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The number of reported small Marine Managed Areas (MMAs) driven by local communities has strongly increased in the Pacific region in the last 10 years. They are now presented as on of the main fishery and coastal management tool adapted to the context of many Pacific countries where intervention of the official agency is minimum and where the participation of community is still important.

The Pacific region is home to 22 island states, all of which are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and natural disaster events.

In proposing the framework for the Pacific Regionalism, Sir Mekere Morauta, stated that we see a regiom that is at a crossroads and one that needs regionalism more than ever. Nowhere is this more true than in fisheries, the region's largest shared natural resource and a sector in which regional cooperation has already provided real results-but can do much more.

Globally, the maritime sector is male-dominated and in many places it does not provide a safe environment for women or equal opportunities for their empowerment. Two per cent of international seafarers are women and, despite progress made in the last two decades, particularly under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) framework, more needs to be done for this sector to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5): Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls