Fiji comprises over 332 islands (110 permanently inhabited) and 500 islets and has a population of ca. 876 000, making it the 3rd largest country in the Pacific region.
Although Fiji is an upper middle income country, it remains highly vulnerable to internal and external shocks and natural disasters: Fiji was severely affected by tropical cyclone Winston in February 2016. The country's economy is based on tourism, agriculture (mainly sugar), fishing, and remittances.
The country has been subject to 4 coups d'état and was under military regime from 2006 to 2014. Following the adoption of a new Constitution in 2013 and parliamentary elections in September 2014, the EU has resumed its development cooperation with Fiji. A new set of elections were organised in November 2018, which were deemed free and fair. This has confirmed the commitment of Fiji in consolidating its revamped respect of human rights, good governance and democracy.
Our priorities
The EU is supporting Fiji in diversifying its economy and promoting sustainable rural livelihoods, promoting good governance, providing access to justice, and building resilience to climate change impacts.
Our support aligns with Fiji’s Roadmap for Democracy and Sustainable Socio-Economic Development (RDSSED).
The EU’s National Indicative Programme for Fiji for 2014-2020 has two focal sectors: sustainable rural livelihoods and public administration reform & governance.
Sustainable rural livelihoods
The EU supports Fiji's agricultural sector to become more sustainable, especially when it comes to vulnerable farming communities. We look at alternative livelihood options with Fiji in an effort to help diversify the economy and strengthen agricultural value chains.
Good governance and access to justice
Given Fiji’s ongoing democratic consolidation, we also work in the area of governance. The Access to Justice Programme aims to give poor and marginalised communities better access to legal services and products by strengthening the capacities of key justice and governance institutions. This project has extended grants to NGOs that focus on justice support services, specifically focusing on access to justice, counselling, and protection support services in cases of child abuse, sexual and gender-based violence and violence against women and providing justice support services for persons with physical and psychosocial disabilities.
Civil society
In addition to the two focal sectors, we aim to support civil society to address the issues of limited capacities in national administration and limited linkages between CSOs and Government in development cooperation. Ultimately, the EU wants to strengthen civil society to engage with the government of Fiji in strategic planning, implementation and oversight.
Our impact
The EU is the main contributor towards the Spotlight Initiative to eliminate Violence against Women and Girls, where €50 million has been earmarked for the Pacific.
The EU contribution to the Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Centre (PFTAC), a technical assistance centre of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) centre helps Pacific countries, including Fiji, maintain a sound macroeconomic framework and improve their public finance management.
An allocation of EUR 5 million has been ring-fenced for Fiji in the ongoing resilience-focused "El-Niño Response" programme, which will support initiatives to address the impact of droughts on rural communities, particularly related to food insecurity
Our programmes
European development aid to Fiji is mainly funded via the European Development Fund (EDF). The current national funding cycle for 2014-2020 amounts to €28 million, and specifies sustainable rural livelihoods and good governance and access to justice as focal sectors.
In addition, we channel support to Fiji through regional and thematic programmes and other EU activities, especially for:
- improving marine governance
- promoting gender equality and equity
- combatting waste
- strengthening public finance management
- protecting biodiversity and enhancing resilience to climate change
Under the Regional Indicative Programme for the Pacific for 2014-2020, Fiji is benefitting from the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Programme, the Pacific – European Union Waste Management Programme (PacWaste Plus), the programme “Tackling root causes of gender inequality and violence against women and girls in the Pacific”, the "Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building Facility" and the "Strengthening Public Finance Management (PFM) and Governance in the Pacific projects.
Fiji will also benefit from our contributions under the Pacific Initiative for Biodiversity, Climate Change and Resilience.
The EU is the main contributor towards the Spotlight Initiative to eliminate Violence against Women and Girls, where €50 million has been earmarked for the Pacific.
The EU contribution to the IMF PFTAC centre helps Pacific countries, including Fiji, maintain a sound macroeconomic framework and improve their public finance management.
Related links
EU delegation to Fiji and the Pacific
European External Action Service: Fiji
European External Action Service: the Pacific and the EU
The Fiji Access to Justice Project
Spotlight initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls - Pacific Allocation
EU Development Fund – EU-Fiji national funding programme 2014-2020
European Development Fund – EU-Pacific regional funding programme 2014-2020