Pacific Peoples Partnership

Identity area

Type of entity

Corporate body

Authorized form of name

Pacific Peoples Partnership

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

  • South Pacific People's Partnership

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

1975-present

History

Note provided by the organization, original at http://pacificpeoplespartnership.org/history/

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership: Four decades of Pacific action

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has been a guest upon Lekwungen territory for over forty years.

Our organization was born during a time of widespread social concern over nuclear testing in the Pacific. A small group of North Americans were motivated to act in solidarity with Pacific Island communities. They came together in 1975 to establish the South Pacific Peoples’ Foundation (SPPF), which would one day be known as Pacific Peoples’ Partnership.

A Canadian solidarity partner of the Independent and Nuclear Free Pacific Movement, SPPF’s relationships in the South Pacific accelerated with anti-nuclear activism, Indigenous empowerment movements, and the beginnings of environmental networking. SPPF carved out its niche at the forefront of a movement toward placing Indigenous community knowledge and leadership at the centre of development efforts. The organization also helped cultivate Canadian awareness of the complexity and cultural diversity of the South Pacific.

It was no small undertaking to raise the profile of Pacific issues. Most Pacific Island states had slowly achieved their independence only to find themselves either entirely ignored by the international community after WWII. Canadian foreign policy makers generally assumed there were no problems in the South Pacific—or, if there were, Australia and New Zealand would handle them. Over time, SPPF demonstrated that Pacific issues warranted more Canadian attention and that Canadians could have a positive impact in the region.

SPPF became just what it set out to be—the Canadian organization superbly knowledgeable about and connected with the Pacific Islands.

At the same time, SPPF was also situated in the territories of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. Over many years, the remarkable similarities between the pressures on Indigenous communities in the North and South Pacific became increasingly apparent.

SPPF embarked on a creative new initiative: Indigenous youth internships in the Pacific Islands. At the same time, SPPF was also working with Indigenous communities in Papua, the Indonesian-administered half of the island of New Guinea. This shift in focus beyond the South Pacific fuelled much soul-searching about the work SPPF was being called to do.

After much reflection, the more inclusive name Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) was unveiled, embracing our unique emerging role as a leader in North-South Indigenous linking. Since then, many cross-cultural exchanges of artists and youth have helped articulate a wider and more participatory vision in the development of Indigenous Pacific communities.

PPP’s forty year history is a testament to our strong vision and commitment to making an impact with our Indigenous partners. In many ways, the South Pacific is still forgotten in an increasingly globalized world. Yet with rising sea levels and climate change, this region needs the world’s attention now more than ever.

And so, as the only Canadian NGO dedicated to the peoples of the South Pacific, PPP is more committed than ever to keeping these islands on the map.

Places

Victoria BC, Canada

Legal status

Functions, occupations and activities

Mandates/sources of authority

Internal structures/genealogy

General context

Relationships area

Access points area

Subject access points

Place access points

Occupations

Control area

Authority record identifier

CAPPP

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Draft

Level of detail

Minimal

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

Sources

Maintenance notes

  • Clipboard

  • Export

  • EAC

Related subjects

Related places