The Pacific Regional Trade Facilitation Strategy, developed with support from the World Bank, aims to assist Pacific Island Forum (PIF) members in implementing national trade facilitation reforms. These reforms are designed to reduce administrative barriers such as excessive documentation, complex border procedures, and inefficient regulations that increase costs and delays in trade, thereby hindering economic development.
The strategy seeks to enhance access to both regional and international markets for goods and services produced by Pacific people through trade facilitation reforms and capacity-building initiatives. Addressing these barriers is essential for advancing the Blue Pacific Narrative, which emphasizes a shared identity and purpose among Pacific nations to promote the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people.
Surveys conducted by the World Bank among over 1,500 cross-border trading firms in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu revealed that women traders face unique challenges. The strategy aims to address these disparities and ensure that trade becomes more beneficial for everyone.
This work was supported by the World Bank with funding from the Trade Facilitation Support Program (TFSP). The TFSP is funded by nine donor partners: Australia, Canada, the European Commission, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. This initiative provides assistance to countries seeking to align their trade practices with the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA).