Honiara, Solomon Islands, 07–11 July 2025 – The g7+ Secretariat, led by Dr. Helder da Costa, General Secretary of the g7+, facilitated a Peer Learning Mission to the Solomon Islands, bringing a delegation from Timor-Leste headed by H.E. Francisco da Costa Monteiro, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Timor-Leste. The mission, part of the g7+ Fragile-to-Fragile (F2F) Cooperation initiative, aimed to facilitate the exchange of experiences among g7+ countries in the area of natural resource management.
Throughout the mission, the g7+ delegation held a series of bilateral meetings, including with the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, and the Minister of Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs.
A key highlight of the visit was a joint seminar organized by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Timor-Leste and the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification of the Solomon Islands, entitled “Building Regional Partnership through Peer Learning and Sharing of Experience on Natural Resource Management”, held in Honiara on 09 July 2025.
The seminar provided a platform to share lessons learned and best practices in natural resource management particularly in the mining sector, with the goal of strengthening ministerial collaboration and exploring opportunities for future partnerships.
In his welcoming remarks, Hon. Derrick Rawcliff Manuari, the Minister of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification of the Solomon Islands thanked the g7+ Secretariat and the Government of Timor-Leste for initiating efforts to promote regional cooperation through the F2F Cooperation framework. He underscored the importance of mutual learning, noting that peer exchange reflects the lived realities and shared challenges of g7+ member countries. He expressed hope that the mission would foster unity and solidarity through practical collaboration.
In his opening remarks, H.E. Francisco da Costa Monteiro, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Timor-Leste, conveyed appreciation to the Government of the Solomon Islands for their warm hospitality. He emphasized the importance of collaboration to ensure that natural resource development delivers maximum benefits for the people, and expressed hope that the visit would mark the beginning of a strong partnership rooted in peer learning and shared experience, particularly in the mining sector.
Dr. Helder da Costa emphasized that the g7+ Fragile-to-Fragile Cooperation Framework, a key outcome of the g7+ Ministerial Meeting held in Dili, Timor-Leste in April 2025, identifies natural resource management as a priority theme for peer learning and cooperation. He expressed optimism that the mission would lead to concrete partnerships between the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, and that this collaborative model could be adapted across other g7+ member states.
Both the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste are richly endowed with natural resources. The mission served as a valuable opportunity to exchange national perspectives on sustainable resource development, tailored to each country’s priorities, with the aim of enhancing livelihoods and building long-term resilience.
The visit also opened pathways for strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in natural resource governance as a key driver of sustainable development.
The mission concluded with an agreement between the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Timor-Lesteand the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification of the Solomon Islands to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining areas of collaboration in the mining sector. Focal points from both countries, along with representatives from the g7+ Secretariat, were appointed to facilitate follow-up discussions on this proposed initiative.