PACIFIC PLAN 2010 ANNEX - Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

PACIFIC PLAN 

2010 ANNEX

P A C I F I C P L A N 2 0 1 0 A N N E X 

All photographs used in this report are the property of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Secretariat of the 

Pacific Community or 57 Creative and cannot be reproduced without their written consent.

Reporting on Implementation of Pacific Plan Priorities from the 2009 

Cairns Forum 

August 2010 

This Annex provides a comprehensive annual update of the work of selected 

Member States, Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) agencies 

and some development partners in delivering on the Leaders’ priorities endorsed 

at the 2009 Cairns Forum. It is structured around each of the five themes for 

the Pacific Plan and the priorities that sit below, and covers the period May 

2009 to May 2010. This Annex, which is compiled and produced by the Pacific 

Plan Office in the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, is based on the invaluable 

reporting of Member States and CROP agencies. 

This Annex is a companion to the Pacific Plan Annual Progress Report for 2010, 

which provides a high-level overview of key achievements and challenges. 

Contents 

A. Fostering economic development and promoting opportunities for 

broad-based growth 

(i) Developing effective policy and practical responses to the global 

economic crisis 

(ii) Continuing to support action in the fisheries sector 

(iii) Building on existing marine protected areas and initiatives 

(iv) Expediting the implementation of the 2009 Pacific Energy Ministers’ 

decisions 

(v) Providing greater support to tourism 

(vi) Developing regional and national frameworks to enable the development 

of the economic potential of marine mineral resources 

(vii) Fostering greater international and intra-regional trade opportunities 

(viii) Strengthening the ability of the private sector to participate competitively 

(ix) Addressing issues that hinder the movement of goods and services 

(x) Implementing the directions provided by the region’s Ministers for ICT 

(xi) Continuing the implementation of the economic integration agenda 

promoted and regularly reviewed by the Forum Economic Ministers 

and, in particular, establishing components of the Regional Regulatory 

Stepladder as directed by these Ministers. 

(xii) Increasing support for infrastructure development and maintenance 

B. Improving livelihoods and the well-being of Pacific peoples 

(i) Continuing efforts to better ensure food security for people across the 

region 

(ii) Ensuring healthy populations 

(iii) Improving access to opportunities afforded through stronger education 

systems at all levels 

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P A C I F I C P L A N 2 0 1 0 A N N E X ii 

(iv) Appropriate utilisation and development of land resources 

(v) Supporting the implementation of measures, existing commitments and 

programmes aimed at increasing awareness of and addressing the causes 

and consequences of sexual and gender-based violence 

(vi) Prioritising national actions to mainstream youth issues into the national 

development agenda 

(vii) Acknowledging the importance of ensuring access to greater and more 

equitable opportunities for those with disabilities 

C. Addressing the impacts of Climate Change 

(i) Continuing the implementation of the Niue Declaration on Climate 

Change 

(ii) Developing Pacific-tailored responses to support adaptation and 

mitigation measures and better coordination of Disaster Risk 

Management-Climate Change Adaptation 

(iii) Coordinating regional efforts in the completion and early implementation 

of the outcomes of the December 2009 Copenhagen meetings 

(iv) Enhancing the resilience of ecological systems and associated biodiversity 

and providing ecosystem services with a focus on the impacts of climate 

change in line with the Year of Biodiversity in 2010 

(v) Assisting with the assessment called for by the United Nations General 

Assembly Resolution A/Res/63/281 Climate Change and its possible 

security implications 

(vi) Strengthening data collection and analysis for improved climatic 

monitoring and preparedness through integrated whole-system 

approaches 

(vii) Building scientific capacity across the region through strategic 

partnerships with bodies such as the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate 

Change 

(viii) Building support, with the assistance of regional and international 

partners, for the new Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and 

Food security 

D. Achieving stronger national development through better governance 

(i) Demonstrating strong national leadership and enhanced regional 

attention to accelerate improvements to development coordination in the 

region 

(ii) Committing to sustainable and appropriate: collection and compilation of 

statistics; information management; and records-keeping 

(iii) Implementing efforts to allow for improved access to official information 

(iv) Supporting efforts to allow an enhanced role for women in national 

decision-making processes 

(v) Continuing to strengthen accountability and integrity institutions, 

through approaches such as the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance and Pacific 

Regional Audit Initiative 

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(vi) Encouraging greater involvement of parliamentarians in the development 

agenda 

(vii) Addressing corruption through the use and implementation of relevant 

and existing national, regional and international mechanisms and 

commitments 

E. Ensuring improved social, political and legal conditions for stability, 

safety and security 

(i) Improving human security outcomes for Members, through advancing 

effective conflict prevention, conflict resolution mechanisms and peace 

building 

(ii) Strengthening cooperation in the law enforcement and border security 

sectors to address terrorism and transnational crime 

(iii) Promoting and consolidating regional stability through adherence to 

Forum values and the principles of the Biketawa Declaration 

Other On-going Pacific Plan Priorities 

Development of a regional cultural strategy 

Human Rights components of the Pacific Plan’s Governance Pillar 

Developing effectively managed and sustainable national tuna industries 

Implementing (with the assistance of the FFA) comprehensive 

conservation measures to protect stock levels in coastal, exclusive 

economic zones and on the high seas 

Adopting full implementation, as called for by PNA Leaders without delay, 

of the 3rd Implementing Arrangement 

Action to expedite improved monitoring, control and surveillance as 

required by regional agreement 

Continuing to press distant water fishing nations to comply with all 

relevant national and international laws and conventions to ensure the 

long-term sustainability of tuna stocks 

Progressing urgent efforts to delineate extended Continental Shelves 

Progressing collectively, while also seeking to engage the USA and 

France, strengthened mechanisms to protect regional fisheries via new 

multilateral Pacific regional arrangements 

Hydropower development 

Understanding and predicting wave behavior 

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P A C I F I C P L A N 2 0 1 0 A N N E X 1 

[A] 

Fostering economic 

development and 

promoting opportunities 

for broad-based growth

2009 Cairns Forum priority 

(i) Developing effective policy and practical responses to the global economic crisis 

with the objective of building sustained economic resilience, including through: 

• safeguarding macro-economic stability; 

• protecting core services; 

• targeted support for the vulnerable; 

• boosting national competitiveness; 

• strengthened development coordination. 

What has been the progress and achievement(s) over the last 12 

months? 

Government of the Cook Islands 

• Budget 2009/2010 was set against the backdrop of the global economic crisis, with the 

assumption that revenues would decline in the forthcoming fiscal year 2009/2010. In 

response, the Government embarked on a path that focused on stimulating the economy 

and having a better quality public service, while at the same time remaining committed 

to the achievement of sustainable development goals as encapsulated in the National 

Sustainable Development Plan. As a response the budget policy was presented in the first 

quarter of 2009 to safeguard the Cook Islands’ social and economic wellbeing in such 

uncertain times. 

• It is now acknowledged that the financial situation of the Cook Islands is different than 

what was stated in the 2009/2010 National Budget. This is indicated by increases in debt 

and declines in the Crown’s net worth as a result of over-commitments by the previous 

Government. These indicators fall outside the range of what this Government considers 

prudent for 2010/2011. 

• Nevertheless, progress included: 

- Hosting of two major sporting events, the World Youth Netball Championships and the 

Pacific Mini Games, which provided much needed economic injection in the first half of 

the 2009/2010 fiscal year. 

- Broader stakeholder participation in development summits resulted in setting the 

objectives and intentions for Budget 2009/2010 which reflects the views of the 

community, business sector and traditional leaders. 

- Developing initiatives that maintained and stimulated economic activity in the Cook 

Islands. 

- Ensuring the number of people employed in the public service justified the delivery of 

outputs needed and outcomes desired. 

- Increased investment in infrastructure to support economic growth. Funding was 

predominantly used to finance initiatives that could be undertaken by the private 

sector. 

- Maintaining social development priorities. 

- Strengthening efforts in good governance. 

- Strengthening national law and order. 

- Setting up of a pearl revolving fund and general business support to the pearl industry. 

P A C I F I C P L A N 2 0 1 0 A N N E X 2


What has been the progress and achievement(s) over the last 12 months? [continued] 

- Establishment of the Financial Services Development Authority to represent the 

financial services industry on the international stage, with the overall goal of increasing 

direct revenue from the industry and broader macroeconomic benefits to the Cook 

Islands economy. 

- Negotiating a second round of airline subsidies with Air New Zealand to ensure the 

connectivity of the Cook Islands to the Northern Hemisphere is maintained. 

- A new Public Service Act 2009 was passed. 

• The Cook Islands Government has taken the Millennium Development Goal agenda 

forward by incorporating the Millennium Development Goals into the Cook Islands’ 

National Sustainable Development Plan. 

• The Cook Islands have achieved Millennium Development Goal 5 (improve maternal 

health) ahead of time and have made pleasing progress in all other goals. However, there 

are some goals where efforts have not been adequate. However, as expressed in the National 

Millennium Development Goals Report 2010, the Government of the Cook Islands notes 

that the submission of the midway report, “will assist us to understand where we require 

additional focus and renewed commitment to guarantee that we will be on track, working 

together with the international community to ensure all goals will be achieved by 2015”. 

Government of Nauru 

Aid Management Unit 

• The Government of Nauru, with the assistance of the United Nations Economic and Social 

Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Operations Centre, reviewed its National 

Sustainable Development Strategy in September 2009. The revised Strategy had been 

endorsed by Cabinet and subsequently accepted by the donors at the donor round table 

meeting that Nauru hosted in November 2009. 

• Government’s core services, namely in the health and education sector, have not been 

impacted by the global financial, fuel and food crises. Government has been able to 

maintain these services with the assistance of its development partners. 

• Targeted support for the vulnerable - support is always given to women and children through 

the Home Affairs Department, but funds are limited. A safe house for women has been 

established and this can be further strengthened in the future. 

• Boosting national competitiveness - Nauru is a small player in the world market so it cannot 

influence the price of its phosphate export. Government had tried inviting other potential 

phosphate buyers last year so it can get a more competitive end price. 

• Strengthening development coordination - Nauru organised its third donor round table meeting 

in November 2009. Many of Nauru’s development partners participated in the donor round 

table meeting. The Government highlighted its priority development areas for the donors to 

consider. Nauru’s traditional development partners play an important role in Nauru. 

• Nauru participated in the Cairns Compact Peer Review earlier in the year, which aimed 

to promote international best practice in key sectors, improve effective budget allocation 

processes and guide support from development partners. The Peer Review was a beneficial 

exercise for Nauru because it will now be able to improve its systems and processes in the 

areas of aid coordination and development planning. 

Government of Niue 

• Niue has been able to maintain its financial support to the most vulnerable in country 

through fortnightly delivery of pensions, the maintenance of the hardship and disability 

support allowances, as well as ongoing support to children through the child support 

allowance.


• Given the economic environment, Niue has been frugal in its spending and is committed, 

through the Niue National Strategic Plan 2009 – 2013, to maintain this approach. 

Government of Palau 

• There has been a reduction in tourist numbers/revenue (one of Palau’s forefront 

industries) due to the global economic crisis and external shocks beyond national control. 

Improvements have been apparent for some months in 2010, with aggressive promotion/ 

marketing efforts by the Government and private sector. Efforts to attract foreign 

investment, strengthen the private sector and diversify revenue sources are ongoing. 

• There was an initial reduction of 10% in the financial year 2010 National Unified Budget. 

This was taken as a measure to reduce expenditure and provide an ample period to 

accurately assess realistic local revenue streams for supplemental allocations as needed. 

Projections of annual funds availability analysis used for the formulation of an annual 

budget have been reduced to reflect past revenue collections. As a result, the document and 

relevant projections are more reliable tools in the budget process. 

• Aggressive tax collection efforts have increased local revenue collections from a rating of 

79% in the past, to current annual collections of over 90%, with further improvements 

anticipated as efforts continue. A recent tax amnesty program has offered businesses with 

past due accounts the opportunity to clear these rising debts or to enter into payment plans 

that enable them to continue to operate businesses. 

• External debt/balance of payments on accounts that have become delinquent in the past 

have been made current and are manageable. Efforts to reduce prior year debts owed by 

local vendors are ongoing and improvements on prior year accounts due are apparent. 

• Efforts to reduce utility costs through renewable/alternative energy initiatives are ongoing. 

Methods include the installation of pre-paid meters on government buildings, which 

should aid in reducing the surmounting public sector utility obligations. Ongoing work to 

adjust tariffs on water and sanitation usage and improved infrastructure facilities, to ensure 

effective cost recovery, have begun and will continue. 

• Reinstatement of a 30 year service mandatory retirement law will contribute to a gradual 

reduction in the wage bill (downsizing) through a “reduction by attrition” and allows 

discretion to fill only those vacant positions that are most essential. 

• A Presidential Executive Order has placed a freeze on non-essential travel, hiring and others 

using local revenue funds to reserve funds for the provision of the most essential services to 

the public. 

Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat 

• It is very difficult to measure progress in all these areas – while the macroeconomic 

developments can be measured at the national level, a composite account of regional 

progress against any set benchmark may be more difficult to ascertain. 

• National level assessment and economic forecast work has been developed by other 

multinational agencies and this may not be possible to generalise or detail at this stage. 

• The 2009 Forum Economic Ministers’ Meeting discussed the impact of the Global 

Economic Crisis on the Forum Island Countries. Ministers agreed that, besides lower 

economic growth, the impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Forum Island Countries 

through major transmission channels is likely to be lower income - for both households and 

national governments - which is likely to limit the governments’ ability to provide basic 

services, create jobs, and support vital infrastructure. It is expected that households will 

have reduced access to basic goods and services, and that this has the potential to increase 

poverty levels among vulnerable groups like women, children, people with disabilities, 




and the poor. Ministers noted that this likely worsening of social outcomes threatens the 

recent progress made by Forum Island Countries towards achievement of National and 

Millennium Development Goals. 

• Ministers emphasised that the global recession is also exposing underlying structural 

weaknesses in many countries, and in the Pacific this is exacerbating the impacts of the 

economic downturn, thereby constraining countries abilities to effectively respond to the 

impacts of the recession. 

• Ministers agreed the importance of the following areas of economic policy response: 

- promoting and safeguarding macroeconomic stability; 

- strengthening public financial management to protect core services and the most 

vulnerable; 

- improving competitiveness through the implementation of economic and financial 

reform; and 

- working in a coordinated way with development partners to give the region its best 

opportunity to weather future shocks and provide a platform for sustainable growth. 

• Ministers stressed the importance of timely, appropriate and coordinated responses from 

development partners in support of Forum Island Countries’ efforts to address the impacts 

of economic shocks. 

• Ministers endorsed possible types of assistance being considered by development partners, 

including: 

- project and infrastructure lending on a more accessible basis and with an increased grant 

element, including through new multi-partner mechanisms such as the Pacific Region 

Infrastructure Facility; 

- budget support in targeted areas, which will implement priorities of Forum Island 

Countries contained in their national development plans; and 

- balance of payment support to help Forum Island Countries under protracted distress 

to alleviate excessive economic stress as they attempt to improve adaptability of their 

economies. 

University of the South Pacific (USP) 

• The University of the South Pacific has participated in ministerial meetings and provided 

advice on policy matters. 

• School of Economics staff members are involved in a number of research projects that are 

likely to be useful for governments in the region for policy analysis and input. A number 

of journal articles have been published in 2009 on policy matters and development issues. 

Regional economic updates have been organised to advise governments on social and 

economic problems. The Pacific Economic updates are a collaborative and cost sharing 

program. 

What progress is anticipated over the next 12 months? 


• Similar to Budget 2009/2010, the Budget Policy Statement 2010/2011 was developed 

in somewhat trying times. It noted “that the global recession has left an impression in the 

Cook Islands with regard to social and economic development. It has also impacted on the fiscal 

environment….the financial year 2010/2011 and beyond will be tough”.

What progress is anticipated over the next 12 months? [continued] 

• Scenarios produced by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management show that if 

policy settings are not adjusted, this will have significant implications on the country in 

the medium to long term. Against this backdrop, Government is seeking to take actions 

that will strengthen the economy, limit expenditure growth, get better value for money out 

of existing expenditure, continue to ensure that tax bases are maintained, and ensure that 

assets are managed as efficiently as possible in 2010/2011. As outlined in the Cook Islands 

Budget Policy Statement 2010-2011, “Actions in these areas are expected to significantly improve 

the longer term fiscal path that will bring Crown expenditure back to prudent levels and increase net 

worth”. 

• The Government’s top priority is to manage the economic challenges that lie ahead. 

The minimal economic growth and deteriorating fiscal outlook has strengthened the 

Cook Islands Government’s resolve to improve its productivity and economic growth. 

Government is also aware that its fiscal constraints and economic realities along with the 

associated hardships have made it necessary for the Government to look hard at the way it 

plans and implements its objectives. The intention is to provide a clear target and relevant 

mix of services to serve its people better. 

• To ascertain the flexibility of this, Government has reviewed its Fiscal Responsibility 

Ratios to guide it towards adhering to the principles set out in the Ministry of Finance and 

Economic Management Act. These ratios will set fiscal limits and ensure that Government 

lives within its means and that debt levels and servicing remain sustainable. These are in 

line with the emphasis of the Act on conservatism and risk management. 

• These ratios highlight the following: 

Size of government’s pocket 

- Current levels of taxation in the Cook Islands are appropriate remaining within 25% of 

Gross Domestic Product. 

Expenditure control 

- Operating cost of Government need to be restructured to remain within revenue 

limitations – the benchmark for operating surplus to Gross Domestic Product is 0.25%. 

Prudence 

- The level of debt relative to national income is appropriate at current levels and is 

required to be kept within 35% of Gross Domestic Product. 

- Ability to service debt is at appropriate levels and should be kept within 5% of total 

revenue, noting that the value of debt servicing is expected to increase over the medium 

term. 

- The rate of debt accumulation needs to be reigned in, given the rapid debt accumulation 

in 2009-10. 

Key Strategic Priorities for 2010/2011 

• In the short term, Government’s immediate steps will be to: 

- Establish the true nature of fiscal risks that exist and where possible, drop unfunded 

commitments made by the previous Government (for example, Chinese loan for water 

and roads). 

- Change the way it does business to increase productivity and efficiency, without 

increasing the cost of its public service. 

- Improve the mechanisms of funding Government operations and capital projects in the 

outer islands. 

- Ensure that assistance provided by development partners is aligned to national 

priorities and to the principles articulated under the Paris Declaration. 




• Government has adopted broad strategic priorities for Budget 2010/2011: 

- Support infrastructure that provides economic development in the Cook Islands 

(priority to implement projects that support the tourism sector). 

- Improve the welfare of the people, especially the vulnerable. 

- Reduce the cost of living. 

- Stem the depopulation trend from the outer islands. 

- Improve the implementation of development partner programs and Government capital 

projects in Rarotonga and the outer islands. 

• These broad strategic priorities for Budget 2010/2011 not only capture Government’s 

intentions on improving the economy, but also recognise the ‘human face’ of economic 

development. Budget 2010/2011 intends to ensure that in the Government’s quest 

for economic development, it does not forget the needs of the more vulnerable in the 

community and that development efforts are balanced across the three main pillars of 

sustainable development as articulated in the National Sustainable Development Plan. 


• Strengthening development coordination: working with development partners to 

implement the recommendations emanating from the Cairns Compact Peer Review such as 

convening quarterly meeting with its core development partners. 

• Reviewing progress on the Millennium Development Goals. 

• AusAID has conducted a sector plan for both Education and Health, and work will be done 

to ensure their implementation. 


• To support the development of the private sector and tourism infrastructure, to provide 

an enabling environment for a viable economy; creating more opportunities, such as 

entrepreneurships and employment opportunities. 


• With continuing efforts to improve national and sector planning in the budget process and 

the institution of fiscal management efforts, indicators of progress should become apparent 

in the mid to long term period. In furthering these efforts: 

- An Office of Budget and Grant Oversight has been established under the President’s 

Office to assure effective aid coordination and to optimise application in the national 

and sectoral budgets. 

- The Administration continues to urge Congress to pass legislation to revamp existing 

foreign investment laws, ease restrictions that hinder the flow of foreign investment that 

can strengthen the private sector/diversify the economy, and increase the tax base. 

- Fiscal management capacity assistance has be sought and ongoing projects such 

as cash planning workshops have been planned with partners such as the Pacific 

Financial Technical Assistance Centre and the International Monetary Fund, to assist 

in implementing the existing broad-based management systems. Medium Term Budget 

Framework technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank should compliment 

national efforts to prepare and enhance fiscal economic frameworks and forecasts, 

improve revenue projection capacity, and enhance capacity at the sector levels to 

prepare and analyse budget submissions 

- New revenue generating initiatives have begun and include a green fee collected from 

departing visitors for the protection of the environment through the Protected Areas 

Network. Funds derived from the recycling of plastic and aluminium containers should


be available to utilise soon and tax initiatives proposed to Congress continue efforts 

toward tax reform and the gradual reduction of dependence on foreign aid. 


• In the next twelve months, the USP will continue to organise policy forums such as the 

development dialogues in various countries. In 2010, dialogue sessions will be held in 

Kiribati, Tonga, the Marshall Islands and the Cook Islands. 

• The Fiji Update is to be held in July 2010, and a number of articles are planned for 

publication. Participation in conferences at USP and elsewhere are likely to highlight and 

address problems such as the energy crisis and financial and fiscal constraints in Pacific 

Island Countries. 

Are there any risks or major issues that are impacting on your 

organisation’s capacity to implement this decision? 


• Scenarios produced by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management show that if 

policy settings are not adjusted, this will have significant implications on the country in the 

medium to long term. Further risks include: 

- national general elections; 

- limited human and financial capacities; 

- continued depopulation; 

- increased costs of doing business and cost of living; 

- failure to deliver infrastructure projects; 

- probable climate change impacts, in particular cyclone damage; 

- vulnerabilities to rising fuel and food prices; and 

- decrease in tourism numbers. 


• Some issues that impact on capacity to implement include: 

- capacity issues across the Government ; 

- narrow revenue base of Government, which is a constraint to funding projects and 

programs; and 

- the fuel, food and financial crisis. 


• There is a need for better coordination between the Government and the private sector in 

relation to training opportunities nationally, regionally and internationally. 


• National issues critical to reform in Government will normally require a consensus 

between the Executive and the Legislative Branch of the Government. The political will to 

move forward toward reform in many instances can be an obstacle to overcome. Capacity 

building in the varied components of fiscal management and budget and planning is a key 

factor for enhancement, and in instances the mere lack of available qualified personnel 

has been an obstacle to completing outlined goals. This is most apparent in national 

efforts to continue progressive work on monitoring, evaluating and analysing data and 



Are there any risks or major issues that are impacting on your organisation’s capacity to 

implement this decision? [continued] 

other required submissions in Palau’s participation in regional and other efforts toward the 

Millennium Development Goals and other coordination efforts. 


• Government restrictions on public debate and media disclosures are common constraints 

for open dialogue in economic reform. 


(ii) Continuing to support action in the fisheries sector which would see commitment to 

implementing the direction offered by the Forum Leaders through the Vava’u Declaration 

and Forum Fisheries Committee, and in particular: 

• progressing the development and implementation of fisheries management and 

development; 

• regimes including Regional Strategies on Sustainable Fisheries; 

• Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conservation and 

management measures; 

• Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Strategies; 

• addressing ongoing barriers to international market access; 

• the re-negotiation of the Multilateral Treaty on Fisheries between Pacific Island 

States and the United States; 

• the fostering of coastal fisheries; and 

• strengthening the sector’s governance. 

What has been the progress and achievement(s) over the last 12 months? 

Government of Australia 

• Preparations are well advanced for Australia’s hosting of the fisheries and law enforcement/ 

justice Joint Ministers’ Meeting in Canberra on 12-13 July 2010, mandated by Leaders at 

the 2009 Pacific Islands Forum to agree on a new legal framework for enhanced fisheries 

protection in the region, as called for in the Vava’u Declaration. 

• Australia’s also continues to support the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) through both 

membership and core contributions. This assists work in the illegal, unregulated and 

unreported fishing, as well as conservation and legal work. 


• The Cook Islands continues to implement the Marine Resources (Longline Fishery) 

Regulations 2008, a regulation that provides for the Fisheries Management Plan for ‘large 

pelagic’ fisheries. 

• Working together with other FFA members and the Te Vaka Moana Participants. 

• Proactively participated in the Annual Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission and its subsidiary Committees – Science Committee, Northern Committee, 

Technical and Compliance Committee, and the Finance and Administration Committee. 

• Proactively participated in the development and implementation of the FFA regional 

Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Strategy.


• Worked together with the FFA Secretariat and other FFA members to access the European 

Union market. 

• Proactively participated in Special Pacific Island Parties (to the United States Treaty) 

meetings to develop Pacific Island Parties positions and a strategy for the renegotiation 

sessions. 

• Continued to use community-based coastal management and carry out resource 

assessment. 

• Worked in partnership with aquaculture-related private sector initiatives. 

• Continued to work with FFA members and Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific 

agencies, together with applicable Regional Fisheries Management Organisations. 

• Signed the treaty on the conservation and management of high seas fisheries (South Pacific 

Regional Fisheries Management Organisation). 

• Reduced licensing fees to assist the local fishing industry to help overcome a current slump 

and decline in fish stocks in the Southern Group waters. 


Nauru Fisheries Marine Resources Authority 

• In fisheries management and development, Nauru has supported the setting-up of the 

Parties to the Nauru Agreement Office in January 2010. 

• Nauru has supported various regional strategies proposed by FFA in May 2010. 

• Nauru is implementing all relevant Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission 

Conservation and Management Measures. However, most Conservation and Management 

Measures are implemented through flag state responsibilities and Nauru is not a flag state 

for any Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission-area fishing vessels. 

• Nauru has strengthened its own Monitoring, Control and Surveillance capacity and 

participates strongly in regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance information sharing 

with other FFA members, including Vessel Monitoring System data and Exclusive Economic 

Zone license lists. 

• Nauru has attended several European Union fisheries market access negotiations, with a 

view to potentiating future exports. 

• Nauru has participated actively in the United States Treaty renegotiation process, and has 

a particular interest in implementing the Vessel Days Scheme for the United States fleet in 

Parties to the Nauru Agreement waters. 

• Nauru strongly supports regional assistance towards coastal fisheries and aquaculture. For 

example, the last 12 months have seen a review of milkfish farming, and the development 

of an artisanal fisheries statistics database. 


• In the last 12 months, Niue submitted their draft Tuna Fisheries Management Plan as a 

requirement of the Territorial Sea, Exclusive Economic Zone Act. 

• In the offshore component of fisheries, there is still some work to be done towards it as it 

is an important document from which most management directives or activities will be 

derived. The process may take some time to reach agreement via stakeholders and major 

decision makers to comment on before finalisation. This document is in collaboration with 

FFA management. 

• Other achievements have been the completion of the Wharf Project to enable better access 

for fishing vessels to dock alongside the wharf for offloading and loading purposes. This 

also facilitates the development of offshore fisheries via the tuna long lines. 


10




• May 2009 – the management issues and support has been provided with the expert advice 

from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) as the science provider to member 

countries, as well as the FFA on assessments of stocks. Palau, as a member of the FFA, joined 

others in calling on the FFA to develop a Regional Tuna Management and Development 

Strategy to promote the long-term sustainability of tuna resources within the region’s 

waters and to strengthen efforts to maximise economic returns utilising opportunities 

created through sustainable fisheries management. Fisheries Development Frameworks 

and the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management Framework are already in place for 

implementation by the FFA to member countries. 

• May 2009 – the Regional Economic Integration in Pacific Islands Tuna Fisheries Project was 

endorsed in principle. 

• December 2009 – Palau, a Party to the Western and Central Pacific Commission and a 

member of the FFA, created robust conservation and management measures. 

