Ministry convenes the first PS level Maritime Affairs Coordinating Committee Talanoa for 2025

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened a Talanoa session yesterday with the Permanent Secretaries and senior government officials of the Maritime Affairs Coordinating Committee (MACC). The Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr Raijeli Taga chaired by the PS-level Talanoa aimed to reinforce support from MACC Member Agencies on the current work of the Committee and its targets for 2025.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the secretariat of the MACC with wider membership of the MACC encompasses the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Fisheries and Forests, Ministry of Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport, Ministry of i-Taukei Affairs and the Solicitor General’s office.

The discussions looked at the current priorities of the MACC and upcoming plans that would require a coordinated effort between the line ministries.
While officiating the Talanoa session, Dr Taga emphasised on the importance of MACC in protecting Fiji’s maritime interests as mandated under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

She said the dialogue among the ministries will shape Fiji’s national and regional oceans and maritime priorities, ensuring policy coherence and driving sustainable maritime development.

Further, Dr Taga highlighted the critical role of the MACC in ensuring the cross-sectorial alignment and driving oceans policy coherence at the highest levels, stating that the oceans and maritime space holds tremendous potential for sustainable development varying from blue economy initiatives to promoting low-carbon shipping and coastal resilience and that fulfillment of these goals would require strategic collaboration, urgency and shared commitment to maritime mandates.

Dr Taga stated that with complex maritime challenges and climate change sea- level rise, it is important to secure Fiji’s maritime boundaries. The discussions also highlighted that the delimitation of our maritime boundaries is not only a legal obligation but a sovereign duty to safeguard Fiji’s marine resources, ensuring food security and enhancing environmental resilience for the current and future generations.

Dr Taga mentioned that such dialogues are crucial in optimizing partnerships on protecting the maritime ecosystem that forms the basis of day to day living for the communities in Fiji.

The MACC members conveyed their sincere appreciation to Dr Taga and Team for the timely initiative aimed at strengthening Fiji’s maritime boundaries and security.

The session concluded with renewed commitment from the ministries to collaborate closely through the MACC framework in ensuring Fiji’s maritime governance and conservation policies are forward-looking and driven by the underlying vision, “Our Oceans, Our People and Our Responsibility”.

The Committee reaffirmed its commitment to carry forward the legacy of visionary leadership of two of Fiji’s finest Statesmen, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara – Fiji’s first Prime Minister and Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, the first President of Fiji and Fiji’s diplomat the late Ambassador Satya N. Nandan – who were instrumental in the drafting and adoption of the UNCLOS.

The MACC since its establishment in 1995, is mandated to define Fiji’s maritime zones, mapping extended continental shelf areas, developing nautical charts ensuring the enforcement of Fiji’s Marine Spaces Act of 1977 through its technical members, the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources and the Fiji Hydrography Office under the Republic of Fiji Navy.