Nadi, 21 April — The first ever Regional Workshop on Hybrid threats and Natural Disasters in climate-stressed regions is taking place in Fiji on 21-22 April, funded by the European Union (EU), Germany and France.
Experts from 9 Pacific countries, the EU and its Member States are convening at Blackrock Camp in Nadi to analyse how hostile entities exploit vulnerabilities caused by natural disasters and climate change, with a special focus on hybrid threats including foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), transnational organised crime, and threats to critical maritime infrastructure. The 2-day workshop is co-organised by the European Union and the Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies (CISS), as part of the EU project ESIWA+ (Enhancing Security Cooperation in and with Asia and the Indo-Pacific). The event is hosted at the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Joint Task Force Command.
The Honourable Pio Tikoduadua, Minister for Defence and Veterans Affairs of the Republic of Fiji, said: “We gather at a time when the hybrid threats we confront during natural disasters are no longer defined by geography or convention. This workshop reflects that we are a team — bringing together expertise from Pacific islands and from Europe to find solutions together. Fiji has always understood the importance of partnership and is an active contributor to international peace and security. We welcome engagement with international partners such as the European Union to ensure that future solutions are grounded in Pacific realities, reflecting our priorities.”
Welcoming the 60 participants, H.E. Barbara Plinkert, Ambassador of the European Union to the Pacific, underlined that “by extending the activities of the ESIWA+ project to the Pacific, this workshop will create an invaluable network of peer-to-peer expertise between the EU and the Pacific, showing Team Europe as a credible and reliable security and defence partner for the IndoPacific region. Together, we are committed to building a resilient, stable, and secure Blue Pacific – capable of withstanding not only the shocks of nature, but also the pressures of an increasingly complex geopolitical environment. Resilience is not built alone — it is built together.” Participants included senior officials and security experts from across the Pacific, including representatives from Fiji, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Tonga, Tuvalu, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu.
The workshop marks an important step towards strengthening regional cooperation on climate related security risks and hybrid threats. Building on this exchange, partners will continue to develop practical, demand-driven responses and reinforce a shared commitment to resilience and stability in the Pacific.
Prof Dr Carlo Masala, Conference Chair, CISS, Bundeswehr University Munich, said: “There is a significant risk that foreign actors exploit disaster-induced chaos with a mix of diverse tactics of hybrid warfare. This threat must be addressed and discussed, and short-, medium- and long-term strategies developed. I therefore very much look forward to a rigorous and candid exchange with experts from academia, politics and the military — the expertise of the participating Pacific countries is indispensable in this regard.”
About the EU ESIWA+ project:
EU project ESIWA (Enhancing the EU’s Security Cooperation In and With Asia and the Indo-Pacific) has since 2020 worked across countries in the region to enhance cooperation in four thematic areas: counterterrorism and preventing violent extremism, crisis management/addressing hybrid threats, cyber security, and maritime security. Co-funded by the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), Germany, and France, the project is co-implemented by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), and by Expertise France.