• May 2010 – a draft Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Strategy has been 

presented for endorsement by the FFA members which would be the primary vehicle for 

the enhancement of Monitoring, Control and Surveillance services at the regional level and 

provide the framework for future development and enhancement of national Monitoring, 

Control and Surveillance activities. The Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance 

Strategy was developed under direction from the Forum Leaders and Forum Fisheries 

Committee Ministers to address mounting economic, social and environmental costs of 

illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing in its broadest sense. 

• May 2010 – the renegotiation of the Multilateral Treaty between the Pacific Islands and 

the United States (United States Treaty). The Pacific Island Parties held their 4th meeting 

in May 2010 on renegotiating issues and strategies in order to achieve rapid negotiation of 

fundamental and operational issues respectively. The 2nd Renegotiation Talks between the 

FFA and the United States will be held in July 2010. 

Government of Samoa 

• The principal Fisheries Act is currently under review so as to be in line with international 

and regional fisheries conservation and management instruments and measures adopted. 

• The review of the Fisheries Act includes the incorporation of conservation and management 

measures adopted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and other 

regional and sub-regional arrangement to ensure the long-term sustainability of oceanic 

fishery resources within Samoa’s Exclusive Economic Zone. 

• Effective monitoring, controlling and surveillance strategies and activities have been carried 

out. These include: 

- participation of Samoa in the sub-regional joint surveillance exercises (Tui Moana) of the 

Exclusive Economic Zones of Cook Island, Samoa, Tonga, Niue and Tokelau under the Niue 

Treaty arrangement; 

- establishment of the second FFA Vessel Monitoring System node in the Fisheries Division to 

ensure the monitoring of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities are regularly 

(24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and effectively carried out; 

- installation of the FFA Vessel Monitoring System on domestic fishing vessels to ensure that 

they are not engaging in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities; and 

- implementation of a 20% National Observer Programme for domestic fishing boats to 

ensure that vessels are conducting responsible fishing activities. 

• Formulating a 3rd National Tuna Development and Management Plan 2011-2015 which


reflects strategies and measures that promote development opportunities and sustainable 

management of tuna fisheries in references to decisions by the Western and Central Pacific 

Fisheries Commission. 

• Samoa is actively participating in the renegotiation of the Multilateral Fisheries Treaty 

with the United States to ensure that the Treaty strongly adheres with conservation and 

management measures that promote sustainability of tuna and also maximising benefits 

for Pacific Island states. 

• Extensive awareness for domestic fishers and related stakeholders on fisheries conservation 

and management measures now adopted and implemented at national, regional and 

international levels. 

Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) 

• FFA Regional Strategy for the renegotiation of the Multilateral Treaty with the United 

States was endorsed, which formed the basis for renegotiation by Pacific Island Parties to 

the Treaty in the first renegotiation session with the United States held in October 2009 in 

Honiara. Further agreements had been reached on key issues for the renegotiation, which 

included removal of constraints on sovereign rights and national laws, limit on fishing 

efforts and enhancement of domestic fisheries development. 

• Adoption of the Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Strategy by the Forum 

Fisheries Committee 74 in May 2010, following years of consultation and research. It 

provides the basis for regional and national actions to allow FFA members greater control 

over fishing activities in their waters. Significant work now lies ahead in building capacity 

for implementation of priority interventions based on member priorities. 

• Regional requirements for 100% observer coverage on purse seine fishing vessels have 

placed significant pressure on national and sub-regional observer programmes. With SPC, 

FFA has delivered outstanding results through the training of 300 observers to meet this 

demand. More recent focus has been on building capacity and infrastructure for national 

administration and data management. 

• Commenced development of negotiation strategies for Western and Central Pacific 

Fisheries Commission issues throughout 2010. 

• Reviewed and designed a new approach to national fisheries management assistance, 

through a focus on national priorities, which will feed into continued leadership at the 

wider regional level. 

• Further detail on previous Forum Leader decisions being implemented by the FFA can be 

found in the section - Other On-going Pacific Plan Priorities. 

Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) 

• Increased accountability and input from members in SPC (Division of Fisheries, 

Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems) for activities and planning through informal Heads 

of Fisheries Meeting, Joint Country Strategy missions, and the co-funded (with FFA) 

consultancy on the Future of Pacific Fisheries. 

• Obtained funding to support the implementation of the ‘decision’ through the 

Development of Tuna Fisheries in the Pacific African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) 

Countries Project (DEVFISH2) and Scientific Support for the Management of Coastal and 

Oceanic Fisheries in the Pacific Islands Region (SciCOFISH) projects. 

• Improved coordination with other regional agencies and sub regional bodies through 

the annual SPC/FFA colloquium, Marine Sector Working Group meetings, and input into 

the Melanesia Spear Head Group, Parties to the Nauru Agreement, and Te Vaka Moana 

Agreement. 


12



• Revised and improved Division of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems 

information system; all Division documents are made available to the Pacific Islands and 

Territories and the general public through the Digital Library System. 

• Estimated current sustainable yields and fisheries impacts for big eye tuna, yellow fin tuna, 

and albacore tuna in the South Pacific Ocean. Estimated the sustainability and utilisation 

benefits for existing and potential Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Tuna 

Conservation and Management Measures. 

• Scientific support for the review and development of Tuna Management Plans and Tuna 

Development Plans in Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated 

States of Micronesia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Niue (through the undertaking 

of National Tuna Status Reports and the FFA-led Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries 

Management process). 

• Continued the large-scale Pacific Tuna Tagging Programme with over 90,000 tropical tunas 

(skipjack, yellow fin, and big eye tuna) tagged in the last year (now over 250,000 in total) to 

support improved stock assessments of tunas. 

• Initiated tagging and biological studies to improve the assessment and optimal utilisation of 

albacore tuna in the South Pacific. 

• In order to assist members in implementing the 100% levels of purse seine observer 

coverage, SPC conducted trainings in Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, 

Fiji, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and Vanuatu. Around 3,000 potential 

candidates screened and over 250 observers successfully trained. 

• Trained more than 20 fishery officers from Pacific Countries and Territories in interpreting 

and applying the results from the regional stock assessments in national tuna management 

planning. Trained around 20 national tuna data managers and installed and updated 12 

versions of the SPC data management systems Catch and Effort Query System and Tuna 

Fisheries Data Management System (TUFMAN). 

• Undertook bio-chemical analysis of samples from tunas and tuna-like species to improve 

understanding of food web interactions and the potential impacts of overfishing and climate 

change on the marine ecosystem. 

• Provided scientific support to fisheries management initiatives developed by the FFA and 

sub-regional bodies, including effort-based management systems to manage tropical purse 

seine and longline fishing, and determine levels of fishing effort to optimise economic 

performance of South Pacific longline fisheries. 

• Introduced the ecosystems approach into community-based management initiatives in 

American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu. 

Fisheries and environment personnel from American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu 

undertook attachments with SPC in understanding and incorporating the Ecosystem 

Approach to Fisheries Management into national fisheries management plans. 

• In collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Nature Conservancy, 

developed and produced “A community-based ecosystems approach to fisheries 

management/guidelines for Pacific Island Countries” and “The Ecosystems approach 

to coastal fisheries and aquaculture in the Pacific”. Representation from Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories fisheries and environment authorities, non-government 

organisations and other regional partners participated and provided input into the 

development of these guidelines. 

• Assisted with the development of management plans and reviews for live reef fisheries to 

ensure sustainable use of aquarium fish and live reef food fisheries in Vanuatu, Marshall 

Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. Developed live reef fish database for the region, 

which SPC will pilot in three countries: Tonga, Vanuatu and Fiji.


• Training in the identification, understanding and sustainable management of reef fish 

spawning aggregations for Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Samoa. 

• Established Fish Aggregation Device programmes for coastal communities with 

deployment and training provided in Tokelau, Federated States of Micronesia, New 

Caledonia, Samoa and Kiribati. 

• Trained national fisheries training officers in by-catch mitigation in longline fisheries to 

reduce the interaction and capture of endangered species (for example, turtles), to address 

the by-catch mitigation requirement adopted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission. 

• Coordinated a hook exchange research project aimed at introducing “turtle friendly” larger 

circle hooks in Cook Islands and American Samoa long line fisheries, to address the turtle 

conservation and management measure adopted by Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission. 

• Completed a feasibility study on the potential for coastal sport fishing development 

in Cook Islands and assisted with implementing the sport fishery development and 

management plan. Assisted the Cook Islands and Kiribati with developing bonefish sports 

fishing management plans. 

• Implemented fish silage production pilot projects in New Caledonia and Niue, as a way to 

utilise fish wastes and add value to the resource. 

• Tuna fishing associations strengthened in Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Nauru, 

Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. 

• Organisational management and report writing course for the Tonga fisheries 

administration. 

• Introduced modern small boat safety equipment and trained fishers in its use in Nauru. 

• Developed aquaculture national policies and strategies for Solomon Islands, Wallis and 

Futuna and Tonga. Developed the Solomon Island tilapia aquaculture plan. 

• Organised a meeting on management of giant clam fisheries and aquaculture together 

with Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Secretariat 

of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), leading to the production 

of proceedings. Organised a regional consultation meeting on the future for tilapia 

aquaculture in the Pacific, leading to the development of proceedings. 

• The Aquaculture Section in SPC is currently coordinating 18 field aquaculture projects 

aimed at resolving bottlenecks in island aquaculture in eight countries - Papua New Guinea, 

Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Kiribati. 

• Coordinated a review of aquaculture statistics in the Pacific for the last decade, and 

published and distributed a summary document. 

• Coordinated studies on domestication of indigenous freshwater prawn Macrobrachium lar 

with on-going capture-culture projects in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Also coordinated 

a student hatchery-rearing project in Fiji where larvae were reared to juvenile stage for the 

first time ever in captivity. 

• Contributed a draft chapter on aquaculture to SPC-led book project ‘Impact of Climate 

Change on Fisheries in the Pacific.’ 

• Coordinated a regional approach to meeting disease-reporting requirements for imports 

of live aquarium fish and invertebrates into the European Union to address barriers to 

international markets. 

• Coordinated a sub-regional workshop in collaboration with CITES, covering trade of marine 

species with a focus on non-detrimental findings and the coral trade, with participants from 

Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia and Vanuatu. 


14



• Delivered the Pacific Islands Fisheries Officers Training course for 11 fisheries officers from 

eight Pacific Island Countries and Territories. 

Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) 

Maritime boundaries status 

• As signatories to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, all Pacific Island SOPAC 

members (Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, 

Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tuvalu, Tonga and Vanuatu) 

have existing obligations under the Convention to deposit and declare maritime boundary 

information consistent with the Convention’s provisions. 

• In the last 12 months, technical boundary solutions have been developed for the Territorial 

Sea Baselines, Territorial Seas (12 nautical miles), Contiguous Zones (24 nautical miles) 

and Exclusive Economic Zones (200 nautical miles) for Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon 

Islands, Vanuatu and Kiribati. Shared boundary solutions have been provided for Tuvalu. 

Cook Islands and Kiribati are in progress – in the current reporting period, 28 of the regions 

48 shared maritime boundaries are not subject to treaty. Assessment of archipelagic straight 

baselines has also been completed for Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands 

during the last period. 

• In the current reporting period, only Palau, Nauru, Papua New Guinea and Fiji have 

declared their maritime boundaries despite many more countries possessing the data and 

information to allow declaration. Where technical work has been completed and delivered 

by SOPAC, it becomes the sovereign interest’s responsibility to consider their national 

marine zone legislation and ultimately declare their baselines and marine zones and 

boundaries 


• USP’s Ocean Law and Policy Lecturer has worked with the FFA for the last two years in direct 

liaison with member governments. Other staff members are also involved with research in 

the region. 

• Collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency to provide support to 

inshore fisheries management and development. There has been a particular emphasis on 

research in aquaculture, sustainable community-based fisheries development, post-harvest 

processing and coral reef ecology. USP students have made substantive advances in the 

breeding of indigenous prawns in captivity. This can enhance the restocking of the species 

in river systems where they are found naturally. 

• Collaboration with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research to offer 

post graduate scholarships in the areas of fisheries management and aquaculture. Some of 

the ongoing research activities include the analysis of fish landing data, monitoring, control 

and surveillance, pearl culture and prawn farming. There are nine students under this 

scheme. 

• USP is now offering a new certificate course in sustainable fisheries. 

• USP has supported the Fiji Government initiative to set up Makogai as a research station. 

• Staff members have been involved with Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission 

meetings and the reconstituted Marine Sector Working Group. 

• Staff members have collaborated with non-government organisations to promote resource 

management at the community level, and have promoted the value of Marine Protected 

Areas in research, lectures and talks. USP has conducted ecological, social and economic 

research on the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas.


• USP has provided support through scientific research, including the release of juveniles in 

Marine Protected Areas and the culture of beche de mer and giant clams. 

• A study for Conservation International on the influence of culture on Managed Marine 

Areas in Fiji has been completed by USP. 

• USP has collaborated with the Institute of Marine Resources on a series of Leaders’ Seminars 

to promote coral reef management. 

• USP staff have promoted the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy and its relevance through 

lectures and publications. 

• Collaboration and support of ecosystem-based management promoted by non government 

organisations, such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society. 

• USP offered a coral ecology course to Macquarie students in January 2010. 

• USP staff completed work on Gau Island in Fiji, which emphasises rural development that 

protects the integrity of the natural environment. 

• A USP team, led by the Vice-Chancellor, attended the UN Conference on the Human Face 

of the Global Economic Crisis in the Pacific Islands in Vanuatu in February 2010, and 

promoted the need to protect food security in the Pacific Islands. 

• USP was represented at the recent Fiji Government Symposium on Food Security and 

Export-led Growth for Resource-based Sectors, and took a lead role at the Technical 

Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation/SPC/Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische 

Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) Seminar on Communicating Agricultural, Rural Development and 

Environment Effectively in May 2010. 

• A USP staff member attended the implementation of CITES – non-detriment finding in 

Honiara, May 2010 in the Solomon Islands. 



• It is anticipated that fisheries and law enforcement/justice ministers will recommend to 

Leaders a new legal framework for enhanced fisheries protection and that negotiations will 

commence. 


• Continue to review and update marine resources regulations where required, with the 

intention of introducing new regulations in the third quarter of 2010. 

• More focus on the tuna species that are targeted by Cook Islands fishers – albacore and 

billfish. 

• Continued proactive participation including an active role in presenting a Conservation 

and Management Measure to Close the High Seas pocket shared by Cook Islands, Kiribati 

and French Polynesia. 

• Continued participation in the European Union ACP Economic Partnership Agreement 

negotiations of the Fisheries Chapter. 

• Participation at the Ministerial Forum Fisheries Committee in Madang, Papua New Guinea 

from 7–8 July 2010. 

• Participation at the Joint Fisheries /Law Enforcement Ministerial Meeting in Canberra from 

12–13 July 2010. 

• Continued use of the community-based coastal management and resource assessment. 


16



• Increase income and employment opportunities through further development of 

aquaculture and inshore fisheries. 

• Development of a “bone-fishing sports” fishing industry in Aitutaki as an alternative for gill 

netters. 

• Increased effort on monitoring water quality pollution on high value tourism locations for 

both ecological and public health concerns. 

• Possibility of providing more long line fishing licenses than the 40 license limit a year is 

under discussion, noting that 26 vessels are licensed to fish in the Cook Islands waters this 

year. 


• Nauru will continue to support regional initiatives aimed at both regional and national 

fisheries sector strengthening, including the implementation of the Parties to the Nauru 

Agreement vessel-days trading scheme, the completion of a multilateral subsidiary 

arrangement under the Niue Treaty (as well as continuing to pursue bilateral Niue Treaty 

Subsidiary Agreements in the meantime), urging the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission to support the further high seas closures already agreed to by the Parties 

to the Nauru Agreement, adhering to (through revision of the Nauru Fisheries Act) the 

regionally-agreed minimum terms and conditions for access by foreign fishing vessels, and 

contributing national data to regional stock assessments. 

• Nauru will continue to develop its national capacity, through the AusAID Fisheries 

Management Institutional Strengthening project, to participate in fisheries informationsharing, 

joint regional fisheries decision-making, and collaborative fisheries development. 


• The development of the coastal management plan to ensure sustainability for the coconut 

crab, and inclusion of community groups for Marine Protected Areas and management of 

local areas, via awareness programs. 

• Provision of food security projects such as Fish Aggregating Device construction and 

deployment, as well as maintenance. 

• Development of a Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Manual for Niue offshore fishing 

vessels, including vessel monitoring system procedures, observer procedures and illegal 

fishing procedures. 

• Incorporating Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission measures into Niue’s 

national legislation for fisheries management purposes. 

• The United States Treaty renegotiations are at the moment hindered by other members 

of the FFA having a different approach towards the negotiations, where currently there is 

proposed a 3rd meeting for renegotiations. 

• Niue is formulating a competent authority to ensure the standards of fish caught are 

internationally accepted, and have trained post-harvest personnel to assess the quality 

of fish and ensure that they meet the standards of international markets, especially the 

European Union. 


• Full implementation of frameworks as described above over the next 12 months, including 

the conclusion of the renegotiation of the United States Treaty between Parties. 

• On Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission issues, Palau as a Small Island 

Developing State anticipates that Small Island Developing States issues will be addressed 

and supported by the Distant Water Fishing Nations at the Annual Meetings.


• The Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Strategy- building on the outcomes of 

the analytical projects and the upcoming discussions of the Joint Ministerial Meeting in 

Canberra, Australia in July 2010. 


• Formal adoption and launching of the new Fisheries Management Bill and delivering of 

awareness programmes to generate broad understanding of the wider public. 

• Launch and implement the National Tuna Development and Management Plan, which 

promotes guidelines for economic development opportunities and strengthens the 

sustainable management for oceanic fisheries. 

• Formulating and implementing National plans of actions for species of concern, such as 

sharks, seabirds, turtles, marine mammals and other by-catches. 


• Agreed that key issues by Pacific Island Parties will be discussed in the 2nd renegotiation 

session of the United States Treaty scheduled for 29 to 31 July 2010 in Honolulu. 

• FFA Members to provide feedback on the proposed regional interventions that the FFA 

will pursue in 2010/11 to implement the strategy. The Regional Monitoring, Control and 

Surveillance Strategy should also drive existing activities already funded under the budget. 

The strategy is a living document. 

• One hundred percent observer coverage – resolution towards the implementation of this 

strategy between regional and national observer programmes. 

• Support to members for Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission preparation and 

implementation of existing measures through national visits and regional Management 

Options Consultation. 

• Implement new approach to national fisheries management assistance through a focus on 

national priorities. 


• Seeking additional funds from various donor sources, including the Global Environment 

Fund, NZAID, and AusAID to improve the implementation of the decision. 

• Estimate sustainable yields and fishery impacts for big eye tuna and skipjack tuna. 

• Estimate fishery impacts on non-target species of special interest, such as sharks. 

• Estimate the sustainability and utilisation benefits for existing and potential Western and 

Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Tuna Conservation and Management Measures for 

big eye, yellow fin, and skipjack tuna. 

• Scientific support for the review and development of Tuna Management Plans and Tuna 

Development Plans in Kiribati, Tuvalu, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of 

Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and the Cook Islands (through the undertaking of National 

Tuna Status Reports and the FFA-led Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management 

process). 

• Continued activities under the Pacific Tuna Tagging Project and albacore tagging programs, 

but focused on areas of particular concern (for example, big eye tuna and large albacore). 

• Continued training and development in observer training, including trainers and de 

briefers; stock assessment and data workshops; FFA and related projects; and TUFMAN. 

• Publication of a book on fisheries and climate change, preparation of a policy brief for 

Leaders on climate change adaptation measures and research priorities for Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories. 


18



• Results from Pacific Tuna Tagging Programme integrated into estimates of stock status and 

sustainable yields. 

• Multi-species bio-economic models developed to inform the development of efficient and 

effective conservation measures. 

• Assistance provided to countries in developing and implementing standardised coastal 

fisheries, monitoring protocols, database and data analysis linked to coastal fisheries 

management. 

• Provide assistance in assessment and management of invertebrate and finfish resources for 

countries. 

• Assistance provided and building in-country capacity in reviewing and developing 

community-based fisheries management, incorporating ecosystems approach to fisheries 

principles. 

• Assistance provided to countries for coastal fisheries legislation reviews/development. 

• Training provided to countries to develop and disseminate fisheries information. 

• Develop/publish Aquaculture Commodity Development plans and review status of fresh 

water fisheries and opportunities for culture-based fisheries. 

• Assist and review Papua New Guinea fish pond farmer census. 

• Support invertebrate restocking initiatives, with emphasis on sea cucumber and giant clams. 

• Assist with the development of small scale pole-and-line fishing in Solomon Islands. 

• Enhance Fish Aggregation Device programs and capacity within the region. 

• Fully implement the Action Plan for sport fishing development in the Cook Islands and 

provide advice to other Pacific Island Countries and Territories. 

• Continue to promote fish waste utilisation and fish silage production in the region. 

• Expand the “turtle friendly” circle hook standardisation projects in the region. 

• Conduct small boat safety training in at least three Pacific Island Countries and Territories. 

• Collaborate with FFA on the production and review of Tuna Development and Management 

Plans. 

• Provide assistance and/or training in the area of competent authorities and seafood safety 

standards to address barriers to international markets. 

• Develop and disseminate aquaculture and coastal fisheries development and management 

information to Pacific Island Countries and Territories. 

• Organise a regional meeting in French Polynesia on sustainable island aquaculture, focusing 

mostly on shrimp and fish culture with a rural aquaculture component. 

• Produce Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands aquaculture development plan. 

• Organise, jointly with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, a sea 

cucumber aquaculture workshop. 

• Engage directly with selected private-sector and non-governmental institutional partners 

to develop a portfolio of aquaculture projects and forge intensive partnerships for increased 

commercialisation of promising commodities, especially ones for export. 

• Continue to assist members to manage aquatic biosecurity and pathogen issues, for 

example, in response to member requests; provide quality advice about the risks and 

benefits of introduction of improved or domesticated varieties of fish or seaweed for 

aquaculture, or on quarantine protocols and disease reporting requirements. 


• SOPAC will continue to provide the support to members on all technical boundary 

solutions with ongoing work concentrated on Cook Islands, Kiribati and Palau at this time.


The Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tonga and Samoa 

have their own arrangements for maritime boundaries, however given these countries have 

also not declared, SOPAC will continue to invite participation in its regional Boundaries 

Programme. In either late 2010 or early 2011, SOPAC will coordinate a further two week 

intensive training workshop on extended continental shelf submission development and 

plans to hold a back to back meeting on marine baseline and zone declaration. 


• USP staff will continue to conduct research, teach, and attend regional forums in this area 

over the next year. 


organisations capacity to implement this? 


• A loss of momentum in the regional negotiations to protect fisheries after the Canberra 

Joint Ministerial Meeting is a risk. Forum Leaders need to remain seized of the issue. 


• As a result of continued monitoring, it has become evident that amendments to the 

Fisheries Management Plan are necessary. 

• Insufficient personnel to conduct the monitoring to the standard required – due to budget 

constraints and personnel attending the huge number of regional/ international meetings. 

• The imminent closure of the cannery in Pago Pago means the Government needs to work 

a little faster than anticipated to source other markets and options for Cook Islands caught 

products. 

• Local staff are being overstretched by increasing workloads. 

• Need to rely on more time- and cost-effective approaches. 


Nauru Fisheries Marine and Resources Authority 

• Most of the risks and major issues involved in implementation of the regional initiatives 

of the Pacific Plan are felt at the regional level. At the national level, the main risk in Nauru 

being able to fully participate in these regional initiatives, and in national institutional 

strengthening, is ongoing economic problems of Nauru – in particular the ability of the 

Nauru government to devote a reasonable portion of the revenue generated by fisheries 

licensing to the Nauru Fisheries Marine and Resources Authority budget and hereby the 

effective management of the fishery. 


• The main problem would be having staff to focus mainly on this work, enabling it to be 

completed on time and produce a good comprehensive document. 


• Palau is a Smaller Island Developing State with very limited capacity and human resources 

available to undertake and implement major objectives and goals, especially on the 

fisheries issues. Another major impact is the lack of funds, which enables full compliance 

and implementation of monitoring of resources, including enforcement and surveillance. 


20





• Lack of technical capacity specifically required for promoting and implementing fisheries 

conservation and management decisions adopted at international and regional levels, which 

are translated as national obligations. 

• Additional functions and duties require recruiting of new staff to deliver national 

obligations brought about by the international and regional fisheries management 

instruments. 

• Limitation on national budget to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of national 

obligations as a result of international and regional fisheries management decisions. 

• Higher costs associated with exercising full sovereign rights on oceanic fisheries occurring 

within Samoa’s Exclusive Economic Zone through implementation of national programmes 

for Monitoring, Control and Surveillance activities, and conservation and management 

programmes. 


• Non-agreement on the key issues may risk the continuation of the Treaty. 

• Regional Monitoring Control Surveillance Strategy – funding is a problem but some sources 

have been identified which include, but are not limited to, the illegal, unregulated and 

unreported fishing vessels component of DevFish2 and ACP Fish II. 

• Observer coverage – development of national and sub-regional capacity to fully implement 

100% observer coverage on bilateral vessels. In addition, vessel operators’ cooperation is 

needed in the full implementation of this strategy. 

• Competing and often conflicting views and positions between and within FFA members and 

the wider Commission. 

• Limited national capacity to carry forward work identified or commenced. 


• Inadequate levels of funding: the level of investment in research for fisheries of the value of 

those found in the Pacific is small, and considerably less than fisheries in New Zealand and 

Australia. This is without consideration of the importance of these fisheries to food security 

and economic development. Less scientific research means less information, poorer quality 

data, and therefore less certain estimates of stock status and fishery impacts leading to 

increased risks to sustainability and optimum utilisation. 

• Sustainability of funding: much of the fisheries research undertaken on tuna/coastal coastal 

fisheries and aquaculture is funded through ad-hoc or short-term funding projects. It is 

difficult to undertake long term monitoring on resources development and management 

required for good scientific information, for example annual tagging programs. 

• Sufficient scientific resources: low levels and intermittent funding make it difficult to 

recruit and retain sufficient scientific staff to undertake the necessary analysis to support 

scientific-based decision making at the national, regional, and Western and Central Pacific 

Fisheries Commission levels. 

• Sufficient resources in Forum member administrations: developing the necessary 

understanding of fisheries science and management of fisheries can take several years and 

fisheries departments suffer from high turnover – both to other parts of government and 

regional agencies (for example, SPC and FFA). All divisions of fisheries, aquaculture and 

marine ecosystems training and workshops aim to minimise these disruptions by training 

more than one person from each department when funds allow. 

• Aquaculture and fisheries in the region is a risky investment and many financial institutions 

are reluctant to lend resources to these ventures.



• Better understanding is needed about the business models and socio-economic settings 

most likely to assure success of fisheries and aquaculture projects, especially with respect to 

tenure systems. Compilation of regional “aquaculture fisheries success stories” is needed to 

analyse and disseminate the lessons learned. 


• There is a crucial need for sustained and improved resourcing of the SOPAC Maritime 

Boundaries Programme and the augmentation of this programme with sustained senior 

legal and policy capacity. The SOPAC Boundaries Programme has completed and delivered 

many components of the membership’s technical baseline and boundary solutions to an 

extremely high standard, however these have not been declared by the sovereign interests. 

The impediments appear to be legal and policy in nature and the lack of capacity in this 

complex law of the sea area. Capacity building in-country and progress towards declaration 

could be effectively provided by integrating specific legal/policy capacity into SOPAC’s 

existing team (if the resources were available). It is crucial that this legal and policy support 

is fully integrated into the existing SOPAC boundaries team as the technical details of each 

country’s data is confidential and technically complex and thus the two disciplines must 

work intimately on a case-by-case basis with each country. 


(iii) Building on existing marine protected areas and initiatives. 

