New York, Islands Business: The Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and Prime Minister of Tonga, Dr ‘Aisake Eke, is ramping up high-level advocacy in Washington this week, pushing for funding commitments to the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF).

Joined by Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa, Prime Minister Eke met with US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz to discuss strengthening U.S-PIF engagement, with a focus on regional security and economic priorities.

The meeting is part of a broader campaign to secure capitalisation pledges for the PRF — a Pacific-owned and Pacific-led financing mechanism designed to support community-level resilience across the region.

The United States has been a Forum Dialogue Partner since 1989.

On the sidelines of the 2025 Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), Prime Minister Eke and Secretary General Waqa also held talks with World Bank Executive Directors to discuss regional economic priorities and the need for predictable, long-term financial support.

The Forum delegation met with Wempi Saputra, who represents Southeast Asia (including Tonga and Fiji), and Robert Bruce Nicholl, who represents the Australia, Korea, Mongolia, and Pacific Island Countries (PICs) constituency.

Nicholl’s constituency includes 13 Forum Island Countries such as Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea.

Both meetings aimed to rally critical support for the Pacific Resilience Facility, as Forum Leaders continue efforts to strengthen the region’s economic stability and preparedness against climate and disaster risks.