Attended by over 100 senior researchers and officials from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Kiribati, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia, the Pacific-European Network (PACE-Net) Conference featured workshops on water, agriculture and forestry, natural hazards, fisheries, and mid-term research, development and innovation policies.
18 April 2012: The Pacific-European Network (PACE-Net) Conference, which convened under the theme “Strengthening Pacific-European Collaboration in Research, Development, and Innovation,” featured workshops on water, agriculture and forestry, natural hazards, fisheries, and mid-term research, development and innovation policies.
The Conference, which took place in Brussels, Belgium, from 20-23 March 2012, brought together over 100 senior researchers and officials from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Kiribati, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia. It was organized by the International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It was based on the recognition of the natural resources and biodiversity potential of the Pacific, as well as the threats climate change poses to the region. Each of the conference workshops developed integrated research, development and innovation framework drafts for equitable Pacific–EU partnerships.
According to PACE-Net, during 2012 the frameworks will be developed into policy brief white papers by designated thematic and cross-sectoral work groups. The frameworks will be consolidated at the PACE-Net 3rd bi-regional key stakeholder conference scheduled to convene in Suva, Fiji, in March 2013. [SPC Press Release] [PACE-Net Conference Website] [PACE-Net Website]