WHO WE ARE
Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has supporters in more than 20 countries and is the only Canadian NGO and registered charity committed to advocating for peace, justice, environmental sustainability and community-led development across the islands in the South Pacific.
- Dan Lin (2019)
OUR VISION
Our vision is to see empowered, thriving Indigenous communities across the South Pacific and Canada. An organization spanning 45 years, PPP continues to build relationships with Pacific Islander communities in Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia to support self-determined sustainable development initiatives that enable these communities to harness their own creativity and knowledge to address poverty, environmental degradation, and loss of culture.
We work directly with Pacific Islanders, as well as local and global partners. We know that the communities that we work with possess the wisdom they need to not only survive, but to thrive — which is why we center their voices in all of the work that we do.
“Few areas of the world face greater environmental degradation than the South Pacific nations. The work of the Pacific People’s Partnership with the Pacific peoples deserves the support of all who care about this region of the world.”
David Suzuki, David Suzuki Foundation
EARLY BEGINNINGS
During a period of widespread social unrest concerning nuclear testing in the Pacific, a small group of settler North Americans came together to act in solidarity with the island communities in the South Pacific. They formed the South Pacific People’s Foundation (SPPF) in 1975, which is now the Pacific People’s Partnership.
A Canadian solidarity partner of the Independent and Nuclear Free Movement, SPPF’s relationships in the South Pacific grew through anti-nuclear activism and their commitment to create space for Indigenous leadership at the centre of sustainable development efforts within the environmental movement. Newly independent after World War II, the Pacific Islands were ignored by foreign policy makers and the international community at large. Part of SPPF’s role became to cultivate an awareness in Canada about the complexity and cultural diversity of the South Pacific islanders.
"Empowering Indigenous women and girls is central to building healthy, strong, and resilient communities."
- Jesse Holland (2020)
- Jesse Holland (2020)
Today
Over time, similarities in the challenges facing Indigenous communities locally to those facing South Pacific islanders were evident. Situated on the unceded territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ, Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, SPPF became the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership and began facilitating North-South relationships with Indigenous communities across the Pacific.
PPP is honoured to support many cross-cultural exchanges between artists, youth, Elders, knowledge keepers, and others who have helped articulate a wider and more participatory vision in the development of Indigenous Pacific communities.
Our work relies on public and private funding from people like you. Your support at any level allows us to achieve our goals and empower the people and communities we partner with.