What has been the progress and achievement(s) over the last 12 months 


• The Cook Islands is currently assessing the viability of a proposal that will transform the 

southern part of the Cook Islands’ Exclusive Economic Zone into a marine park. 

• The Te Vaka Moana Arrangement supports the decision by Government to pursue the 

establishment of a national marine park. As noted in the proposal, the Cook Islands have 

the opportunity to designate a significant part of its waters as a protected marine area and 

to have the largest marine park in the world. The potential marine park will cover all the 

territorial waters of the southern group islands. According to the proposal, the park would 

not mean a ban on fishing, seabed mining and other activities but will mean these activities 

will have to be conducted in a sustainable manner. 

• Budget 2009/2010 placed a high priority on the development of commercial inshore 

fisheries and aquaculture for improved income generation opportunities for the private 

sector, particularly in the outer islands. In the past, some significant success has been 

achieved in the offshore fisheries development. Priority was also placed on the recovery of 

the pearl industry through exploring avenues for offering pearl farmers a stimulus package 

to increase production. 

• The Ministry of Marine Resources is working on encouraging more bottom sea fishing 

where there would be a larger variety of fish available for consumption. As the tourism 

industry continues to grow, more recreational fishing operators have started to indulge in 

this activity. Encouraging effective fisheries development, including value-adding activities 

like this, supports the efforts of the Pacific Plan to increase sustainable trade. 


22




Nauru Fisheries Marine Resources Authority 

• District by district community consultations towards community-based fisheries 

management plans, including Marine Protected Areas, have continued throughout the year. 

Nauru also supported the Parties to the Nauru Agreement decision to close further areas of 

the high seas to purse-seine fishing. 


• The Coastal Management Plan is envisaged to cover Marine Protected Areas via community 

groups, planning and implementation. There has been interest from village councils 

to establish Marine Protected Areas, but a proper plan will need to be agreed on and 

implemented. 


• Western high seas pocket closures – Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission 

conservation and management measure 2008-01. This measure is being applied to all 

Parties of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, who are obligated to 

comply. 


• Establishing of the community-based fisheries management programme in at least 87 

coastal villages, where communities are empowered to directly engage in planning and 

implementing activities to rehabilitate and sustainably utilise and manage their coastal 

fisheries and marine environment. Other achievements included: 

- setting up of fisheries village management by-laws in 75 coastal communities; and 

- establishing community-owned fish reserves (Marine Protected Areas) in 65 coastal 

communities. 


• The following Marine Protected Area initiatives were all implemented as part of the SPC 

Coral Reefs InitiativeS for the Pacific (CRISP) programme: 

- Vanuatu: economic study of the Marine Protected Area in North Efate. Establishment of 

a cost benefit analysis of Marine Protected Areas based on field data. 

- New Caledonia: in the context of the inscription of the New Caledonian lagoon on 

the world heritage list, World Wildlife Fund integrated existing data for a publication 

covering biodiversity knowledge in the Northern Province and socio economic factors 

in the Diahot-Balabio marine eco region. Mont Panié, the Marine Protected Area in 

Northern Province and Yves Merlet reserve in Southern province, assisted to create a 

Marine Protected Area using participatory approaches. Existing Marine Protected Areas 

strengthened and geographic information system tools developed, such as cybertracker 

interface to enter data on the Marine Protected Area, and development of eco-tourism 

activities, such as whale watching. 

- Cook Islands: supported a biodiversity visioning process. 

- French Polynesia: supported an international conference on Pacific marine managed 

areas in Mooréa, co-organised by the French National Agency for Marine Protected Area 

and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. 

- Fiji: revised best practices during a workshop on community-based watershed 

management as part of the Gestion intégrée de l’Environnement Récifal: du Satellite à 

l’Acteur (GERSA) project let by the L’Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD)


New Caledonia (Cowrie project). Developed participatory community agreement and 

action plan, surveyed local marine managed area sites, including reforestation of 30 

hectares of mixed native and exotic forest species. 

- Fiji, Vanuatu and French Polynesia: worked on erosion control, mapping of watershed 

and coastal zone using geographic information system; water catchment planning, 

including analysis of customary systems/ socio economic evaluation of Marine 

Protected Areas; and governance and capacity building for Integrated Watershed 

Catchment Management under the GERSA project in these countries. 

- Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Kiribati: Foundation of the Peoples of the 

South Pacific International is currently working under the CRISP programme on 

the development of Marine Protected Areas and the strengthening of existing ones 

to serve as pilots or models for management intervention and capacity building for 

improvement marine resources management. Development of Marine Protected Area 

management plans through management workshops and the creation of management 

associations. 

- Wallis and Futuna: established Marine Protected Area management plans for marine 

areas. 

- Samoa: management of Aleipata and Safata Marine Protected Areas established via trust 

funds. Since November 2009, Conservation International and the Ministry of Natural 

Resources and Environment have been working with local communities to clean up and 

restore coastal habitats impacted by the 2009 tsunami. 

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) 

• Completion and dissemination of the CRISP-funded report on the status of locallymanaged 

marine areas in the South Pacific: an assessment of community-based marine 

managed areas and more formal Marine Protected Areas in terms of their scale and 

location; legislative, governance and other management processes; and the cost and 

overall effectiveness of different community-based management sites and tools. The report 

recommended potential strategies to achieve the level of up-scaling that is required to 

achieve development and meet the conservation targets and agendas of the Convention on 

Biological Diversity. 

• French Polynesia - training for French Overseas Countries and Territories marine managers 

in participatory resource management and community-based marine management 

planning. 

• Samoa - key biodiversity areas for near-shore conservation identified. Key areas to achieve 

Samoa’s Convention on Biological Diversity commitments were highlighted using a 

combination of habitat, species and social data. 

• Melanesia - key biodiversity areas identified for sea turtles. Important nesting sites for all 

five marine turtle species were identified from existing datasets across Melanesia. 

• Continuation of marine turtle monitoring through the Turtle Research and Monitoring 

Database System (TREDS) which collates data from government agencies, non-government 

organisations and community groups who research, monitor and tag turtles in the Pacific 

Islands region. The 2009 TREDS Annual Report details information for Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories on nesting, foraging and migration of marine turtles. 

• PNG - project to use ecosystem-based management as a planning tool in Kimbe Bay, West 

New Britain. The objectives were to build and strengthen the institutional and technical 

capacity of the Papua New Guinea Department of Environment and Conservation in 

designing and implementing marine and coastal ecosystem-based management approaches, 

including principles of Integrated Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact 

Assessments. 


24



• Geographic information systems marine datasets were added to the expanding regional data 

base; also additional data included on the Pacific Protected Areas data base; and for marine 

ecosystems on the ReefBase Pacific. 

• Samoa - technical assistance provided for evaluation of Marine Protected Area coverage, 

utilising geomorphic and habitat datasets, species data and current management regimes to 

generate the status of marine conservation in Samoa. 


• The marine managed area work also enhances the resilience of coral reef ecosystems to 

climate change. Funding was received last year from the MacArthur Foundation to enhance 

and document these effects. 

• Over the last year, this work has been expanded to watershed management with several 

communities in Fiji and Vanuatu to enhance the resilience of their forest ecosystems to 

climate change. 

• The Institute of Applied Sciences at the USP has provided consultancy services to the 

development of the Coral Triangle Initiative, and will be the main implementer of the 

capacity building component. 



• The economic potential for marketing the ‘world’s largest marine park’ is also being 

considered as a way to target environmentally conscious visitors to the Cook Islands as a 

destination that is clean and green. 

• Drafting of legislation to support ra’uis (marine reserve areas). 

• Monitoring surveys of marine reserves. 

• Other activities planned over the next twelve months include raising public awareness 

of the importance of marine reserves, drafting of ‘overarching’ policy and regulations to 

support better management of marine protected areas, and conducting public consultations. 



• District community consultations should be completed in the next 12 months, and new 

regulations under the Fisheries Act, which would provide a firm legal basis for communitygovernment 

co-managed Marine Protected Areas, are to be fully operational in 2012. 


• To complete the Coastal Management Plan and work with community groups in order to 

have Marine Protected Areas in place. 


• The Parties to the Nauru Agreement have agreed to the full implementation of the 

Conservation and Management Measure 2008-01 by applying these measures as a package 

under its Parties to the Nauru Agreement Third Implementing Arrangement. 

• The Parties to the Nauru Agreement are also calling on all high seas pockets closure between 

20°N and 20°S (Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Areas). It is anticipated 

that this additional high seas pocket areas will be proposed at the next Annual meeting of 

the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in December 2010.



• Increase the number of coastal villages to develop and establish community-based fisheries 

management programmes. 

• Increase the number of fish reserves and village by-laws to support the rehabilitation and 

sustainability of coastal fisheries. 


• Over the next 12 months, the SPC will undertake the following activities: 

- Vanuatu (North Efate): evaluation of the impact of Marine Protected Areas in relation to 

actors and the importance for community subsistence. 

- New Caledonia: eco-regional development and implementation of recommendations as 

part of the analyses eco-regional process. 

- Polynesia: scientific baseline survey work within the islands including the reserve 

extension and follow up; participative monitoring, including methodology adaptation 

and training of local people to monitor their Marine Protected Areas. 

- Cook Islands: follow up and development of eco-regional conservation plans. 

- Fiji: under the Cowrie project, maintain facilitation for communities at sites to expand 

nursery creation and area over which restoration is implemented. Continuation of 

both process monitoring (tree survival rates) and outcome monitoring (sediment fluxes 

received by near shore areas and Marine Protected Areas). 

- Fiji, Vanuatu and French Polynesia: implement International Watershed Catchment 

Management activities. 

- Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Tuvalu: establish a socio economic and biological 

baseline, as well as Marine Protected Area mapping, habitat mapping and management 

plan posters. 

- Kiribati: a waste management project implemented by the Foundation of the Peoples of 

the South Pacific International will involve sites on South Tarawa. 

- Wallis and Futuna: now that the Marine Protected Area management plan has 

been created, the Environment Division is the major actor for the development of a 

management committee for the Marine Protected Area management to be implemented 

with CRISP support. 

- Samoa: The final part of the CRISP work will be to assist to identify and implement 

restoration measures, such as replanting of mangrove areas and planting vegetation 

along the shoreline and rivers. 


• Completion of the CRISP programme with the dissemination of key final outputs such as 

sustainable financing scheme for French Polynesia Marine Protected Areas, governance 

mechanisms for the Solomon Island Government to assist community-based management, 

supplementary livelihood options for Pacific Island Communities assessment toolkit, and 

economic assessment of various regional governance approaches. In addition, it is planned 

to delineate key biodiversity areas for Kiribati. 


• The Institute of Applied Science at USP is also developing permanent biodiversity plots in 

three countries, at separate elevations, to be monitored every five years to detect the effects 

of global warming—this is especially important in cloud forests. 


26



organisations capacity to implement this decision? 


• The risks are limited human and financial capacities. 

• The risk of community pressure to allow access to ra’uis. 



• Risks to national Marine Protected Areas are mainly from the relatively high dependency of 

the Nauru population on reef fisheries. Nauru has the highest head of population per unit 

reef area of the FFA/Pacific Islands Forum membership. Potential Marine Protected Areas 

need to clearly demonstrate positive impacts on food security in the medium-term if they 

are to be fully complied with. Nauru also has little or no traditional reef tenureship and it 

has so far proven difficult to establish local community-based Marine Protected Areas that 

will be respected by the entire population without excessive enforcement. 


• This assessment will be pending on the application of the Marine Protected Areas. 


• The risks are lack of funds and human resources, including the lack of enforcement 

resources (budget, patrol boat, human resource, observers’ coverage, and scientific experts). 


• Limited capacity and resources for promoting alternative sources (aquaculture and 

mariculture) of seafood and income generation for coastal communities. 

• Higher costs for developing and promoting alternative sources of seafood and technologies 

for coastal villages, whilst safeguarding their traditional fishing grounds as Marine Protected 

Areas or fish reserves. 


• Vanuatu: communities strongly rely on agriculture, which is in transition between 

subsistence and the market economy. Due to changes in the organisation of government 

partners, some serious communication difficulties between the different services have 

occurred and therefore part of the work has been postponed. 

• New Caledonia: the validation of the eco-regional analysis was time consuming and setting 

up sustainable management committees can be constrained budget wise. 

• Fiji: continuation of project support at the institutional level is required, whilst at site level, 

governance within the village context is the biggest threat. 

• Wallis and Futuna: there is currently no implementation in terms of controlling fishing 

licenses and not much respect from users of fishing regulations. 

• Samoa: the experience of natural climate disasters, such as the recent tsunami, can impact 

the development and long term management of Marine Protected Areas.


(iv) Expediting the implementation of the 2009 Pacific Energy Ministers’ decisions and, in 

particular, the five key areas highlighted by these Ministers to achieve greater energy 

security across the Pacific. 


months? 


• At the 2009 Pacific Islands Forum, Leaders expressed concern about the Pacific’s dependence 

on imported fuel for energy generation and the impact of fluctuating fuel prices on 

vulnerable Pacific Island economies. Responding to these concerns, Leaders agreed that 

a special meeting of Forum Energy Ministers should be held to discuss ways to achieve 

greater energy security in the region, to report back to Forum Leaders in 2010. 

• Australia hosted this Special Forum Energy Ministers Meeting (FEnMM) in Brisbane from 

29 to 30 June 2010, in collaboration with the SPC. 

• At the Special Forum Energy Ministers Meeting, Ministers endorsed the new regional 

Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific. This Framework (developed by 

SPC with Australian funding support) was subsequently endorsed by Forum Leaders in Port 

Vila in August 2010. The SPC led a consultative process to develop the Framework, with 

significant support from Australia. 

• The Framework provides a sound basis for guiding countries’ own energy efforts and is a 

useful guide for better coordination of financing for regional energy programmes. Aside 

from responding to Forum Leaders’ calls in 2009 to address energy security issues, it directly 

responds to Pacific Energy Ministers’ recommendation in 2009 to review the previous 

regional energy policy (2004) and improve coordination of regional energy services in the 

Pacific. 

• At the Special Forum Energy Ministers Meeting, Forum Energy Ministers also: 

- recognised that petroleum will continue to play the primary role in meeting Pacific 

energy needs, and that efficient management of petroleum should underpin energy 

policy decisions; and 

- encouraged the adoption of whole-of-sector approaches to energy planning and 

management at the national level. 

• Australia has committed up to A$25 million to improve access to clean and affordable 

energy services in the Pacific. The focus of this commitment, announced at the 2009 Forum, 

includes: assisting Pacific Island Countries to better manage their energy resources through 

robust whole of energy sector planning and coordinated implementation; exploring 

options to broaden the base of energy sources, including renewable energy; supporting 

improved utility and consumer energy efficiency; and exploring more efficient local fuel 

procurement arrangements. 

- An example of progress to date under the Clean and Affordable Energy initiative 

includes assisting the Tongan Government to develop an Energy Road Map (2010– 

2020), charting the course for gradually reduced fossil fuel dependence and expanded 

access to energy services for the population. The Road Map will enable coordinated 

development partner and Government support to Tonga’s energy sector. 


28




• Government is committed to the concept that transformation of the energy sector is not 

only essential for the reduction of green house gas emissions, but it is also vital for the Cook 

Islands’ economic survival. 

• Endorsement of the National Sustainable Energy Plan by Government. The plan will 

integrate energy into national policies and sector planning (as per Goal 5 of the National 

Sustainable Energy Plan) and provide greater support to achieving supply-side and demandside 

energy efficiency. 

• The Cook Islands component of the Asian Development Bank Regional Technical Assistance 

on Energy Efficiency (Regional Technical Assistance 6485) was implemented. Out of four 

possible activities identified, the Cook Islands selected the replacement of incandescent 

bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs for residential users on all islands as the national 

activity. 

• Implementation of a pilot project to trial various renewable energy technologies that 

focused on alleviating the dependency on fossil fuels. 

• Expression of interest in the project ‘Energising the Pacific’ that supports a strategic 

approach to development of the electricity sectors in participating Pacific Island Countries 

and improves coordination among development partners. 

• Government was approached to provide NZ$2.1million towards a proposed hydrogen 

energy demonstration project in Aitutaki by the United Nations Industrial Development 

Organisation, International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (UNIDO-ICHET), 

based in Istanbul, Turkey. 


• Power utilities represented Nauru in the review and development of the Regional Energy 

Policy, which was coordinated by SPC in April 2010. 

- No progress has been achieved regarding the bulk fuel procurement project that Nauru 

signed up to. It seems like the Forum Secretariat has had some trouble with supporting 

and implementing the Ministers’ decision. 

- Power utilities are looking at a partnership arrangement with neighbouring states if the 

bulk fuel project continues to drag. 

- Nauru is currently implementing its National Energy Policy and power utilities are 

assisting the implementation. Examples of activities include managing and developing 

renewable energy projects (wind resource assessment and solar grid connected system). 

- Capacity building is ongoing in various management and technical areas. 


• Niue passed the 2009 Statistics Act and this should now be able to assist with more 

coordinated data for energy from Niue Bulk Fuel and Niue Power Corporation. Energy 

data can now factor in economic, social and environmental data for planning and policy 

purposes. 

• The European Union has again assisted Niue with more solar grid panels under European 

Development Fund 10, as well as assisting with renewing power cables. The renewal of the 

cables will assist with the capabilities of the solar energy generated from the panels. 

• The European Union has also agreed to assist with solar panels to assist with water pumps. 

• Niue participated in the recent Pacific Regional Energy Policy Consultative Meeting which 

was to discuss, review and agree on the draft Pacific Islands Regional Energy Policy for 

Action and also to discuss the development of a “many partners, one policy, one strategy, one 

plan” implementation plan.


• Nationalise the Framework of Action on Energy Security in the Pacific by incorporating it 

into departmental plans once passed by Cabinet. 

• Niue Power Corporation data tabulation could be done at SPC given the lack of capabilities 

to analyse the data. 

• In relation to the Petroleum Sector, the engineering assessment and cost analysis conducted 

on the damaged and abandoned fuel receipt infrastructures on Niue (assessment completed 

May 2010 – report received and submitted to Cabinet). 


• The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat awarded a consultancy contract to Hale and Twomey 

to undertake implementation of phase one of the Pacific Petroleum Project. Milestones 1-3 

have been completed and reports circulated to signatories. Work has also been planned to 

raise awareness of the project to other Forum Island Countries to encourage more countries 

to sign up. 


• Pacific Islands experience with the mini-grid system toolkit for Legislatures to assist Pacific 

Legislators make good energy‐related policy decisions with the encompassing vision 

of, “available, reliable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy for the sustainable 

development of all Pacific Island communities”, as noted in the 2009 Pacific Energy 

Ministers’ Meeting. 

• Biofuel – with the Asian Pacific Coconut Community and the Australian Centre for 

International Agricultural Research, SPC jointly hosted a roundtable meeting on biofuel, 

which recognised that products from coconuts in traditional Pacific Island farming systems 

have among the lowest greenhouse gas footprint of all biofuels, and needs to be more 

actively developed and promoted in the Pacific Islands, especially on outer islands, for 

power generation and in shipping. 

• Support to national energy policy formulation, implementation plans and strategic action 

plans, such as the development of the Tonga Energy Roadmap with the Government of 

Tonga and key development partners to promote a “whole of sector approach” to addressing 

national energy challenges. 

• Full implementation of the outcome of the Regional Institutional Framework reform 

process in the energy sector, including the resumption of SPC as lead coordinating agency 

in the energy sector – as of 1 January 2010, in accordance with Pacific Energy Ministers’ 

Meeting 2009 and Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ and SPC Conference decisions. 

• Review of the Pacific Islands Energy Policy (2004) – which enabled the identification of a 

number of key challenges, including addressing energy priorities through a whole of sector 

approach, as opposed to addressing these through a siloed manner. 

• Stocktake of national policies and frameworks - policies and plans have been reviewed for 

16 Pacific Island Countries and Territories and most have been endorsed at Cabinet level. 

For most national policies, there is no clear sense of priorities. 

• Produced a matrix of energy sector grant support to Pacific Island Countries, showing 

the substantial volume of grant assistance in energy to the region. The programmes are 

typically over a 4-5 year period and some have been underway for several years or more. 

There is nearly US$30 million from the Global Environment Facility, over US$70 million 

committed from Japan for solar photovoltaics, about US$46m from the European Union, 

nearly US$49 million from the Asian Development Bank (including bilateral input), about 

US$23 million from AusAID (excluding some support through development banks), about 

US$50 million from United States sources to its Pacific territories, and over US$15 million 

from other sources. 


30



• Capacity building – a number of activities have been undertaken to build national capacity 

in the areas of gender mainstreaming in the energy; alternative renewable technologies 

(rural and urban); and energy data information gathering. 

• Petroleum – in acknowledging a high dependence on fossil fuel, SPC have provided 

petroleum advisory services, the Pacific Fuel Price Monitor, petroleum pricing workshop and 

strengthening, as well as technical support provided to the Pacific Petroleum Project to assist 

in the assessments of national needs for those countries signatory to the project. 

• Re-engineering of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific Energy Working 

Group to enable key regional implementing agencies in the sector to be more coordinated in 

addressing Pacific energy priorities and in the delivery of services to Pacific Island Countries 

and Territories. This re-engineering has seen a reinvigorated partnerships approach 

in technical service delivery, resource mobilisation and policy advice to Pacific Island 


• Establishment of the Pacific Energy Advisory Group, comprising of representation from 

Pacific Island Countries and Territories and key development partners, to help guide 

regional and international development partners in identifying priority needs, and 

formulating implementation strategies to address the five key areas highlighted by the 

Pacific Energy Ministers’ Meeting to achieve greater energy security. 


• Continued to implement the Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable 

Energy Project (PIGGAREP) to assist Pacific Island Countries with the removal of barriers to 

the widespread utilisation of feasible renewable energy technologies. 

- Resources assessments - purchased and installed a wind power monitoring station at 

Atiu, Cook Island and at Anabar in Nauru. Purchased monitoring equipment and funded 

a technical expert to assist with the wind power and hydro power resource assessments 

of Samoa’s Electric Power Corporation. Supported Tuvalu’s wind power development 

by analysing two years’ of wind data and shifting the Funafuti wind power monitoring 

station to Niulakita Island. 

- Feasibility studies - conducted a biofuel feasibility study at Lata and Nangu, Nendo 

Island in the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands as part of a collaborative 

effort with the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Asian Development Bank. 

Conducted a hydropower feasibility study at Talise, Maewo, Vanuatu as part of a 

collaborative effort with the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Funded 

a hydropower feasibility study at Huro, at the Makira Ulawa provinces of the Solomon 


- Capacity building and training - conducted a capacity building workshop on the Clean 

Development Mechanism as part of a European Union-funded capacity building project 

on the Multilateral Environmental Agreements. 

- Conducted a regional training workshop in Niue based on the European Union-funded 

grid-connected photovoltaic systems– six Pacific Island Countries’ power utilities 

participated. 

- Conducted regional exposure visit to Vanuatu renewable energy development – wind, 

biofuel, solar photovoltaic, hydropower and biogas in which eight Pacific Island 

Countries participated. 

- Regional workshop on the sustainable management of stand-alone solar photovoltaic 

systems in which eight Pacific Island Countries participated. 

- Supported UNDP in a regional workshop on the Second National Communication and 

in particular on the greenhouse gas inventory.


- Training assistance to Tuvalu on its greenhouse gas inventory. 

- Workshop on the environment impact assessment of energy projects – led by the 

International Union for Conservation of Nature. 

- Funded the Tuvalu national workshop based on the International Union for 

Conservation of Nature supported solar photovoltaic grid integrated system for the 

Motufoua Secondary School at Vaitupu. 

- Wind data analysis workshop to support wind monitoring activities of Pacific Island 

Countries – ten Pacific Island Countries participated. 

- Workshop on the renewable energy service companies’ manager – nine Pacific Island 

Countries participated. 

Pacific Power Association 

• Training needs assessment - the training needs assessment for the Southern utilities was 

completed in March 2010 with a European Union-funded consultant. The training needs 

assessment and the workshop modules are being finalised for the tendering process. 

• Energy efficiency study - this study with the Northern Pacific utilities will be completed in 

July 2010. It was undertaken by KEMA, an Allied Member of the Pacific Power Association. 

The funding for this activity was provided by United States Department of Interior. The 

losses study for the remaining ten utilities located in the south of the Pacific region will 

commence in the fourth quarter of 2010. 

• Renewable Energy Adviser - the Renewable Energy Adviser took up his position in January 

2010 at the Pacific Power Association Secretariat. The Adviser has already visited five Pacific 

Island Countries to establish the present installation of renewable energy and quantify the 

present skills and abilities with renewable energy sources. The Adviser has undertaken 

the needs analysis of energy priorities in the Pacific Island Countries, developed action and 

development plans for renewable energy, and managed the implementation of the plans. 


• USP staff attended and contributed to a variety of meetings and have been involved in a 

number of activities, including the Regional Energy Officials Meeting in Tonga – April 2009; 

Pacific Energy Ministers Meeting in Tonga – April 2009; Joint meeting of the governing 

bodies of SOPAC, SPREP and SPC – July 2009; Forum Leaders’ Meeting (Cairns) – August 

2009; SPC Conference – October 2009; SPC assuming the lead agency coordination role – 

January 2010; establishment of Pacific Energy Oversight Group – January 2010; consultant 

to review the Pacific Islands Energy Policy 2004 – February 2010; Regional Energy Policy 

for Pacific Islands Intensive Planning Workshop – March 2010 (Nadi, Fiji); and the Pacific 

Regional Energy Policy Consultative Meeting, 11- 14 May 2010 in Noumea. This meeting 

discussed a Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific, and developed a draft 

Implementation Plan for Energy Security in the Pacific. Once the framework is finalised it 

will be tabled at the next USP Council meeting in October 2010. 



• The new Regional Energy Framework and Forum Energy Ministers’ recommendations will 

now guide Australian and other donor support. Priority areas for future support include: 

- robust, whole-of-sector planning and implementation at the national level; and 

- appropriate regional initiatives that may be identified under the Regional Energy 


32



Framework that complement Pacific countries’ own national energy security efforts, 

such as consumer energy efficiency and utility benchmarking. 

• The Framework will be presented for final endorsement to Pacific Energy Ministers at their 

regular biennial meeting in 2011. SPC will also seek Ministerial endorsement of a related 

Implementation Plan, currently being developed. This Plan will operationalise the themes 

articulated in the Framework, and will contribute to practical efforts for better coordinated 

regional energy programs in the Pacific (for example, benchmarking, economies of scale and 

data collection and analysis). 


• Ongoing discussions with the Government of the People’s Republic of China to fund 

initiatives in the National Sustainable Energy Plan. 

• Progress initiatives in the medium term to transform the energy sector. These initiatives 

will: 

- provide incentives to the public to utilise renewable energy sources such as the recently 

launched net metering policy that allows excess energy generated from renewable 

sources to feed back into the main grid, giving consumers credit on power bills; 

- establish the institutional arrangements, including legislative and regulatory 

frameworks required, to improve energy efficiency and increase the utilisation of 

renewable energy; 

- determine the best renewable energy technology options for the Cook Islands; 

- determine the best means of using renewable energy in the transport sector; 

- build local capacity in renewable energy installation, maintenance, development and 

expertise; 

- make readily available to the public all the necessary information required on energy 

efficiency and the use of renewable energy; and 

- ensure that the Cook Islands works together with its development partners in its efforts 

to transform the energy sector. 


• Power utilities are preparing to implement a project with the European Union in an attempt 

to improve energy efficiency through demand and supply side. The demand side efficiency 

awareness is ongoing. The next level of input will involve improving the distribution and 

transmission systems. 


• Review and implement the Energy Policy and the Action Plan to coincide with the 

Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific. The review will assist with 

achieving the targets in the National Plan in relation to the Framework, providing guidance 

to Niue to enhance national efforts in achieving energy security. 

