APIA, Samoa – The PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU)
has begun a series of in country consultations with its
member Parties from 2 February to 20 March 2026. The
consultations will inform the development of the 2026-2030
Development and Economic Cooperation (DEC) Work Programme,
ensuring it aligns with national priorities and supports
effective implementation of PACER Plus.
The PPIU team
is visiting all ten member Parties to PACER Plus, Australia,
Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon
Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, to gather baseline data,
identify priorities, and confirm areas where support is most
needed.
Consultations in Tonga and Kiribati have
already been completed, with meetings underway this week in
Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
A key focus of the
consultations is strengthening Monitoring, Evaluation,
Learning and Adaptation (MELA) systems through the MELA
Logical Framework. This framework enables member Parties to
track delivery, measure results, and ensure activities under
the Work Programme contribute directly to implementation of
PACER Plus.
To support this, the PPIU is working with
each country’s National Focal Point and Component Contact
Points to update the PACER Plus Implementation Tracker, a
structured data collection tool that helps countries record
progress, establish baselines, and set practical targets
through to 2030. The baseline assessments will guide the
identification of priority areas in the first Annual Plan
for 2026-2027.
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Head of the PPIU, Roy Lagolago, said
the consultations are grounded in setting the right
foundations for the next four years: “While this might be
a lot of work, getting the foundations right from the start
is vital. The PPIU is a member driven organisation and the
voice of all our members are important to us. These
consultations allow us to sit down with each member to
understand their priorities and agree on clear targets for
the next four years. We want the 2026–2030 Work Programme
to be practical, measurable, and genuinely useful to our
members.”
He added that strengthening monitoring and
compliance systems will give members clearer evidence of
progress and impact.
“As we move into this new phase
under the DEC Arrangement, our focus is on results not just
activities but real outcomes that support trade, economic
growth, and development across the Pacific,” said Mr.
Lagolago.
The PPIU will finalise baseline assessments
following the consultations, with the draft 2026–2030 Work
Programme to be presented to PACER Plus members at the next
Joint Committee meeting to be held in Tonga in May
2026.
