Ten Years Together: Celebrating Regional Solidarity Through The NTSA

ALOFI, NIUE, 8 MAY 2025 – Fisheries officials from across the 17 Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), mark a decade of regional collaboration under the Niue Treaty Subsidiary Agreement (NTSA), during the 7th Meeting of the Parties in Niue.

The landmark event celebrates 10 years since the NTSA came into force in July 2014, strengthening regional cooperation in fisheries surveillance and law enforcement in the Pacific region.

The NTSA is a Subsidiary Agreement to the 1992 Niue Treaty, which was adopted on 2 November 2012 and came into force on 22 July 2014 following ratification by four Member countries.

It provides a legally binding framework for operational-level cooperation, and enables Pacific Island Countries to jointly undertake monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) of their fisheries resources.

The 7th Meeting of the Parties brought together 13 signatory Parties including Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, with four other FFA Members – Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, and Tokelau – who attended as observers.

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The 10th Anniversary celebration provided an opportunity for Members to reflect on past achievements and reaffirm their commitment to sustainable fisheries management, to ensure that economic and social benefits continue to flow to Pacific communities.

“It is deeply meaningful to host this anniversary here in Niue, where the Treaty was first signed over three decades ago,” said Poi Okesene, Niue’s Director of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries under the Ministry of Resources. “To return to where it all began and mark 10 years of regional cooperation under the NTSA is a powerful reminder of our shared commitment to protecting our ocean resources together.”

Since its inception, over 40 cooperative MCS activities have been conducted under the NTSA framework, including joint patrols, capacity-building programs, Inzone, High Seas Surveillance, and technical resource support amongst the Parties. These activities have not only enhanced the region’s ability to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing but also strengthened trust and operational readiness among the Pacific Island countries.

“Celebrating 10 years of the NTSA is a significant milestone for the Pacific,” said FFA Director-General, Noan Pakop. “The Agreement demonstrates the power of regional cooperation and Pacific solidarity in the Monitoring and Surveillance of a vast Pacific Region.”

The key highlights from the past six meetings include:

• Enhanced cross-border surveillance coordination
• Increased deployment of patrol vessels and aircraft across EEZs
• Expanded MCS training and experience exchange for national MCS officers
• Strengthened legal and operational frameworks to support compliance

The NTSA is deeply aligned with the Blue Pacific and contributes to the key priorities of the 2050 Strategy, especially to ocean and environment, security, people-centred development and resource sovereignty and resilience.

As the Pacific marks the 10th Anniversary of this critical agreement, the NTSA remains a vital tool to the limited resources within Parties and in ensuring sustainable use of marine resources, supporting sustainability and resilience, and preserving ocean health for our future generations.

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