• Coordinate funds coming in-country for energy projects to avoid duplication and funding of 

the same activities. 

• Niue Power Corporation has some real data which needs to be passed on for tabulation 

through the assistance of SPC, particularly in terms of analysis. 

• In relation to the petroleum sector, formatting project details and the development of one of 

three options to upgrade or rebuild existing fuel receipt infrastructures in Niue. 

• Prepare Niue’s response upon receipt of the first three milestones from the Pacific Islands 

Forum Secretariat under the Pacific Petroleum Project (Bulk Procurement).



• Working towards the conclusion of phase one of the Pacific Petroleum Project by September 

2010. The management of the project will then be undertaken by SPC. 


• Finalisation and endorsement of the Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific 

by Pacific Island Countries and Territories officials and Pacific Energy Ministers. 

• Draft Regional Implementation Plan for Energy Security in the Pacific for initial agreement 

on its general direction from Pacific Island Countries and Territories Officials and Pacific 

Energy Ministers. 

• Design and establishment of a regional mechanism to enable improved coordination in the 

delivery of regional and international services and support to Pacific Island Countries and 

Territories in addressing national energy priorities. 

• Establishment or reinvigoration of energy data information system for regional and 

national data collection, with the identification of the minimum core set of energy 

development indicators. 

• Convening of the Pacific Energy Ministers Meeting in the Republic of the Marshall Islands 

during the first quarter in 2011. 

• Full management of the Pacific Petroleum Project with an expectation that several 

key milestones will be achieved including an assessment of national standards and 

requirements; a draft procurement strategy, risk assessment completed; a draft commercial 

contract for goods and services for consideration by current and prospective signatories; 

a final commercial contract for goods and services for consideration by current and 

prospective signatories, which incorporates comments and suggestions and the completion 

of all associated tendering documentation. 

• Continued national level technical assistance and capacity building in the areas of national 

energy policy refinement; gender mainstreaming, and alternative renewable technologies. 

• Finalisation of the Regional Strategy for Sustainable Biofuels in the Pacific - in their efforts 

for energy and food security, Pacific Island Countries and Territories have drafted a strategy 

towards sustainable use of biofuel resources. The strategy aims to strike a balance between 

food security, energy security and poverty reduction. It is a regional framework for national 

biofuel policies to re-shape the energy and agricultural sectors of Pacific Island Countries 

and Territories reducing their energy dependence, increasing economic resilience, creating 

employment and reducing their contribution to global warming. 

• Development of biofuel standards. 

• Undertake energy efficiency audits and establish realistic national demand side energy 

targets. 


• For PIGGAREP, more resource assessments, feasibility studies and training and capacity 

building activities will be implemented in collaboration with other parallel activities in 

Pacific Island Countries and in accordance with the PIGGAREP’s agreed work plan for 2010. 

The work plan for 2011 will be based on Pacific Island Countries’ priorities, which will be 

formulated and discussed at its annual multipartite review meeting in November 2010. 


• Training needs assessment - the training modules will be tendered and awarded to 

successful bidders. Once these bids have been awarded, the utilities that will be identified 


34



to attend these workshops will be asked to nominate their engineers to attend these 

workshops. 

• Energy Efficiency Losses Study - the Pacific Power Association will be provided with the 

results of the Energy Efficiency Losses Study, including (a) results of the load flow analysis 

and the quantification of the power system energy system losses for the ten Northern Pacific 

utilities; (b) where these energy losses occur in their systems; (c) a Electrical System Data 

Handbook for each of the ten utilities; and (d) a prioritised list of inefficient equipment for 

replacement, including budget costs. 

• Renewable Energy Adviser - continue visits to the remaining Pacific Island Countries to 

establish the present installation of renewable energy and quantify the present skills and 

abilities with renewable energy sources; undertake the needs analysis of energy priorities 

in the Pacific Island Countries; development of action and development plan for renewable 

energy and to manage the implementation of the plan. 


• USP staff members will continue to contribute to the policy dialogue and pursue applied 

research projects that will have outputs relevant to the region’s needs. USP will send two 

representatives to the upcoming Special Forum Energy Ministers Meeting. 




• Lack of coordination in the energy sector is widely recognised as a constraint to energy 

security in the region. Australia will provide appropriate support to SPC in its new role 

as lead regional agency responsible for energy coordination in the Pacific, in addition to 

supporting coordinated action at the national level. 


• Competing priorities in the infrastructure sector - a large number of infrastructure priorities 

for Government and concerns that have to be addressed under capacity constraints and high 

set-up costs of investment in renewable for energy. 

• Limited financial and human capacities. 

• Deploying technology that has not been proven in circumstances similar to the Cook 


• Waiting for such technological developments to come to fruition. 

• There is a need for some policy changes in order to improve the enabling framework for 

renewable energy and energy efficiency investments and for improved management of 

municipal and agricultural wastes. 

• In the energy sector, institutional arrangements keep changing. 

• Adequately resourced regulatory body that could set and enforce rules, regulations and 

performance standards promoting efficiency and the development of indigenous resources 

is yet to be established. 

• Fragmented energy supply - the national power utility, Te Aponga in Rarotonga and 

individual island council operations on all other islands, transparent benchmarking and 

the setting of performance standards are difficult if not impossible to achieve. While not 

adequately supervised, the island councils are typically under-resourced.



• Island council service providers are typically under-resourced. 

• Definition of role of private sector as provider of technology and of financing services. 

• Lack of unambiguous procedures to deal with unsolicited proposals and creation of 

independent, external advisory panel for assessment of new technologies to be introduced. 

• Lack of minimum efficiency standards for building designs, and important equipment such 

as household appliances, air conditioners, lights and vehicles. 


• Lack of capacity (human and capital) has hampered utilities effort in implementing 

the Ministers’ decisions. It is important that sufficient resources and ongoing support is 

provided by development partners. 


• The major issue has been, and continues to be, the uncoordinated nature and structure 

of energy in Niue. There is an urgent need for a Cabinet decision to be made in respect to 

the energy sector under the current Government reformation plans, as there is increased 

activity under this sector, not only nationally, but regionally. It is imperative that officials 

who are involved are informed of what is happening, especially in terms of the reporting 

lines. 

• Energy is cross-cutting, therefore in relation to what has already been highlighted, each 

sector on the national level should have an understanding of their role, such as the Niue 

Power Corporation as users of an energy source, Economic Planning and Development as 

planners and policy makers, and Niue Bulk Fuels as suppliers of energy. 

• The Niue Energy Policy is outdated, and is urgently in need of a review. The majority of the 

recommendations were not followed, and thus the document was not really put in to use or 

fully utilised. Funding is an issue to assist with this review. 

• Petroleum Sector - financial and capital investment is required to implement the bulk 

receipt infrastructure upgrade, to ensure that facilities are adequate for fuel receipts, 

discharged directly from local coastal tankers. 


• Under the Regional Institutional Framework, energy functions currently undertaken by 

the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat will be transferred to SPC’s Economic Development 

Division. 

• The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has other energy mandates and these need to be 

reassessed in light of the Regional Institutional Framework process. 


• In implementing the decisions of Leaders under the Regional Institutional Framework 

reforms, the Pacific Energy Ministers’ Meeting 2009 decisions, acknowledging the 

challenges of effective integration of specific functions of SOPAC’s energy programme and 

fully developing what would be an appropriate structure in order deliver on the energy 

programmes, agreed that substantially more resources will be required, initially to provide 

for a full complement of technical staff to effectively implement decisions, as well as to 

manage the coordination functions for a regional energy programme. 

• Adequate skilled staff will be required to facilitate the implementation of the Regional 

Implementation Plan for Energy Security in the Pacific. 


36





• In implementing the decisions of Leaders under the Regional Institutional Framework 

reforms, implementation of the Pacific Energy Ministers’ Meeting 2009 decisions and 

acknowledging the challenges of effective integration of specific functions of the energy 

programme in the region. 


(v) Providing greater support to tourism, the region’s largest economic driver, and, in particular: 

• accelerating development of emerging geographic and niche markets; 

• improving access to Pacific destinations by air and sea; and 

• continuing to build the capacity of small and medium service providers to 

cater to current and emerging international markets and generate employment 

opportunities. 


months? 


• Thinking and delivering ‘outside of the box’ marketing initiatives is delivering Cook Islands 

Tourism with sound results and increased visitor numbers, up by 11.6 percent in June 2009. 

The Recession Free country campaign generated over US$2.5 million worth of publicity 

with features in publications such as the Wall Street Journal. 

• Cook Islands Tourism also held discussions with the New Zealand delegation on potential 

joint marketing activities during the Rugby World Cup in 2011, to entice the European and 

long haul traffic to the Cook Islands on their way to or from New Zealand. Cook Islands 

Tourism anticipates increased promotional activities in key markets of the United States of 

America, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe. 

• Increased arrivals capacity has been created to assist with the extra demand generated by the 

World Youth Netball Championships, Pacific Mini Games and annual Vaka Eiva events. 

• The Cook Islands Government has endorsed a new integrated tourism and economic 

development strategy which aims to: 

- secure access to the critical Northern Hemisphere markets of the United States, Canada, 

United Kingdom and Europe; 

- significantly improve access to the largest source market for visitors to the South Pacific 

i.e. Australia; 

- open another access point to the European markets, as well as Asia and North America 

through the re-establishment of services by Air Pacific to the Cook Islands and onwards 

to its entire network; 

- upgrade the international sales and marketing programme of the Cook Islands in all key 

markets in partnership with the newly established Destination Sales and Marketing Task 

Force, which is tasked with coordinating the investments of the Cook Islands Tourism 

Corporation, local industry participants, airlines and wholesalers; and


- identifying a “go forward” position for the upgrade of the Aitutaki airport to a full jet 

status through commissioning a comprehensive engineering, marketing, economic, 

environmental and construction feasibility study. 

• This integrated package of initiatives is designed to place the Cook Islands economy “on the 

front foot” as it adjusts to the continuing global financial crisis and increased competition 

from other sun destinations in the South Pacific, as well as Queensland, Asia and further 

afield. 

• A strong economic growth strategy is needed to balance the large investments being made 

in public infrastructure and in the long term to be able to repay the loans undertaken 

to complete these public infrastructure investments. The current Air New Zealand - Los 

Angeles service has been estimated by economic consultants Airbus to provide: 

- 20% of overall visitor arrivals to the Cook Islands whose economic impact is higher 

than the gross numbers suggest, as they are on average higher yielding and visiting 

during the Cook Islands off season. The loss of this service would be unlikely to see 

these visitors come to the Cook Islands; 

- 8% of Gross Domestic Product, i.e. if this service was lost there could be as much as 8% 

reduction in Gross Domestic Product which could accelerate into a depression with 

more than 10% reduction in Gross Domestic Product. This would take at least a decade 

to recover from and would dramatically accelerate the current trend of depopulation; 

and 

- 800 full time equivalent jobs 

• Extensive renovations on the international airport have now been completed to improve 

the arrival area and strengthen compliance with civil aviation procedures. 


Commerce, Industry and Environment – Tourism 

Shanghai Expo Participation 

• The preparation for the Shanghai office is completed. There is a Nauru video-promotion for 

the Shanghai big screen presentation. Brochures were completed, translated and printed. 

Brochures include “The Rock”- which emphasises the phosphate industry from a tourism 

angle, a general “Visitor Information”- outlining basic information and services when 

visiting Nauru, “Our-Airline” brochure showing routes, destinations and contacts, and the 

hotels - Meneng Hotel and Odn Aiwo Hotel - which promote their services. 

• The Nauru/Shanghai major promotional display preparation was pushed forward by Nauru 

Tourism. Cultural and national displays are in Shanghai. The philatelic department had 

also put together philatelic sales items for sale at the expo. 

• Four Nauruan nationals are in Shanghai for six months to work at the Pacific Pavilion’s 

Nauru pod. 

Pacific Edge Adventures Initiative 

• The Pacific Edge Adventures Initiative was the most significant step towards the tourism 

National Sustainable Development Strategy goal of establishing a niche market in game 

fishing. This was an initiative by the sub-regional islands of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, 

Tuvalu and Nauru. The success of the Tinny and Tackle Show ‘Pacific Adventures’ booth 

showcased a real potential for Nauru’s game fishing. The next step is to empower the local 

stakeholders in a strategy package to bring in the niche market. Current details of Nauru’s 

stakeholder’s services are outlined in the Pacific Edge Adventures website - http://www. 

pacificedgeadventures.com. 


38




• Newly appointed Senior Tourism Development Manager funded by the New Zealand 

Government and the Government of Niue for 2-3 years to implement the Tourist Office 

Reforms. 


Palau Visitors Authority, Belau Tourism Association and Palau Chamber of Commerce have 

secured rights to the “World Host” Customer Service Program. Started new airline service 

(Pacific Flyer) providing scheduled flights from Manila and Brisbane. Increasing market 

campaign in Europe. 

South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) 

• Government support to the tourism sector continues to grow. The achievements of 

the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) over the reporting period include the 

development of increased emerging markets for tourism in the South Pacific region. 

• The Indian Starter Pack in August 2009 saw SPTO lead a team of private sector agencies to 

Mumbai to meet with key wholesalers and travel agents. Participating countries included 

Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati and Cook Islands. Business partnerships were formed, including 

proposed tour visits to the islands by interested Indian wholesalers and tour operators. 

In addition, a Japan Starter Pack consisting of participants from Tonga, Kiribati and the 

Cook Islands took place in September 2009. Meetings with Tokyo and Osaka agents were 

held, which resulted in successful familiarisation visits to the Cook Islands and Kiribati by 

Japanese media groups, wholesalers and retail travel agents. 

• Further Starter Packs and marketing initiatives to focus on the following key emerging 

markets are underway - Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Germany, Vancouver and Russia. 

• Representation at key trade and tourism events continued with SPTO’s presence, 

highlighting the tourism potential of the region in particular for the Smaller Island States 

(niche markets) at international events. Over the reporting period, SPTO continued to 

represent the Pacific at events in Europe (Berlin), New Zealand, Australia and China. The 

Shanghai World Expo commenced on 1 May 2010, with all 14 Pacific Island Countries 

participating under one umbrella – the ‘Pacific Pavilion’. 

• SPTO coordinated the participation of the 14 Pacific Island Countries at the event under 

the Pacific Pavilion which will run from 1 May – 31 October 2010. The involvement of the 

Pacific region at this world event will be the perfect opportunity to showcase the Pacific as 

an aspirational visitor destination and a desirable trade and investment partner. As China 

is an emerging market for Pacific Tourism, participation at the Shanghai World Expo is part 

of a long term strategic approach by Pacific Island destinations towards establishing a closer 

working relationship with China. The strategic direction the Pacific participation at the 

World Expo will ensure a long term working relationship between China and the Pacific 

destinations for years to come. 

• Pacific tourism and trade representatives will be present for the duration of the World 

Expo. Investment partnerships including cultural exchanges, communication channels 

and networks will be formed at the World Expo. The event will also provide the necessary 

exposure for tiny South Pacific Islands to capture a global audience and future visitors to the 

Pacific region. 

• During the reporting period, Cruise and Aviation Taskforces were established by SPTO’s 

Board of Directors to collectively advance aviation and cruise issues in the Pacific. SPTO 

continues to promote the Cruise Shipping Strategy and implement its findings. Aviation 

matters were addressed through SPTOs participation at Routes Asia in November 2009 to


improve air linkages intra-regionally and internationally. SPTO’s participation at the global 

Asian Conference on Airline issues (Routes Asia) resulted in the Pacific’s case for airline 

opportunities being highlighted to the global airline network at the November Forum. 

• In February 2010, a Regional Conference on Tourism Investment coordinated by the Pacific 

Asia Travel Association with support from SPTO was held in Apia, Samoa to assist small 

and medium entrepreneurs in the identification of potential overseas tourism investors. 

The successful event created a platform for the establishment of partnerships, networks 

and key communication channels through the European investment contacts that were 

present at the event. Future business opportunities are being forecast with the creation of 

employment as a result of the investment partnerships. 

• In July 2009, support towards building the capacity of small and medium enterprises to 

market and sell their tourism products online was enhanced through the development of 

social media networking online modules for utilisation by Government member countries 

and tourism small and medium enterprises. The modules developed with funding from the 

European Union have assisted small and medium enterprises with the opportunity to draw 

tourist attention to their destinations through online social media. The built capacity at a 

national level to enhance visitor arrivals to the countries through online social networks 

has increased countries’ capacity to receive increased visitor arrivals to their destinations. 

• In April 2010, a partnership agreement between SPTO and the Pacific Islands Forum 

Secretariat was signed to build and promote sustainable tourism ventures in Pacific Island 

Countries. The focus, to promote small-scale tourism operations and independent travel 

to tourists from Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan aims to target tourism operations 

that provide direct employment and enterprise opportunities, particularly for women 

living in remote communities. The joint partnership relates to an online campaign with 

Lonely Planet, which will involve the development of a micro site in the main Lonely 

Planet website. 

• The Pacific micro site will feature 16 Pacific Island destinations. The focus of the content on 

the Lonely Planet micro site will be the unique characteristics of the South Pacific under the 

overall theme of adventure travel. As tourism continues to be the key source for economic 

growth in most Pacific Island Countries, this initiative will highlight the consolidated 

efforts made among all stakeholders to ensure the long term sustainability of the tourism 

sector. 


• The Faculty of Business and Economics and the School of Tourism have developed a new 

program in Hotel Management to meet the labour needs of tourism operators around the 

region. 



• Restructure of the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation – improve the effectiveness and 

efficiency levels of the Corporation to lead the holistic marketing of the Cook Islands whilst 

building strong relationships with industry members, wholesalers, overseas representatives 

and government. 

• Continue to improve air access – negotiation underway for potential links through Nadi, 

Sydney and Vancouver, depending on the support from government subsidy. 

• Marketing strategies – strengthening marketing strategies of the Cook Islands through online 

social networking sites, public relations and trade. 


40




• Further coverage and promotional developments will continue from the Shanghai Expo 

experience. Asian and global interest in Nauru will have increased significantly at the 

Expo and visitor numbers are expected to increase. Nauru Tourism will capitalise on the 

opportunity to improve national operators by catering between visitors and tour operators. 

• Improvement of package deals and establishing wholesalers are expected to happen over 

the next 12 months. This effort intends to increase visitor’s entry and improve Pacific 

accessibility by air via Our-Airline. 


• Continued flights from Air New Zealand with the replacement of the Boeing 737-300 with 

an Airbus A320. 

• On-going business development and training of the tourism sector to prepare for the pre 

visitor season. 


• Implement Alii Host (Palau’s “World Host” program). Start Pacific Flyer flights from Koror 

to Guam. Establish monitoring of level of tourism satisfaction by means of periodic tourist 

survey. 


• A key component to the Lonely Planet online campaign is the “win a Pacific experience” 

competition that will feature on the Lonely Planet main website and the Pacific micro site. 

The campaign aims to increase the number of travellers to the Pacific region. The online 

campaign will run for four months, however, separated into two seasonal campaigns. Two 

months for a summer campaign that would run in October-November 2010 and two months 

for a winter campaign scheduled for May-June 2011. 

• Pacific Marketing and Destination Seminars on tourism in the Pacific will be conducted 

at the World Shanghai Expo, with three seminars prepared to take place in June, July and 

August 2010. Tactical marketing campaigns with Air Pacific and Air New Zealand are 

being proposed for implementation over the duration of the Expo (six months) up until 30 

October 2010. 

• Representation at international tourism and trade fairs are being planned for the next 12 

months – the Pacific Asia Travel Association Travel Mart (Macau, Special Administration 

Region of China), South PacificFest40 (United States of America) and the China 

International Travel Mart. SPTO’s presence will continue to highlight the Pacific’s unique 

tourism features and the development opportunities tourism in the region has to offer. In 

addition, enhancing the brand ‘South Pacific’ will continue to be the underlying objective 

for marketing initiatives implemented by SPTO. 

• SPTO will continue to highlight the need to enhance aviation links throughout the Pacific. 

Preparation for a Pacific presence at Routes Asia 2010 will be coordinated by SPTO in 

September 2010. 

• Cruise development will be enhanced through the development of cruise surveys to identify 

cruise infrastructure needs and to develop a Cruise Planning Manual in October 2010. 

• An update of the Regional Tourism Strategy is being planned for November 2010 to reflect 

new emerging issues and to ensure alignment with the national tourism strategies of 

member countries. 

• Identification of community tourism development activities is being planned for November 

2010. Collaboration with agencies such as the International Union for Conservation of


Nature, as partners in community development through tourism, is being proposed for later 

in the year. Member countries and small and medium enterprises will benefit from the 

opportunities created by these community initiatives. 

• Implementation of the Climate Change Mitigation and Communication Strategy by SPTO 

will see carbon offset programmes researched for the aviation and cruise sectors later in 

the year. The results will enable member countries to support and build upon the existing 

climate change strategies to assist in promoting carbon footprint initiatives for the Pacific 

through airlines and cruise companies. 

• Implementation and promotion of the South Pacific Tourism Investment Marketplace 

with a focus on small and medium enterprise will bring about opportunities for local 

entrepreneurs and overseas investors. The objective of the initiative is to build local 

capacity in promoting investment opportunities through an online mechanism, which 

will empower local communities to utilise the investment marketplace created by 

SPTO. Employment opportunities and increased tourism activities will be a result of the 

investment in the online marketplace. 

• SPTO’s participation at the Pacific Islands Investment Summit in August 2010 will highlight 

the opportunities for investment in tourism in the small and medium enterprise sector. 

The Pacific’s potential for tourism development and investment will command attention 

from interested investors. SPTO’s involvement in the Summit will further enhance the 

Pacific’s capability to compete regionally and globally and will bring about much needed 

investment in public infrastructure for improved development of the sector in the Pacific. 

• Further promotion and training on the utilisation of the social media modules that were 

developed in 2009 will be carried out in December 2010 to educate member countries on 

the usage of these social media networking modules. Small and medium enterprises and 

National Tourism Offices will be given hands-on training to fully realise the potential and 

opportunities created through online social media networks. 


• The number of enrolments in the hotel management degree will increase. It is hoped that 

tourism operators and governments will provide more scholarships for new students to 

undertake this program. 




• Limited funding available to restructure the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation and 

undertake effective marketing. 


• Capacity development - skills capacity and resources are major issues which impact on 

tourism progress. 

• Technical assistance - legal administration for entry will require consultative assistance. 


• Lack of investment in Niue tourism infrastructure and promotion. 


42





• Lack of funding for adequate staffing. 


• Increased financial resources are required to ensure effective delivery of all programmes and 

services to all 14 member countries in the Pacific. 

• Limited human resource capacity within National Tourism Offices to support regional 

activities given the competing priorities at a national level. 

• Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on the business environment of Pacific Island 

Countries, in particular the impact on small and medium enterprise tourism operators. 


(vi) Developing regional and national frameworks to enable the development of the economic 

potential of marine mineral resources; and strengthening regional and national capacity in 

the mining, environment, labour and financial sectors to comply with relevant standards 

for the deep-sea mining industry within the region, while supporting environmental 

monitoring that preserves ecosystems and terrestrial and marine biodiversity. 



• A new deep sea mining bill was drafted with assistance from the Commonwealth 

Secretariat. 

• Public consultations were conducted on the draft deep sea mining bill. 

• Bill passed by Parliament in 2009. 


• There is no marine mineral mining, and apparently no prospect of such activity in the 

near future that would require resources to be diverted into the development of national 

frameworks to manage the industry. In the interim, Nauru will continue to rely on the 

development of regional standards. 


• Niue fisheries attended a SOPAC workshop on the potential for deep-sea bed mining. 

• As a party to the Law of the Sea, the sea bed regime has stipulated the procedures of mining 

the sea bed within the Exclusive Economic Zone and beyond the national jurisdiction. 

Even though at the national level there is an absence of any frameworks towards deepsea 

prospectus, the Law of the Sea would be incorporated within the Territorial Sea and 

Exclusive Economic Zone Act.



Deep Sea mineral Policy Development 

• Toward the latter part of 2010, SOPAC expects to start implementation of its €4.7 million 

Regional Deep Sea Minerals Policy Development Project. Funding for this project was 

approved by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund. The 

objective of the project is to develop legal and fiscal frameworks for sustainable deep sea 

minerals management in the Pacific. 

Extended Continental Shelf 

• Extensive progress has been achieved in the development of Pacific Island extended 

continental shelf claims, with eight Pacific Island Countries submitting extended 

continental shelf claims before their deadline of 13th May 2009 to the United Nations 

Commission on Limits of the Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) in New York. At the time of 

writing, Cook Islands, Fiji and Tonga have made their individual presentations to the 

UNCLCS and the joint claim of the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and 

Solomon Islands was also presented in 2010. 

• In February 2010, SOPAC and project partners Geoscience Australia, United Nations 

Environment Programme (UNEP) Shelf Programme and the Commonwealth Secretariat 

facilitated the 6th Regional technical training workshop to complete the technical 

component of the presentations to the UNCLCS in April 2010 for Papua New Guinea, 

Solomon Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Tonga. 



• The Government of the Cook Islands is of the view that to ensure that its people get the 

maximum long term benefits from these resources, it must take a cautious and informed 

approach to the mining possibilities of its seabed mineral resources. 

• The process of finalising deep sea mining is considered not feasible at this present time. 


• A legislative review on deep sea prospectus has been planned. 


• The SOPAC Deep Sea Minerals project is expected to commence in the next few months, 

with recruitment of technical and legal staff and an inaugural regional workshop. The 

workshop will be convened to ascertain the status of exploration within the region, key 

stakeholders, as well policy, legislation and knowledge gaps. Work will then commence on 

developing a terms of reference for a regional framework for the sustainable development 

of deep sea minerals in the Pacific Islands region. 

• In relation to the extended continental shelf, SOPAC is working with two additional Pacific 

Island Countries to continue the development of their respective submissions, with a 

target to complete and lodge these in early 2013 (their deadline). SOPAC will also continue 

to support the extended continental shelf claim work with all Pacific Island Countries, as 

many of these are not yet complete and require substantial work before they are eventually 

fully reviewed by the UNCLCS. To this end, SOPAC and its technical partners will hold a 

further workshop in either late 2010 or early 2011. 


44






• Lack of legal personnel for advice and drafting at the national level. 


• The Regional Institutional Framework process has resulted in stalling of the release of 

funds secured for the European Development Fund 10 deep sea minerals project by SOPAC. 

It is hoped that these funds will be released in late 2010 and project implementation can 

commence once the issues highlighted in the institutional framework are adequately 

addressed. 

• In the case of maritime boundaries, including extended continental shelf delimitation, 

significant work remains at a technical, policy, legal and diplomatic level to ensure that 

the process of completing and defending the extended continental shelf submissions is 

successful. Whilst significant technical capacity and progress has been built in many 

countries, much work remains to be done and the sustained and augmented (mostly legal) 

efforts of all countries will be critical in successfully concluding this important regional 

work. 


(vii) Fostering greater international and intra-regional trade opportunities by proceeding 

with the implementation of key regional trade agreements and, in particular, working to 

allow for the freer movement of goods and services. 



• Pacific Islands Forum Leaders launched negotiations for a new regional trade and economic 

agreement, known as the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus, 

in August 2009. Pacific Islands Forum Trade Ministers met in October 2009 and April 

2010 to make decisions in relation to the PACER Plus negotiations, including agreeing on 

the priority issues of: rules of origin; regional labour mobility; development assistance; 

trade facilitation and infrastructure issues. There has also been progress made towards 

the establishment of the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser, including selection and 

commencement of the Chief Trade Adviser. Australia is providing substantial development 

assistance and capacity building to support Forum Island countries’ involvement in the 

PACER Plus negotiations. 

