National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2020.

This multi-sectorial National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP) for the period 2016-2020 embodies the country’s 2020 vision “To enjoy the highest quality of life consistent with the aspirations of our people, and in harmony with our culture and environment". The NSDP highlights 16 National Goals in 7 Priority Areas: 1) Economic Development; 2). Infrastructure; 3) Energy; 4) Social Development; 5) Resilience; 6) Ecological Sustainability; 7) Governance.
The NSDP's goal 10 is to achieve food security and improved nutrition, and increase sustainable agriculture. The main areas/indicators include: 1) Increase import substitution/ Percentage of all food purchased that is produced locally; 2) Increase food production/ Total food production, considering the food prices are expected to continue rising in the foreseeable future and the country is currently heavily reliant on imported foods; 3) Retain arable land/Total land used and reserved for agriculture; and 4) Improve biosecurity Indicator / Number of reported biosecurity outbreaks.
As mentioned above, goal 10 deals with food security and sustainable agriculture. The NSDP consider that agriculture will continue to be an important part of the future sustainability of the country, despite the country's current dependence on the tourism. The Document requests to take advantage of sustainable opportunities for food security and guard against the many threats including biosecurity risks and the loss of arable land. The NSDP's goal 11 is to promote sustainable land use, management of terrestrial ecosystems, and protect biodiversity, while the goal 12 is sustainable management of oceans, lagoons and marine resources. Main indicators under goal 11 include: Changes in wetland areas; Increase protected land; and Biodiversity loss. Main indicators under goal 12 include: Support healthy coral reefs; Protect marine areas; Support sustainable fisheries; Improve water quality; and Achieve sustainable benefits from marine resources. The NSDP propose to manage fisheries in a sustainable manner using tools such as scientifically determined sustainable quotas. It considers that one of the main challenges is in balancing sustainable economic returns on resources with protecting and preserving the overall health of the Cook Islands’ ocean and lagoon areas. In addition, the NSDP suggest to promote sustainable practices and effectively manage solid and hazardous waste, and make sustainable management of water and sanitation, and accelerate gender equality, empower all women and girls, and advance the rights of youth, the elderly and disabled (NSDP's goal 3, 4, 9).
The NSDP's Goal 1 is to improve welfare, reduce inequity and economic hardship, which focuses on economic inequity, poverty and welfare. It requests to ensure that the fast pace of economic change does not leave anyone behind. The strategic areas/indicators are: 1) Alleviate economic hardship/Percentage of people under “minimum liveable income”; 2) Improve the distribution of wealth/The Gini Coefficient; 3) Promote economic equity / Real growth in the lowest 20% of incomes.
The NSDP's Goal 13 is concerned with strengthening resilience to combat the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. The main aim of disaster risk mitigation efforts is to reduce the overall vulnerability of the island communities. The main strategic directions include: 1) Promote resilient communities; 2) Enhance protection from cyclones; and 3) Build resilient infrastructure.