Dr. Filimon Manoni is the Pacific Ocean Commissioner.
He assumes his new role from Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna.
Prior to that Dr Manoni was appointed Deputy Secretary General at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on May 21, 2020.
Dr Manoni also held the position of International Legal Adviser at the Forum Secretariat from December 2018 and was responsible for providing legal policy advice and analysis in areas such as Ocean governance, nuclear issues and other regional issues covered by the Forum Secretariat.
Dr. Manoni has served both at the national and regional levels.
Before joining the Forum Secretariat, Dr. Manoni served as the Attorney General for the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, providing both legal and policy analysis on regional and international matters, inclusive of regional and international treaties negotiations and agreements.
Dr. Manoni also served as a Legal Adviser at the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
Dr. Manoni holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from the University of Papua New Guinea, a Masters in Law (LLM) in International Maritime Law from the International Maritime Law Institute at the University of Malta, and a Doctorate in Oceans Resources & Security, from the Australian National Centre for Oceans Resources and Security (ANCORS) University of Wollongong in NSW, Australia
The Commissioner works with Leaders in the region and across the world, with international organisations, the private sector and civil society to:
Strengthen Ocean Governance
Improve understanding of challenges and opportunities in the region
Build support for the region’s efforts to sustainably develop, manage and conserve the ocean
Strengthen coordination and collaboration between ocean stakeholders, this includes fostering inter and intra regional cooperation
Evaluate progress made against the Framework for Pacific Oceanscape and other ocean related policies and decisions.
The region’s first Pacific Ocean Commissioner was appointed by Forum Leaders in 2011, fulfilling Action 2A under the Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape (FPO). In creating this position, the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders ensured the Pacific region had a champion to provide the necessary high level representation and commitment urgently required for dedicated advocacy and attention to Pacific Ocean priorities, decisions and processes at national, regional and international levels.
Technical and scientific support for the Commissioner is also provided by the CEOs of relevant Pacific regional organisations (CROP Agencies), particularly the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) and the University of the South Pacific (USP).