Welcome to the Department of External Trade

The Department of External Trade is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade is Hon William Haomae.

September, 2009: The Department of External trade and SI Customs Division are jointly organizing a WTO Trade Facilitation Needs Assessment Workshop. The workshop will be held at the Heritage Park Hotel from 14th–18th September and….. read more

July, 2009: The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) has released a paper titled "The Development Dividend: Making Trade Negotiations Work for Pacific Communities". The press release states that “Negotiators cannot simply assume that market reforms that have been good for a huge economy like Australia’s, such as removing tariffs, are good for small Island states of tens of thousands of people. The evidence from the United Nations shows that developing countries need to retain policy options for economic growth and tariffs as part of their toolkit.” The report is available from the ACFID website.

July, 2009: General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, Fei Tevi, launched a new report from the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) which claims that the Pacific has been “bullied” by Australia and New Zealand into the early launch of free-trade negotiations. The report can be downloaded from the PANG website.

July, 2009: DET held a public consultation on PACER Plus on 30th July in the CEMA conference room. The meeting provided an important opportunity for stakeholders to raise their views ahead of the Forum Leaders' Meeting in Cairns. The discussion provided valuable feedback from the private sector. Views expressed have been summarised in a brief press release. Supporting documents, including an update on recent developments, are available here.

July, 2009: Forum island countries are calling for applications for the post of Chief Trade Advisor to support and represent them in the possible negotiation of free trading arrangements with Australia and New Zealand. The full advertisement is available here. The closing date for applications is 14th August.

July, 2009: The Department of External Trade will be organizing a workshop on 20-21st July on trade in services (TIS)… read more.

July, 2009: MSG Leaders met in Port Vila to discuss the recent exclusion of Fiji from various trade-related meetings, amongst other things. They issued a joint communiqué, available here.

June, 2009: Forum Trade Ministers met in Apia, Samoa to discuss various regional trade issues, including the possibility of new trading arrangements known as PACER Plus. Minister Haomae, in his capacity as Lead Spokesman for Forum island countries on PACER Plus issues, made a statement at the beginning of PACER Plus discussions. The statement is available here.

May, 2009: Solomon Islands underwent its second Trade Policy Review by the World Trade Organisation in Geneva on 6th and 8th May, 2009. Solomon Islands has been a Member of the WTO since 1996, and completed its first Review in 1998. The WTO has issued a press release.

The Department of External Trade contains a Labour Mobility Unit to support Solomon Islanders who wish to work in New Zealand under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme.

The Integrated Framework (IF) is a multilateral approach to trade and trade-related assistance to Least Developed Countries (LDCs). It is a call by LDCs who feel that they have not fairly benefited from global trade.

Solomon Islands is already a party to the following trade agreements:

• The Melanesian Spearhead Group Trade Agreement, with Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji;
• The Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement, with other Forum Island Countries;
• The South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement between Forum Island Countries, Australia and New Zealand;
• The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations between Forum Island Countries, Australia and New Zealand; and
• As a Member of the World Trade Organization, Solomon Islands is a party to the Marrakesh Agreement.

The Department of External Trade is currently coordinating the negotiation of the following trade agreements:

• An Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the Pacific ACP Countries and the European Union
• A Services Protocol to the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement between the fourteen Forum Island Countries
• Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) (including Solomon Islands) are currently negotiating the Doha Development Round

In case you want to get in touch, there is a list of contact details for Department staff.

This website includes help with editing this website and a link to the Departmental webmail system.