On September 18th, YCAPS hosted a symposium on Pacific maritime governance as part of its larger collaborative research project titled "Opportunities for International Cooperation toward Improving Maritime Governance and Law Enforcement in the Pacific". This project is supported by the Japan Transport and Tourism Reseach Institute (JTTRI) and is aimed at improving maritime governance and law enforcement in the Pacific region, where Pacific Island nations face unique challenges due to limited resources and vast territorial waters. The symposium gathered the project's expert contributors to discuss potential solutions for enhancing maritime governance and addressing key issues in this strategically important region.
During the symposium, contributors engaged in a dynamic exchange of ideas, sharing insights from their ongoing research and discussing their individual contributions to the project. The discussions provided an opportunity for participants to give each other feedback, refining their approaches to the complex issues of maritime governance in the Pacific. Much of the conversation emphasized the potential for international cooperation in addressing the unique challenges faced by the Pacific region. The event was chaired by expert contributor to the project and YCAPS research fellow Scott Edwards.
Those participating in the research project are:
Team Members
Constantine Panayiotou, American Chamber of Commerce Fiji/YCAPS (Principal Investigator)
John Bradford, YCAPS (Project Supervisor)
Gabriela Wurst, YCAPS (Project Coordinator)
Expert Contributors
Maima Koro, Pacific Research Fellow for the Regional Perspectives Project, University of Adelaide (Pacific Island Concerns & Sensitivities Related to Cooperation with Global Powers)
Transform Aqorau, CEO, iTuna Intel (Maritime Threats in the Pacific)
Daniel Mandell, Former legal advisor, governmentof Palau (Legal Barriers Related to Cooperation with Global Powers)
Anthony Bergin, Senior Research Fellow at the National Security College, Australian National University (Australian Contributions)
Céline Pajon, Coordinator of the Program on Pacific Islands, IFRI (French Contributions)
Yurika Iishii, National Defense Academy, Japan (Japan Contributions)
Henrietta McNeill, Research Fellow (Pacific Security, Geopolitics, Regionalism), Coral Bell School of Asia-Pacific Affairs, Australian National University (New Zealand Contributions)
Wooyeal Paik, Professor of Political Science and International Studies, Yonsei University (ROK Contributions)
Scott Edwards, Free & Open Indo-Pacific Fellow, YCAPS (UK Contributions)
Wade Jones, Pacific Islands Program Officer, US Institute for Peace (USA Contributions)
Brian Waidelich, Research Scientist at CNA Corporation and President, YCAPS USA (PRC Contributions)
Project Advisor
Jenna Heavenrich Lindeke, Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, Ocean Policy Research Institute
Collaboration with JTTRI
Previously, JTTRI has supported YCAPS research on Coast Guard cooperation and maritime security capacity-building best practices.