• Australia has been active in its support of efforts by Samoa and Vanuatu to complete 

requirements for accession to the World Trade Organisation. In particular, officials of the 

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) travelled to both countries in the 2009- 

10 financial year to provide technical assistance and advice in relation to outstanding 

requirements of entry. Following an assessment of outstanding needs, DFAT officials have 

prepared detailed legal advice in relation to legislation related to Vanuatu’s commitments


on trade-related aspects of intellectual property (TRIPs). Further, AusAID agreed this year 

to fund a consultant to assist Samoa with completion of outstanding legislation in relation 

to TRIPs. Australia’s permanent mission to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva has 

played a lead role in working with other countries to facilitate the completion of the 

negotiations. 


Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 

• Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) – the Oceania Customs Organisation 

is assisting Nauru to update its customs legislation so that the Tariffs Act is aligned to 

the agreed schedule of tariff reductions under PICTA. Nauru is also working, with the 

assistance of consultants engaged by the Forum Secretariat, on converting its tariff codes to 

the 2007 Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System. 

• PICTA trade in services – Nauru is undertaking national consultations, with a view to 

reviewing its offers to ensure they are consistent with Nauru’s laws and regulations so that 

it does not offer any market-opening commitments that could not be delivered on because 

of some legal or regulatory requirement. This will include laws and regulations governing 

land, immigration, business services, tourism, travel, maritime and aviation. 

• PACER Plus – a consultant was engaged to conduct a study on the costs and benefits of 

PACER Plus for Nauru. Two local experts worked very closely with the consultant. This 

involved a lot of consultations with relevant government departments, private sector, non 

government organisations and other stakeholders. The consultant has submitted his final 

report. 

• Economic Partnership Agreement - Nauru is considering making a market access offer to 

the European Union in the context of the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations. 

To do that, consultants have been engaged to assist in converting current tariff codes to the 

2007 Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System. 


• PICTA – removal of import tax for all items except for ‘sin items’ (alcohol and tobacco). 

• PICTA trade in services – draft offers scheduled. 

• PACER Plus – completed the study on the implications of PACER Plus on Niue, determining 

recommended offensive and defensive positions for Niue. 

• Economic Partnership Agreement – draft offers. 


• Adoption of the 2007 Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System. 


• World Trade Organisation – Samoa has signed bilateral agreements with Japan and the 

European Commission. Two informal working party meetings to consider issues on the 

multilateral front have been conducted. Consultations on remaining bilateral agreements 

with the United States of America and Canada, and remaining issues in the Working Party 

Draft Report are ongoing. 

• PICTA – fourth round of negotiations on trade in services is complete. Consultations with 

relevant stakeholders on sectors being requested by other PICTA members are currently 

being undertaken. These consultations will also shape Samoa’s requests to other countries. 

• Economic Partnership Agreement – Samoa’s 2009 goods offers to the European Union is 

being revised at the national level. At the regional level Samoa is awaiting outcomes of the 


46



Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat scheduled activities that will assist in its national efforts. 

Consultations with fisheries and customs key stakeholders are also being undertaken. 

• PACER Plus - national consultations are well underway. A few national studies need to be 

undertaken in specific sectors and assistance has been requested through the Office of the 

Chief Trade Adviser. 


• One more Forum Island Country has announced readiness to trade under PICTA during 

the reporting period, bringing the number of Forum Island Countries having announced 

readiness to trade under PICTA to seven. 

• PICTA trade in services negotiations have progressed, with a workshop held in August 2009 

and the fourth round of negotiations concluded in March 2010. 

• The conceptual framework for the temporary movement of skilled and semi-skilled 

workers with the Forum Island Countries was finalised and distributed to the Forum Island 

Countries in December 2009. 

• A Special Forum Trade Officials and Ministers meeting was held in October 2009, including 

a meeting of the Forum Island Countries to progress PACER Plus discussions. Forum 

Officials met in early-April 2010 to further their understanding on priority issues for PACER 

Plus. Forum Trade Ministers, at their meeting on 29 April 2010, provided further impetus to 

the PACER Plus discussions. 

• The Chief Trade Adviser to the Forum Island Countries for PACER Plus took office on 29 

March 2010 and is in the process of setting up the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser to assist 

the Forum Island Countries in their PACER Plus negotiations. 

• The Regional Trade Facilitation Programme under PACER was extended for six months to 

allow for further implementation of the programme until 30 June 2010. 

• A Joint Technical Working Group meeting was held in September 2009 to advance the 

Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations with the European Union. A number 

of Pacific ACP States have been developing their market access offers for the Economic 

Partnership Agreement. In January 2010, a series of technical meetings were held to progress 

Pacific ACP positions on specific Economic Partnership Agreement issues. 


• The Statistics and Demography Programme of SPC provided technical assistance with the 

collection and processing of international trade databases for food import data. 

• Under the Pacific Regional Economic Integration Programme (PACREIP), technical 

assistance was provided to the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, 

Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, 

Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu to review and draft biosecurity bills for export and imports. A 

model biosecurity legislation that meets the sanitary and phytosanitary standards required 

by the global market has been developed. 

• Fiji and Cook Islands were assisted to enact biosecurity legislation, while the others are at 

the final stage of enacting their legislations. 

• An electronic biosecurity information facility was developed to assist with the practical 

implementation of the biosecurity law. Fiji and Cook Islands have already utilised the 

biosecurity information facility. Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New 

Guinea, Tuvalu, Niue and Kiribati were assisted to establish the electronic information 

facility. 

• The regional Pest List Database for Pacific Island Countries and Territories was updated to 

allow the public and trading partners to access national pest lists over the internet for trade 

request related import risk analysis.


• 15 biosecurity officers from 13 Pacific Island Countries and Territories received training in 

import risk analysis and preparing market access requests during a three-month attachment 

at the Import-Export Biosecurity Technology Centre (IMPEXTEK). 

• SPC assisted some countries to develop generic and pest-specific incursion response plans 

and provided public awareness material for these pest incursions and ongoing surveillance 

for key quarantine pests. 

• SPC Land Resources Division provided biosecurity public awareness materials and pest 

surveillance assistance to host countries during large regional gatherings such as the Pacific 

Games, Pacific Mini Games and Pacific Festival of Arts. In addition, biosecurity officers from 

other countries assisted as part of their training. 

• An evaluation of the phytosanitary capacity of 14 Pacific Island Countries was completed 

using the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation toolkit developed by the Food and Agriculture 

Organisation and assisted by the International Plant Protection Convention Secretariat. A 

regional training workshop was conducted and an evaluation completed in 2009 identified 

major gaps to improve biosecurity and plant protection capacity. 

• SPC, in collaboration with the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 

Biosecurity New Zealand and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, supported market 

access requests from Pacific Island Countries and Territories to New Zealand. These 

included Tahitian lime for Samoa and coconut for Tuvalu, which was approved in 

September 2009. 

• SPC facilitated consultations with Fiji and Tuvalu, resulting in the Fiji Islands Government 

declaring Rotuma an ‘international port’ and enabling Rotuma to export agricultural 

produce to Tuvalu. This process involved SPC’s Land Resources Division and Maritime 

Programme working in collaboration with the Oceania Customs Organisation hosted by 

SPC and the two governments. 

• Technical assistance was provided to 14 export enterprises in Papua New Guinea, Solomon 

Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to overcome technical 

constraints to accessing export markets. Support covered all areas of the supply chain, 

including labelling, marketing and meeting international standards. 

• Assistance was provided to 12 selected small and medium enterprises. The assistance 

focused on obtaining access to the growing market in fair trade and ethical and sustainably 

harvested goods. By assisting enterprises to gain accreditation and access these important 

niche markets, SPC helped these enterprises add value to their exports. 

• Two full-time Fair Trade Facilitation Officers based in Fiji and Vanuatu were appointed. 

These officers provided capacity building and training to assist Pacific Island Countries and 

Territories in accessing high-value ethical trade niches in Europe, Australia, New Zealand 

and the United States of America. 


• The Faculty of Business and Economics and the School of Economics has participated 

in most regional trade meetings, including the recent Trade Ministers Meeting in the 

Federated States of Micronesia. It has undertaken consultancies and provided advice to 

regional governments. A presentation was made at the regional trade negotiations in trade 

in services under PICTA. 

• At the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Bangkok, USP 

submitted a report which argued for new dialogue mechanisms for Pacific Island Countries. 

• USP’s School of Economics staff members attended the researching and advancing the good 

governance dimension of regional integration, Network on Regional Integration Studies 

(NETRIS) Seminar at the University of West Indies from 11 -13 March 2010. This workshop 

was organised by NETRIS, which was funded by the ACP Secretariat. A similar meeting 


48



organised in Tanzania was also attended by a representative of the School of Economics. 

These seminars have been organised to facilitate inter-regional cooperation between ACP 

countries. 



• A workshop on technical PACER Plus issues will take place in the week commencing 30 

August 2010 and the next PACER Plus officials’ meeting will be held in October 2010. 

Further PACER Plus meetings are anticipated in the next 12 months, but none have been 

scheduled at this stage. Australia will provide assistance to support Forum Island countries’ 

involvement in these meetings. 

• With regard to the World Trade Organisation accession negotiations with Samoa and 

Vanuatu, there remain good prospects for completing negotiations in 2010. 


• PICTA – complete updating of customs legislation and conversion of tariff codes to the 

2007 Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System. Nauru can then announce 

readiness to trade under PICTA. 

• PICTA trade in services – complete revising offers and table these at the next PICTA trade in 

services negotiations. 

• PACER Plus - following the appointment of the Chief Trade Adviser and establishment of 

the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser, arrangements are being made for the Office of the 

Chief Trade Adviser to assist in national consultations on PACER Plus during the second 

half of the year. Specific issues to address are rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary 

standards, technical barriers to trade, customs procedures, labour mobility and development 

cooperation. 

• Economic Partnership Agreement – complete conversion of tariff codes to 2007 Harmonised 

Commodity Description and Coding System and negotiation of a market access offer with 

the European Union. 


• PICTA - develop opportunities for improving shipping and aviation transport services with 

neighbouring countries, namely Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands. 

• PICTA trade in services – finalise and improve draft offers and undertake dialogue. 

• PACER Plus – implement some of the recommendations from study and undertake dialogue. 

• Economic Partnership Agreement – review offers and undertake dialogue. 


• Relaxation of restrictions on shipping of commercial goods between Palau, Federated States 

of Micronesia and Marshall Islands. Establishing Economic Partnership Agreement with 

European Union. 


• World Trade Organisation – it is expected that bilateral agreements with the United States 

of America and Canada would be completed and issues at the multilateral front would be 

addressed, thereby paving the way for accession in the next 12 months.


• PICTA – Samoa expects to receive additional requests from members that have not already 

made requests. The fifth round of negotiations should see further progress in terms of offers 

received from all parties. It is anticipated that the PICTA legal text would be finalised and 

the Temporary Movement of Natural Persons outstanding issues will be sorted out. 

• Economic Partnership Agreement – the European Union to consider Pacific ACP’s 

(including Samoa) revised goods offers and indicate the next joint technical working group 

meeting to move forward. 

• PACER Plus - ongoing consultations on areas of priority identified by Trade Ministers. 


• Additional Forum Island Countries are expected to progress their implementation of 

PICTA, and PICTA trade is expected to increase. The fifth round of PICTA trade in services 

negotiations is expected to be held in September 2010. 

• PACER Plus engagements are expected to continue, with a workshop on Rule of Origin and 

Customs Procedures during the week of 30 August 2010, and a PACER Plus meeting at the 

officials level in early to mid October 2010. 

• A series of Economic Partnership Agreement related meetings are expected to be held 

in August/September 2010, including an Economic Partnership Agreement negotiation 

session with the European Union later in 2010. Countries continue to refine their market 

access offers for the Economic Partnership Agreement. 

• The key targets for fostering greater international and intra-regional trade are the extent to 

which Members implement existing trade agreements. The additional measure is increase 

in trade statistics. The targets for progress on negotiations are the number of meetings and 

negotiating sessions, including national level preparations to advance the discussion on 

unresolved matters. 


• The Statistics and Demography Programme will continue to provide Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories with technical assistance support relating to relevant 

international trade data collection, processing and analysis. 

• Under EU funded project PACREIP, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic 

of the Marshall Islands will be assisted by the end of 2010. French Polynesia has also been 

assisted. 

• Ongoing work for Island Cabbage and Polynesian Plum for Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, and 

Cook Islands. 

• Conduct specific pest surveys in some countries for market access to New Zealand, 

Australia and other trading partners. Ongoing training for countries’ quarantine staff on 

pests and disease identification and diagnosis, and pest risk analysis for imports. 

• Help enact biosecurity laws in the countries that have yet to enact biosecurity laws, as well 

as draft supporting regulations and develop a Biosecurity Strategy for Fiji and Cook Islands. 

• Ensure the biosecurity information facility is fully operational in Fiji, Cook Islands, Papua 

New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Tonga and Tuvalu. Assist French 

Polynesia, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna to make biosecurity information facility 

operational in the French language. 

• Assist countries’ market access under the new AusAID Pacific Horticultural and 

Agricultural Market Access Program with capacity strengthening on market access and 

trade negotiations for Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Tonga. 

• Expand agricultural exports from Rotuma/Fiji to Tuvalu, Kiribati and Nauru using new 

feeder shipping service. 


50



• Support the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research project on improving 

commodity pathway for taro to Australia and New Zealand. 

• Assist some Pacific Island export enterprises to diversify commodities into semi processed 

and fully processed products, with added value but reduced biosecurity risks and cost. This 

includes the cooked breadfruit pathway, frozen and cooked taro and root crops, stir fry and 

canned vegetables. 

• Develop industry-wide technical support, a research and development base, and valueadding 

strategies for key Pacific crops including coconut, breadfruit, pandanus, cocoa and 

sandalwood. 


• USP expects to continue to be involved in capacity building in this area of trade policy, and 

also to engage in specific research relating to regional trade agreements. 

• A number of high level conferences are organised by Network on Regional Integration 

Studies (NETRIS) to discuss regional issues and to foster inter-regional exchange of ideas and 

research findings and experiences. 

• Gains from these interactions could be utilised to enhance negotiation capabilities in trade 

and customs integration. These could be very useful for future development in training 

facilities at USP. For instance, student exchange and research could enhance USP’s new 

diplomacy program. 




• The ongoing political uncertainty and lack of capacity within government departments 

responsible, in one way or another, for implementing this decision. The lack of a vibrant 

private sector is also a major issue. 


• PICTA – lack of financial resources to develop and implement appropriate programmes 

needed to stimulate trade. 

• PACER Plus – that the setting up the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser is not genuine 

assistance to the Pacific Island Countries but a process to influence the outcome. 


• Congressional action barring adoption of amendments to Monitoring, Control and 

Surveillance Treaty; Compact obligations makes negotiations of Treaty difficult as trade 

offers to other countries will need to be made to the United States. 


• There are resource constraints in undertaking consultations and handling various 

agreements all at the same time. 

• Expertise in analysis for certain issues is needed. 


• The Forum Island Countries are currently involved in the implementation of PICTA and 

PACER, and negotiations of the PICTA trade in services, Economic Partnership Agreement



with the European Union and the PACER Plus. The Members’ capacity to actively engage 

in fostering international and intra-regional trade agreements will be limited by individual 

Forum Island Countries’ capacity in terms of their ability to negotiate and implement the 

various trade and economic cooperation agreements. 


• Financial constraints. Funding is required for : 

- Tuvalu pest survey (A$70,000) and for crop-specific pest surveys in various countries 

and to assist in maintaining pest free areas, places and sites of production (A$500,000). 

- Research and development of alternatives to methyl bromide quarantine treatments 

(A$500,000). 

- Progressing work on enacting biosecurity legislation, which includes consultations on 

the bill, drafting of regulations, biosecurity strategy and policy assistance. 

- Training relevant stakeholders involved in commodity pathways for fruit fly host 

commodities. 

- Facilities for phytosanitary commodity treatments and appropriate equipment. 

• Resources will be needed for capacity building in pest diagnostic capacity, import 

and export inspection and treatment, information management and pest and disease 

surveillance. 

• Assistance will also be needed for supporting countries to respond to pest incursions and 

completed incursion response plans. 

• Adequate skilled staff are needed to facilitate the installation and maintenance of the 

biosecurity information facility. 


(viii) Strengthening the ability of the private sector to participate competitively in an 

integrated economy through the necessary enabling environments and support 

mechanisms. 


months? 


• Support has been provided to small and medium enterprises through the NZAID funded 

‘Grow Fund Initiative’. 

• Developed initiatives to better respond to the needs of the business community - revision of 

the Investment Code was undertaken. 

• Considering the establishment of a Consumer Commission as a regulatory body to promote 

fair trading practices and protect the interests and rights of the consumer. 

• Establishment of the Economic Development Taskforce. 

• Proactive representation on the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation. 


52




• Mainly through technical advice and training, SPC has assisted and strengthened more 

than 18 private sector exporters and associations in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, 

Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Republic of the Marshall Islands to export agricultural and 

forestry produce. 

• European Union funding secured for a structuring of the cultural industries in the region. 

• Development of an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research agri-business 

project. 

• Commonwealth Secretariat supported development of a Community Education Training 

Centre regional strategy for micro and small and medium enterprises’ capacity building 

and networking from a regional consultation on micro and small and medium enterprises 

networking in July 2009 (national representatives from Chambers of Commerce, 

Government agencies leading business development and trade and other business 

development agencies, including regional agencies). 

• Commonwealth Secretariat supported development of a specific micro and small and 

medium enterprises’ business development networking strategy for Vanuatu (September 

2009) and Tonga (March 2010). 

• Strengthened the Community Education Training Centre Community Business 

Development Advisory Program through the addition of an enterprise network portal to 

connect its micro and small and medium enterprise regional networks. 

• Provided technical support to Tonga’s Langafonua Handicraft Centre to strengthen its 

business management as well as product development understandings (May 2010). 

• Partnership agreement with Facilitating Agriculture Commodities for Trade Program of the 

SPC (December 2009) to develop business training modules in support of the agri-business 

sector 


• The Faculty of Business and Economics offers training programs that are geared towards 

engaging the private sector and training personnel for private businesses. The post-graduate 

programs have been streamlined and structured to enhance better understanding of 

business culture of the Pacific. 



• Continue to engage with the private sector on: 

- increasing debt burden and avoiding future tax adjustments; 

- ensuring that Government projects, where possible, are contracted out to local 

contractors; 

- encouraging a retirement home (‘sunset’) industry for overseas retirees; 

- ensuring job security and creation of quality skills; 

- boosting local tertiary education; and 

- reviewing the infrastructure expenditure for outer islands and establishing a cost benefit 

analysis of benefits (if any). 

• Development of a National Economic Development Strategy



• Private sector assistance will be extended to more exporters and Pacific Island Countries 

based on lessons learnt, including promotion of improved standards and certifications (fair 

trade, organic, food standards code, hazard analysis critical control point). 

• Development of a marketing strategy for the cultural industries to the European Union and 

other regions. 

• Community Education Training Centre development and piloting a number of customised 

business training modules in the areas of handicrafts and food processing as well as export 

planning. 


• Better trained graduates will be produced from further refinements that are planned for 

USP’s programs. USP will promote postgraduate research and training to enhance the skills 

of officials and those in the private sector who already have bachelor degrees. USP expects 

to offer an MBA programme at all campuses, together with other programmes including the 

programme in Diplomacy and Negotiations. 




• General elections and continued political instability. 

• Increase in the cost of doing business, including interest rates. 

• Continuing depopulation is possibly the biggest threat to the long term sustainable 

development of the Cook Islands. 

• The economy is based on very few industries and is highly susceptible to external forces. 

• The Cook Islands has limited scope to expand or diversify its economic base. 


• The major risks associated with facilitating export trade of agricultural and forestry 

products concern adverse climatic conditions, natural disasters and any possible downturn 

in the global economic outlook and trading environments. 

• Ability of cultural goods exporters to provide appropriate quality and quantity. 

• For the Community Education Training Centre, the major risk is financial and human 

resources for continued development of appropriate business facilitation and growth 

training modules and for training implantation. 


54



(ix) Addressing issues that hinder the movement of goods and services through expediting 

fit-for-purpose solutions in the transport sector and, in particular: 

• improving and developing necessary infrastructure; 

• supporting the implementation of the region’s 2009 Shipping Ministers’ 

directions; and 

• the ongoing implementation of PIASA in the aviation sector, to ensure greater 

security, safety, reliability and competition of services across the region. 


months? 


Shipping 

• There have been numerous discussions between the Cook Islands and New Zealand over 

the last five years regarding an inter-island vessel for the Cook Islands. Discussions have 

included the possibility of a New Zealand built ship for Tokelau that could also service the 

Cook Islands. 

• In January 2009, the Cook Islands approved a final design and specifications for a purposebuilt 

vessel by Colin Dunlop and Associates of New Zealand. The intention is for the ship to 

be built at a shipyard in New Zealand (preferably Whangarei). 

• The Cook Islands intend to proceed to the next phase for the purpose-built vessel, which is 

to put the design to tender to get an accurate cost for construction and complete fit-out. 

Aviation 

• Since 1985, New Zealand, through the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA), has 

provided advisory and technical assistance for the safety and security oversight of the Cook 

Islands’ aviation system. 

• Since 2005, the Cook Islands has been a member of the Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO). 

The primary goal of PASO is to “provide in the long-term an improvement in quality and 

extension of services, at a lower total cost than is currently faced by the (civil aviation) 

industry and member governments”. 

• It is the view of the Cook Islands that the contrary has occurred since the establishment of 

PASO. 

• The Cook Islands has been encouraged by the New Zealand Director of Civil Aviation to 

sign-up to a Service Level Agreement with PASO in recognition of the value to the Pacific 

region of PASO. 

• It is the view of the Cook Islands that its utilisation of PASO services be limited to aviation 

security. It is necessary for the Cook Islands to retain the services of New Zealand through 

CAA for safety oversight and regulatory requirements. The Cook Islands, therefore, has no 

plans at this time to sign up to a Service Level Agreement with PASO and would welcome 

New Zealand support for this position. 


• Port security plan updated and passed audit for International Ship and Port Facility Security 

compliance.


• Signed contract to build a new workboat to pull barge in and out to the wharf. 

• Assessed runway strength for an Airbus A320 aircraft and applied for funding for seal coat 

in 2012. 

• Currently developing first asset management plan for Niue infrastructure. 

• Repaired cracking in wharf structure and poured new footwall to strengthen wharf. 

• Purchased second hand truck and trailer to improve stevedoring operations. 

• Contracted new Director of Civil Aviation to provide specialist oversight to the Civil 

Aviation Authority and airport operations. 

• Upgraded airport terminal to improve flow and repair defects. 


• Palau has started to develop draft rules for safety of domestic vessels. The Audit 

Subcommittee of the Pacific Islands Maritime Association is looking at auditing Pacific 

Island Countries and Territories with respect to safety of domestic vessels. Seeking funding 

for improvement of Malakal Commercial Port. 


• Support to SPC’s Regional Maritime Programme project on the integration of Port 

Development in the Pacific. This should improve the efficiency and effectiveness of 

infrastructure so as to improve the delivery of port services, staff recruitment and conduct 

of workshops. 

• Support to PASO in improving aviation services, in particular, air traffic control and safety 

management systems. 


Compliance audits 

• 18 audits were completed in this time period in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of 

Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, 

Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu: nine on port facilities, three on maritime administrations, four 

on training institutes, one on an open registry and one on ships that operate within the 

Pacific Islands region. 

• Results show that the ports, companies and maritime entities audited remain compliant 

with Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, International Ship and Port 

Facility Security and International Safety Management code requirements. 

Small Island State Shipping 

• Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru and Fiji continue to be serviced by a sub-regional shipping service 

that is improving trade in these countries, which are now able to fulfil some of the 

aspirations of PICTA. 

• A sub-regional workshop on Exploring Trade Opportunities between Fiji and Central Pacific 

Countries was organised to identify intra-regional trade opportunities among these nations. 

• The Central Pacific Shipping Commission Committee held its inaugural meeting in 

September 2009, to progress the establishment of the Commission. A Memorandum of 

Agreement and draft by-laws were drafted for the endorsement of parties involved. 

• A third meeting of Smaller Island States Transport Ministers was organised in December 

2009 and a fourth one in April 2010, to discuss further progress on consultation and 

endorsement of the Memorandum of Agreement. All members agreed to sign the 

Memorandum of Agreement, however the Kiribati Minister requested to take it to Cabinet 


56



for endorsement. The Memorandum of Agreement is expected to be signed in July 2010 if 

the funding for the fifth Smaller Island States officials and Ministers meeting is secured. 

• The Central Pacific Shipping Commission Committee, in conjunction with SPC, is currently 

seeking funding to support the set up and operations of the Central Pacific Shipping 

Commission Secretariat. 

• SPC has been requested to give high priority to bulk fuel purchase for Smaller Island States 

and provide regular updates to the Central Pacific Shipping Commission Committee. 

Maritime law 

• The Pacific Islands Maritime Laws (PIMLaws) were reviewed and updated. 

• Legal assistance mission to Palau, Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of the 

Marshall Islands. 

• Project, compilation and analysis of maritime judgments currently in progress. 

Capacity building of Pacific maritime personnel 

• Training, mentoring, and awareness forums were organised for maritime personnel in 

areas of port security, port state control, marine accident investigation, security drills and 

exercises, regional seafarer certificate printing system, supply chain security auditing, ship 

management, search and rescue, and safety of domestic ferries. 

Supporting the work of regional maritime associations 

• The work of the four associations, the Pacific Islands Maritime Association, the Pacific 

Women in Maritime Association, Pacific International Maritime Law Association and the 

Pacific Countries Ports Association continued to be supported with provision of secretariat 

services for executive committee meetings, subcommittee meetings and the Pacific 

Countries Ports Association annual conference. 

• All four associations agreed to merge in principle and a first merger meeting was held 

between the Pacific Islands Maritime Association and the Pacific Women in Maritime 

Association in September 2009. 

• A new Economic Development Division was established at SPC in January 2010 under 

the Regional Institutional Framework process. The Regional Maritime Programme is now 

known as the Transport Programme under the Economic Development Division. 


• Hydrographic work has been undertaken to improve navigation in the Aitutaki, Cook 

Islands shipping channel and various outer island locations in Fiji. 



• Development of a comprehensive National Transport Plan for the Cook Islands for the 

provision and maintenance of regular, reliable, affordable and efficient air and shipping 

services. 

• Continue to ensure the provision of adequate, efficient and reliable shipping services to the 

outer island communities through improved domestic shipping. 


• Workboat into service. 

• Airbus A320 into service.


• Extension to airport terminal to cope with new seat configuration. 


• Seek funding for purpose-built vessel that could efficiently provide shipping services to 

Peliliu, Angaur and the remote Southwest States of Sonsorol and Hatohobei by delivering 

cargo to the States and picking up tradable goods on the return voyage. 


• Plan to undertake an impact analysis of the Pacific Islands Air Services Agreement on 

current signatories and an evaluation of the transition/progress to Phase 3: Single Aviation 

Market in the Pacific. 

• As instructed post-review, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat will undertake to promote 

the Pacific Islands Air Services Agreement to Forum Island Countries that have not yet 

signed to ensure the ongoing implementation of the Agreement. 

• Under the Regional Institutional Framework principles, the ongoing implementation of 

the Pacific Islands Air Services Agreement will be led and coordinated by SPC under their 

Economic Development Division. 


• Incorporate into the Regional Maritime Programme of the SPC existing audit regime, 

a system of safety audits on domestic ships, to be undertaken in consultation with 

counterparts in Australia and New Zealand. 

• Strengthening training of surveyors and utilisation of regional survey guidelines for 

domestic vessels to ensure minimum standards of safety are not compromised. 

• Current audit regime to continue and assist in identification of compliance trends. 

• Capacity building initiatives to continue. 

