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About SPC: Home

Healthy Lifestyle: Small Grants Scheme; Reports; Regional Organisations

Nutrition: Activities; Nutritionists and dietitians; Food security

Tobacco: Highlights; Key events & Meetings; Multilateral Agreements

Alcohol: Key events & Meetings; Resources and Reports

Physical Activity: Highlights

Our Publications: Press Release; Pacific Islands Nutrition - PIN; Trade Agreement in the Pacific Island Countries; Other Resources

For more information,
please contact the
Healthy Pacific Lifestyle Advisers of the section:

Dr Viliami PULOKA
Physical Activity
Tel.: 687 26 09 52

Ms Jeanie McKENZIE
Alcohol and Tobacco
Tel.: 687 26 01 22

Ms Karen FUKOFUKA
Nutrition
Tel.: 687 26 67 75

Secretariat of the Pacific Community
BP D5, 98848 Noumea Cedex
New Caledonia
Fax: +687 26.38.18

Multilateral Agreements

PICTA: The Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement

PICTA is a regional free trade agreement among the 14 Pacific Island Countries (PIC) that are members of the Pacific Forum. PICTA has been in force since April 2003, and provides for the progressive elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade between the parties.

Tobacco and alcohol regulation and PICTA

There are public health issues that would be raised by applying the tariff reduction measures in PICTA to tobacco and alcohol. For instance, the elimination of tariffs on tobacco and alcohol under PICTA may cause tobacco and alcohol consumption in PICs to rise and the implications for national and regional control of tobacco and alcohol if the other provisions in PICTA continue to apply to regional trade in tobacco and alcohol products.

The effect of including tobacco in PICTA

The goal of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is not to facilitate trade in tobacco, but to encourage action by governments to reduce supply and demand.

PICTA, on the other hand, requires the parties to “examine the scope for taking action to facilitate trade within the free trade area by harmonising their laws, regulations and administrative practices”. The obligation to consider harmonising laws in such a way as to facilitate trade currently applies to tobacco and alcohol products, and could limit the capacity of PICTA governments to adopt tobacco and alcohol control measures, because most such measures are designed to dampen the markets in these goods.

To download the Agreement, click here (PDF 880ko).