Deputy Secretary General,
Senior Forum Trade Officials,
Representatives of CROP agencies,
Representatives of Technical Agencies and Development Partners
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bula Vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all. I wish to extend a warm welcome to you all to Fiji.
The Fijian Government looks forward to hosting this important Forum Trade Officials’ Meeting, under the theme “Pacific Trading Nations: from Surviving to Thriving.” As the incoming Chair of the 2020 Forum Trade Ministers Meetings, Fiji looks forward to productive discussions and action-oriented outcomes.
Fellow Officials, we are meeting after a very long hiatus and a lot has happened since the last Forum Trade meeting. On the global scene, multilateralism and international cooperation are being increasingly called into question. Populism and nationalism are on the rise.
This has confounded geopolitical tensions, increased risk to human health and wellbeing, and the threat of climate change is more pronounced than ever before.
Rather than looking inward, we need to be forward-looking. We need to maximise our partnerships and cooperation. These partnerships will help us tackle the major global challenges of our time, which cannot be solved by sole actors, sole islands or sole regions.
Colleagues,
We are now at a crucial turning point in terms of achieving meaningful regional economic integration. We have formulated trade policies, negotiated and established regional trade agreements, which provide pathways for Pacific Trading Nations to make the transition from surviving to thriving sustainably.
However, effective implementation of these policies and agreements is essential and each party needs to give and take a little. We cannot afford to be entrenched on a singular position, this will spell our doom. If we are flexible, we will be able to maximise our collective economic potential and build robust intra-regional value chains and mobility. Collectively, we need to focus on creating thriving trading nations.
Colleagues,
For Pacific Trading Nations to achieve tangible and sustainable trade gains, it’s imperative to invest in climate resilient trading infrastructure, which drives the standards, capacity and connectivity to export to international markets.
To have a modern, innovative and knowledge-based economy, investment in our youth and enhancing women participation in trade is critical. It is evident that the future belongs to innovative and disruptive knowledge-based economies and the Pacific must find ways to capitalise on opportunities arising from e-commerce and the digital economy.
E-commerce provides the alternative and is also an increasingly important aspect of today’s economy. It offers opportunities to overcome some of the traditional obstacles to trade, including the costs associated with physical distance. This opens up unprecedented opportunities for businesses to engage in cross-border trade.
While it is clear that e-commerce can unleash great potential, we also need to be aware of the challenges involved and take steps to mitigate these threats.
Colleagues,
It is my hope, we share with each other valuable lessons learnt along the way so we can benefit from each other’s development experiences. One such opportunity will be through the Mindpearl Study Tour organised for the Hon. Ministers on Thursday morning. The Hon. Ministers will see first-hand the strides we continue to make in creating a vibrant ICT and business process outsourcing hub in Fiji.
Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Fiji will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, as an independent nation this year. As a young nation built on multiculturalism, diversity, and respect, Fiji has not shied away from its national and international obligations for the benefit of its people.
As such, Fiji has taken a frontier role in its determination to influence and drive global action against Climate Change. It has done this because ultimately climate action is not only linked to our survival, but that of the planet.
The footprint and voice of the collective Blue Pacific continent on such issues, and those relating to trade, development and prosperity of our people, needs to be clearly seen and heard.
On this note, we must demonstrate our collective voice on Pacific priorities at the forthcoming 12th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference where rules to discipline harmful fisheries subsidies will be negotiated. In order to enable healthy and sustainable marine ecosystem, we as a Region need to maintain adequate policy space and allow for future sustainable growth of our fisheries.
Colleagues,
As we convene today, preferential market access and development finance, in terms concessional loans for Pacific Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are in jeopardy due to the uncertain, uneven and premature graduation of Pacific States from LDC Status.
For market access in particular, the current GSP arrangements amongst our key trading partners are limited in nature and carry a risk of the relevant provisions being changed unilaterally. Vanuatu and Solomon Islands are earmarked for graduation by 2021. Tuvalu and Kiribati are still in the list for further deliberation by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP).
In this regard, we will consider a regional Aid for Trade Strategy, which intends to guide and prioritise the mobilisation of resources to address the region’s fundamental challenges relating to regional connectivity, trade in services, Quality Infrastructure, and trade facilitation.
We need to work with our development partners and platforms such as the forthcoming 15th Session of the Quadrennial United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XV), to ensure that the development finance is matched against our critical needs. Hence, the Pacific Aid for Trade Strategy should be cognisant of the region’s trade enabling needs, so that all Pacific nations progress together.
Colleagues,
I wish to reiterate the mandate of the Forum Leaders for the Forum Trade Officials and Ministers to meet and collectively “consider and discuss a range of sustainable development challenges faced by the Pacific region, promote regional economic integration, strengthens connectivity and export-led growth, increase investment in priority areas and identify decent work opportunities in the region.” This is an ambitious “to-do” list for us. Our Leaders have faith in us and we should not let them down.
I thank you, and wish you well in your deliberations this week.
Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.