• Assist countries to put in place appropriate legislative framework where delays in 

promulgation of national legislation persist. 

• Endorsement of the Memorandum of Agreement on regional cooperation in matters 

affecting international commercial shipping in the Central Pacific region in July 2010. 

• Securing funding to operationalise the Central Pacific Shipping Commission and 

commence future work in setting up other shipping commissions in the Eastern and 

Melanesian regions. 

• Convening the third Transport Ministers Meeting in the first quarter of 2011. 

• Setting new strategic direction for the Economic Development Division and the Transport 

Programme. 


• Technical reports for Fiji to be completed and water flow and wave modelling to be 

completed for Cook Islands. 




• Lack of funding to implement the National Transport Plan. 

• Increasing competition. 


58




• New international safety and security requirements on air and sea transportation have had 

significant implications for aircraft and shipping operations. 


• Implementation depends on funding from donor countries. 


• There is a possibility that the Secretariat will undertake a stocktake of the Pacific Islands 

Air Services Agreement to assess the progress of parties to a single aviation market and the 

needs of current signatories. 


• Key constraints that potentially undermine advances in the transport sector include a lack 

of resources, including administration staffing levels to maintain the number of qualified 

staff. 

• The Transport Programme would require additional resources to ensure: 

- The programme’s work with members on compliance with international maritime 

requirements is sustained (conducting training and audits). 

- Continuation of the Shipping Adviser position that looks after Smaller Island States 

shipping. 

- Launch of safety audits programme, looking at audits on domestic ships under the 

supervision of a Safety Audit Adviser. 

- Continued support for promulgation of national legislation, regulations and legal 

assistance. 

- Continuation of the Smaller Island States officials and Ministers transport meetings. 

- Continued support for the Pacific Islands Maritime Association, the Pacific Countries 

Ports Association, the Pacific International Maritime Law Association, the Pacific 

Women in Maritime Association and the Central Pacific Shipping Commission. 

• Uncertainty of funding that could impact the delivery of current services by Regional 

Maritime Programme to its members. 


• Sustained funding of these highly technical yet crucial services remains the largest threat to 

the continued responsiveness of the SOPAC marine survey sector.


(x) Implementing the directions provided by the region’s Ministers for ICT and, in 

particular, revising and updating the Regional Digital Strategy. 


months? 


• Endorsement of a national Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) policy. 

• Planned liberalisation of the telecommunications market. 

• Progression with eGovernment (computerisation, local area networks, internet 

connectivity, Ministry websites). 

• Progression with Telehealth and Edunet 


• Review of the National ICT Policy. 

• Preparation of the ICT Infrastructure Upgrade Strategy. 

• Funding to implement the strategy approved. 


• Palau National Communications Corporation has reduced the price for Digital Subscriber 

Line (DSL) access and provides competition to existing Wi-Fi service provider. 


• Launched the review of the Digital Strategy in January 2010 to provide a high-level 

evaluation of ICT development in the Pacific 2006-2010. This has been conducted and 

completed. The Review provided the basis for the revised regional ICT framework recently 

endorsed at the ICT Ministerial meeting in Tonga, June 2010. 


• The Statistics and Demography Programme provided technical assistance with the 

collection and processing of data on general population and development indicators, 

including TV, telephone, radio and internet use. 

• There are now 130 Pacific Rural Internet Connectivity System (PacRICS) sites in the region 

providing internet access in mainly rural and remote areas in Cook Islands, Kiribati, 

Republic of the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Solomon 

Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna. 

• There are nine One Laptop per Child projects in the region located in Papua New Guinea, 

Solomon Islands, Nauru, Niue, Kiribati and Vanuatu. An independent evaluation was 

undertaken on the Solomon Islands project. 

• Provided ICT policy advice to four Pacific Island Countries and Territories. 

• Provided technical assistance to health and education ministries on introducing ICTs. 

• Facilitated discussions on submarine cable and new satellite options (O3B) for the region. 

• Asian Development Bank joint project started to evaluate investments in ICT for poverty 

reduction and inclusive growth. 


60



• Presented on the project and important role of ICT in the regional meeting of Parliament’s 

Speakers and Presiding Officers in Rarotonga in 2009. 

• Workshop with Nitijela members of the Republic of the Marshall Islands on ICT for 

Development. 

• Convened the Pacific ICT Officials and Ministers meetings. These are the key policy makers 

and legislators in ICT. 

• Assisted with the development of Kiribati Government Portal and the Ministry of Transport 

and Communication, Tourism Development’s website. 

• Conducted a Web Development Workshop in Kiribati. As a result, three Ministries now 

have production websites and five others are under development. 

• Started the process of developing the Tuvalu Government Portal and Ministry of Transports 

and Communication’s website. 

• Sub-regional workshop in Samoa on ICT for Development with participants from eight 

Pacific Island Countries (Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Solomon 

Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia). 

• National Academy Workshop in Kiribati in August 2009 and in the Republic of the Marshall 

Islands in March 2010. 

• Led the development of the new Framework for ICT Development for the region. 

• Reviewed the Cook Islands’ National ICT Policy and assisted with development of new 

policy. 

• Assisted the Ministries of Transport and Communication in Tuvalu and the Republic of the 

Marshall Islands in developing their draft National ICT Policy. 

• Coordinated the establishment of the Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team 

(PacCERT) of which SPC is a board member. 

• Assisted a number of countries to make landmark decisions within the context of their own 

regulatory environment to accommodate PacRICS. 



• Establishment of a Regulator’s Office. 

• Market liberalisation. 

• eGovernment plan. 

• Telehealth, Edunet, Border Management. 

• Infrastructure and connectivity in partnership with Telecom Cook Islands. 

• Cyber Legislation. 

• Green ICT. 

• Capacity Building. 


• Upgrade core telephone system to have Internet Protocol capability. 

• Upgrade telephone infrastructures to achieve universal telephone and internet connectivity. 

• Increase satellite capacity. 

• Upgrade satellite infrastructure to provide resilience. 

• Install Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) mobile telephone system.



• To develop ICT policy and enactment legislation to effectively regulate the telecom 

industry. 


• Under the Regional Institutional Framework, SPC is now the lead coordinating agency, 

however the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat will serve consultative functions with regards 

to decisions and initiatives that affect Forum Island Countries. 


• The Statistics and Demography Programme will continue to provide Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories with technical assistance support relating to relevant TV, 

telephone, radio and internet use indicators. 

• PacRICS is commercially viable and will continue to grow. Target of doubling the number of 

sites in the next year and working with development partners to secure an extension of the 

bandwidth subsidy to the end of 2010. 

• One Laptop per Child will scale up four existing projects and start five new projects. 

• ICT policy advice will be directed at smaller Pacific Island Countries and Territories to 

address their unique requirements. 

• Indentify and commence at least two ICT investment projects through the Asian 

Development Bank. 

• Four new submarine cable/high capacity satellite projects started. 

• At least half the ministries of health and education will have ICT policies. 

• Establish a regional Information and Communication Technologies for Development 

(ICT4D) portal. 

• Maintain facilitative role between member Pacific Island Countries and Territories and 

submarine cable initiatives. 

• Work with SOPAC, USP and other Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific partners 

to coordinate and implement various aspects of the digital strategy, taking into account the 

outcomes of the Regional Institutional Framework reform currently being finalised. 

• National Academy Workshop in seven Pacific Island Countries to raise awareness and 

capacity of Government leaders/policy makers especially on the links between ICT and 

Millennium Development Goals, e-Government, ICT policy and project management. 

• ICT interventions/workshop/seminars for seven Parliaments that may include assisting 

with the development of their websites, network or helpdesk systems. 

• Online portals in three Pacific Island Countries to ensure that information is accessible. 

• Websites for eight Ministries - assist Pacific Island Countries’ ICT/communication 

ministries in developing their websites. This is related to the target in the Framework for 

ICT Development that all Pacific Island Countries ministries to have websites by 2015. 

• National ICT policies in two small Pacific Island Countries - currently there are five Pacific 

Island Countries with national priorities. A target for the Framework for ICT Development 

is that all Pacific Island Countries have national ICT Policies by 2015. 

• Successful establishment of PacCERT. 


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• Change in leadership resulting in change of focus and priority. 

• Funds and capacity. 


• Outdated institutional frameworks and a lack of trained professionals. 


• Cost of ICT services remains unaffordable to most people; lack of telecommunications 

legislation leads to unfair competition in the market. 


• One of the key lessons from the review of the Pacific Regional Digital Strategy is that 

agencies need to work together to implement the new strategy with the necessary resources. 


• The need for additional funding to subsidise PacRICS Public Good installations. 

• The need for funding for new One Laptop per Child projects. 

• The major risk with One Laptop per Child is in-country capacity to plan and implement. 

• Member regulatory policy frameworks must still be updated or changed to ensure they 

benefit from the currently available low-cost satellite solutions to internet connectivity in 

rural and remote areas. 

• Academy of ICT Essentials financial resources secured and capacity to support the Academy 

programme and its rollout in Pacific Island Countries, customising the Academy programme 

without losing its original intentions and objectives, and developing locally relevant case 

studies. 

• E-Government for Smaller Island States limited by lack of ICT capacity and awareness in 

Smaller Island States and limited bandwidth.


(xi) Continuing the implementation of the economic integration agenda promoted and 

regularly reviewed by the Forum Economic Ministers and, in particular, establishing 

components of the Regional Regulatory Stepladder as directed by these Ministers. 


months? 


• Drafted a model regulatory framework covering legislation and policy for implementation 

by Forum Island Countries, in consultation with Members and with technical inputs from 

the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. 


• New courses are being introduced by the School of Economics to include trade and 

economic integration issues. 

• A new program for Official Statistics has been structured, geared to training statisticians 

in Pacific Island countries. This program is being developed in cooperation with Council 

of Regional Organisations in the Pacific agencies, the United Nations Population Fund 

(UNFPA), Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific, SPC and the Australian National 

University. 

• A UNFPA funded project is underway to redesign the Official Statistics program at USP. 

This project will incorporate assistance from the Australian National University and SPC. 

• A diplomacy program is being planned and will be offered shortly. 



• The model regulatory framework will be considered for endorsement by the Forum 

Economic Ministers’ Meeting in October 2010. 


• A whole range of courses for the Official Statistics program will be prepared for virtual 

mode, distance mode and module mode. 

• A significant number of national statistics staff will be encouraged to participate in courses 

which will be credited towards structured degree programs at USP. 




• There may be some additional costs involved in the actual delivery of the courses. However, 

the widespread gains from the Statistics program will be significant compared to the 

delivery costs. 


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(xii) Increasing support for infrastructure development and maintenance across the region. 



Increased investment in infrastructure to support economic growth 

• Upgrade of the Avatiu harbour to cater for bigger transport shipping, as well as tourism 

operated ships. 

• Completed capital projects in the outer islands (harbours/water projects/cyclone shelters). 

• Significant allocation to water works maintenance. 

• Purchase of new generators for Aitutaki in an effort to improve reliability of service. 

• Development of a Waste and Sanitation Strategy that is intended to put into place strategies 

that will improve the management of all forms of waste (both solid and liquid) and 

determine how to deal with the issue of all forms of waste on the environment. 

• Endorsement of Infrastructure Governance Framework and prioritisation criteria for project 

selection. 


Aid Management Unit 

• Government of Nauru has requested assistance from the Japanese Embassy to assist with the 

long term development of the ports infrastructure facilities, while non-traditional donors 

such as Russia will assist in the short term. 

• AusAID is a major donor to the utilities sector. It currently provides long term technical 

assistance, purchase of fuel and power production parts, power distribution and 

rehabilitation of fuel pipelines. 

• A joint venture between Digicel, a mobile and internet company, with the Government 

of Nauru commenced July 2009. The entry of Digicel has significantly improved 

communication both within Nauru and abroad. Internet is still operating in dial up mode 

but there are plans to introduce faster speed internet access. 

• A request has been submitted to the Pacific Regional Infrastructure Facility to conduct an 

infrastructure sector plan/infrastructure roadmap. Once the roadmap has been formulated, 

the Government of Nauru can determine its priority infrastructure projects and invite its 

development partners to consider funding. 


• Provided grants to PASO and SPC for projects in ICT and shipping to improve infrastructure 

development and maintenance in these areas. 


• Training on Environmental Impact Assessment processes to enable Pacific Island Countries 

to efficiently undertake the assessments on the likely impacts of infrastructure and other 

developments.


• Provided specific Environmental Impact Assessment advice and information to Kiribati on 

the development of new boat channels and wharves for outer islands and off-shore sand 

mining, and Papua New Guinea on liquefied natural gas development. 


• SOPAC’s geoscience services have been deployed in a number of locations to provide databased 

solutions to infrastructure development and maintenance. 

• Work continues to address the building aggregate supply issues in Tarawa, Kiribati by 

developing alternative resources to beach aggregate mining. 

• Geotechnical surveys have been completed in port / wharf facilities in Cook Islands and Fiji. 

• Critical coastal survey data was collected in Funafuti, Tuvalu to better inform solutions to 

shoreline vulnerability and possible engineering solutions. 



• Hosting of an Infrastructure Sector Forum, holding an Infrastructure Sector Donor 

Roundtable and the development of Asset Management Plans. 

• Implementation of the Waste and Sanitation Strategy. 

• Completion of technical assistance for infrastructure services delivery improvement. 

• Construction of a second berth for tourism operated cruise ships. 

• Completion of ‘Cyclone Recovery and Reconstruction’ projects in the outer islands. 


• Interim measure is to repair critical parts of the port infrastructure, such as the mooring 

system, barges, cranes and building so it is operational. 

• Implementation of infrastructure sector plan. 

• Expect to have improved internet connection, which would result in increase in demand. 


• Grants will be made to SPC to continue work under the Regional Maritime Programme and 

the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite communications system project. 

• Work planned to assess the impact of the Pacific Islands Air Services Agreement on the 

Pacific aviation market. This should provide SPC, who will be leading and coordinating the 

work in this area, with information on how support in aviation infrastructure development 

can be best provided. 


• Technical assistance to Solomon Islands for development of appropriate cultural 

infrastructure in preparation for 11th Festival of Pacific Arts. 


• In 2010, SOPAC will undertake bathymetric mapping in hydroelectric dams in Fiji to 

ascertain rates of siltation and volume change. 

• Otherwise, as with many SOPAC geoscience services, these tools and skills are deployed 

on a specific request by request basis by Pacific Island Countries or Council of Regional 

Organisations in the Pacific agencies. 


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• Lack of policy development and institutional arrangements. 

• Lack of public support. 

• Inconsistent priorities for infrastructure development. 

• Increased impacts from climate change and lack of funding for climate proofing initiatives. 


• Some issues that impact on capacity to implement include: 

- capacity issues across the Government agencies; 

- narrow Government revenue base is a constraint to funding projects and programs hence 

the reliance on development partners; and 

- the fuel, food and financial crisis have severely impacted Nauru’s export prices. 


• Working with SPC, other Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific agencies and 

development partners to ensure that infrastructure developments are identified as part of 

national plans and assessed using cost-benefit analysis. 


• Ability of Solomon Islands to secure funding for development of appropriate cultural 

infrastructure in preparation for 11th Festival of Pacific Arts. 


• Sustained funding of these highly technical yet crucial services remains the largest threat to 

the continued responsiveness of the SOPAC marine survey sector.

[B] 

Improving 

livelihoods and 

the well-being 

of Pacific peoples 


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(i) Continuing efforts to better ensure food security for people across the region and, in 

particular, expediting efforts to improve food standards and food quality and support 

agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries, through initiatives such as the Pacific Food 

Summit proposed for 2010. 



• A national food summit was conducted from 12-13 November 2009 and was attended by 

key stakeholders from government, private sector and non-government organisations, food 

producers and traders on Rarotonga and the outer islands. The Summit was supported by 

Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and World Health Organisation (WHO). The 

main objectives were to identify and discuss strategies that will improve food security 

nationally, and contribute to the Pacific Food Summit 2010. 

• The formation of a steering committee, which was given the responsibility of establishing a 

multi-sectoral National Food Authority to coordinate and monitor issues pertaining to food 

security - food safety, quality and production in the Cook Islands. 

• Strengthening of traditional raui system to preserve marine food sources. 

• Supporting aquaculture and eco-tourism as possible solutions to food security risks, 

introducing penalties for unused land and using the Tutaka (local inspection) to monitor 

this (on the expectation that this would encourage land owners to allow growers access to 

land they are not using). 

• Documenting the different types of taro grown in the outer islands as a result of the last 

cyclone which wiped out some taro varieties. 


Commerce, Industry and Environment 

• Assisting farmers with agricultural methods to improve their farming techniques. 

• Distribution of agriculture inputs to active farmers. 

• Introducing and promoting roots crops. 

• Introducing some drought tolerant crops. 

• Distributing seeds to farmers. 

• Farm/kitchen garden visit – there is a weekly visit to gardens and livestock farms to all 

active farmers and other interested farmers. This visit is carried out by the Division of 

Agriculture along with the technical assistance from the Taiwan mission to promote 

agriculture, home garden, livestock and vegetables nutrition practices. 


• Niue attended the Pacific Food Summit and endorsed the Framework for Action on Food 

Security in the Pacific. Awaiting funds from the Food and Agriculture Organisation for 

the implementation of a couple of the food security projects under the Food Security and 

Sustainable Livelihoods Programme.


• Projects targeting animal production, namely pigs and poultry, are beginning to show 

positive impacts on farmers’ livelihoods. 


• Introduction of Food Safety Act. Aimeliik State Government has started an aquaculture 

program growing sea cucumbers. Review of Palau Aquaculture Association’s Clam project. 


• SPC (Public Health Division, Land Resources Division, Fisheries, Statistics and Demography 

Programme, and the Human Development Programme) is a member of a multi-agency 

working group involved in the organisation and support to the Pacific Food Summit. 

• The working group also drafted the Framework for Action on Food Security in the Pacific, 

which was presented at the Pacific Food Summit and was endorsed unanimously by all 

country representatives. 

• Technical assistance was provided to several national food summits held prior to the Pacific 

Food Summit. 

• Collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organisation to improve national statistics that 

contribute to food security assessments. 

• Strengthened the Pacific Agriculture and Forestry Policy Network (PAFPNet) that supports 

the sharing of policy-relevant information related to food security, agriculture and forestry 

development. 

• Provided traditional crops and varieties to support local food production systems, especially 

nutrition-rich varieties. 

• Improved multiplication of crops in vitro to assist in provision of planting material and 

therefore local food production. 

• Supported strengthening planting materials networks, such as in Fiji after the 2009 floods. 

• Collaborated with the Island Food Community of Pohnpei to support increased 

consumption of local foods. 


• Under the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project, work began to establish 

institutional arrangements for climate change adaptation in the area of food security for 

countries that identified this as their priority, namely Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the 

Solomon Islands. 


• Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management and national management development 

planning programs have a strong focus on managing the interplay between commercial 

and artisanal/semi-commercial fisheries. 

• Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management and tuna management plan stakeholder 

consultations targeted at promoting and enhancing domestic developments to ensure 

availability of fish. 

• Operational aspects of Regional Tuna Management and Development Strategy endorsed by 

Forum Fisheries Committee 71 meeting in November 2009. 


• A USP project is in the final stages of approval through the Pacific Agribusiness Research 

and Development Initiative programme (Australian Centre for International Agricultural 

Research). The project, ‘Value-adding and Supply Chain Development for Fisheries Products 


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in the Marine Subsistence Fishery in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu’ will focus on the 

potential supply chain enhancement and value adding of products derived from the 

subsistence fishery in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. The importance of the subsistence 

fishery to Gross Domestic Product and livelihoods is demonstrated by the fact that it 

accounts for more than 50% of fisheries income in all four countries selected for study. The 

project identifies the participation of women as a critical factor of project success, and will 

have an impact on household food security within the subsistence fishery. It will include 

consideration of the optimum level of women’s participation in fisheries post-harvest 

development, with the potential to provide a significant increase in income-generation and 

decision-making in the subsistence fishery. 

• USP’s School of Agriculture and Food Technology has signed a Letter of Agreement with 

SPC to carry out joint research on taro. The Taro Improvement Program will address food 

security issues and examine taro germplasm’s tolerance to climate change in the region. 

• A Memorandum of Understanding will soon be signed with SPC to maintain the taro 

germplasm collection in tissue culture form at the School of Agriculture and Food 

Technology tissue culture laboratory. The agreement will also allow collaborative research 

with SPC on tissue culture research to improve storage. Research material is available to 

Pacific Island Countries to support food security and the quality of taro and other crops. 

• Academic programs offered by the School of Agriculture and Food Technology have been 

revised to provide a better focus on food security, climate change, and agri-business. 

• Short courses that focus on specific areas, such as the rapid multiplication of taro and 

production of selected crops important to the hospitality industry are under development 

and will further support food security and improve the quality of agricultural outputs. 

• About 80% of School of Agriculture and Food Technology courses are available in distance 

mode, and will thus are easily accessible tools to help in capacity building related to food 

security in the region. 

• The School of Agriculture and Food Technology has developed agricultural systems suitable 

for atolls. Efforts to promote these systems in the region are ongoing. 

• The School of Agriculture and Food Technology is considering collaboration with 

internationally recognised universities in order to improve the quality of its courses and to 

address climate change issues related to agriculture. 

• Staff members continue to publish their research on topics related to food security in 

international and local journals, for example the Journal of South Pacific Agriculture. 



• The following are the recommendations from the National Food Summit report. It is 

envisaged that these will form part of the Action Plan for the implementation of food 

security in Cook Islands. 

- A multi-sectoral steering committee (steering Food Authority Committee) be established 

and resourced to establish a Food Authority who would co-ordinate action on food 

security, safety and quality in the Cook Islands. 

- The recommendations from the Summit are integrated into existing work plans or 

policies where appropriate, or a new work plan or action plan is created. 

- Update the current draft of the food standards and regulations to reflect the Summit 

priorities and recommendations.


- Promotion of ‘local cuisine’ to tourists, encouraging tourists to ‘go local’ and 

encouraging restaurants to offer local cuisine on the menus. 

- Survey tourists to determine food expectations and preferences. 

- Establishing supply contracts between farmers (growers) and wholesalers/retailers and 

hotels. 

- Implement recommendations for overcoming the impact of climate change on food 

security: 

- Improving knowledge of preservation techniques and promoting traditional 

preservation methods. 

- Improve early warning systems and response plans to natural disasters. 

- Increase rain catchment and storage systems. 

- Using organic farming methods to reduce chemical pollution of land and water. 

- Conduct a campaign, with an emphasis on youth, on training in value added food 

products, including new opportunities from planting to cooking. 

- Develop land planning and land use policies. 

- Promotion of alternative farming methods, for example, aquaculture and hydroponics. 

- Planting of more trees (preferably ‘food trees’) to slow soil erosion, for example, 

coconuts and bananas. 

- Ministry of Agriculture to collect samples of crop varieties from Rarotonga and outer 

islands to send to SPC for identification and preservation as part of the SPC Germplasm 

Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees program. 

- Incorporate agriculture into education curriculum at all levels. 

- Ministries of health and agriculture to conduct workshops and awareness programs 

relating to food security, promoting healthy eating choices and preparation. 

- Promotion of agriculture - making agriculture appealing to all age groups. 

- Develop techniques and systems to improve food production and find markets to 

maximise returns. 

- Promoting concept of community growers associations for sharing and diversifying 

resources and to minimise flooding the market with the same produce. 

- Encourage line ministries to be proactive in their roles and responsibilities. 

- Government levies on imported products to be reviewed. 

- Facilitate access to vacant land for community gardens and subsistence food 

production. 

- Explore options that would increase access to unused land such as using the Public 

Health Act as a mechanism to utilise land in weeds, encouraging land owners to plant 

food crops on vacant land. 


Commerce Industry and Environment 

• Build a national nursery with a primary focus on mass production of root crops and fruit 

trees and at the same time nursing any introduction to new drought tolerant crops to 

effectively adapt to the climate change effects. 

• Maintain and sustain weekly in-country visits to further promote food security. 

• Improving local egg production to alleviate dependency on imports through assistance 

from the Taiwan Technical Mission. 


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• Food security projects under the Food and Agriculture Organisation will be reviewed 

and project documents for implementation of a number of food security projects will be 

developed. 

• Developing national import food standards in collaboration with the Health Department, 

funded by WHO. 


• Seek legislative support for protection of aquaculture industry to reduce poaching; and 

conduct feasibility study for large scale agriculture farming. 


• Continued support to National Food Summits. 

• Launch of trade statistics database and continued support to national statistics office to 

collect data relevant for food security assessment. 

• Increasing supply of appropriate planting material. 

• Improving crop multiplication systems and linkages to farmers. 

• Expanded focus on planting material networks in countries. 

• Increase analysis of nutritional benefits of local foods. 

• Joint development of the implementation plan and monitoring and evaluation framework 

for the Framework for Action on Food Security in the Pacific. 


• In country support on national priorities as described above, including the implementation 

of Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management outcomes. 

• Raise awareness and promote implementation of the Regional Tuna Management and 

Development Strategy by FFA members. 


• The Memorandum of Understanding with SPC on tissue culture work will be signed and 

work will continue. 

• A further revision of academic programs will begin, especially those offered at the 

postgraduate level. 

• It is possible that short courses may be available for stakeholders. 

• Additional courses will be available in distance and flexible learning mode, student support 

services will be improved. 

• More research, publications, consultancy, and community service work will be undertaken. 




• Increased dependence on imported foods will continue to undermine local food production. 

• Climate change, evident in the changes in rainfall patterns and frequency of cyclones, can 

negatively impact on local food production. Fish stocks are being overexploited and there is 

a growing demand for fish internationally, threatening national food security.

Are there any risks or major issues that are impacting on your organisations capacity to 


• Lack of in-country technical capacity to control pests and diseases. 

• Lack of technical assistance to control pests and diseases. 

• Land tenure is problematic and therefore difficult to access. 

• Failure to implement a sustainable land development management plan. 

• Lack of capacity and resources are key impediments to implementation of food security. 

• Availability of arable land for agriculture production. 

• Lack of supporting infrastructure, specifically in water and transportation from the outer 

islands to Rarotonga. 

• Labour shortages. 


Commerce Industry and Environment 

• Land tenure, climate change effects, and funding. 


• Limited funding for all proposed food security projects, hence concentrating on only a 

couple of projects, in particular, school-based food security projects and value-adding. 


• Funding and acquiring land for pilot agriculture farming project. 


• Capacity in-country to fully evaluate any new importations. 

• Cultural constraints in adopting new varieties. 


• Limited capacity in-country to carry forward work identified or commenced and 

insufficient funding. 

• Regional Tuna Management and Development Strategy not implemented by FFA members. 

• Tuna management plan not implemented. 


• Student numbers adequate to sustain the School of Agriculture. Continued support from 

Pacific Island Countries, Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific agencies and 

donor countries to increase student numbers is crucial to USP’s success in its work on food 

security in the region. 


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(ii) Ensuring healthy populations through: the ongoing implementation of the Vanuatu 

Commitment and the recent Madang Declaration for Action from the 2009 Ministers of 

Health Meeting including enhanced efforts to better understand health determinants 

and build the sector’s governance and ability to respond pro-actively to current and 

emerging health needs. 



• Finalisation of National Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non 

Communicable Disease. 

• Appointment of a non-communicable disease co-coordinator within the Ministry of Health. 

• Secured funding from WHO/SPC to initiate implementation of non-communicable disease 

activities. 

• Implementation of “Go Local” community-based program in Titikaveka. 

• National Food Summit conducted in November 2009 and participation in Vanuatu Pacific 

Food Summit in 2010. 

• Mini Stepwise approach to surveillance of non-communicable diseases (STEPS) conducted 

for Ministry of Health Staff and on “Go Local” community. 

• Ministry of Health staff “Healthy Lifestyle” program established, including a staff gym. 

