Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat
Excelling together towards a progressive and prosperous Melanesia
MSG Secretariat and JICA discusses a Memorandum of Cooperation
MSG Secretariat and JICA Officials during the virtual meeting
17 June 2020
The MSG Secretariat successfully convened an online meeting with the Japan Technical Cooperation Agency (JICA) to deliberate on a partnership arrangement through a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC).
The proposed MOC is a result of JICA’s willingness to collaborate with the MSG Secretariat through the MSG Roadmap for Inshore Fisheries Management and Sustainable Development 2015 – 2024. The MSG Secretariat’s Programme Manager responsible for National Resources Management, Mr Stanley Wapot said that the MSG Inshore Fisheries Roadmap was an MSG Leaders’ Mandate taken in 2012 to develop a regional strategy for national implementation on the protection and wise use of inshore fisheries and marine resources.
Mr Wapot said that the roadmap was developed by the Fisheries Departments of the MSG Members with technical assistance from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and specifically focussed on the sustainable development of inshore fisheries and aquaculture development in MSG Member States.
He said that one of the key areas of the MSG Inshore Fisheries Roadmap is the need to empower resource owners in their communities to sustainably manage, and benefit from their marine resources. He said, that JICA’s successful implementation of their “Grace of the Sea” project in Vanuatu on integrated community-based coastal and marine resource managementis a testimony that such initiatives can be promoted through the MSG platform to have it extended to other MSG Members.
The discussion with JICA for partnership arrangement has been an ongoing one, and the proposed MOC aims to promote mutual cooperation between the two organizations to promote the objectives of the MSG Inshore Fisheries Roadmap.
Speaking in support, acting Director General, George Hoa’au supported the proposed partnership with JICA. Mr Hoa’au is adamant that the partnership will promote sustainable inshore fisheries that is well managed using community-based approaches that provide long-term socio-economic benefit for the communities in Melanesia.
The first virtual online meeting between officials from the MSG Secretariat and JICA this morning discussed the expected modalities of the partnership, and other related areas of collaboration.. The MOC is expected to be finalised in the coming days including a framework for joint-action and an Action Plan.