27-06-2025
Building Pacific Capacities To Support Trade And Market Access
To strengthen the skills of Pacific biosecurity, border control, exporter representatives and relevant stakeholders in using Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) databases and platforms, a regional capacity-building workshop is underway in Vanuatu that will enable access to key trade-related information to improve agricultural trade facilitation and market access.
The knowledge sharing event is organised by the Pacific Community (SPC) through the European Union- funded Safe Agricultural Trade Facilitation through Economic Integration in the Pacific (SAFE Pacific) project, with technical support from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development IMPACT Project, Vanuatu Electronic Single Window Project, the Pacific Islands Forum's SPIRIT Project, Biosecurity Vanuatu and COLEAD.
The unavailability of organised and transparent information is a key barrier to trade. The event raises awareness of important resources and trade platforms available to ease the work of regulatory authorities and improve business processes for exporters of agro products. Knowledge of the use of these tools will help with the movement of goods across borders and maximise efficiency while reducing costs and delays.
In this respect, another focus of the workshop is immersing regional participants in the use of the 'single window' concept in risk profiling, planning and facilitating efficient border clearance for both imports and exports. Vanuatu leads the Pacific in this effort, and the country's experiences were also shared by Timor-Leste.
In his opening address, Director General of the Vanuatu Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, and Biosecurity (MALFB), Timothy Tumukon shared that trade is no longer about moving goods but also about information that helps move those goods, in an efficient manner and in compliance with importing country regulations.
' Our farmers and exporters depend on accurate, up-to-date SPS information to meet biosecurity conditions, market requirements, including food safety standards, and also to gain access to new overseas markets. Knowing where to go to access essential information is critical, and it is also why digital tools are no longer optional, but essential,' Mr Tumukon said.
' Cooperation amongst all actors along the value chain, and at the borders, is also important. Let us work together to build not just capacity, but resilience, where our businesses are informed, our agencies are equipped, and our trade systems are ready for the future,' he added.
Using the example of Vanuatu's Electronic Single Window System, Mr Tumukon shared how Vanuatu, through this tool, is making major strides in improving how it handles export and import processes.
' Our biosecurity team can now coordinate directly with Customs and other regulatory agencies through one platform. This means exporters get faster clearance and approvals without a big pile of paper applications, better access to regulatory information, and a clearer path to compliance with international standards.'
Key trade tools and systems shared with participants in the three-day workshop includes the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) and its various module including ASYCUDA Sanitary and Phytosanitary System (ASYSPS), ASYCUDA Reconciliation Module (ASYREC), Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (eCITES) , Trade Single Window, Trade Information Portals (TIPs), the electronic Phytosanitary Certification system (ePhyto), the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES), the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), Global Trade Helpdesk (GTH), Trade Analysis Information Systems (TRAINS), and SPC hosted regional Biosecurity Information Facility (BIF) and Pest List Database (PLD).
SPC Programmes and Office Coordinator based at the Melanesia Regional Office in Port Vila, Cecile Depuille, said, ' By equipping Biosecurity, Customs and Trade Officers, alongside micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with the right tools and knowledge, we can better access key markets and improve trade outcomes. '
' This will position our business community to better leverage and benefit from available trade instruments such as the EU-Pacific States Economic Partnership Agreement,' she said.
In line with this, participants also learned provisions in the EU-Pacific States Economic Partnership Agreement that enable greater access for Pacific countries to EU markets, alongside broader awareness on World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), Melanesian Free Trade Agreement (MFTA), Pacific Islands Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) and the agreement under PACER Plus.
The tools shared at the workshop can be used to better access information for trade with the EU and other key markets such as Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Asia and intra-regional trade among Pacific Island Countries and Territories.
About SAFE Pacific:
The SAFE Pacific project is funded by the European Union and implemented by SPC to support greater economic integration in the region. SAFE Pacific provides targeted assistance to support small Pacific Island countries in increasing export capacity and improving economic growth. SAFE Pacific is implemented across 15 Pacific countries including Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, PNG, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
