PIF HQ-Suva, Friday 9th October, 2020 - A new memorandum between the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has marked an important milestone today in the cooperation between the two organisations.
The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor and her UNCTAD counterpart Secretary-General Dr Mukhisa Kituyi signed off on a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will ultimately ensure Pacific nations reap the benefits of enhanced trade and economic advice in technical and policy areas.
The MOU provides a structured framework for co-operation and identifies a range of areas where the two organisations can work together while also enabling the Pacific to benefit from the breadth of international trade expertise available in UNCTAD.
The MOU will take the history of cooperation between the two organisations to the next level, supporting ongoing work around regional trade initiatives such as
e-commerce, quality infrastructure, connectivity, services and trade facilitation priority areas under the Pacific Aid-for-Trade Strategy 2020-2025.
The planned joint initiatives will also improve the ability of countries to build resilience against challenges such as climate change and pandemics such as COVID-19.
Welcoming the partnership, SG Taylor emphasised working together and the benefits of a clear framework for cohesive action and appealed to development partners to support the UNCTAD-PIF MOU “towards our common goal of a more inclusive and resilient Blue Pacific.”
“With globalization facing headwinds from the pandemic and the climate challenge, closer cooperation between UNCTAD and the Pacific Islands Forum can help chart a course towards more climate-resilient regional value chains and greater benefit from new digital markets’, said Dr.Kituyi, UNCTAD Secretary-General .
-ENDS-
Media contact:
Lisa Williams -Lahari
lisaw@forumsec.org
Mobile or WhatsApp: +64 210 642 704
Communications & Public Affairs
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
