The major objective of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the provision of policy advice to the Government regarding the formulation and implementation of its foreign policies. This is done through proactive engagements to maintain and expand friendly relations with other countries and through our participation in regional and international organisations to which Fiji is a member.
The Ministry represents Fiji’s national interests to the world. In other words- it is Fiji’s window to the world. Fiji is a member of the United Nations and its specialised agencies such as the ILO, FAO, WHO, UNDP, ITU, IFAD and WMO. It is also a member of a number of international and regional organisations such as the Pacific Community, the Pacific Islands Forum, the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission, South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group, WTO, WCO, IMF, IBRD etc.
The Ministry is responsible for the overall co-ordination of Fiji’s membership of these organisations and of its participation in the appropriate international fore. The Ministry operates through it’s headquarters in Suva and diplomatic missions in Beijing, Canberra, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, New York, Tokyo, Washington, Geneva, Abu Dhabi, and Wellington and the Fiji Consul General in Sydney and Shangai.Some of our Heads of Mission are also cross-accredited to a number of other countries.
There are seventeen (17) honorary consuls who represent Fiji’s interests in other world cities and are coordinated through Fiji’s Foreign Missions. The Ministry also records and advises on Fiji’s accession and ratification of treaties, conventions and agreements. Additionally, the Ministry carries out depository functions for various regional and international agreements. This function of the Ministry is obligatory under international law.
The Ministry also deals with consular matters, including issues relating to the status of refugees, and political as well as diplomatic asylum. The Ministry also carries out protocol functions as accorded under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations [1961], the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations [1963] and Fiji’s Diplomatic Privileges & Immunities Act [1971].
The promotion and establishment of external trade and economic relations through negotiation is an important function of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, However our diplomatic missions abroad assist with the responsibility for trade policy implementation and co-ordination of trade promotion activities.
They also identify and encourage potential foreign investors. The Ministry also liaises with the private sector, Tourism Fiji and the Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Bureau in promoting and expanding Fiji’s trade and economic relations.
Currently, Fiji has two Trade Offices in Los Angeles and Port Moresby. The Ministry plays an important role in areas such as the negotiation and administration of foreign development assistance and climate change. It is the Government’s official channel of communication, particularly with all foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations based in Fiji.