PACIFIC FOOD SUMMIT
21-23 April 2010
Port Vila, Vanuatu
SUMMIT OUTCOMES DOCUMENT
Introduction
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (World Food Summit, 2009).
The Pacific Island Leaders Forum in 2008 “committed their governments to immediate action to address food security issues nationally, and where possible, regionally, through a range of measures across key sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, trade, energy, education, information communication technology and transport”.
In addition, Ministers, as well as international and regional organizations, development agencies, consumers and the food industry, and other partners, have independently and jointly called for action on addressing food security in the Pacific.
Responding to this call, for the first time in the region, the Ministers of three vital sectors trade, health and agriculture, have jointly developed a multisectoral approach to Food Security. In addition, they have involved industry, non governmental and faith-based organisations, consumers and other partners in the design and related actions of an agreed framework.
Noting that food security underlies the vision of “Healthy Islands” articulated in the Yanuca Island Declaration of 1995, recognising the priority given to action on food security in the Pacific Plan and acknowledging the call for action to address food security in the Pacific in order to sustain human life, minimise early death and ensure healthy and productive people, the Pacific Food Summit participants from American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna concluded as follows:
The Summit:
Acknowledging that food security traverses many sectors and requires a coordinated multisectoral approach as called for in the Pacific Plan,
Accepting that such an approach requires engaging governments across sectors, national and regional organisations, international and multilateral organisations, private sector, food industry, farmers and fishermen, community and faith based organisations, cultural leaders, and consumers,
Endorses the Framework for Action on Food Security in the Pacific with its focus on seven themes:
• Leadership and cooperation
• Regulatory frameworks, enforcement and compliance and public-private sector collaboration
• Enhanced and sustainable production, processing and trading of safe nutritious local food
• Protect infants and vulnerable groups
• Consumer empowerment and mobilising partners
• Food security information system
• Enabling mechanisms such as Land, Transport, Energy and ICT, Education.
Agrees on the following action plan to facilitate the completion and presentation of the Framework to the 41st Forum meeting to be hosted by Vanuatu in August this year:
Action at the National Level:
Delegates to the Summit commit to:
• taking the framework to country leaders for support;
• developing and strengthening national implementation plans;
• implementing and strengthening a multisectoral approach to national food security policy; and
• identify national champions for food security.
Action at the regional level:
Participating agencies commit to:
• continue to provide regional leadership and coordination role that led up to the Pacific Food Summit to implement the regional aspects of the Framework for Action (partnership agencies, include the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the Global Health Institute (Sydney West Area Health Service), the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the United Nations Children’s Fund and World Health Organization);
• convening a meeting of the partner agencies to formalize the implementation and resourcing of the strategies and actions contained in the plan including government investment and donor support; and
• facilitating the passage of the final version of the Framework for Action through the established regional process for presenting such feedback to Forum leaders (Pacific Plan Action Committee-PPAC)
• where appropriate, work with and support members in developing and implementing national plans.
Private sector and food industry, commit to:
• Working with member PICTs and regional stakeholders to implement areas of the framework that requires their input and support.
Civil society and faith-based organisations commit to:
• Working with member PICTs and integrating where appropriate the Framework for Action with other actions to improve food security nationally and regionally.
International organisations commit to:
• Integrating the Framework for Action with other actions to improve food security globally.
Development Partners :
• The summit calls on development partners to support the implementation of the Framework for Action through financing support at national and regional level as appropriate.
Recognise existence of other regional/sub-regional arrangements
• Acknowledge the importance of a number of established regional/ and subregional bodies that can enhance efforts on food security including the Micronesian Chief Executives and PIHOA (Pacific Island Health Officers Assoc)
Request Pacific Island Forum Leaders to:
• Acknowledge this Framework for Action as fulfilling their instructions at the 39th Forum to appropriately address food security in the region.
• Consider endorsing the Framework for Action at the 41st Forum when they meet August 3 to 6, 2010, in Vanuatu as the basis for further actions at national and regional levels to address food security challenges in a more comprehensive, inclusive and coordinated manner.
The Summit delegates and participants thank the government and people of Vanuatu for the successful hosting of the inaugural Pacific Food Summit and hospitality extended.
