PACER Plus Implementation Unit attends FTOM and FTMM in Fiji
SUVA, Fiji – The Forum Trade Officials and Trade Ministers meeting was convened on 16-18 July 2025 in Suva, Fiji, to deliberate on key trade issues affecting the Pacific region, against the backdrop of an increasingly complex global and regional economic landscape. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system to enhance the region’s gains from international trade. The geographic development challenges of the region further underscored the critical need for increased regional integration through regional initiatives that reflect the region’s collective needs and priorities. These initiatives include the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the Pacific Roadmap for Economic Development (PRED), and the Pacific Aid for Trade Strategy. The draft Pacific Regional Labour Mobility Principles were also considered as directed by Forum Leaders in 2023. Hon. Peter Shanel Agovaka, Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Solomon Islands, delivered a statement on behalf of the PACER Plus Parties, highlighting progress and milestones since the Agreement entered into force in 2020. In his remarks, Hon. Agovaka highlighted the integral role of PACER Plus in promoting regional economic integration through reducing barriers to trade and optimising opportunities in trade in goods, services trade, investment and labour mobility. While reaffirming PACER Plus Parties commitment to a predictable rules-based trading system, Hon. Agovaka also encouraged other Forum members’ accession to PACER Plus to increase the impact of the Treaty and to further deepen regional economic integration in the Pacific. During the meeting, Ministers approved observer status for the PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU) to the Forum Trade Ministers Meeting. The PPIU welcomed this decision as a strategic step towards enhancing regional trade coordination and participation in key regional trade discussions. The PPIU also used the opportunity during the meeting to meet with regional partners to discuss alignment of priorities and collaboration opportunities. -ENDS- More articles like this one
Work Commences on the General Review of PACER Plus
The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus which has been in force since December 2020 is set for its inaugural general review in accordance with its institutional provisions. To ensure PACER Plus remains up-to-date and relevant for business, the Agreement provides for a general review of PACER Plus with a view to furthering its objectives three years from the date of entry into force. PACER Plus Review Team (far right) with Vanuatu government officials and PACER Plus National Coordinator Vanuatu, Mr. Michael Ligo (third from left). In addition to shaping the immediate future, the review will also inform the trajectory of PACER Plus beyond 2025. Sense Partners Limited and Tracey Epps Consulting, with support from KVA Consult were selected to carry out the Review. The review adopts a comprehensive approach, encompassing qualitative and interview-based methods during national consultations. Private sector organisations will also be actively engaged to gather insights into the benefits of PACER Plus. Initial national consultations have already taken place in Australia, Kiribati, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, while Cook Islands, Niue, and Samoa scheduled for March-April 2024. Following from the consultations, the review team will provide a report to the PACER Plus Joint Committee for consideration. The PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU) since its establishment in 2021 has been supporting Pacific Island Countries Parties to build their capacity to implement and improve trade and investment under the Agreement. Mr. Roy Lagolago, Head of the PPIU welcomed the review: “This review will ensure that PACER Plus remains relevant and a driver for growth, business opportunities, and jobs for our Pacific people.” The final report will be available in late April 2024. -END- More articles like this one
PACER Plus supports Investment Agencies to better implement their obligations
SYDNEY, Australia – Investment officials from the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) countries gathered in Sydney, Australia from 27-29 March to learn from investment experts and from each other on the investment component of PACER Plus. This workshop is the first opportunity for officials to meet and discuss the commitments and obligations all parties have made and share progress on implementation and ideas on how they can use PACER Plus as mechanism to improve the investment environment in their home countries. “By implementing the provisions in the Investment Chapter of PACER Plus, countries are demonstrating their commitment to increasing inclusive investment, creating jobs, and delivering better outcomes for their people across the country,” says Alipate Tavo, Trade & Investment Adviser at the PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU). “Each country will have a different approach, but the principles remain the same.” PACER Plus is a regional development-centered trade and investment agreement aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. The Agreement is designed to support participating countries to stimulate economic growth by becoming more active partners in, and benefit from, regional and global trade. Ten countries are currently parties to the Agreement: Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. With the exception of Tonga which has a bilateral agreement with the United Kingdom, PACER Plus is the first International Investment Agreement (IIA) that many Pacific countries have entered into, a key milestone in improving access to international investment. PACER Plus is also one of the world’s most innovative IIAs in that it was developed and designed specifically for the economic and cultural contexts of the Pacific and it’s regional partners. The Introductory Investment Workshop will familiarise Investment Contact Points with the rationale behind inclusion of investment provisions in PACER Plus and the role of IIAs in partnership with national investment and broader economic development strategy. All Parties have identified the attraction of foreign investment as a key growth strategy; however, this must be done in manner that respects each Parties’ priorities, the sectors they want to focus on, and the types of investors and investments they would like to encourage, based on their community needs. Co-organised with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Sydney, the three-day workshop will be funded by the PPIU. In the following days, the ADB will convene a Business Registry Workshop for Forum Island Countries from 29-31 March to discuss improving the investment admission processes and procedures across the region. -END- More articles like this one
PACER Plus two years on
This month marks the second anniversary of when the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) entered into force. PACER Plus is a regional development-centered trade agreement designed to support Pacific Island countries to become more active partners in, and benefit from, regional and global trade. Ten Pacific Island Forum countries ratified and have been party to the agreement since its entry into force on 13 December 2020: Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU), which manages and delivers the work programme, was established in Apia, Samoa last year. PPIU works with Pacific parties to implement activities under PACER Plus. The agreement provides members with a framework to sustainably grow their trade in services and expand participation in key service sectors such as tourism. Sustainable tourism development is a key driver of economic recovery in the Pacific with PACER Plus enabling more transparent and predictable operation conditions for domestic and foreign service providers. With the reopening of Tonga’s international borders, PPIU supported the Tongan tourism industry with training programs on customer service, communications, COVID-19 protocols, and other priority themes identified through a training needs analysis. “The impact of the pandemic on the Tongan tourism industry has been severe but we were pleased that PACER Plus provided the much-needed training to prepare our tourism industry as we welcome the world back to Tonga,” said Ms Lorraine Kauhenga, Deputy CEO at Tonga Ministry of Trade and Economic Development. PPIU was also pleased to support Solomon Islands and Samoa with the ePhyto Capacity Building Workshop attended by exporters and industry stakeholders. The electronic phytosanitary certificate, otherwise known as ePhyto, is a tool that transitions paper phytosanitary certificate information into a digital phytosanitary certificate. This electronic exchange between countries makes trade safer, faster, and cheaper. “ePhyto promotes opportunities to improve bilateral trade in the region and other parts of the world. It will advance trade efficiency by reducing costs associated with bilateral negotiations and reduce fraudulent certificates. The ePhyto system will improve trade thereby improving incomes, creating more employment opportunities, and thereby enhancing economic development,” said Hon. La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt, Samoa’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. This year, Samoa hosted the sixth Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM) where more than 150 delegates from government, private sector, international agencies, and stakeholders in the Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Timor Leste to discuss labour mobility priorities in the region. “The PLMAM is a significant medium by which we are advancing inclusive regional labour mobility cooperation in the Pacific. This meeting’s theme of ‘Reinvigorating labour mobility cooperation for development’ reiterates the opportunity for all labour mobility stakeholders to re-engage, reset and re-commit to advancing an effective level of cooperation that can enhance mutually beneficial development gains,” said Hon. Leatinu’u Wayne So’oialo, Samoa’s Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Labour. Moving forward, PPIU will focus on exports and broader trade facilitation in the agricultural sector, recovery of the tourism industry, improving cooperation under labour mobility, and implementing activities that focus on enabling PACER Plus parties to meet requirements of importing countries, implementing systems that make trade easier, and promoting export products while establishing business connections across the PACER Plus network. More articles like this one
2022 Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting Outcomes
