Former Hawai‘i Governor George Ariyoshi Honored For Pacific Statecraft

Former Hawai‘i Governor George Ariyoshi was honored yesterday evening in a ceremony at the East-West Center presenting him with the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders’ Loulou Award for his significant contributions to regional relations across the Pacific Islands.

The Hawaiian word ‘loulou’ can refer to the act of linking or "hooking" together, and the award itself is a large glass sculpture in the shape of a deep Pacific-blue fish hook. The award was bestowed on Ariyoshi by the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders, or PICL, a regional forum of heads of government from 20 nations, states, and territories across the Pacific. Ariyoshi helped cofound the forum in 1980 along with the late Fijian statesman Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, who has been the only other recipient of this award thus far, receiving it posthumously in 2022.

The Loulou Award was presented to Ariyoshi on behalf of the PICL by Dr. Mary Hattori, Director of the Pacific Islands Development Program at EWC, which serves as the forum’s official secretariat. "We honor with deep gratitude Governor Ariyoshi as a forefather of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders, alongside Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara,” Hattori said. “In the 1980s, they recognized the need for inclusivity of all Pacific peoples, creating a space where all voices can be heard. This symbolic weaving of people and places serves as the origins of the Pacific Islands Development Program and a long and prestigious genealogy of Pacific leaders. We present Governor Ariyoshi this award as a humble recognition of his vision and work that continue to bring the Pacific together."

Also presenting the award were East-West Center President Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum and former Hawai‘i Gov. John Waihe‘e, a current member of the East-West Center Board of Governors who served as Ariyoshi’s lieutenant governor in the 1980s.

Ariyoshi was also presented with a proclamation from current Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green recognizing his “commitment to equitable development and amplifying the voices of Pacific Islanders,” that helped “lay the groundwork for initiatives that continue to shape our region’s trajectory.”

Governor Ariyoshi and Pacific Regionalism

In 1974, George Ryoichi Ariyoshi, a second generation Japanese American and a World War II veteran, became the United States’ first Asian-American governor. He would also become the longest-serving governor in Hawai‘i state history, holding the office for 12 years. During his second term in 1980, Ariyoshi was instrumental in forming the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders, which in turn initiated the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center.

Also in 1980, he founded the Honolulu-based Pacific Basin Development Council (PBDC), along with the governors of American Sāmoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, to help give greater voice to the concerns of Pacific Islanders. He was also instrumental in garnering support from Pacific leaders to establish the nonprofit Pacific International Center for High Technology Research, which connects Hawai‘i to the region through a range of services supporting the development of sustainable technologies. After leaving office, he has continued to engage with Pacific leaders through involvement with the Asian Development Bank and other international institutions.

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