In 2023, the Prime Minister of Fiji publicly launched a proposal to secure a regional Declaration recognising the Pacific as an Ocean of Peace (OoP). The initiative has gathered momentum, with a formal declaration adopted by Pacific leaders in September 2025. Whilst driven at the elite political level, there is growing recognition among Pacific Islanders that peacebuilding efforts must also be rooted in local communities, particularly among younger generations who will carry this vision forward. Working with the Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding, a civil society organisation based in Fiji with regional reach and building on stakeholder engagement undertaken in 2024 and 2025, the authors of this article sought to understand how local communities across Fiji interpreted the OoP and its relevance to the realities of their lives. Using local arts-based methods, including Na Serekali Vaka Viti (spoken-word poetry), alongside talanoa-based dialogic methodologies, the research created spaces for collective, intergenerational dialogue on what peace means to Pacific Islanders and how the OoP might be brought to life and sustained. The project generated outputs including collaborative poems and an OoP education resource pack, which are analysed as relational and future-oriented tools for translating policy ideals into community-centred outcomes that address local needs and priorities. This paper offers a reflective account of the project’s early development, examining the ethical and methodological dimensions of delivering impact research in conflict-affected and post-colonial settings. It argues that initiatives grounded in traditional, Indigenous, and community-based intergenerational dialogue mechanisms can generate important insights into how global peacebuilding efforts can best support transformation and shared human flourishing. In doing so, it contributes to wider debates about localising and decolonising peacebuilding practice in the Pacific and beyond.
Peacebuilding scholar-practitioner based in Bogotá, Colombia
Alejandro Posada-Tellez is a peacebuilding scholar-practitioner based in Bogotá, Colombia. He holds a DPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford and leads the End of the Conflict Programme at peacebuilding organisation Rodeemos el Diálogo. He is also an Associate Fellow at the Oxford Global Society and a Fellow at the Colombian Council on International Relations. Email: aposadatellez@gmail.com.
Professor of Comparative and Plural Law at Newcastle University, UK
Sue Farran is a Professor of Comparative and Plural Law at Newcastle University, UK. In 2021–2024 she was a UKRI-funded Research Fellow at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office of the UK government providing research expertise on the Pacific. In this role she became involved in the Fiji-led initiative to declare the Pacific an Ocean of Peace and its subsequent developments. Email: sue.farran@newcastle.ac.uk.
Poet, writer, and a media and communications professional with a degree in Journalism and Psychology
Brittany L.T. Nawaqatabu is a poet, writer, and a media and communications professional with a degree in Journalism and Psychology. She works in the NGO sector, supporting advocacy and community initiatives on Pacific issues such as self-determination, nuclear justice, and deep-sea mining. She is a board member of The Poetry Shop Fiji, with a strong interest in the written and spoken word arts, with a big heart for animals. Email: brittlouise75@gmail.com.
Performing artist
James Rabuatoka is a performing artist with eight years of experience across multiple creative disciplines, including writing, acting, photography, and filmmaking. Driven by a passion for new challenges, he also loves to travel and socialise. An avid reader since childhood, he began writing at an early age. He remains a devoted fan of great music and the works of authors such as James Patterson and Clive Cussler. Email: rabuatokajames@gmail.com.
Researcher and consultant based in Aotearoa New Zealand with affiliations at the University of Auckland, London School of Economics, George Mason University, and the Medical University of South Carolina
William W. McInerney is a researcher and consultant based in Aotearoa New Zealand with affiliations at the University of Auckland, London School of Economics, George Mason University, and the Medical University of South Carolina. He received his PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge. William’s work focuses on a broad range of peacebuilding topics including education, civil society organisations, the role of philanthropy in social change, gender equality, and arts-based methods. Email: w.w.mcinerney@lse.ac.uk.