Ministry of Health staff are also encouraged to participate in community-based activities 

such as fun runs/walks as a means of leading by example. 

• Expansion of Health Promoting Schools program to four more schools on Rarotonga and 

expression of interest from one outer island school. 

• Strengthening partnerships with Government, non-government organisations and the 

private sector in health promotion activities. Some of the stakeholders are the local fitness 

centres, Cook Islands National Sports and Olympic Committee, Cook Islands Trading 

Corporation, Cook Islands Red Cross, and the Ministry of Education. 

• Development of Local Food and Nutrition resource kit for primary schools. 

• Development of a Cook Island smoke-free logo. 


Non-Communicable Diseases 

• Strengthening healthy island council and lead non-communicable disease prevention 

activities. 

• National weight reduction campaign (Stomp de Fat) is ongoing and monitoring noncommunicable 

disease risk factors through the STEPS survey results and miniSTEPS. 

• Tobacco Act 2009 is approved. Regulation and prevention activities are strengthening. 

• Food Safety: food safety regulation and multi-sectoral approach for food safety. 

• Non-communicable disease prevention activities are reinforced with a three year country 

grant from SPC.


Pandemic Preparedness 

• Revise Emergency Operation Plan for pandemic influenza (October-November 2009). 

• Targeted H1N1 vaccination for the whole country to three groups: health care workers, 

high risk group – pregnant women and chronic disease patients, essential service workers 

(March 2010). 

• Strengthened pandemic surveillance: weekly report to SPC and WHO. 

• Stock piling antiviral (Tamiflu) and personal protective equipment with SPC support. 

• Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network partnership and in-country Syndrome 

Surveillance and Hospital Base Active Surveillance. 

Maternal and Child Health - Millennium Development Goal 4 and 5 

• Skilled birth attendants 100% 

• Immunisation (Expanded Programme on Immunisation coverage) 100% 

Health System Strengthening Primary Health Care 

• Strengthening primary health care services. 

• Integrating primary health care in health promotion and public health programme - 

introduced district primary health care workers. 

HIV/STI 

• HIV champion appointed in Parliament. 

• Strengthening sexually transmitted infection (STI) control – prevention through peer 

education campaign throughout whole country, testing and treatment including partner 

notification and treatment. 

• Prevention among antenatal women – HIV counselling and testing, STI testing and 

treatment to all pregnant women. 

• United Nations General Assembly Twenty-Sixth Special Session (UNGASS) reporting (2010) 

– with Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) assistance, Nauru reported 

UNGASS 2010 progress in April 2010. 


Food Security and the Pacific Food Summit 

• Niue supported and participated in the high-level Pacific Food Summit in Vanuatu in 2010. 

• Niue Foou Hospital continues to promote exclusive breastfeeding practices for the first six 

months of life as a means of reducing child mortality and morbidity. 

Climate Change 

• Participation of health, meteorological office, environment, Department of Agriculture, 

Forestry and Fisheries representatives at a WHO workshop on climate change and health 

in Auckland in June 2010, in which one of the outcomes was to develop a plan of action for 

Niue. 

Aid Effectiveness in the Pacific 

• Ongoing technical assistance from SPC on how to use the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB 

and Malaria and the Response Fund for HIV/STI effectively, so resources allocated have 

some beneficial results to the target populations and have some improvement in capacity 

building and health systems strengthening. 


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The Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and the Pacific Regional Influenza 

Pandemic Preparedness Project 

• Niue Health Department, through technical assistance from WHO/SPC, has implemented 

some activities of International Health Regulations (2005) and the Asia Pacific Strategy for 

Emerging Diseases, including: (i) a communicable hospital-based surveillance system has 

been set up and in operation at Niue Foou Hospital since 2008, and reporting of surveillance 

data to WHO; and (ii) development of an International Health Regulations Bill which is with 

the Crown Law Office. 

• In respect to pandemic (H1N1) 2009: (i) full awareness activities promoted through the 

media; (ii) border screening using questionnaire for incoming travellers to Niue at the 

airport and the sea vessels; (iii) hospital microplan for response to the pandemic was 

activated; (iv) influenza specimens send to New Zealand for detection of H1N1; and (v) 

vaccination of most residents with the H1N1 vaccine in 2010. 

Maternal, child and adolescent health 

• A reproductive health policy has been developed by a consultant from UNAIDS, but is yet to 

be discussed and endorsed by Cabinet. 

• Cervical cancer screening strengthened through an arrangement with Counties Manukau 

District Health Board in Auckland that a consultant visit the island and look at cervical 

screening activities with women. 

Pooled procurement for improving access to essential medicines 

• No progress or consultation on this topic as yet. 

Health systems strengthening and primary health care 

• Health department supports regional plans for health system strengthening and primary 

health care through initiatives by WHO and SPC. 

Human resources for health and the Pacific Human Resources for Health Alliance 

• The department recognises the need for on-going training of health professional since the 

workforce is aging and needs staff replacements in the near future. Plans are underway to 

send new nursing staff for training overseas. 

Prevention and control of non-communicable diseases 

• Endorsement by Cabinet and launch of the Niue Moui Olaola: an integrated noncommunicable 

disease Action Plan 2009-2013 with technical and financial assistance from 

SPC. 

Prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections 

• Two students are now studying the HIV Counselling course by distance education. Course 

offered by the Pacific Counselling Services based in Lautoka, Fiji. 

• STI management training among Niue Foou Hospital staff conducted in Niue by SPC 

consultant in August 2009. 

• Implementation of various activities on awareness and prevention through the Global Fund 

and the Response Fund. These activities are also assisted by SPC and WHO. 


• Creation of the Integrated Environmental Approach Model whereby the Ministry of Health 

will be moving away from the traditional bio-medical model to a more community-based 

approach, which addresses the body, mind, spirit, and physical and social environment.



• Significant financial resources have been made available to Pacific Island Countries and 

Territories through direct grants. 

- For instance in non communicable diseases, 13 Pacific Island Countries and Territories 

signed letters of agreement and are in receipt of direct grant funding to support 

implementation of their national non communicable disease plans. 

- These grants enabled nine Pacific Island Countries and Territories to appoint national 

non communicable disease coordinators. 

- Approved 27 small grants valued at A$244,209 to support community-based non 

communicable disease activities in Pacific Island Countries and Territories. 

- As of May 2010, a total of French Pacific Franc 177,220,368 (US$2,035,008) has been 

disbursed to Pacific Island Countries and Territories by the Pacific HIV response fund to 

address HIV/AIDS and STIs. 

• Pacific Island Countries and Territories have been given assistance to develop national 

legislation and policy frameworks to support implementation of the Pacific Non- 

Communicable Disease Framework. 

• Developed monitoring and evaluation frameworks for national non-communicable disease 

plans in Nauru, Tokelau and Niue. 

• Assisted eight more Pacific Island Countries and Territories to develop, review, finalise and 

publish their national non-communicable disease plans. 

• Focused laboratory training for HIV and STI testing, and influenza testing and monitoring 

provided. 

• The Fiji Pharmaceutical Services and Biomedical Centre has strengthened considerably 

its regional capacity to support countries with the new Regional Pharmacist in place and 

supported by the Capacity Building Pharmacist. 

• In partnership with WHO and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, provision to 

14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories of supplies to respond to the H1N1 pandemic. 

• Completion of field epidemiology training in Solomon Islands. 

• Adoption by Pacific Island Countries and Territories of the standardised syndromic 

surveillance system proposed by WHO/SPC in March 2010. 

• In partnership with WHO and National Environment Agency, three Pacific Island Countries 

and Territories experts for integrated vector management have been trained in Singapore 

and adoption of the Asia-Pacific Dengue Strategic plan facilitated by the Public Health 

Division of SPC. 

• Links between the French territories strengthened by a conference on communicable 

disease. 

• Dengue test kits for diagnostic support in outbreak detection have been provided to several 

Pacific Island Countries and Territories, together with New Caledonian partners. 

• Most of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories who received capacity building through 

the Pacific Regional Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Project have acquired sufficient 

capacity to monitor the influenza pandemic. 

• The cure rate for tuberculosis in most Pacific Island Countries and Territories has been 

maintained above 90% and case detection above 80%, showing that current trends for 

prevalence and mortality rates are on track to meet the 2010 regional goal. 

• During the period July 2009 to June 2010 treated bed nets were distributed through mass 

anti-malaria campaigns and households were sprayed with insecticide. 


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• Following the provision of equipment, consumables and training by the HIV/AIDS and STI 

programme, staff in ten Pacific Island Countries and Territories are now able to diagnose 

chlamydia and gonorrhoea at their national laboratory. 

• Diagnostic coverage was progressively expanded to include 12 Pacific Island Countries and 

Territories, either through their national laboratory diagnostic facilities or by supporting the 

shipment of specimens to regional laboratories for testing. 

• Full implementation of immunofluoresence asay microscopy for laboratory-based influenza 

surveillance in 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories. 

• During the period July 2009 to June 2010, 100% of targeted registered health facilities 

provided antiretroviral therapy using the combination of clinical and immunological 

monitoring approach, eight Pacific Island Countries and Territories were assisted through 

this approach and Pacific Island Countries and Territories were assisted to develop advocacy, 

communication, and social mobilisation strategies. 

• All ten countries involved with the adolescent health and development project have either 

incorporated, or are in the process of incorporating, adolescent health and development into 

their national reproductive health policy and national youth policy. 

• Youth friendly services clinics have reached just under 90,000 males and females aged 

between 15 and 24 years (out of a total population of 400,000 15-24 year olds target for 

young people in 2009). 

• The Statistics and Demography Programme provided technical assistance with the 

collection and processing of data on general population health and development indicators, 

such as demographic and health surveys. 


• The Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) project funded 

by NZAID and the European Union has addressed health needs through its development of a 

set of benchmarks for education strategic plans. PRIDE has done work on integrating health 

and physical education into the curriculum and school activities. The PRIDE planning 

benchmarks are used by the 15 countries participating in the project to review or develop 

their education sector plans. 

• Health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, have been incorporated into courses in the social sciences, 

social work and education. 

• The School of Education and the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture, and Pacific Studies, in 

collaboration with UNAIDS, invited Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation Director to speak 

on HIV and AIDS in the Pacific during the School of Education Talanga lunch time 

seminar series. As a result of this, an HIV/AIDS liaison point was identified in the School of 

Education. 

• The Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture, and Pacific Studies, in collaboration with a number 

of regional and international organisations and government ministries, staged “Silence 

and HIV”, a theatre production of dance, music, and drama to illustrate the themes of 

stigma and discrimination and to humanise the Pacific HIV experience in the cultural and 

social context of contemporary times. The consultation process pre- and post- production 

included the research and documenting of personal stories, which were incorporated 

into the script. The production was supported by the French Embassy, UNAIDS, Pacific 

Islands AIDS Foundation, the Fiji Network for HIV+ People, Fiji’s Ministry of Education 

and Ministry of Environment, Marie Stopes International and numerous other agencies 

and business houses. A DVD has been released and will be made available throughout 

the region. This production was first staged for the Pacific Youth Festival in July 2009 and 

for the Fiji public in September 2009. A complementary publication was also created and


distributed to members of the Pacific Youth Council for dissemination in their respective 

home countries. 

• The Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies and the School of Education jointly 

facilitated a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded teachers’ workshop 

on the teaching of sexual and reproductive health using culturally sensitive and faith-based 

approaches in December 2009. This workshop was a direct result of the HIV and Silence 

production, which showed that teachers were ill-prepared and therefore uncomfortable to 

teach these issues and topics. 



• Further expansion of promoting healthy schools. 

• Development of local teaching and advocacy materials. 

• Further strengthening of partnerships with other stakeholders. 

• Strengthening of community-based programs. 

• Finalisation and endorsement of food regulations. 

• Build capacity within the Ministry of Health for the prevention and control of noncommunicable 

disease. 

• Build capacity of stakeholders. 

• Development/review of non-communicable disease guidelines and materials. 

• Strengthening of enforcement of Tobacco Control Act. 


• Non communicable diseases – continue existing and strengthening food safety and tobacco 

control. 

• Pandemic preparedness – whole population targeted for H1N1 vaccination in July-August 

2010. 

• Health system and primary health care services: health promotion centre in districts for 

health promotion, primary health care services and healthy island approach. 

• Continue high immunisation coverage and skilled birth attendant rate. 

• Strengthening peer education programme and epidemiological treatment for STI. 


Food Security 

• Review of the food standards for Niue to be carried out by an external regulatory specialist 

company in Wellington, New Zealand. 

Climate Change 

• Development of a plan of action on climate change and health for Niue with external 

technical assistance. 

Aid effectiveness in the Pacific 

• Continue to work with SPC on aid/fund management, reporting and disbursements of 

funds for the next round of activities for HIV/AIDS, TB and STI. 


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The Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases - Pacific Regional Influenza 

Pandemic Preparedness Project 

• Development and implementation of International Health Regulations work plan for Niue. 

• Facilitation of the International Health Regulations Bill for passage to Parliament and 

discussion with other stakeholders. 

In respect of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 

• Review of the overall Niue Influenza Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan, where 

external technical assistance is needed. 

Maternal, child and adolescent health 

• A reproductive health policy to be endorsed by Cabinet. 

• Continue with cervical screening programme. 

Pooled procurement for improving access to essential medicines 

• Topic may be discussed widely with other Pacific Islands. 

Health systems strengthening and primary health care 

• May re-align or re-orient primary health care through initiatives with WHO and SPC. 

Human resources for health and the Pacific Human Resources for Health Alliance 

• New nursing staff to undertake training at an international institution. 

• Discussion on the development of a human resource plan for the hospital. 

Prevention and control of non-communicable diseases 

• Plan to carry out the non-communicable disease STEPS survey for the target residents on 

Niue. 

Prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections 

• Work on the HIV policy for the hospital. 

• Review of the Niue HIV/STI Strategic Plan. 

• Evaluation of past HIV/STI activities on Niue. 


• Finalised Integrated Environmental Approach Model survey, which will be used by a team 

of doctors, nurses, and staff from the Division of Environmental and Behavioural Health in 

the Ministry of Health. 


• The SPC will continue implementation of the Vanuatu and Madang Commitments by: 

- continuing to provide Pacific Island Countries and Territories with technical assistance 

support relating to collecting and processing data on general population health and 

development indicators, such as demographic and health surveys, through the Statistics 

and Demography Programme; 

- continuing to provide Pacific Island Countries and Territories with technical assistance 

support relating to collecting and processing data on routine surveillance, specific 

surveillance in relation to emerging and outbreak prone diseases, other communicable 

diseases and non-communicable diseases, general health indicators and relevant health 

surveys through the Public Health Division and its partners;


- expanding on the gains achieved through the Pacific Regional Influenza Pandemic 

Preparedness Project, to further enhance the region’s preparedness for epidemics; 

- continuing to support the Pacific Public Health Surveillance network and the 

development of national capacity in surveillance, laboratories and response; 

- extending the Pacific Regional Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Project to the end of 

2010, to enable completion of current field epidemiology and Paravet training courses, 

revision of pandemic plans for selected Pacific Island Countries and Territories, and 

finalisation of the project impact evaluation; 

- subject to confirmation of funding, supporting consolidation of the technical and 

logistic aspects of implementation of immunofluoresence asay microscopy in 14 Pacific 

Island Countries and Territories (where this is currently implemented) and further 

supporting specimen shipping logistics in four other Pacific Island Countries and 

Territories; 

- supporting ongoing implementation of disease surveillance in Pacific Island Countries 

and Territories; 

- conducting an integrated vector management workshop in Fiji and establishing publicprivate 

partnerships for integrated vector management; 

- disseminating innovative methods for insecticide resistance monitoring across Pacific 

Island Countries and Territories; 

- ensuring that the Public Health Division continues to provide inputs in the progress 

of the Pacific Human Resource for Health Alliance and aligns its training programmes 

with countries’ health workforce development plans and priorities; 

- continuing the Public Health Division’s role as co-leaders of the implementation of 

the Pacific non-communicable diseases 2-1-22 programme with WHO. Direct funding 

and technical assistance will continue to be made available to at least 20 Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories to support finalisation and implementation of national noncommunicable 

disease plans; 

- continuing, through the Public Health Division, to lead the implementation of 

the Pacific Regional HIV and STI Strategy with regional partners and Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories; 

- Continuing with implementation and coordination of the Pacific Regional HIV and STI 

Strategy; 

- Increasing coverage and access to HIV patients’ monitoring including CD4 monitoring 

and implementation of the recommendation of HIV testing algorithm; 

- implementing continuum of care, including the comprehensive STI control strategy, 

which requires technical support for capacity building; 

- undertaking joint development of the implementation plan and monitoring and 

evaluation framework for the Framework for Action on Food Security in the Pacific; 

- continuing to support to community-based activities, in particular through grant 

scheme in non-communicable diseases (small grants), HIV Pacific Response Fund and 

the Global Fund; 

- developing strategic options for countries in mainstreaming the adolescent health and 

development project into the national public health programs and priorities; 

- completing the Youth Friendly Services survey and development of the Youth Friendly 

Services implementation guide for the countries and expanding regional technical 

support of Family Life Education to the countries; 

- progressing towards the build-up of multi-sectoral approaches within SPC to address 

climate change and food security; 


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- establishing a Grant Management Unit through the Public Health Division in order 

to harmonise its grants management processes and better align them with country 

priorities; 

- continuing to assist Pacific Island Countries and Territories in the management of their 

grants and in the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks for their 

national non-communicable disease, HIV and TB national plans; 

- enabling the Public Health Division to continue its reform process, as guided by the 

Public Health Division Strategic Plan and the Public Health Division restructure 

implementation plan; 

- finalising the pilot studies on the ‘Mapping of Priorities in the Health Sector’ and 

contributing to the development of a new regional health aid architecture; and 

- strengthening partnership in all programs and joint implementation at the country and 

regional level with support provided to WHO and other partners’ regional approaches. 


• Health, including communicable and non-communicable diseases, is being addressed in the 

Education for Sustainable Development Framework that is currently under development at 

USP. HIV AIDS and STIs are significant components of this Framework. 

• Division coordinators are currently engaged in reviewing courses, which may integrate the 

mainstreaming of these issues. A number of courses have already begun the review. 

• In collaboration with Fiji’s Ministry of Education and SPC, discussions continue on the 

development and delivery of the Family Life Manuals and programs which are ready for trial 

in Fiji. 

• The Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture, and Pacific Studies’ dance and music group will travel 

to Tahiti in June 2010 and to Tonga in July 2010 to continue advocacy and education work 

through the arts. The group will focus on sexual and reproductive health, on the eradication 

of stigma and discrimination against those living with HIV and AIDS, and on the promotion 

of safe and healthy life styles. 

• Samoa and American Samoa have also expressed an interest in the translation and staging of 

this production and follow up workshops, to be held late in 2010. 

• The Faculty of Arts and Law is planning over the next triennium (2010 – 2012) to organise, 

promote and monitor the effectiveness of student awareness campaigns on alcohol and 

substance abuse in relation to sexual behaviour for students of USP. 

• A number of courses in sociology (School of Social Sciences) have integrated these issues 

into discussions of contemporary issues and globalisation. 




• Human resource capacity a big challenge. 


• Human resource capacity. 

• Financial capacity (Nauru depends upon donor funding). 

• Global financial crisis and uncertainty in international aid (for example, the Global Fund).



• Unavailability of tertiary care services - Nauru still depends upon international referral for 

advance treatment in cancer and for cardiac surgery. 

• Limited local technical capacity – senior health staff are expatriates - Secretary for Health, 

Strategic Planner, Directors of Medical Services and Public Health. 


• Shortage of staff. Staff responsible for this work have other immediate duties and may not 

be able to give their full commitment to the implementation of the plan. 

• Further, there can be delays in implementation if the person responsible takes overseas 

travel. 


• The challenges or “growing pains” will be from the Ministry of Health staff who will be 

going through a transitional phase from the traditional biomedical model to the Integrated 

Environmental Approach Model. 


• Within SPC: 

- Ability to maintain the continuity of core services as requested by countries in the 

areas where SPC has an advantage or experience as a regional inter-governmental 

organisation with sound in country networks and a multi-sectoral focus. Several project 

funding streams will finish during the 2010 calendar year. Further consultation and 

negotiation of core functions to be maintained, funding levels and streams will be 

required. 

- The major imbalance between project and programmatic funding that is specific to the 

Public Health Division. 

- Both in the region and for SPC, the need to move from project funding towards 

programmatic funding. 

- Ability to build internally within SPC the multi-sectoral platforms that will support 

the implementation of climate change and food safety programmes and approaches in 

support of the national and regional efforts. 

- Capacity constraints and high turnover of staff in Public Health Division. 

- Capacity, ability and budget to effectively restructure the Public Health Division and 

implement the Public Health Division Strategic Plan. 

• From the regional and national environment: 

- The impact of the global financial crisis and of climate change on fragile health systems 

and sustainable health outcomes. 

- Capacity constraints and high turnover of health staff with limited absorptive capacity 

in countries to implement programmes. 

- Need for increased resources for monitoring and evaluation and data quality at national 

level. 

- Translating the commitments made by Forum Leaders and Ministers of Health at the 

regional level into real action with sufficient resources to make a difference at the 

national level. 

- The changing health aid architecture and the potential shift from regional approaches 

to more bilateral support - this requires the focus of regional approaches and their 

complementarities with national efforts to be better defined. 


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- Ensuring Pacific Island Countries and Territories keep their access to the Global Fund 

and other funding streams. 

- Strong leadership, good governance and transparent accountability to ensure effective 

investment and allocation of resources to improve health outcomes at the national level. 

- Addressing health determinants and achieving healthy islands through effective multisectoral 

approaches, with higher level of political support for providing sustainable 

budgets and building human resource capacity. 

- Weak coordination at the regional level. 

- Stigma, discrimination, and gender issues can impact on programmes’ effectiveness. 

- The possible inclusion of non-communicable diseases within the Millennium 

Development Goals in addition to HIV, TB and Malaria. 


• The risks involved in these activities and initiatives are that, in some cases, activities are 

expensive and time consuming and external funding must be secured on time. The time 

period involved with securing funding may result in activities being delayed. 


(iii) Improving access to opportunities afforded through stronger education systems at 

all levels by implementing the directions given by Forum Education Ministers and, 

in particular, progressing the implementation of the Pacific Education Development 

Framework to better provide Pacific peoples access to economic opportunities through 

skills and prospects for mobility. 



Sub sector 1: Early Childhood Care and Education 

• Current focus of the Ministry of Education is early childhood care and education. 

• Gross enrolment ratio: 95% 

• Current emphasis on early childhood education-specific qualifications for teachers in 

this subsector. In the last 12 months, 18 have completed the certificate of early childhood 

education and 19 are enrolled in the diploma of early childhood education. Government 

supports this through study support, meeting tutor costs for intensive face to face module 

delivery and “shared teaching” attachments to model early childhood education centres. 

Sub sector 2: Formal School Education ( Primary and Secondary) 

• Current focus in primary on numeracy and literacy. Literacy saw 10% increase in students 

achieving at the expected level from December 2008 to December 2009. Still an issue around 

decreasing Maori literacy in Rarotonga, although remains strong in the remainder of the 

islands. Literacy and numeracy are supported through the Lead Teacher programme, which 

provides resource teachers to support school programmes. Significant investment in school 

libraries.


• Literacy Results (2009): 

Cook Islands Maori: 49% at or above expected standard (Grade 4 national snapshot). 

English: 78% at or above expected standard (Grade 4 national snapshot). 

National Certificate of Educational Achievement: 88% met the requirements. 

• Numeracy Results (2009): 

60.9% at or above expected standard ( Grade 3 national snapshot). 

• National Certificate of Educational Achievement: 84% met the requirements. 

• Increasing enrolment at senior secondary level. Ministry focused on increasing the range 

of subjects and programmes available to students, as well as supporting general student 

wellbeing through guidance systems, careers education and counselling and health 

programmes. 

National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level 1 results (2009): 52% of Year 11 

students achieved the award. 

National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level 2 results (2009): 74% of Year 12 

students achieved the award. 

• Increasing number of teachers involved in Bachelor of Education and Postgraduate Diploma 

in Education qualification upgrade programme. 

• Enhanced Performance Development System for all staff. 

Sub Sector 3: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) 

• Dual pathway programme allows students to enrol in both school-based and technical/ 

vocational qualifications simultaneously. 

• Areas include: tiling, automotive engineering, carpentry, electronics, cookery and 

hospitality. Block courses organised for outer island students, alternative programmes 

facilitated for Northern Group students. 

• Cook Islands Trade School and the Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre are both 

increasing accredited scope of courses available in-country. 

Sub Sector 4: Non-formal Education 

• Particular areas of activity include: 

- Life skills programmes (Manihiki, Mitiaro, Rakahanga) for students and wider community. 

- Peace education (inclusive of community groups). 

- Education for Sustainable Development: considerable student programmes but based 

within community rather than school context. 

- Te Kakaia Programme: a programme to support parents playing an active role in their 

child’s education 

Sub Sector 5: Teacher Development 

• In-service training support provided across: Cook Islands Maori, English, science, social 

science, visual arts, performing arts, health, physical education, literacy, numeracy, early 

childhood education, inclusive education and careers education. This support is provided 

by advisors visiting schools to support planning, model teaching approaches and provide 

whole school professional development. 

• Enhanced Performance Development Systems focuses development on specific goals linked 

to the professional standards of teachers. 

• Graduate programme in place for secondary teaching. 

• No current primary pre-service programme. 


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• Strong links with USP to support cohorts of teachers upgrading qualifications. 

• Specific training for teachers’ aides to support students with special needs in the classroom. 

Sub Sector 6: System Governance and Administration 

• Education Bill 2010 drafted and out for consultation. 

• Restructuring of Ministry of Education to align to goals of Education Master Plan. 

• Current review underway of structure of whole education sector with a view to 

rationalisation of services. 

• Strategic policy development. 

• Review of internal quality assurance systems. 

• Implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. 

• In-house development of an Education Management Information Systems. 


• The renewed, revised and renamed Forum Basic Education Action Plan as the Pacific 

Development Framework (PEDF) in Tonga, March, 2009. The regional framework to guide 

the education ministries at the national level. Meeting was attended by the Minister of 

Education and two Education officials from Niue. The Education Policy Team, consisting of 

the directors and principals, checked the alignment of the Education Strategic 2009-2013 

Plan and the PEDF, including the vision, mission, strategic goals, guiding principles and 

values, the subsectors and cross cutting themes. 

• The completion of the PRIDE sub-project to develop a coherent and holistic national policy 

and framework for Early Childhood Care, Education and Developments (early learning 

standards) for the 0-8 years old by the collaborative efforts of the Niue early childhood 

education Centre (Alofi), the four village play centres and the Education Department. This 

document will be endorsed by the Niue Government. The awareness and understanding of 

the early childhood education curriculum saw the development of quality Early Childhood 

Care, Education and Development programmes, grounded in the local culture and 

languages. Early childhood education teachers receive ongoing professional development 

and capacity building from the education officer – Deputy Director, visiting consultant 

– Niue Education Special Project and mentored attachments to New Zealand to observe 

good practices. 

• The government and community awareness has improved. All children, including special 

needs and the disabled, have equal access to the early learning centres. The Education for 

All #1 - expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education for all 

children - is met by Niue. The completion of this framework and having it endorsed ensures 

the commitment by Government, relevant ministries, and the community. 

• The PRIDE subproject on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) 

Framework was completed and endorsed by the Government for the Niue Schools from 

early childhood education, primary and secondary. Consultations with key stakeholders 

and the Government is ongoing to create awareness and encourage support and buy-ins. 

Through this framework, the TVET curriculum is being re-engineered to include the world 

work, enterprise education and entrepreneurship. TVET needs to be strengthened to ensure 

that high quality, lifelong learning opportunities are made available to all. To further 

support the TVET Framework, Niue officers participated in regional workshops in the 

development of a Regional Qualifications Registry. 

