PIF Leaders Summit

Nauru, which is home to an Australian immigration detention centre, is hosting this year's leaders' summit, which will get under way on September 1.

Amnesty International has co-signed a joint open letter representing a coalition of 84 NGOs, which addresses Forum leaders and observers about conditions for refugees on Nauru, and also PNG's Manus Island.

Amnesty's Pacific researcher, Roshika Deo, said the system is clearly broken if children on Nauru are considering self-harm.

The Nauru government is hosting this year's leaders' summit next week.

Australia's incoming Foreign Affairs Minister, Marise Payne, has told Sky News she will be attending the Forum as her first international engagement.

The former Defence Minister said she has already spent time in the Pacific and the region is an area of some priority for her.

Ms Payne, who replaces Julie Bishop, said she is looking forward to meeting with the leaders.

The slogan for the meeting on Nauru is "Building a Strong Pacific: Our People, Our Islands, Our Will."

The Forum said the region was hampered by its lack of resources; its geography, isolation and vulnerability to disasters, while it copes with global economic system that doesn't favour small Pacific states.

It said these factors have profound impacts on the safety and well-being of its people.

The leaders have called for dialogue to continue in an open and constructive manner.

When asked whether the language in the communiqué around the issue of West Papua was weak, Samoa Prime Minister and Forum Chair, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said, no.

“It’s the most powerful wording we could find. You know these issues are very sensitive, he said at a post-Forum press conference in Apia, Samoa.

Last Wednesday, a small but vocal group of the Free West Papua movement staged a peaceful protest outside the venue of the Leaders meeting in Apia.