Canada-Fiji relations
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Bilateral relations
The Republic of Fiji is a group of over 330 islands in the Pacific subregion of Melanesia. Fiji’s population of 929,000 is multicultural and multi-ethnic. Fiji's official languages are English, iTaukei, and Hindustani (also known as Fiji Hindi).
Canada and Fiji established diplomatic relations on October 10, 1970. The High Commissioner of Canada in New Zealand represents Canada’s interests in Fiji. Since October 2022, Canada’s first resident diplomat has been located in the capital city of Suva, joined by a second diplomat, the Head of Cooperation, in May 2024. There is also a Canadian Honorary Consul in Suva. Fiji is represented in Canada by its Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, who is also accredited as High Commissioner to Canada, and by an Honorary Consul in British Columbia. About 24,710 people who live in Canada were born in Fiji according to the 2021 Canadian census.
Canada and Fiji have warm and long-standing bilateral relations, including through the Commonwealth. Canada and Fiji have shared interests in a range of issues such as climate action, oceans management, inclusive growth, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
On October 14, 2023, the Fiji flag was hoisted on Parliament Hill to commemorate Fiji’s Independence Day. This was the first time in Fiji’s history that its flag was raised in another country’s Parliament building.
Trade relations
The Trade Commissioner Service (New Zealand) manages Canada's trade relations with Fiji. In 2023, two-way trade was $27.6 million. Exports to Fiji were $19.1 million in 2023 and were predominantly machinery parts, edible preparations of fish, and coins (other than gold coins). Imports from Fiji were $8.5 million in 2023 and were primarily beverages, vegetables and wood products. Canada has had an Air Transport Agreement in force with Fiji since 1974. Tourism, sugar and fisheries are the primary economic activities in Fiji. Canada’s main foreign direct investment in Fiji is in the mining industry.
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Development
Fiji has been a beneficiary of the following projects in the Pacific Islands region:
The Kiwa Initiative is a $115 million multi-donor pan-Pacific regional initiative funded by Australia, Canada, the European Union, France and New Zealand. Since March 2020, Canada has been contributing a total of $16 million to the Kiwa Initiative to strengthen capacities of local and national authorities and civil society organizations to design and implement nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation at local, national and regional levels through granting facilities.
The Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development (CTIF) is a demand-driven $11.6 million technical assistance facility designed to support poverty reduction and women’s empowerment in the Indo-Pacific region, including Pacific Island Countries. CTIF has supported seven technical assistance projects in the PICs valued at approximately $1.1 million.
The Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) is a project implemented by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to which Global Affairs Canada contributed $9.5 million, and Environment and Climate Change Canada is supporting with another $5 million. CFAN supports Pacific Island Countries and others in securing and structuring finance for priority climate projects by cultivating a network of highly trained, embedded climate finance advisors.
Canada is providing $2 million from 2021 to 2024 to the Food and Agriculture Organization to support the Strengthening Small Scale Fisheries in the Pacific project to increase the resilience and adaptive capacity of fishermen and women in the climate-vulnerable coastal communities of Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.
Canada is helping to reduce COVID-19-related food Insecurity in the Pacific Region by partnering with the Food and Agriculture Organization to enable the regional Pacific Food Security Cluster to strengthen regional and national capacities. Canada is providing $3.65 million from 2021 to 2025 to this work, which is also supporting COVID-19 impact assessments for gender-sensitive agriculture and food systems, and builds resilience in Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Niue, Palau and the Solomon Islands.
Canada contributed $17 million in 2022 to the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for Protected and Conserved Areas: Natural solutions to strengthening climate resilience and protecting biodiversity project in Fiji and seven other countries. On April 20, 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will provide $3.5 million over three years to help Fiji and Samoa reduce methane emissions and achieve their Paris Agreement targets.
Canada also supports community-focused projects in Fiji through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI). Canada has contributed over $1.59 million to organizations implementing CFLI projects in Fiji since 2012 through the implementation of 39 projects.
Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Fiji work closely in multilateral fora, such as:
- Commonwealth
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (The Ocean Panel)
- United Nations (UN)
- Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Canada is also a Dialogue Partner of the Pacific Islands Forum to which Fiji belongs.
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