Fiji, June 8 -- Pacific nations have been urged to strengthen collective ownership of ocean governance and confront growing pressures on regional independence, with the former Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General calling for unity, resilience and greater economic self-determination.

Opening the State of the Ocean Convening in Suva on World Ocean Day, Dame Meg Taylor said the gathering reflected more than geography, but a shared identity rooted in the ocean.

"We are gathering as people of the Pacific and as people of the ocean. That is not an accident. That is a statement of who we are," she said.

Taylor traced the region's deep historical connection to the ocean, describing Pacific societies as communities of "extraordinary ingenuit...