U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks with Adi Tafuna’i, Women in Business Development, Inc., and Pacific Island Forum Secretariat Deputy Secretary for Economic Governance and Security Andie Fong Toy at the Rarotonga Dialogue on Gender Equality in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, August 31, 2012. You can read Secretary Clinton’s remarks here. [State Department photo by Ola Thorsen/ Public Domain]

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 1, 2012

On the occasion of the 43rd Pacific Islands Forum, gender equality leaders from the Pacific region held the Rarotonga Dialogue on Gender Equality in Cook Islands on August 31st. Dialogue Participants affirmed that the economic, social, and political progress of the region can only be achieved with consistent and collaborative efforts to advance gender equality and the status of women and girls, and to promote and protect their human rights. MORE

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and delegates to the Pacific Islands Forum pose for a family photo at the Cook Islands National Auditorium, August 31, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Prime Minister, thank you very much for the warm welcome that you have provided. As the first Secretary of State to make this journey, I am especially delighted and honored. I was pleased to meet with leaders of the Pacific Island Forum, member states, to attend the Pacific Island Forum, post-forum dialogue where I had a chance to reaffirm the Obama Administration’s commitment to our engagement in the Asia Pacific with an equal emphasis on the Pacific part of that phrase. The United States is very proud to be a Pacific nation, a long history in this region, and we are committed to be here for the long run. MORE 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand shake hands at the Pacific Islands Forum in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, August 31, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

More: Trip Page | Interactive Travel Map

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton travels to the Cook Islands, Indonesia, China, Timor-Leste, Brunei, and Russia, August 30-September 9.

In the Cook Islands on August 31, Secretary Clinton will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Post Forum Dialogue as part of our intensive engagement and ongoing collaboration with the Pacific Islands. Her visit will emphasize the depth and breadth of American engagement across economic, people to people, strategic, environmental, and security interests. The visit also represents a concerted effort to strengthen regional multilateral institutions, develop bilateral partnerships, and build on… more »

The United States is a Pacific nation with deep, enduring, and historic ties to the countries of the Pacific region. As the region adapts to face the challenges of the 21st century, the United States is committed to engaging closely with friends and partners in all areas - diplomatic, defense, and development – to meet those challenges. To underscore this, Deputy Secretary of State Tom Nides is leading the largest and highest-level U.S. delegation ever to participate in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Auckland, New Zealand from September 8-10. The size and scope of the delegation - which includes senior officials from the White House, Departments of State, Defense, Commerce, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Coast Guard, and the Peace Corps - demonstrate U.S. commitment to the security and economic prosperity of the Pacific. Read more here.