Suva, Fiji – 16 February 2026 – The Pacific E-commerce Alliance held its first meeting of 2026 on 16 February 2026 from 6:00-7:00pm (FJT) online.

The partners who joined the meeting were Ms Vashti Maharaj from the Commonwealth Secretariat (ComSec), Mr Sumeet Singh from the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO), Ms Martine Julsaint Kidane from the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Ms Soo Hyun Kim from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).  The meeting was facilitated by the PIFS E-commerce Unit.

The meeting focused on reviewing key findings from the survey circulated to partners in December 2025 to develop the PacifEcom Engagement Plan 2026 gathering information on planned activities for the incoming year, feedback on how to better coordinate and manage regional e-commerce efforts and planning updates for the Pacific E-commerce Symposium planned for end of the year.

The Engagement Plan is a calendar of activities developed in close collaboration with all partners of the Alliance, a live document that gets updated throughout the year but is disseminated to partners and included in the quarterly newsletter of the Pacific E-commerce Initiative to promote visibility of the initiatives by partners in the e-commerce space as well as aim to improve synergies and avoid duplication of work.

Following an overview of the Engagement Plan, partners reflected on survey feedback and agreed on several practical actions to enhance collaboration in 2026.

A key highlight of the meeting was an update on preparations for the inaugural Pacific E-commerce Symposium, to be held in November at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) in Suva. Designed to address a long-standing gap for a dedicated regional platform, the Symposium will convene policymakers, development partners, private sector representatives, civil society and donors to reflect on progress and advance joint solutions to accelerate digital trade in the Pacific.

The program will feature high-level leadership sessions, panel discussions aligned with the priority areas of the Pacific Regional E-commerce Strategy and Roadmap, networking opportunities, innovation showcases, and in-person meetings of the Pacific E-commerce Committee and its Sub-committees.

Partners were also briefed on the program design, planning and indicative budget covering logistics, platform arrangements and participant support, and were invited, as members of the Pacific E-commerce Alliance, to support finalisation of the program and contribute to the organisation of the event.

The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 2026.