INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY MR PETER FORAU, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL (ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY), PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT

PACIFIC ACP TRADE OFFICIALS MEETING (PACPTOM)
8 - 10 June 2009
Apia, Samoa
 

 Aiono Mose Su’a, CEO of the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Samoa
Excellencies
Distinguished Senior Government Officials
Distinguished Observers
Consultants
Ladies and Gentlemen

1. I’m pleased to deliver these introductory remarks on behalf of the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade and on his behalf allow me to first of all take this opportunity to warmly thank the Government of Samoa for kindly agreeing to host this series of trade meetings over the two week period starting from today. At the same time, may I also express our gratitude to all of you for making time to attend this meeting of Pacific ACP Trade Officials.

2. It’s been 8 months since we last met and over the period so much has happened in the trade agenda of the PACP grouping. The EPA negotiations edged on somewhat slowly while the PICTA implementation is pacing along with some measure of steadiness although it could benefit from more political attention by some Parties to fulfill their domestic requirements . In relation, the PICTA Trade in Services negotiations would now need to be extended after the third round held last April ended with a clear demonstration that the Parties are still in need of more time to develop and assess their offers and requests. Demonstrating the expanding portfolio of trade work fronting the PACP States, the development of the Forum Regional Trade Priorities under the PACER and the Pacific Plan require attention and over the period, PACP Trade Officials were, in addition to attending to the EPA and PICTA-related work, preoccupied with informal PACER Plus meetings. In addition, several trade-related activities required attention including work on TK, customs, bio-security, environmental impacts, WTO Policy Reviews and DDA negotiations, WTO national assessments and Aid for Trade etc. Although most of these have been ongoing work, the regional trade agenda is definitely not getting any smaller and as you will note from the agenda of this meeting, there are twelve substantive agenda items to be addressed over the next three days.

3. All these suggest growing importance of trade as an economic development strategy for PACPS and its significance in regional economic integration efforts. At the same time and more importantly, this expanding work implies inevitably that capacity-building is essential to ensure meaningful participation by the PACPS in the different processes. The accrual of benefits from trade development to the PACPS is a far fetched aspiration if they didn’t have the capacity to actively participate in trade negotiations and implementation. In an effort to extend some assistance to the PACPS, a number of schemes are available to support capacity building. These include ongoing activities such as the Hub and Spoke Programme, PACREIP, the RTFP and new initiatives such as the Aid for Trade Study and proposed PTDF. The Aid for Trade study contains a number of proposed regional programmes that could if implemented enhance the existing initiatives. These activities, ongoing and new, will be discussed by the meeting. At this point perhaps I should highlight the fact that the Hub and Spoke and PACREIP are well known programmes among the PACPS but these will both end in 2010 and will require support from PACPS to secure extension of funding for the programmes.

4. In addition, PIFS is committed to continue to support trade work in the region and will continue to extent assistance. I know I can speak for other regional agencies such as the OCO, SPC, SPREP and others that they too are always available to support the efforts of the PACPS. These efforts are being completed by the valuable assistance provided by international agencies such as the ODI, the EC, the COMSEC, the UN agencies, in particular UNESCAP- Pacific Operations Center, and others. Allow me on all our behalf to thank all of them for their generous support.

5. Despite these, the crowded trade portfolio requires also proper coordination and prioritization. The PACPS need to invest in coordination and prioritization of their national, regional and international engagements. This is where regional arrangements might offer some help where economies of scale can be achieved and where national arrangements are lacking. I think it is quite obvious that faced with limited capacity, coordination and prioritization becomes inevitable.

6. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a full agenda and we need to make a start with the discussions and I suggest we proceed but allow me once again to thank our host, the Government of Samoa and the Management of SPREP for allowing our use of these facilities. All the very best with the discussions and thank you very much for listening. Fa’afetai Lava.