Launch of Fiji Blue Economy and Green Community Development Programme (BE-GREEN)

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Salutation

  • Qorovarua Ki vua na Goneturaga na Ratu na Tui Navatu,
  • The Associate Vice-President of the Department for Country Operations, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mr. Donal Brown,
  • Honourable Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry, Mr. Tomasi Tunabuna,
  • Distinguished Guests,
  • Development Partners and Government Officials,
  • Provincial and District representatives,
  • Community Leaders,
  • Members of the Media, and
  • Ladies and Gentlemen.

Ni Sa Bula Vina’a,

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we stand today, ki Lalagavesi vua na Gone Turaga na Tui Cakau Na I Sokula, vaka talega kina ki vua na Goneturaga na Ratu na Tui Navatu.

I pay my respects to their Chiefs, past, present and emerging leaders and I acknowledge their enduring role within the Vanua, we are grateful for their custodianship, which allows us to convene for this important occasion.

Introduction

  • It is a great honour to be here today to officially launch the Fiji Blue Economy and Green Community Development Programme, known as BE-GREEN.

  • Today’s launch is more than a formal ceremony. It is a clear signal of the Government’s commitment to deliver for the people of Vanua Levu, to strengthen rural livelihoods, and to ensure that communities outside our main urban centres are not left behind in Fiji’s development journey.

Alignment to the National Development Plan

  • Ladies and Gentlemen, the National Development Plan 2025–2029 and Vision 2050 is anchored in a simple but powerful promise: to empower the people of Fiji through unity, opportunity and responsible leadership.

  • That promise requires us to grow the economy, protect our environment, strengthen good governance, and ensure that national development reaches the villages, settlements, and islands where our people live and work.

  • This programme responds to these realities by supporting stronger rural livelihoods, improving food security, strengthening climate resilience, and creating better opportunities for communities to thrive. It is about ensuring that every Fijian, regardless of where they live, has the opportunity to build a more secure and prosperous future.

Supporting the Blue and Green Economy

  • Ladies and Gentlemen, the BE-GREEN will leverage and enhance the productive capacity of Vanua Levu’s agricultural and marine sectors through sustainable resource management and biodiversity-enhancing practices. It will also contribute to Sustainable Development Goals relating to poverty reduction, food security, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water and life on land.

  • Importantly, BE-GREEN brings our blue economy and green development priorities to the community level. It recognises that the blue economy is not only about large vessels, ports, and exports. It is also about the fisher who depends on the iQoliqoli, the community that protects its reef, the women who earn income from agricultural or marine value-added products, or the youth who seek opportunities in aquaculture, ecotourism, sustainable farming, and rural enterprise.

BE-GREEN PROGRAMME

 

  • Ladies and gentlemen, the programme is designed to enhance the productive capacity of Vanua Levu’s agricultural and marine sectors through sustainable resource management and biodiversity-enhancing practices.

  • The goal is clear: to boost rural incomes, restore ecosystems, and enhance resilience, while complementing existing Government and development partner initiatives in Vanua Levu, including the World Bank’s Na Vualiku project.

  • This programme will support stronger farms, healthier fishing grounds, better access to markets, new opportunities for rural businesses, restoration of our ecosystems, and greater participation of women and young people in economic development

  • The BE-GREEN programme will support key activities across all three provinces in Vanua Levu through Global Environment Facility (GEF) investment, targeting approximately 3,500 households. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) investment will focus on six districts in Cakaudrove Province: East Wailevu, Savusavu, Navatu, Koroalau, Vaturova and Naweni.

  • Through these investments, the programme will reach 3,050 subsistence or semi-commercial farming, fishing, and handicraft-producing households, with priority given to women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples. Together, the IFAD and GEF investments are expected to benefit approximately 39,300 people.

  • That is why today’s launch is so important. It is a programme that will touch households, villages, districts, and provinces. It will reach people who produce food, harvest from the sea, make handicrafts, manage natural resources, and strive to build a better future for their children.

