This year marks the 20th anniversary of the commencement of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), involving the whole of the Pacific family. The Solomon Islands Government, in partnership with the Australian Government, will commemorate the anniversary in a church service at St. Barnabas Cathedral in Honiara on Sunday, July 23rd at 3 p.m.
Members of the public are invited to attend, along with official representatives from the Solomon Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and other Pacific Island countries.
The intervention of RAMSI, at the request of the Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Sir Allan Kemakeza, marked a turning point for both the Solomon Islands and the broader region. Pacific Island countries united in an effort to bring military and policing assistance to the Solomon Islands, restoring stability and ending the violence of the tensions.
The fourteen-year RAMSI mission represented a collective endeavour by the Pacific family to lay the foundations for a stable Solomon Islands with a prosperous future.
This church service follows the Australian High Commission’s partnership with the Solomon Islands National Museum to bring local Honiara high schools to the RAMSI Exhibition over the course of July to learn about the legacy of the mission.
As Solomon Islands moves into the future, it is important that we gather to commemorate the legacy of RAMSI and remember those who lost their lives, while also expressing thanksgiving for the mission’s accomplishments in building a more secure Solomon Islands.
-MPNSCS Press