Forum Trade Ministers Meet in Samoa

The 2013 Forum Trade Ministers Meeting (FTMM) will be held in Apia, Samoa on 19 July 2013. The Ministerial meeting will be preceded by the Forum Trade Officials Meeting on 17 – 18 July 2013.

Forum Trade Officials and Ministers have been meeting annually to discuss key trade-related issues affecting the region. The FTMMprovides an important opportunity for Trade Ministers to discuss collectively and make firm commitments towards advancing the priority trade matters affecting the region.

This year the Trade Officials and Ministers will be discussing Members’ engagement in the WTO multilateral trade issues; progress in the negotiations of the regional trade agreements, including the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus; the review of the  Pacific Aid for Trade Strategy; intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge issues; trade and health linkages; and other trade-related work programmes in the region.

Trade Officials and Ministers will also consider the work undertaken by the Pacific Islands Trade and Invest (PT&I) network of offices to promote the Pacific islands exports, and inward investment and tourism promotion.  The PT&I network has a presence in Auckland, Beijing, Geneva, Sydney and Tokyo.

An updated mandate to progress work on regional trade priorities is expected to be agreed to by the Forum Trade Ministers.

The Outcomes of the FTMM will highlight key regional trade-related issues for Forum Leaders’ consideration at their Meeting in September 2013 in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

PRESS RELEASE

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