France hosted the closing ceremony of the Pacific Partnership 2025 in Apia’s port, in the presence of Acting Prime Minister Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo and many Cabinet Ministers.
The French Embassy hosted the Pacific Partnership 2025 closing ceremony aboard the French patrol vessel Auguste Benebig docked at Apia’s port on October 31 in the presence of Acting Prime Minister Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo and many Cabinet Ministers, as well as Admiral Steve Koehler, Commander of the US Pacific fleet.
Pacific Partnership is a collaboration between the United States, France, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and the Government of Samoa, is the Pacific region’s largest annual multinational humanitarian and civic assistance mission. It included also this year stakeholders from Canada and Germany.
The closing ceremony marked the successful completion of two weeks of joint activities promoting regional resilience, security, and friendship that commenced in Samoa on October 21 with the arrival of the USS John L. Canley (ESB 6), a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base.
This year’s mission emphasized teamwork between U.S., France, Australia, New Zealand, U.K. and Samoan professionals. Key mission activities included this year, first, Engineering projects jointly completed by U.S. Navy and French engineers, such as the construction of new facilities and water systems at Magiagi Primary School and repairs to health infrastructure at Faleolo District Hospital.
Then Medical exchanges and outreach with the Ministry of Health focusing on optometry, dentistry, infectious disease prevention, neonatal care, and rural patient services.
There is also disaster management training, including a mass rescue and oil spill response exercise with Samoa’s Disaster Management Office, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Samoa Police Service and finally Community outreach, featuring a Community Health Event, concerts by the Pacific Partnership Band, school visits, and collaborations with local NGOs and universities.
Now in its 21st year, Pacific Partnership continues to strengthen regional cooperation and community resilience while fostering the long-standing relationships among partner nations throughout the Pacific.
In their remarks, French Ambassador Guillaume Lemoine and Admiral Steve Koehler acknowledged the great commitment of the Government of Samoa and their many agencies that worked together to make this success happen by having hosted and undertaken this major partnership and also to have brought together many stakeholders, national, regional and international partners.
Acting Prime Minister thanked the stakeholders for their commitment for the benefit of Samoa and the region, recalling the necessity and benefits of international cooperation.
The FNS Auguste Bénébig is one of the 8 vessels of the French Navy in the Pacific stationed both in Noumea and Papeete.
This ship, commissioned in 2023, was named after a famous French military, born and dead in New Caledonia, who behaved heroically during the battles of Northern Africa of World War II.
With these assets and its presence, France works together alongside its allies and friends in the region, for a free, open, fair, inclusive, interconnected, resilient, secure, and prosperous Pacific.
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