The 2022 Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM), held on 7 – 10 November 2022 in Apia, Samoa, reached consensus among 14 countries on agreed regional labour mobility priorities for FY2023/24. A range of initiatives were collectively identified, aimed at increasing development benefits for participating countries while addressing identified risks. The 2022 PLMAM Outcomes Document summarises the agreed decisions derived from dialogue during the four-day meeting. The PACER Plus Arrangement on Labour Mobility (ALM), which provides for the PLMAM, is a regional framework for labour mobility cooperation. The agreed outcomes from the PLMAM are regional activities that address common issues raised by participating countries and stakeholders. These agreed activities include the development of processes for worker welfare and well-being to address welfare risks in sending and receiving countries; development of a cultural framework to assist employers increase their understanding of cultural differences; development of a worker education framework to foster the systematic development of worker skills; development of a reintegration strategy to guide the integration of returning workers into local labour markets; and inclusive consultations between labour sending and receiving countries to align labour mobility opportunities with supply priorities and capacities in sending countries so as to address skills drain risks. The regional priorities inform the labour mobility annual plan of the PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU) for 2023/24, where they will be implemented in collaboration with relevant regional and international organisations. The PPIU’s role in Pacific labour mobility is to facilitate the implementation of the ALM by contributing to the creation of an enabling labour mobility environment in the Pacific through effective regional cooperation. Along with the regional activities generated from the PLMAM, the PPIU also provides support at the national level to participating countries in the areas of: advancing knowledge sharing and cooperation; improving policy and institutional frameworks; identifying and promoting new opportunities including for semi-skilled and skilled labour mobility; and increasing the development benefits of labour mobility while mitigating risks such as negative social impacts and brain drain. Held on an annual basis, the PPIU, as Labour Mobility Secretariat, will continue to work with participating countries to increase the effectiveness of the PLMAM in advancing regional labour mobility cooperation through inclusive dialogues amongst all stakeholders. The 2023 PLMAM will be held in Port Vila, Vanuatu where progress against the 2022 Outcome Statement will be discussed, and new priorities and activities identified. To view the full 2022 PLMAM Outcomes Document, please click on 2022-PLMAM-Outcomes-Document. -ENDS- More articles like this one
Leveraging labour mobility for local business development
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. For many, labour mobility provides short-term but necessary support for families and communities back home. For a few, it means a step up to entrepreneurship and a way to support families long term when they return home. In 2008, Tumanuvao Pualele Fiu travelled from his Samoan village, Poutasi to Hastings, New Zealand as one of the first participants of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. He held a managerial position at Johnny Appleseed Holdings Limited for several months where he was responsible for overseeing a team of fellow RSE workers from the same village. Like other RSE workers, Fiu left Samoa with an aim to attain tangible outcomes for his family. During this time, he managed to save for, purchase and ship over a vehicle to Samoa. This humble sedan was to be the first step toward Fiu’s entrepreneurship endeavours. Upon his return to Samoa, Fiu started his own taxi service using the vehicle he had shipped from New Zealand. The business began well. Fiu was able to support his family through an arrangement with a well-known resort to ferry clients to nearby attractions. Tragedy stuck however on 29 September 2009 when the tsunami caused major damage to villages and businesses, including resorts, along the south coast of Samoa. Fiu’s taxi was also badly damaged. Despite losing his working vehicle, Fiu was able to use his savings from the RSE to start a brick-making business. The start-up was timely as affected areas of the Samoa south coast were rebuilding homes, churches, and hotels after the disaster. The products manufactured by Fiu’s brick business helped with the rebuild. After establishing the brick-making business, Fiu expanded into commercial fishing. He purchased two vessels and began supplying fish to the local market. Although the venture was successful, the inherent risks associated with fishing such as cyclone threats and basic sea safety caused Fiu to consider returning to port for good to pursue land-based business opportunities instead. He decided to sell the fishing vessels and use the funds to develop land for farming. Fiu now oversees a plantation where he primarily grows taro. His eldest son works on the family farm and assists in transporting the taro to market. Besides the taro plantation and the brick-making business, which is managed by his second eldest son, Fiu has diversified into lawn mowing and hiring out public address system. He employs up to 20 workers from the village through his various businesses. Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale, Founder of Poutasi Development Trust and Falealili Seasonal Workers Scheme, praised Fiu’s RSE journey at the Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting 2022 held in Apia from 7-10 November. “The RSE journey for Tumanuvao Pualele Fiu and his family has gone full circle. Along with his many businesses, Fiu also mentors youths who wish to participate in the RSE scheme. He offers guidance and reinforces the need for participants to be disciplined in their work and life overseas as they are representing their families, village, and Samoa,” said Mr Annadale. Roy Lagolago, Head of PACER Plus Implementation Unit, agrees. “Fiu’s story is one of many encouraging examples of how labour mobility has been transformational for many Samoans and their families. PACER Plus recognizes that labour mobility as a vital trade initiative between Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Island Countries delivering shared economic benefits across the region,” said Mr Lagolago. More articles like this one
