engagement strategy
Resource information
The World Bank's 11 Pacific Island
member countries are a diverse group in terms of economic
and social conditions. Five are least developed countries,
with annual per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as low
as US$ 700, while in some of the territories average incomes
are comparable to those in wealthy industrialized countries.
Population densities and growth rates, land areas and the
level of urbanization all display similarly wide ranges.
There is a great diversity of cultures and languages. What
they have in common is that all are islands surrounded by
the Pacific Ocean, with jurisdiction over areas that are
many times (in some cases thousands of times) their land
area. All derive significant economic and social benefits
from their marine resources, with many coastal communities
depending on them for their livelihoods. Several have large
and important freshwater fisheries. All identify their
living aquatic resources (for fisheries, aquaculture and
non-extractive uses mainly related to tourism) as a major
opportunity for economic growth and development. In some
cases, they represent one of the only opportunities. Reviews
of the importance of fish as a source of food for Pacific
Island populations have found that annual per capita
consumption of fishery products in all cases exceeds the
global average of 16.5 kg. In several small island
countries, where opportunities to produce other food are
very limited, fish consumption is among the highest in the
world. Fishing also plays an important cultural role for men
and women in many of the region's coastal communities.
