19 August 2011: Members of the Pacific Plan Action Committee (PPAC), which oversees implementation of the Pacific Plan, have convened under the guidance of the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat (PIFS) to consider the findings of the 2011 Annual Pacific Plan Progress Report. The Pacific Plan is the key strategy for confronting regional challenges.

The PACC met in Suva, Fiji, from 16-17 August 2011.

This year’s Progress Report highlights achievements in regional integration, including: regional maritime surveillance operations conducted to detect illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; the establishment of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) Executive Sub-Committee on Climate Change to coordinate the efforts of regional agencies; a major study on options to improve access to and management of climate change financing; peer reviews conducted in Vanuatu, Niue and Tuvalu in 2011; and progress on accountability through the Pacific Regional Audit Initiative (PRAI) and the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance.

Major regional challenges outlined in the report include: ongoing negotiations on trade agreements under the Pacific Islands Countries Trade Agreement, Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations and the Economic Partnership Agreement, with the EU; and major stresses on the region from the impact of climate change and the rising costs of fuel and food.

In addition to discussing the Annual Pacific Plan Progress Report, the PACC also considered a proposed Performance Framework for the Pacific Plan, the Plan’s Strategic Plans beyond 2012, and regional initiatives in the areas of sustainable economic development, trade, transport and energy, fisheries, tourism, climate change, security and governance, health, youth and gender.

The outcomes of the PPAC meeting will be considered by the 42nd Pacific Islands Forum, scheduled to convene in Auckland, New Zealand, from 6-9 September 2011. [PIFS Press Release, 17 August] [PIFS Press Release, 16 August]