A Roundtable Policy Dialogue on Oceans was held in Pacific Harbour, Fiji led by the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Programme Management Unit (PMU). The dialogue included national delegates, donors, and programme partners.
The objective of this two-day roundtable was to take stock of the progress made so far and the lessons learned from the PEUMP Programme in view of developing the groundwork and structure for the future EU Regional Ocean Programme in the Pacific, which is expected to be implemented from 2025 to 2030.
The ocean plays a pivotal role in the economic prosperity and sustainable development of the Pacific region covering 96% of the surface area. The importance of the ocean is reflected in the new EU-ACP Partnership Agreement and the Pacific regional protocol, aligning with the Forum Leaders’ endorsed 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific.
Pacific Ocean Commissioner, Dr. Filimon Manoni, stated, “The PEUMP Programme has indeed ushered a positive example of effective coordination. We have heard and witnessed the success stories from technical support to develop capacity and capability for our national governments”.
The Dialogue also served as an opportunity to discuss common priorities related to ocean governance, science and research, oceanic and coastal fisheries developments and marine ecosystems protection and restoration with regional organisations, national administrations, technical and financial partners, civil society organisations (CSOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The Dialogue featured presentations from various partners on a range of topics. Representatives from the ocean science and fisheries sector engaged in consultations, addressing their priorities, challenges faced, and potential solutions to advance. The goal was to empower stakeholders in the region to actively shape the development of the new EU ocean programme in the coming years.
“The PEUMP Programme has been running for the past 5 years and will come to a closure in 2025. In the course of its implementation, the PEUMP Programme has delivered on a wide number of issues; it has put an emphasis on the issue of social inclusion, human rights and gender, thanks also to the Swedish government, who has been supporting on this aspect in particular. It has also contributed to the negotiations of maritime boundaries, the scientific advice for oceanic fisheries, developing market access for sustainable tuna fishing and fighting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Thanks to the coordination between the relevant CROP agencies and other technical partners, PEUMP has also given an input to the development of marine spatial planning at both the national level and in targeted coastal areas focusing on community engagement and community-based fisheries management. It has put a particular emphasis on the sustainable use of coastal and marine biodiversity by supporting climate change adaptation strategies and developing mitigation measures for the bi-catch of endangered species. Now we need to build on this good example, which is why we come together here today. The objective of this roundtable is to reflect on how we can build on the successes and the challenges faced during the implementation of PEUMP to develop the new Ocean Programme beyond 2025,” EU Head of Delegation for the Pacific, Ms Barbara Plinkert said.