Civil society groups from around the Pacific are gathering in Nauru for meetings ahead of next week's Pacific Islands Forum leaders' summit.
There will also be a dialogue with the leaders and a selected few from among the non-government groups.
PIANGO deputy director, Siale 'Ilolahia Photo: RNZ/Koro Vaka'uta
For the fourth consecutive year the NGOs are being given a chance to put their views to the leaders.
The deputy director of the Pacific's umbrella group for NGOs, Siale 'Ilolahia, says the Forum-Civil Society Dialogue is recognition of the growing role of civil society in matters of policy and decision-making at the regional level.
She says it is to the credit of the Pacific Leaders that they have broken waves by moving the CSO challenge into the Forum agenda.