PLMAM 2022 concludes in Apia, Samoa
The sixth Pacific Annual Labour Mobility Meeting (PLMAM) 2022 was held in Apia, Samoa from 7-10 November 2022. Hosted by the Government of Samoa, this year’s PLMAM is the first in-person meeting following the hybrid-mode PLMAM in 2021. The 2022 PLMAM was attended by over 150 delegates from government, private sector, non-government actors, international agencies, and stakeholders in the Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Timor Leste to discuss labour mobility priorities in the region. PLMAM is provided under the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus Arrangement on Labour Mobility as a mechanism to advance regional labour mobility cooperation. “The significance of the PLMAM lies in the opportunity to bring the region together to discuss issues and come up with solutions to address these issues as a collective. As we heard this week, labour mobility is not just a development initiative but also an economic initiative for both labour sending and receiving countries,” said Mr Roy Lagolago, Head of PACER Plus Implementation Unit. “The PLMAM effectively provides the preeminent opportunity for open and inclusive dialogues that can advance the level of cooperation needed to enhance the benefits of labour mobility in the Pacific,” said Mr Lagolago. The theme of the 2022 PLMAM is “Reinvigorating Labour Mobility Cooperation for Development” and is an opportunity for Pacific labour mobility stakeholders to re-engage, reset, and re-commit to advancing effective regional cooperation. The 2022 PLMAM generated stimulating inclusive dialogues on current labour mobility opportunities and challenges and identified regional solutions and concrete actions for 2023/24. The alternate Chair of the final PLMAM Dialogue, Pulotu Lyndon Chu Ling, CEO of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Labour concluded by saying that “whilst the recently discussed recommendations in today’s session for more workshops, technical talanoas and additional staff of the PPIU are a step in the right direction, however what we need as a collective are practical solutions to our longstanding problems, which includes appropriate and affordable accommodation, improved pay rates, more efficient visa processes, to name a few.” Vanuatu made an offer to host the 2023 PLMAM. The PLMAM is funded by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand and is facilitated by the PACER Plus Implementation Unit which exists as the Labour Mobility Secretariat that supports the implementation of the Arrangement on Labour Mobility. More articles like this one
PACER Plus Ministerial Meeting discuss COVID-19 economic recovery
Ministerial representatives of the Parties to the PACER Plus Agreement and high-level government officials met virtually on Wednesday 27 July 2022. Nauru and Vanuatu were also present at the Ministerial Meeting as signatories to PACER Plus and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat attended as Observer. The PACER Plus Ministerial Meeting 2022 came at a critical time for the region as Pacific Island economies, many of whom are dependent on tourism, were severely impacted by COVID-19 border closures. The Ministerial Meeting discussed how PACER Plus can provide support to the economic recovery of PACER Plus Pacific Island Parties, pursuance of strategic partners to support the work programme and economic integration efforts, and enhancement of mutual gains from the labour mobility work programme. Kiribati hosted the PACER Plus Ministerial Meeting and the Minister for Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Honourable Bootii Nauan chaired the meeting. He paid tribute to the late Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Fisheries and Trade for Tuvalu, Honourable Minute Taupo, who passed away in May this year. “The late Honourable Taupo’s contributions to Tuvalu and her people were immense. He was also a champion of PACER Plus and was quite instrumental in Tuvalu ratifying the Agreement this year. Through his incredible leadership, he has set an example for us all as Pacific leaders of PACER Plus countries to perform our roles well in service to our people and our community,” said Mr. Nauan. Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus or PACER Plus is a regional development-centered trade and investment agreement aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. The Agreement is designed to support Pacific Island countries to stimulate economic growth by becoming more active partners in, and benefit from, regional and global trade. Nine countries are currently parties to the Agreement: Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu. -ENDS- Caption: Government leaders from nine PACER Plus countries virtually met for the second PACER Plus Ministerial Meeting held on Wednesday 27, July 2022. More articles like this one
PACER Plus releases four-year Strategic Plan
The PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU) today released its inaugural Strategic Plan 2022-2025 which provides the public with the PPIU’s overarching mission and activities. The Strategic Plan was endorsed by the PACER Plus Joint Committee which consists of representatives of the PACER Plus parties. The Strategic Plan was developed on the substantial work undertaken by PACER Plus parties in accordance with PPIU’s foundation documents. Kiribati, which chaired the Joint Committee meeting held virtually on Wednesday 22 June, encouraged the parties to take a collective response in identifying opportunities that will bring significant and sustainable benefits as the region grapples with the ongoing impact of climate change, non-communicable diseases, and COVID-19. “PACER Plus provides us with a unique opportunity and forum to respond collectively. It is also an opportunity to do things differently and to leverage our collective knowledge and expertise to achieve our shared vision of improving the livelihood and welfare of our people,” said Hon Bootii Nauan, Kiribati’s Minister of Commerce, Industry and Cooperative. Roy Lagolago, Head of the PPIU, supported Mr Nauan’s sentiments adding that PPIU will implement the Development and Economic Cooperation Work Programme to achieve the Agreement’s vision. “By delivering the implementation activities as mutually prioritised and determined by the parties, the PPIU will remain directed and clear in our mission and intent to ensure that everyone will benefit from the PACER Plus Agreement,” said Mr Lagolago. Solomon Islands Trade Commissioner Barrett Salato said: “To achieve meaningful benefits from PACER Plus Agreement would require full and effective implementation of the Development and Economic Work Programme. The Strategic Plan 2022-2025 sets the pathway for the full realization of those benefits.” PACER Plus is a regional development-centered trade and investment agreement aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. The Agreement is designed to support Pacific Island countries to stimulate economic growth by becoming more active partners in, and benefit from, regional and global trade. Nine countries are currently parties to the Agreement: Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu. This was Tuvalu’s first Joint Committee meeting since ratifying the PACER Plus Agreement in January 2022. “Through PACER Plus, Tuvalu foresees accessing new labour markets in other countries, expanding of our labour seasonal worker scheme, local product mapping, value adding and potential exporting, including necessary storage facilities, equipment and labs for processing and testing of local product prior exportation,” said Loloma Homasi, Assistant Secretary to Tuvalu’s Ministry of Fisheries and Trade. Vanuatu’s parliament recently voted in favour for the ratification of the Bill for the PACER Plus Agreement which will make Vanuatu the 10th country to endorse PACER Plus. Vanuatu’s Department of External Trade director, Joe Pakoa Lui, was present at the PACER Plus Joint Committee meeting. “We’re excited to join the PACER Plus family and to collaborate with the PPIU and the parties to implement activities in Vanuatu that would benefit our people and our communities,” said Mr Lui. “PACER Plus marks an exciting new era for Pacific cooperation in trade and investment which Vanuatu is looking forward to participate in.” To view the PPIU Strategic Plan 2022-2025, please visit pacerplus.org/resources or click on the link below. PACER-Plus-Implementation-Unit-Strategic-Plan-2022-2025 -ENDS- Caption: The PACER Plus Joint Committee Meeting, which consists of representatives of the PACER Plus parties, was held virtually on Wednesday, 22 June 2022. More articles like this one
The significance of our visual identity
Since the establishment of the PACER Plus Implementation Unit in 2021, it was crucial that our new logo communicated the Agreement’s values and vision for its Parties and the Pacific. The values that embody the PACER Plus Agreement are community and equity. It is also the Pacific Way. Therefore, with the design of our new logo, we sought the input of all Parties and together we collaborated on the Agreement’s new look. We engaged Pacific designers to submit designs for our new logo. Submissions were sought from the Solomon Islands, Samoa, and Kiribati – PACER Plus members who represent the three sub-regions: Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Additionally, discussions with PACER Plus signatories, stakeholders and feedback provided during the design and establishment of the Implementation Unit all contributed to the development of our logo. There was a common thread found in almost every contribution, a thread that we’ve weaved together to create our final logo. But to understand our logo, we must look back in time. Thousands of years ago, our Pacific ancestors journeyed across the unchartered and tumultuous waters of what we now call the Pacific Ocean, deathly navigating an area that is 99.8 per cent water. This was a remarkable feat, and testament to their navigation and the va’a (known in other Pacific countries as vaka, waka, wa’a, drua) or the double-hulled canoe, one of the finest marine vessels ever built. It was, therefore, fitting that the Implementation Unit’s new logo prominently features the va’a, a symbol of Pacific ingenuity, resilience, innovation, and unity. The va’a is a celebration of our proud past and our continual journey towards a better future. The three points on each of our sails represent the three sub-regions that are part of our PACER Plus family – Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. The sunrise and horizon in the background signifies the dawn of a new era for trade in goods and services in the Pacific under PACER Plus. The blue waves that carry our va’a is in recognition of our Blue Pacific identity, a symbol of a large, unified Pacific carrying this unique trade agreement towards a future where we can end poverty, protect our environment, and improve the well-being of our people. Our new logo weaves together our past, present, and future. It speaks to our commitment as the Implementation Unit to ensure that PACER Plus will provide the platform for economic growth and prosperity for all our people. We are the Pacific. We are PACER Plus. And the Implementation Unit is pleased to present our new logo. More articles like this one