The 3-Line Summary
- The 2nd Pacific IGF met in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on 17–18 May 2017 — the first Pacific IGF since the inaugural 2011 meeting in Nouméa — hosted by the Government of Vanuatu as part of its Pacific ICT Days.
- A safe and secure Internet topped the agenda: in a region where access and affordability usually dominate, cybersecurity, regional CERT building and misinformation were debated head-on.
- The meeting set the stage for APrIGF's first-ever Pacific edition, held in the same city the following year, and re-anchored Pacific voices in Internet governance.
Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on PACIGF 2017 in Port Vila draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.
📍 The catalogue lists this event in Suva, Fiji, but primary sources confirm the 2017 Pacific IGF (2nd edition) was held in Port Vila, Vanuatu. No source was found supporting a 2017 Pacific IGF in Suva, Fiji
Conference at a Glance (from official records)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | 2nd Pacific IGF — the first since the inaugural April 2011 meeting in Nouméa, New Caledonia |
| Dates | 17–18 May 2017 |
| Venue | National Convention Centre, Port Vila, Vanuatu |
| Theme | Regional governance themes |
| Participation | Open to any individual or organization, with remote participation available |
| Host | Government of Vanuatu — co-hosted by the Telecommunications and Radiocommunications Regulator (TRR) and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer — as part of Vanuatu's annual Pacific ICT Days |
(See the source list at the end of this article.)
Discussion Digest — from the Session Records
Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.
1. A Revival After Six Years — Vanuatu's Government Takes the Lead
Sessions: Pacific IGF programme within Pacific ICT Days (17–18 May)
- No Pacific IGF had been held since the 2011 inaugural meeting in Nouméa; the Government of Vanuatu was the driving force and host of this second edition [1][3][4]
- It ran as part of Vanuatu's annual Pacific ICT Days, co-hosted by the regulator (TRR) and the Government CIO's office, with PiRRC coordinating the agenda and speakers [1][3][4]
- Final arrangements were settled at the PITA (Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association) conference in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, in April 2017 [1][3][4]
2. A Safe and Secure Internet — Cybersecurity and CERTs for the Pacific
Sessions: "Safe and Secure Internet" session
"APNIC's activities in support of building Internet security capacity in the Pacific and a practical, feasible and community-driven approach for building CERTs in this region"
— Paul Wilson (APNIC) [1][2]
"In Pacific Island countries, we focus more on Internet accessibility and affordability, and there is little talk and less resources spent on Internet security"
— Joseph Haga (Solomon Islands, APNIC Fellow) [1][2]
- APNIC Fellows attending the forum named cybersecurity as the Pacific's next Internet challenge [1][2]
- Cooperation among regional cybersecurity organizations and cybercrime legislation were key talking points [1][2]
3. Misinformation and Digital Literacy — Educating Users
Sessions: Internet governance sessions and Fellows' reflections
"In PNG, 'fake news' on social media is a major challenge"
— Robertson Asari (Papua New Guinea, APNIC Fellow) [2]
"More focus should be given to educating our community and most importantly our children about how the Internet works"
— Tenanoia Simona (Tuvalu, APNIC Fellow) [2]
- Participants agreed that user awareness and education underpin a safe Internet in rapidly connecting island nations [2]
- Misinformation was framed as a community-education challenge, not only a matter for government regulation [2]
4. Growing the Multistakeholder Base — A Runway to APrIGF's First Pacific Edition
Sessions: Plenary discussions and fellowship programme
- Five APNIC Fellows from the Solomon Islands, PNG, Tuvalu, Fiji and beyond joined, bringing young island voices into governance debates [1][2][3]
- The meeting was open to any individual or organization, with remote participation — IGF-style open dialogue practised at Pacific scale [1][2][3]
- Vanuatu was already slated to host APrIGF 2018, making this forum a runway for the Pacific's growing profile [1][2][3]
Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered
Q. What kind of meeting was this?
A. A regional IGF where Pacific island governments, businesses and civil society discuss Internet issues as equals. Held once in 2011 and then dormant, it was revived after six years by the Government of Vanuatu.
Q. What was the biggest topic?
A. Cybersecurity. In islands where getting connected had always come first, the lack of investment in staying safe online was called out, and community-driven regional CERTs were proposed.
Q. Why does it matter?
A. It re-anchored Pacific voices in Internet governance and paved the way for APrIGF's first Pacific edition in 2018 — a turning point for a region central to submarine cables and cyber-capacity cooperation.
What Is PACIGF? (for first-time readers)
PACIGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.
Why It Matters to You
What was discussed here becomes the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years. The principles confirmed at the 2017 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.
Sources & References
- PacIGF begins today — APNIC Blog (accessed 2026-07-11)
- PacIGF Fellows name cybersecurity as the Pacific's next Internet challenge — APNIC Blog (accessed 2026-07-11)
- Pacific IGF (17-18 May) Update held at PITA conference — PICISOC（太平洋諸島インターネット協会支部） (accessed 2026-07-11)
- Pacific Islands Internet Governance Forum — 開催史 — Pacific IGF（公式サイト） (accessed 2026-07-11)
- Pacific IGF — intgovforum.org (accessed 2026-07-11)
Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.
Related links
- IGF official (NRI list): https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives
- Japan IGF: https://japanigf.jp/
- Yuki Nakazawa's blog: https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Revision History
Rev. 1 — published 23 June 2017, 13:00 (Article published)
Rev. 2 — updated 11 July 2026, 02:14 (Fully revised into the in-depth edition: added the 3-line summary, minutes digest, short talk, source list and diagrams (all quotes verified against the listed sources))
— 中澤祐樹
