Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has admitted that Fiji has not yet paid what it owes to the University of the South Pacific.

The Prime Minister stressed this while opening the 100th USP Council meeting underway in Nadi.

Rabuka told the council he checked with his office while on the way to the meeting and was informed that Fiji’s outstanding dues remain unsettled.

“On my way here I realized that Fiji had a debt… I almost turned back when they said we haven’t.”

Despite this, Rabuka assured the region that Fiji remains fully committed to USP’s stability, financial sustainability and academic excellence, calling the institution a pillar of Pacific unity.

He urged the Council to use its 100th meeting as a moment to “reset and step up,” strengthening governance and rebuilding trust as the university undergoes leadership transitions.

“This moment is not a pause for USP— it is simultaneously a reset and a step up.”

Rabuka highlighted USP’s critical role in advancing Pacific regionalism, saying the university has shaped generations of leaders, scholars, climate activists, and policymakers who now guide national and regional institutions.

He also reminded the council that USP has been a driver of global climate influence, referencing the student-led campaign that led to the historic International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change.

“USP is one of the clearest examples of Pacific regionalism at its best—where our collective effort becomes stronger than what any of us could imagine.”

The Prime Minister reaffirmed Fiji’s “enduring support” for USP as the region’s leading academic and research institution, adding that the university remains central to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and to preserving the region as an “Ocean of Peace.”

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