14 May 2015: The Eleventh Meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Southwest Pacific Ministers for Agriculture convened under the theme ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture.’ After hearing a presentation on the vulnerability of Pacific agriculture and forestry to climate change, ministers noted the importance of a “climate and economically smart” agriculture approach that can strengthen production and processing of staple food crops.

During his keynote address, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva called for an “all-government” approach, stressing that “climate change poses a threat to the very survival of the Southwest Pacific.” The ministers agreed that “addressing issues such as soil health, biodiversity, agroforestry, and promoting integration of sound traditional practices into commercial production are required.”

After hearing a report on the mid-term review of the FAO Pacific Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2013-2017, the ministers supported proposals for refining the Framework and underscored the benefits of: FAO technical assistance; further decentralization within the Pacific; partnerships with regional and international organizations; and capacity enhancements of the Sub-regional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP).

Ways to facilitate South-South cooperation among the Pacific Island Countries were also discussed by the ministers, who identified a preference for further exchanges between Southwest Pacific countries and agreed that an assessment of needs and capacity to provide technical assistance would be beneficial. In addition, the meeting adopted a proposal for a biennial Pacific Week of Agriculture (PWA), based on a similar event held in the Caribbean.

In other discussions, the ministers took up norms and standards related to food and agriculture and policies to improve agriculture sector competitiveness in the Pacific.

Ministers from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu gathered at the meeting, which was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from 11-14 May 2015. They were joined by the Heads of delegation from Australia and New Zealand and representatives from various multilateral organizations.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of a communiqué outlining the ministers’ agreed points. On the final day, attendees participated in a field trip to visit a large-scale fruit and vegetable farm at Nine Mile near Port Moresby. The Twelfth Meeting will be hosted by the Government of Vanuatu in conjunction with the Pacific Week of Agriculture. [FAO Press Release, 13 May 2015] [FAO Meeting Announcement] [FAO Event Webpage] [IISD RS Sources]