- Long Term Role – January 2025, 9 months with an option for extension, subject to program extension
Program Overview
FPSP, also referred to as the ‘Platform’, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) investment, will contribute to the delivery of Fiji’s national development priorities, in line with the Australia’s International Development Policy, the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership and the Development Partnership Plan.
The Platform will deliver key bilateral programs, such as health, education, scholarships, social infrastructure, governance, climate and emergency preparedness and response. Platform activities will identify and address climate risks, promote climate action, and gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across and beyond the sector programs.
The Platform has three functional Outcomes:
- The Platform has delivered its sector program outcomes, including through supporting strategic coherence, planning, partnerships management, data and learning across the portfolio of investments.
- The Platform has prioritised gender equality, disability-inclusive development, and climate and disaster resilience, in its systems and practices. This includes in how it undertakes sector programming and its engagement with selected Government of Fiji (GoF) agencies.
- The Platform administers timely and efficient programming that is: value for money; maximises use of local supply chains; and supports good governance, and public diplomacy, effective decision making and risk management.
IPEF Overview
Fiji is the only Pacific Island member in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), representing a significant step in integrating the Pacific’s second largest economy into our region’s economic architecture. Australia and Fiji have both signed the four IPEF agreements that have been substantially concluded by IPEF Ministers: the IPEF Supply Chain, Clean Economy, Fair Economy, and Overarching Agreements. The IPEF Trade Agreement is still under negotiation. The Fijian Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MTCMSMEC) is Fiji’s coordinating agency on IPEF, led by its International Trade team, which also has responsibility for domestic and international trade initiatives, including PACER Plus and WTO commitments.
Following intensive IPEF negotiations over 2021-2023, MTCMSMEC now needs to focus on its other domestic and international responsibilities. Line ministries face similar challenges. Additional support is needed for MTCMSMEC to coordinate and report on IPEF commitments across Government of Fiji including providing support for line ministries to guide legislative drafting and technical readiness assessments.
Under Australia’s IPEF Fund for Technical Assistance and Economic Cooperation (IFTAEC), Australia is providing tailored support for Fiji to implement its IPEF commitments, through the establishment of a Fiji IPEF Implementation Unit within the MTCMSMEC. The Implementation Unit will consist of an embedded IPEF Program Manager and IPEF Coordination Officer, who will have responsibility for developing targeted capacity building and technical assistance projects for MTCMSMEC and other Fijian line agencies with IPEF responsibilities, and providing administrative, coordination and logistical support to free MTCMSMEC officials to focus on IPEF engagement.