PS Taga officiates at the ACP MEA phase 111 project meeting

The Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Dr Raijeli Taga officiated at the Multilateral Environmental Agreements in African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP MEA Phase III) End of Project Meeting convened this morning at the Grand Pacific Hotel (GPH) in Suva.

The two and a half meeting aims to recognise the key achievements of the ACP MEA Phase III Project and to examine ways of sustaining the gains and looking forward and beyond the Project.

In her remarks, Dr Taga said that evaluation is an integral part of any project rollout and to ensure informed decision-making and strengthen policy formulation and implementation.

She acknowledged the project coordinators for their collective commitment in undertaking timely deliberations to see how best they can strategize future projects aligned to the priorities of the Pacific region, our people and shared aspirations.

Further, Dr Taga reaffirmed Fiji’s commitment to building environmental resilience as articulated in Fiji’s foreign policy white paper – with emphasis that Pacific unity remains our greatest leverage in addressing the pressing challenges such as climate change.

She highlighted that as the global advocacy progresses at COP30 in Brazil – our collective ability to implement and exercise compliance towards international obligations is equally important, to unite, innovate and build a more resilient future for the region and beyond.

Dr Taga also stressed that climate change is not an abstract debate for the Pacific – it is an existential threat to our homes, our health, our food security, and our sovereignty – stating that the scale of the challenges demand policy coherence and collaboration.

In conclusion, she thanked the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme ((SPREP), Delegation of the European Union to the Pacific and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for their strong commitment and collaboration aimed at improving livelihoods and building secure, sustainable future for Pacific peoples.

The third phase of the capacity building related to ACP MEA Phase III commenced in July 2020 when UNEP signed a Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the SPREP to implement the ACP MEA Phase III in the Pacific Hub – with initiatives undertaken at the national and regional level on implementation, enforcement and compliance of MEAs and focus on raising the awareness on the Noumea Convention.