PIDP's research and training activities are developed as a direct response to issues identified by the Pacific Islands Conference and its Standing Committee. PIDP's projects are planned in close cooperation with the Committee to ensure that the focus of each project addresses the needs prioritized by the heads of government on the Standing Committee, a process that is unique within the East-West Center and in other research and educational organizations serving the Pacific.

PIDP is a member of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) which is intended as a forum for consultation on regional work programs in the Pacific islands region. Other members are:

Fiji School of Medicine, Suva, Fiji

Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Honiara, Solomon Islands

The Pacific Community (SPC), Noumea, New Caledonia

Pacific Islands Forum (Forum Secretariat), Suva, Fiji

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Apia, Samoa

South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), Suva, Fiji

South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment, Suva, Fiji

South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), Suva, Fiji

University of the South Pacific (USP), main campus Suva, Fiji, with other campuses in Apia, Samoa and Port Vila, Vanuatu and satellite centers in all 12 member countries