  • BE-GREEN is built around a holistic approach that connects the protection of our natural resources with the economic wellbeing of our people. Through integrated island planning, sustainable production, improved access to markets and finance, and stronger policies and institutions, the programme will help communities restore ecosystems, create sustainable livelihoods and unlock new economic opportunities.

  • At its heart, BE-GREEN recognises that development and conservation must move together. Our land and ocean are not only our heritage; they are the foundation of a resilient and prosperous future for the people of Vanua Levu, including our women and youths.

Climate Resilience and Disaster Preparedness

 

  • Ladies and gentlemen, climate change is not a distant threat for our villages. It is already affecting farms, water sources, reefs, roads, homes and livelihoods.

  • As a Small Island Developing State, with approximately 44 percent of our population living in rural areas, Fiji is highly vulnerable to natural disasters and severe weather events. While these shocks impose a heavy burden on our national economy, the greatest cost is borne directly by our families and communities who lose crops, boats, homes, water systems, livestock and vital livelihoods.

  • BE-GREEN responds to this reality by supporting climate-resilient production, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection and sustainable land and marine management.

 

Acknowledgement

  • Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to acknowledge the IFAD for its partnership with the Government of Fiji. IFAD’s mission of investing in rural people is well aligned with our national priorities, and we value its continued commitment to the Pacific and to Fiji. I also acknowledge the Global Environment Facility, whose support will help strengthen biodiversity protection and land restoration across Vanua Levu.

  • I further acknowledge the Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Finance, provincial authorities, community organisations, civil society partners, the private sector and all those who have contributed to bringing this programme to launch.

  • This launch signifies our collective responsibility to delivering tangible results for our people. It is therefore our collective duty to ensure that this initiative moves beyond paper and creates a real impact on the ground, moving relevant processes from planning to delivery, from consultation to implementation, and from promises to measurable results.

  • To the Community, your Government sees you, hears you and stands with you. This programme belongs to you. Its success will depend not only on funding and technical support, but on your leadership, participation and ownership. Government and partners can provide the support, but lasting change must be built with communities, not for communities.

Regionalism

 

  • The launch of BE-GREEN is a significant expression of Fiji’s leadership as a Small Island Developing State and our resolve to shape a future that reflects our national priorities and Pacific values. It underscores our commitment to sustainable development that safeguards our natural environment, strengthens resilience, and creates opportunities for present and future generations. In this regard, BE-GREEN also advances the Pacific vision of an Ocean of Peace, it recognises the inseparable link between environmental stewardship, sustainable prosperity, and regional stability.

  • As we launch this initiative in Vanua Levu, we reaffirm Fiji’s belief that the most effective solutions are those that are locally driven, nationally led, and guided by a shared sense of responsibility for our people and our planet. The success of BE-GREEN will demonstrate that island nations can lead by example, showing how innovation, partnership, and stewardship can deliver meaningful and lasting outcomes. Through such initiatives, Fiji will continue to contribute to a Blue Pacific that is peaceful, prosperous, resilient, and sustainable for generations to come.

 

Conclusion

 

  • As we begin implementation, I am calling for urgency, coordination and accountability. We must not allow this programme to become another document on a shelf. It must become better livelihoods, better support for producers, better market access, healthier ecosystems and greater opportunities for women and young people.

  • Ladies and gentlemen, politics must ultimately be about service. It must be about making choices that improve lives, protect communities and give our children a better future. BE-GREEN is one such choice. It brings together Government leadership, international partnership and community ownership to build livelihoods, resilience, stewardship and hope.

  • With these remarks, and with gratitude to all partners and communities represented here today, I now have the honour to officially launch the Fiji Blue Economy and Green Community Development Programme.

  • May this programme bring lasting benefit to the people of Vanua Levu and to the future of Fiji.

  • May God bless us all and May God bless Fiji.

  • Vina’a va’alevu.

[END]

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