Summit for the Pacific and Small Island Nations

The official programme for the Summit for the Pacific and Small Island Nations on 18 June 2021 has been released. The event hosted by Global Access Partners, in association with the OECD and International Centre for Democratic Partnerships (ICDP), will bring together a select group of international business and government leaders to address a broad range of ESG topics, including diversity, resilience, civil society, entrepreneurship and employment.

The Programme is available at – https://www.globalaccesspartners.org/PacificSummit2021_programme.pdf.

GAP will facilitate high-level strategic and economic dialogue between Australia and Pacific Island Nations, with strong participation from the private and investment sectors.

The COVID pandemic’s disruption of trade, tourism and travel has seen Small Island Nations face their largest collective challenge in a generation. The health crisis has exacerbated existing economic vulnerabilities, and threatens to reverse progress across a range of Sustainable Development Goals.

Better governance and coordination at regional and national levels will be the key to a sustainable recovery. New partnerships, coalitions and platforms for collaborative action will help reintegrate Smaller Island economies into regional and global trade, empower transnational cooperation, and strengthen a collective response to major challenges.

Traditionally held in a State Parliament Legislative Assembly Chamber, this GAP Summit is being held on a virtual platform due to COVID restrictions. The debate will follow a parliamentary model, allowing all participants an opportunity to share their views under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution.

The Summit’s recommendations will inform a plan of action for the coming year which members of the GAP network will progress. Follow the summit on twitter at #gapsummit #pacificsummit

Australia’s relations with our Pacific neighbours has been recognised as being of  fundamental importance and vital interest to Australia.

As part of our First 5000 – Have your Say initiative, we invite you to answer the following question:

How can we build stronger business relationships between Australia and the Pacific?