDC [ Communiqué ]
  • November 13-15, 2001, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 5th PIDC [ Communiqué ]
  • October 30 - November 1, 2000, Norfolk Island, 4th PIDC
  • December 6-8, 1999, Norfolk Island, 3rd PIDC [ Communiqué]
  • April 1997, Samoa, 2nd PIDC
  • October 28-30, 1996, Suva, Fiji, 1st PIDC Conference

 

Documents
Contact Information

Pacific Immigration Directors Conference Secretariat
Level 3, Development Bank of Samoa Building
PO Box 1881, Apia, Samoa
Phone: (685) 29107
Email: info@pidcsec.org

Website
http://www.pidcsec.org

Related Links

 

Related Links

Inter-State Consultation Mechanisms on Migration
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Inter-State Consultation Mechanisms on Migration
Global processes on Migration
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Global processes on Migration
Regional Consultative Processes on Migration
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Regional Consultative Processes on Migration
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Global RCP Meetings
PDF
12 Jul 2018
PIDC Printable Map
WEBSITE
PIDC webpage

Documents

WEBSITE
Background to the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) and the Temporary Movement of Natural Persons (TMNP) scheme
WEBSITE
Understanding People Smuggling and Human Trafficking (No.2/2010)
WEBSITE
Disaster response and the role of Immigration (No.1/2010)
WEBSITE
Immigration legislation of PIDC Member States