A funding agreement has been signed between the Pacific Community (SPC) and the European Union (EU) that is anticipated to contribute immensely to the development of a Pacific Regional One Maritime Framework.
The framework – a response to the request from the Pacific Transport Ministers during the 2023 Pacific Energy and Transport Ministerial Meeting in Vanuatu – aims to address and respond to the needs, priorities, challenges and emerging issues in the maritime sector in the Pacific.
EU ambassador to the Pacific Barbara Plinkert said the framework aimed to foster a safe, resilient, green, clean, digital and gender-just maritime transport sector for the Blue Pacific.
“All values and priorities are shared by the EU. In fact, there is convergence in all of the priority areas of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent with the Pacific Protocol of the Partnership Agreement between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, also called the Samoa Agreement that was signed in Samoa last year and entered provisionally into force on 1 January this year,” Ms Plinkert said at the launch yesterday.
Pacific Community director-general Dr Stuart Minchin acknowledged the EU’s support for the regional strategy.
“The ocean really is the backbone of our region. Getting food to our markets, accessing our health services, and sending our kids to school requires maritime transport, but for the future of our region, we need to ensure it is safe, reliable, accessible and green,” Mr Minchin said in a statement.
“This work needs many hands and many partners to make it a reality, and I call on all maritime communities and those in the sector to actively engage with the development of the One Maritime Framework to ensure we can work towards the future for our Blue Pacific,” he added.
Fiji’s Ministry of Public Works acting permanent secretary George Tavo said sea transport was the lifeline of Pacific Island countries.
He said in Fiji, the maritime sector provided the necessities of life to its maritime communities.
“In considering the importance of the maritime industry to Fiji and our Pacific island neighbours, Fiji will support the creation of the Pacific One Maritime Framework,” Mr Tavo said.
“We look forward to participating in future consultations and meetings. We thank the EU for pledging its support, and we thank the SPC for taking on this important assignment,” he added.
The EU funding of FJ$338,790 (EUR140,000) will contribute to the consultation process and staff costs to support this process.
According to a statement from the SPC, this work will be implemented in a partnership-based manner with consultations regionally and nationally; and it will be co-implementing this work with partners all over the Pacific region, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO), SPREP and PRIF.
