The International Relations Division (IRD) is charged with the management of Samoa’s foreign relations including the management of representation of other states and intergovernmental organizations resident in Samoa. The IRD ensures accurate implementation of Samoa’s foreign policy in international fora and through the implementation of conventions and engagement with all international organizations Samoa is a member of including the United Nations, Commonwealth and the Organisation of the African Caribbean and Pacific States
The International Relations Division provides policy advice on multilateral issues including sustainable development, human rights, peace and security; rule of law; disarmament, climate change and oceans. The Division serves as the Secretariat for the following national committees/taskforces which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is Chair/Co-Chair of:
SDG Taskforce; National Mechanism for Human Rights, Implementation and Reporting Follow-Up (NMIRF); UN Joint Steering Committee, National Oceans Steering Committee and the Maritime Boundaries Committee.
The IRD manages and updates SADATA – a webtool that helps track the human rights obligations and recommendations, which can often be overlapping in nature. This open source tool also includes the Sustainable Development Goals and the Samoa Development Strategy. This is available at https://sadata-production.firebaseapp.com/
