Representatives of national and regional umbrella bodies of non-state actors (NSAs) will be in Vanuatu next week for the seventh (7th) NSAs Dialogue on the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus.
The dialogue which is being held at the Warwick Le Lagon Hotel on Wednesday (May 31st) will include participants from both the private sector and civil society organisations.
In April 2017, 14 Forum member countries - Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu - concluded negotiations on the PACER Plus legal text and market access.
The signing ceremony of the PACER Plus is due to take place on 14 June 2017 in Tonga.
In launching the PACER Plus negotiations in 2009, Forum Trade Ministers emphasised the importance of consultations with stakeholders including the private sector and non-government organisations. Regular consultations on PACER Plus have been facilitated since 2009 as the negotiations progressed.
The 7th NSA Dialogue on PACER Plus is being held to discuss specifically the agreed Legal Text, including the Chapters on Trade in Goods, Customs Procedures, Rules of Origin, Trade in Services, Investment, Development and Economic Cooperation, as well as the Labour Mobility Arrangement and the implementation of the Agreement.
The meeting is an opportunity for senior trade officials from Forum member countries and representatives of the NSAs to provide their perspectives on the agreed legal text of the PACER Plus.