Pacific Islands Forum (Palau): Smaller Island States leaders kicked off the 55th Pacific Islands Forum week with a united push for action on health workforce support, fisheries development, transport, regional procurement, and climate finance access, with Palau’s Surangel Whipps Jr. taking the SIS chair role and Kiribati’s Taneti Maamau handing over. Niue–PNG cooperation: Niue Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi and PNG PM James Marape signed a framework agreement to deepen development and technical cooperation, explicitly including health and food security among priority areas. Regional attendance gaps: New Zealand’s Winston Peters said some Pacific leaders are missing from the Forum for reasons including health, leaving “empty chairs” but not weakening the importance of the meeting. Niue remembrance: Niue received 39 First World War memorial headstones for Niuean servicemen, with families set to install them across villages—an important health-and-community moment for remembrance and wellbeing.