FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands
The FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands was established in 1996 in Samoa to coordinate the work of FAO in the Pacific Islands region. The Office covers the following Member Nations:
The Cook Islands | Fiji | Federated States of Micronesia | Kiribati | Nauru | Niue | Palau
The Marshall Islands | Samoa | Solomon Islands | Tonga | Tuvalu | Vanuatu
FAO in the Pacific works with national governments and other stakeholders to identify priority areas for national and regional assistance. The Office is responsible for developing, overseeing and implementing programmes and projects to address food security, nutrition, agriculture and rural development priorities. More information about the Office can be founds here.
Areas of work
The work of FAO in the Pacific Islands region is organized in line with FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 that seeks to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
Latest publications
Pacific food systems - The role of fish and other aquatic foods for nutrition and health
From expert consultation, literature review, and the Pacific Food System regional dialogues (2021), this report distills seven recommendations, and their rationale, for realizing and maintaining the full nutritional and health benefits of fish and other aquatic foods in the Pacific Island region. The diagnosis and recommendations provided in this report consider nutrition improvements that fisheries and coastal resource management can contribute to, but also brings to the fore the complementary intersectoral actions, that address both upstream and downstream determinants of malnutrition, needed to improve nutrition and health among Pacific Islanders.
This report provides an overview and presents outcomes of the 2022 Pacific SIDS Solutions Forum that took place in Samoa's capital, Apia, from 28 to 30 November. Co-hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Samoa, the event brought together Ministry-level leaders from fourteen Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS), as well as heads of technical and resource partner organizations and countries, communities, farmers, innovators, the private sector and academia.
Highlights of FAO’s Programme in the Pacific Islands, 2018–2022
This publication provides a summary of the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) activities and accomplishments in the Pacific Islands region between 2018 and 2022. FAO's Pacific Multicountry Programming Framework 2018-2022 has guided the work in the region through three key outputs aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture and food security while aligning with the UN's sustainable development agenda. Countries’ efforts have included promoting local food production, climate and disaster resilience, healthy diets, and gender equity in the agriculture sector.
National assessment of Solomon Islands food system
The report identifies three ways to improve the food system: strengthening rural food systems, enhancing national policies, and advocating for healthy food environments. These approaches operate at different scales and are interconnected. Prioritizing both rural and urban areas and building strong connections between them is crucial for national prosperity. The report acknowledges existing strengths and emphasizes the importance of further strengthening them to maintain progress.
In focus
Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry The 3rd Pacific Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry Meeting concluded, marking the end of the Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry (PWAF) 2023, a five-day event held in Fiji that brought together governments, NGOs, and other partners to help chart a future for agriculture and forestry in the region. | Boosting Pacific beekeeping industry Beekeeping has a long history in many parts of the world, but its potential in the Pacific region is just beginning to be explored. Explore how FAO, in collaboration with partners, is helping Pacific beekeepers thrive while preserving the region's biodiversity. |
Strengthening the voice of Pacific fishers' FAO has recently published a series of publications that address critical issues related to food security and offer recommendations for decision-makers to create healthy and sustainable food systems, including National assessment of Solomon Islands food systems report and a series of policy briefs. | Launch of FAO’s OCOP initiative The Category 4 Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin that made landfall over Vanuatu in March 2023 have left a trail of destruction in their wake, affecting some 80 percent of the population and causing widespread damage, flooding and power outages. With about three-quarters of the population relying on agriculture, FAO reviews the potential impacts these back-to-back tropical cyclones will have on rural livelihoods. |