From 18 to 26 March, the sub-regional dialogue on National Biodiversity and Strategy Action Plans (NBSAPs) of Pacific countries took place in Fiji, giving space to over 80 participants from Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, as well as UN agencies, and civil society to discuss priorities for the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity across sectors.

The traditional food systems and knowledge of the Pacific can be game changers for sustainability and resilience. Their management and governance of biodiversity enable them to achieve multiple benefits, including high levels of food self-sufficiency, sustainable use of natural resources, resiliance to climate change and in situ conservation of genetic resources for food and agriculture. The preservation and innovation of these systems are central to the food security of the region.

Agriculture and biodiversity are closely interconnected and positive outcomes on the two fronts can only be achieved with a truly cross-sectorial approach. This cross-sectoriality was real and in action at the sub-regional Policy Dialogue in Fiji. Country delegations composed of officers from several departments, including environment, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries shared lessons learned from the implementation of previous NBSAPs and discussed new collaborative approaches.

The policy dialogue has yielded a set of practical conclusions on the way forward with the revision and implementation of NBSAPs to guide the countries on the way ahead. The event was organized by the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat, together with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Government of Fiji, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

In the Pacific, FAO has also been working with its Members and regional partners to build institutional and technical capacity for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity across agricultural sectors through a portfolio of normative and field programmes. In 2023, FAO together with SPREP and the Pacific Community (SPC) conducted a highly consultative, multistakeholder process in the region that led to the formulation of the Pacific Action Plan on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across Agricultural Sectors (2024–2030) (Pacific Action Plan).