Pacific Community’s Board of Management, POETCom Advisory Board and Staff,

POETCom active members (farmers associations, farmer support organizations, NGOs, private sector, research institutions and working with governments)

Senior Officials from Ministries, Private Sector, Regional & Donor Organizations,

Event organizers

Ladies and gentlemen

Bula Vinaka to you all

It’s a pleasure to be here to partake in the launching of POETCom’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan titled “Growing Our Future”.

As you all may be aware, the UNDP represents the United Nations' global development network that promotes technical and investment cooperation among nations & advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life for themselves.

Why has UNDP invested in this Strategic Plan?

The POETCom’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan represents the key contributor to sustaining our cultures and communities, improving farmer livelihoods, people’s health and the environment in the Pacific, which also supports UNDP’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, in terms of key impact areas, like value chains where, domestic and export organic value chains are developed and strengthened providing expanded livelihoods opportunities for Pacific producers – aligning itself with UNDP’s strategic plan to ultimately support countries achieve sustainable development by eradicating poverty.

This Strategic Plan sees the continued collaboration between the UNDP and the Pacific Community’s Pacific Organic & Ethical Trade Community (POETCom) since 2016 and reinforces this vision of poverty eradication to transform and strengthen our works towards sustainable development and building the resilience of Pacific/Regional countries in times of crises and shocks.

How UNDP intends to utilize this strategic plan & take this work further within the Pacific region?

Under UNDP’s current Markets for Change (M4C) project (operating in Fiji, Vanuatu & Solomon Islands since 2014), a 2020 letter of agreement was signed between UNDP & SPC, which amplifies this strategic plan by activating the plan via the project’s 3 major activities:

1.  Provide support on development and implementation of national organic policy in the Solomon Islands;

2.  Finalize development of the POETCom’s 2020-2025 strategic plan through a gender lens, and mainstreaming gender into the new POETCom strategic plan;

3.  Establishing Organic information and knowledge management system by launching the Organic Pasifika side of the Poetcom website

The successful completion of Activity 2 is the reason we are gathered here today.  You will hear about the details of the Strategic Plan as the evening progresses but for UNDP, we are pleased to see the deliberate inclusion of gender equality throughout this Organic Farming and Certification Strategic Plan.

I would like to thank UN Women for this partnership in implementing the Markets for Change Project which ensures that marketplaces in rural and urban areas in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu - are safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory environments, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

We look forward to Partnering with POETCom in the future for organic and gender equality development initiatives.

To conclude, ladies and gentlemen

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our implementing partners SPC / POETCom for pursuing such a venture which will ultimately reward our hardworking farmers. I also challenge you to progressively innovate ways and ideas to process and value add this plan into the ultimate agricultural produce. I urge our strategic partners, farmers and other participating agencies, to follow suit and progress this plan which will give them a competitive edge and improve the lives of farmers, families in Fiji and the Pacific region.

With these words, it’s my pleasure to co-officially launch this exciting new POETCom’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, and I look forward to its expansion and development for the region’s benefit.

Vinaka Vakalevu.