• Niue needs to coordinate and develop pathways for learners to move between the nonformal 

and formal sectors. PRIDE subprojects focused mainly on the formal sector. 

• The PRIDE subprojects Effective Teachers and Pedagogy, Developing Teachers as Action


Teacher Researchers, and Developing Induction Programme for New Recruits are completed 

to be endorsed by the Government for all levels, to enhance the status of the teaching 

profession. There are on-going professional development opportunities available and 

capacity building in-country through attachments, or attending regional workshops. Niue 

also provides the appraisal of teacher performances, delivery of pedagogy, and the upskilling 

of teachers to carry out action research into educational issues linked to classroom 

or school-wide issues, such as researching into key competencies in the Niue context. 

Orientation, advice and guidance programs were developed and documented by the early 

childhood education and primary teachers for new recruits. 

• Supporting handbooks for information was again developed for all the levels by the 

teachers from the early learning centres in the village, and the early childhood education, 

primary and secondary teachers. The training manual for Vagahau Niue teaching 

conventions is completed with work in progress to develop writing progressions or 

standards for student writing from the early childhood education, primary to secondary 

level. Teachers are tasked to select and annotate student pieces of writings as exemplars 

with professional development for teachers to use the exemplars. 

• The PRIDE subproject on the Review of the Education Act was not completed. However, 

Niue hopes to complete the initiative to strengthen the systems of governance and 

administration, planning and policy frameworks, monitoring and evaluation and Education 

Management Information Systems, financing education and developing partnerships. 

• Under the cross cutting theme ‘Language and Culture’, the PRIDE subproject Developing 

Vernacular Resources to support the seven curricula areas was completed with an outcome 

of 1,000 plus new Vagahau Niue titles covering the emergent, early and fluent level stages 

of reading. A wide range of authors/writers, illustrators and photographers were sourced 

from the community from early childhood educators to writers’ groups. A Vagahau Niue 

coordinator is tasked to scope and work on putting together Vagahau Niue in Niue, within 

the New Zealand Curriculum Document and the development of a Niue Curriculum 

Framework within Niue. The New Zealand Framework incorporates the Niue world view 

across the curriculum, reflecting the Niuean culture, value, skills and tradition. 

• The writing conventions Vagahau Niue manual for teachers and writing progressions or 

standards for early childhood education, primary and secondary levels and benchmarks is a 

work in progress. The Vagahau Niue school thesaurus work by the dictionary and language 

specialists is ongoing. 

• The Language Policies are with the Bills Committee for the second reading. The themes of 

special educational needs and inclusive education, gender equality, HIV and AIDS, poverty 

and youth are addressed in the subsectors and cross cutting themes. Niue will continue to 

develop and increase its support. 

• The cross cutting theme on ICT is developed through the Niue TVET Curriculum Policy 

Framework, a component of the completed PRIDE subproject. Advocacy and understanding 

of ICT has increased through the piloting of the One Laptop per Child initiative, where 

all children on Niue had access to a computer and the internet. Capacity developments 

and awareness about ICT and education in all sectors of education are provided by the 

Government ministry responsible for ICT. 

• The cross cutting theme on Education for Sustainable Development - an Education for 

Sustainable Development Mapping and Curriculum Analysis for Niue was carried out by 

a consultant under contract to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 

Organisation (UNESCO). A report was furnished to UNESCO and Niue. Niuean staff 

participated in the regional Education for Sustainable Development workshops, as a 

follow-up to the mapping and analysis activities for selected countries. When reviewing 

the 2009-2013 Education Strategy Plan, Niue will be integrating the findings of Education 


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for Sustainable Development or building on the existing Education for Sustainable 

Development activities in its future plans. 


• Ministry of Education completed the following four subprojects under the PRIDE project: 

revision of the curriculum frameworks for the five core content areas, development of 

the second edition of the Palau Achievement Test, development of a textbook for Palauan 

studies for first grade, and development of an overall Ministry of Education School 

Handbook. 


• The achievements of the Human Development Programme of the SPC over the last 12 

months include: 

- 31 Pacific Island women graduated from the Community Education Training Centre in 

October 2009 with qualifications in Applied Community Development Studies Level II 

and Level III. 

- Studies on Community Education Training Centre graduates and workshop participants 

carried out in 2009 in Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, as well as anecdotal feedback from 

graduates showing a continuing contribution to community development by graduates. 

- A number of Pacific Island women have gone on to take community leadership roles or 

have established small enterprises following their training in Community Education 

Training Centre residential courses. 

- Communities across the Pacific have been improved as a result of workshops run by the 

Human Development Programme with participants from government and civil society 

receiving training in a wide range of areas. 

- 30 participants from 14 countries are participating in the seven month Regional 

Certificate III Applied Community Development and Management/Community 

Development and Enterprise course. 

- The Commonwealth Secretariat supported technical assistance to the Tonga Langafonua 

Handicraft Centre, which brought a new business model and approach for the Centre 

through training and capacity building of the Centre’s management, operations and 

major craft operators in May 2010. 

- Community Education Training Centre Enterprise Business training in Chuk, Federated 

States of Micronesia (July), Nauru (July, December 2009), Tokelau (April – May 2010) and 

Tuvalu (May 2010) completed, targeting micro entrepreneurs and people interested in 

starting up small community enterprises or business undertakings. 

- Enterprise training of trainers in Vanuatu (August 2009) and Tonga (March 2010) 

completed certifying 40 business development service trainers and facilitators from 

private and government run agencies. 

- Joint training partnership between the Land Resources Division of the SPC with the 

European Union-funded Facilitating Agricultural Commodity Trade on coconut virgin 

oil (June 2009) and food safety training (October 2009) for Fiji participants. 

- Community Education Training Centre food processing training completed in Tuvalu in 

August 2009. 

- Community Education Training Centre community agriculture training in backyard 

animal husbandry and backyard vegetable farming completed in September 2009 under 

a Community Education Training Centre-Ministry of Training, Employment, Youth and 

Sports Memorandum of Understanding under the SPC-Tonga Joint Country Strategic 

Planning agreement.


- Two Community Education Training Centre community agriculture training courses 

delivered for Fiji communities in December 2009 (Piggery and Backyard vegetable 

farming) in partnership with the Fiji Institute of Human Resource Development 

Program under the Fiji Ministry of Planning. 

- Community Education Training Centre tailored training provided for a Fijian 

women’s group in December 2009 in partnership with the Integrated Human Resource 

Development Programme (Government of Fiji). 

- Community agriculture training in training of trainers for delivery of Community 

Education Training Centre’s agriculture course modules in Tonga completed in March 


- Ongoing contribution to regional education meetings of Council of Regional 

Organisations in the Pacific Human Resources Development working group, regional 

TVET network and other PEDF related consultations. 

- Ongoing data update on inventory of Pacific wide TVET institutions. 

- Regional summit on Pacific TVET issues as it relates to Pacific Plan and annual general 

meeting for Pacific Technical and Vocational Education and Training, with outcomes 

linked to PEDF, November 2010. 

- Pacific Culture and Education Strategy completed and endorsed by 23rd Council of 

Pacific Arts and Culture, and by the Heads of Education Systems, to provide guidance to 

the PEDF section on culture and language. 

• The achievements of the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA) over 

the last 12 months include: 

Senior Secondary School Qualifications 

- Five Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate subject prescriptions were revised in July 2009 

and are being used by schools in the region this year. 

- High quality Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate and South Pacific Form Seven 

Certificate exam papers produced. 

- 7,177 Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate and 738 South Pacific Form Seven Certificate 

students enrolled and sat for the Board qualifications in November 2009. 

- Pool of trained assessment writers and moderators was established for 2010 cycle. 

- Assessment developments and moderation processes completed in a timely manner. 

- Countries reported a reduced number of applications for reconsideration. 

- The number of schools complying with requirements of Boards qualifications increased. 

- Four countries began the nationalisation of Form 6 qualifications in 2010. This 

transition is being closely monitored to ensure that no part of the assessment cycle is 

threatened by inadequacy. 

- Country plans were supported by the SPBEA through a combination of training and 

advice. 

Pacific Qualifications Register 

- All quarterly and six monthly reports were submitted to donors on time. 

- Collected baseline information for the Pacific Qualifications Register through country 

visits to the Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Nauru, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati. 

- Drafted terms of reference for technical advisers to support the Pacific Qualifications 

Register in developing an information system; traditional knowledge and indigenous 

skills; and Professional Qualifications and Occupational Standards. 

- Developed the first draft of Pacific Qualifications Register template. 


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- Planned and conducted a regional consultation to discuss first draft of the Pacific 

Qualifications Register. 

- Developed and published the second draft of Pacific Qualifications Register template 

following the regional consultation. 

- Gathered information on traditional knowledge and indigenous skills and Professional 

Qualifications and Occupational Standards. 

Assessment Training and Standards 

- Internal assessment training was carried out for secondary school teachers in Kiribati 

(35), Tuvalu (22), Vanuatu (44), Solomon Islands, Nauru, Samoa (200), Tonga (24), and 

Tokelau. 

- Provided assessment training and support in response to requests from Kiribati, Tuvalu, 

Nauru, Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Fiji. 

- 2009 assessment undertaken in Tuvalu, Kiribati and Vanuatu concerning Standards of 

Literacy, Numeracy and Life skills. Reports for Tuvalu and Kiribati completed; Vanuatu 

data entry just completed with analysis, interpretation and reporting commenced in 

June 2010. 

- Developed a major proposal to AusAID to strengthen the capacity to monitor literacy 

and numeracy in the region. 

- Series of Teacher Competency Training courses conducted in Tuvalu (22), Kiribati and 

Nauru. 

- Development of Life Skills assessment instruments started in Kiribati, Vanuatu and 

Solomon Islands with local panels and SPBEA’s technical assistance. 

- Conducted sessions for the Fiji Ministry of Education Secondary Teacher Training 

Certificate in May 2010 to 60 participants. 

- Conducted the Regional Training Workshop on Data Analysis, Interpretation and 

Reporting in May 2010 to representatives from Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon 

Islands, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu using SPBEA developed software: ATLAS, ATLAS 

SQL, STALLIAN and TITAN. 

- Completed the teacher effectiveness template for monitoring teacher standards in 

the region. Put all aspects of the template onto SPBEA developed software SMITE (for 

monitoring teacher effectiveness) to be available for use in interested countries. 

- Consulted with the USP on SPBEA’s involvement with USP’s educational assessment 

courses. 

- Supported USP’s efforts to improve English language development amongst its students. 

- Evaluated the Student Management Information System (SMIS) being trialled by United 

Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Isabel, Solomon Islands. Modified SMIS for use in 

other provinces in Solomon Islands. 

- Involved with the finalisation of the Commonwealth of Learning’s Transnational 

Qualification Operations Manual. 

- Conducted a stocktake of classroom assessment practices in primary schools in Kiribati, 

Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in collaboration with Kiribati Teachers’ College, Solomon 

Islands College of Higher Education and Vanuatu Institute of Teacher Education. 

Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Support 

- Developed and implemented a research plan with timelines and research topics for 

2009-2010. 

- Discussed Early Grade Reading Assessment studies in selected Pacific countries during


World Bank - SPBEA coordination meeting in January 2010. 

- Preliminary results on two research topics were presented at the recent Board Issues 

meeting in May 2010. 

- Provided ICT training and support to Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. 

- Undertook analytical reporting on SPBEA qualifications (Pacific Senior Secondary 

Certificate and South Pacific Form Seven Certificate) for 2009 on: TITAN subject reports; 

Cosco reports; and national reports. 

- Submitted to UNICEF a work programme and budget request for 2010. 

- Attended the UN Harmonised Approach to Cash Transfers briefing in June 2010. 

- Co-facilitated two regional meetings (with UNESCO and UNICEF) on the Education for 

All End of Decade Assessment Meetings with officials from selected countries. 

- Continued technical support to Tonga on the development of Education Management 

Information Systems software. 


• The PRIDE project is the main vehicle to implement the Forum Basic Education Action 

Plan, the predecessor to the PEDF. Its three key result areas are: 

(1) development of comprehensive education strategic plans; 

(2) implementation of national education plans through subprojects; and 

(3) strengthened regional capacity. 

• The project was extended by one year and will end on 31 December 2010. Under Key 

Result Area 1, PRIDE has assisted 12 countries in the review and/or development of their 

education sector plans. For Key Result Area 2, a significant achievement is the completion 

of implementation of 135 subprojects and the proper verification of 65% of subproject 

funds. For Key Result Area 3, the PRIDE Resource Centre closed in December 2009 and 

its key functions have been integrated into USP operations. The online resource centre 

Pacific Archive of Digital Data for Learning and Education (PADDLE) sits at the USP 

Library and the Institute of Education will be responsible for its ongoing development 

and maintenance. The Network of Pacific Educators has been relocated to the Institute of 

Education in Tonga. All the hard copy resources have been integrated into the main USP 

Library. 

• Two PRIDE books in the Institute of Education/PRIDE Pacific Education Series were 

published in 2009. They are Inclusive Education in the Pacific and the Role of TVET in 

Pacific Secondary Schools: New Visions, New Pathways. The project also completed 

digitising 30 years’ worth of articles contained in the USP education journal called 

Directions: Journal of Educational Studies 1978-2008. This is available on CD. PADDLE was 

also put on CD and is available in both Windows and Mac formats. 

• Three key activities in 2010 are the end-of-project country review of PRIDE support to the 

region, ongoing acquittal verification, and the handover and closing down process incountry 

and as a project. A Closure and Handover Plan has been prepared, and the project is 

on target to complete all relevant processes by the end of the year. 

• The Pacific Education Development Framework covers the issues of Education for 

Sustainable Development and the Education for Sustainable Development Framework that 

is currently under development at USP. The School of Education component examines 

the needs of the USP countries and options for USP to address these needs in the areas of 

literacy, numeracy, and the up-skilling of teachers. 

• There has been a review of section offerings within Faculties against the USP Strategic Plan 

2010-2012, which prioritises meeting the educational and training needs of the region. In 


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line with this, the Institute of Education, PRIDE and the School of Education have examined 

ways by which to streamline offerings of courses, programs and activities that are in line 

with the requests and needs of the region. 

• There has been a faculty-based review of learning modes, with a view to increase the 

distance and flexible learning opportunities for regional students through effective 

and increased delivery of print-mode and e-learning opportunities through Moodle. 

Additionally, staff relocations have been considered to bolster regional campuses where 

student numbers dictate a need for face-to-face assistance. The School of Education, for 

example, has relocated a Lecturer in Education to the Honiara Campus to assist in the 

teaching of 100-level and 200-level education courses. 

• The Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development 

project and the European Union Pacific Network of Island Universities Edulink Projects are 

well underway, with a major achievement in 2010 being the Regional Forum for Education 

for Sustainable Development Educators held in March between the USP, National University 

of Samoa, and University of Papua New Guinea. The Curriculum Education for Sustainable 

Development Workshop also held in March with representatives from Fiji, Samoa, Solomon 

Islands, Marshall Islands and Tonga. These projects are ongoing and are expected to 

continue into 2011. 



• The 2010/11 Business Plan for the Ministry of Education identifies two major areas for 

investment of people and resources in the next 12 months. These two areas are: 

1. Strengthening Student Programmes and Wellbeing 

- Increasing the scope of subjects available, particularly at a senior secondary level: 

extending dual pathway programmes and diversifying the curriculum to meet the needs 

of a broader student cohort. 

- Equitable access for all learners: implementation of the Inclusive Education Policy and 

increasing ICT access. 

- Literacy and numeracy: continued implementation of literacy and numeracy 

programmes. Literacy will particularly focus on Cook Islands Maori achievement 

in Rarotonga. Provision of further support for teachers and students in isolated 

communities. 

- Enterprise education: as per the agreement of Ministers at the Forum Education 

Ministers’ Meeting 2009, an enterprise and financial literacy programme will be 

developed. 

- Early childhood education: continue to enhance the professional development 

and qualifications of early childhood education specific teachers. Utilise Te Kakaia 

programme to provide parental support and maintain high enrolment in early 

childhood education. 

2. Quality Management Systems: 

- Internal quality assurance: implementation of monitoring and evaluation framework. 

Capacity building in internal review processes. 

- Strategic Policies: implementation of strategic policies through the development of 

issues and operational policies.


- Health and safety: recognition of the needs of specialist teaching areas, for example 

performing arts; maintenance of accreditation by providing safe learning areas. 

- Buildings and equipment: new Ministry of Education headquarters. 

- Official Information Act: processes to ensure compliance with Government legislation. 


• The implementation of the completed and government-endorsed PRIDE subprojects for 

Niue, which align with the subsectors and cross cutting themes of the PEDF matrix, are as 

follows: 

- The Technical, Vocational and Education and Training Policy Framework for the Niue 

Schools and the establishment and strengthening of cross sectoral partnership with 

relevant ministries, non-government organisations and the Government. 

- The Early Childhood Care, Education and Development Policy Framework. 

- The Development of a Net Programme using formative assessments to track and 

monitor students progress and achievements in literacy (English and Vagahau Niue) 

and numeracy from early childhood, primary and secondary Niue schools. 

- The Effective Teacher and Pedagogy: the induction programme for new recruits and 

developing teachers as action researchers to target teachers, head teachers and school 

principals’ competence in Niue schools. 

- The Secondary School Library and Learning Resource Centre targeting digital and 

informational literacy. 

- The developing of vernacular informational/translational texts to support the eight 

essential learning areas/subjects or curriculum in all Niue schools. 

- The incomplete review of the Education Act to be completed through another initiative. 

Stage one is completed, the second stage involves the consultation of the community, 

the third stage is the analysis and the reporting of findings and the fourth stage is to use 

the findings to review and write the Education Strategic Plan for the next three years. 


• It is anticipated that a textbook in Palauan studies for second grade and a principals’ manual 

will be completed, that health and liberal arts academies will be developed for Palau High 

School, that activities to be undertaken under PEDF will be finalised, and that funding 

sources for such activities under PEDF will be identified. 


• Human Development Programme of the SPC: 

- Pacific Culture and Education Strategy to be presented to Forum Education Ministers 

Meeting and implementation underway as per PEDF requirements. 

- National level training of Community Education Training Centre skills training 

modules (training of trainers) in fabric arts in Tonga and food processing and ‘start your 

business’ in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. 

- Development and pilot of business development modules customised for the 

handicrafts sector and for food processing. 

- Development of a community-based regional training strategy (with the Asian 

Development Bank). 

- Development of tools to guide the setting up of a regional framework for skills 

development and training (with the Asian Development Bank). 


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- Development of an inventory of providers and agencies providing non-formal training 

to add to existing inventory of registered TVET providers. 

- Increased pool of certified community development workers, facilitators and 

entrepreneurs. 

- Development of a pilot community development course for multimodal delivery (selfstudy, 

distance, multimedia). 

- Exploring regional and national delivery partnerships for community developmentbased 

training and capacity building targeting Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Republic 

of Marshall Islands. 

• Progress anticipated for the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA) 

over the next 12 months include: 


- South Pacific Form Seven Certificate subject prescriptions to be revised for the first time, 

incorporating the future reporting systems as endorsed by the Board. 

- All quality assurance and control systems for the effective operation of the qualifications 

will be consolidated. 

- Recognition of student achievement through reporting against learning outcomes is 

progressed. 

- Capacity of country assessment and examination staff and schools is improved. 

- Accreditation procedures for schools are well coordinated so that expected standards 

from schools are maintained. 

- Each Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate member country will receive advice on the 

management of the complete Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate cycle. This will be 

achieved by detailed induction programmes delivered by country visits. 

- Detailed plans will be constructed by each Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate member 

country, which convey the timelines and scope of transfer of Pacific Senior Secondary 

Certificate administrative responsibilities 


- The draft template for the Pacific Qualifications Register finalised. 

- Support provided for developing National Qualification Frameworks. 

- Begin developing a Pacific Qualifications Framework. 

- Development of a database and software for Pacific Qualifications Register. 

- Explore development of Professional Qualifications and Occupational Standards. 

- Explore the “what to capture” and “how” in incorporating traditional knowledge and 

indigenous skills on the Pacific Qualifications Register. 

- Explore possibility of another regional consultation for further dialogue and fine-tuning 

the Pacific Qualifications Register and begin on the Pacific Qualifications Framework. 


- Standards of literacy, numeracy and life skills: Vanuatu STALLIAN reports for 2009 

completed; 2010 administration of STALLIAN in Solomon Islands in August (Solomon 

Islands Standardised Test of Achievement 2) and November (Solomon Islands 

Standardised Test of Achievement 1) 2010; the Solomon Islands Standardised Test of 

Achievement reports completed; and proposal to AusAID approved and the project 

started.


- The series of Teacher Competency Training conducted in Tuvalu, Kiribati and Nauru 

completed. 

- Continued collaborations with USP’s educational assessment courses and support to the 

improvement of English language development amongst its students. 

- Development of assessment training and other resource materials. 


- Implement the research plan for 2009-2010. 

- Three countries undertaking research in identified areas. 

- Development of a country profile to support regional education sector-wide monitoring 

and evaluation. 

- Ensuring that Vanuatu acquires the software and manages its own data entry and data 

extraction for STALLIAN. 

- Follow up on Early Grade Reading Assessment studies in Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon 


- Explored integrating life skills and Early Grade Reading Assessment data into 

STALLIAN. 

- Timely preparation and dissemination of analytical reports on SPBEA qualifications 

(Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate and South Pacific Form Seven Certificate) for 2010: 

TITAN subject reports; Cosco reports and National reports. 

- Implement and report on UNICEF activities for 2010-2011 in Kiribati, Vanuatu and 


- Maintain and update the SPBEA website. 

- Implementing new ATLAS in all member countries by 2012 and support countries in 

the administration, processing and analysis of assessment data. 

- Customised ATLAS to suit country specific needs. 


• For PRIDE, in the seven months remaining to project closure, the following will take place: 

- Ongoing discussions with USP management over project handover and closure 

processes. 

- Final report on the PRIDE review will be ready in October 2010. 

- The verification process of all subproject funds will be completed. 

- Two final publications in the Institute of Education/PRIDE Pacific Education Series will 

be completed and launched – on Pacific Knowledge Societies, and Sharing Best Practice 

in Pacific Education. 

- All in-country closure and handover processes will be completed. 

- Formal handing over ceremony. 

- Final handing over of all PRIDE assets, management information systems, outputs and 

resources to USP management. 

• For the School of Education at USP, over the next year it is expected that a number of 

academic positions may be devolved to the various regional campuses where the need 

arises. There is an anticipated increase in distance and flexible learning offerings and in the 

number of courses which offer partial or full (where appropriate) e-learning opportunities. 


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• De-population, particularly of outer islands, makes it difficult to efficiently meet the needs 

of smaller isolated communities. 

• Staffing of specialist learning areas at the senior school level. 

• Recognition of the importance of Maori language, particularly in Rarotonga. 

• Budgetary constraints. 

• Location: increasing freight costs and higher incidence of adverse weather events. 


• Often the partnership initiatives like developing regional benchmarks in literacy and 

numeracy and life skills technical assistance or support do not extend to national levels 

because of non-membership status. In these circumstances, countries such as Niue are part 

of the regional development but do not benefit. However, it is hoped that this will change 

with the new SPC arrangements. 

• Quality education systems affected by high turnover of staff at all levels, which impact 

on the quality of the education systems. This challenge is linked to issues of sustainable 

financing of the education systems, including teacher salaries. The unsatisfactory state of 

the physical learning environment of school classrooms, including resources and classroom 

learning materials, and the lack of maintenance of school buildings and infrastructure, also 

impact on the education system. 

• The TVET Curriculum Framework, developed for early childhood education, primary and 

secondary, may be viewed by parents as irrelevant to their child. Infrastructure, equipment 

and materials are inadequate and require upgrading. Pre-service and in service training is 

required to upgrade TVET teachers. Ministries with less staffing resources often require 

existing staff to absorb multiple roles, and this affects quality. Requiring staff who are not 

professionally developed/trained or supported to take on key roles and responsibilities 

impacts on efficiency, effectiveness and in turn, quality. 

• Increasing expectations for schools to undertake new developments impacts on the 

timetable and staff numbers, affecting quality of education. 

• Availability of funds will be the main challenge, as well as technical assistance for the 

implementations. The sustainability of the projects is also a concern. 

• Buy in and support of the Government, community and the schools and staff. 

• The Regional Qualifications Registry for the purpose of labour mobility. Niue has benefitted 

from this initiative, but there is also a downside. Over the last five or six years, qualified 

and supposedly experienced staff have worked in education, but have had difficulty in 

the application of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement processes for 

assessments, impacting on staff and student learning. 


• Risks and major issues include budget constraint, staff capacity, and sustainability of some 

of the activities.




• Human Development Programme of the SPC: 

- A new enterprise stream piloted this year at Level III has resulted in staffing 

implications and led to recruitment of more part time instructors to deliver some 

specific modules. 

- Ability to assist countries on a regular basis for implementation of Pacific Culture and 

Education Strategy. 

- Accreditation requirement for the Community Education Training Centre to meet new 

technical and vocational skills demand, as well as meeting increasing country specific 

requests for training, has significant immediate and long term staffing and resource 

implications which will impact the effectiveness and responsiveness of the Community 

Education Training Centre to deliver the PEDF and other regional and national training 

and capacity building priorities. 

• Risks impacting on South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA) include: 


- Nationalisation of Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate requires full support from 

countries. 

- More robust information technology support is required for SPBEA. 

- Shift of focus from assessment of learning to assessment for learning to be reflected in 

the reporting system. 

- Extension of qualifications services to other SPC member countries. 


- Availability of technical advisors is vital for the development of: software and a database; 

scoping and development related to professional qualifications and occupational standards; 

and assessing relevant components of traditional knowledge and indigenous skills. 

- How TVET relates to the Pacific Qualifications Register and the pace at which countries 

progress developments of their National Qualifications Frameworks is a further issue. 


- Loss of country capacity through high turnover of trained officers. 

- Urgent national priorities often take over core regional priorities. 

- Training schedules have to be coordinated among several key players as well as with 

regard to flight itineraries. 

- Capacity to develop quality assessment training materials and instruments for all for 

training programmes in time. 


- In-country research and capacity building requires full engagement with dedicated staff, 

as well placement of research as a high priority in countries’ strategic plans. 

- Availability of national census data in a form that is compatible with education data 

parameters and thus for use in calculating Education for All indicators. 

- Locus of control of work progress sometimes resides with the countries, and where 

requested feedback and information is delayed, work can be greatly hindered. 

- Limited numbers and capacity on the ground in-country and at SPBEA to go beyond 

routine tasks and be innovative. 

- Urgent national priorities often take over core regional priorities. 


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• One major issue is the technology available in the region. In some cases, e learning 

opportunities may not be appropriate where students do not have access to internet. In 

these cases it is expected that a needs analysis will be conducted before deciding to offer 

courses or assessments using e-learning. In some cases it is expected that the print mode and 

use of radio may remain the most effective means of learning and communication. 

• The costs of relocation of staff to regional campuses, and potential reluctance on the part of 

staff to relocate are other issues to consider. 


(iv) Urging efforts to pursue the opportunities offered by the appropriate utilisation and 

development of land resources to minimise the risk of conflict, improve security and 

assist in economic development, while recognising that land is a national responsibility. 



• Depopulation, particularly of outer islands, makes it difficult to efficiently meet the needs of 

smaller isolated communities. 


• Being included as part of the National Sustainable Development Strategy – Revised Edition 

2009, the goal being “A transparent and fair land management system that supports social, 

economic and private sector development”. 


• Ongoing formal land titling process through the Niue High Court and administered by the 

Department of Justice, Lands and Surveys. 


• SPC/AusAID joint design mission consulted with stakeholders in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon 

Island and Tonga for rapid design mission on the Land Management and Conflict 

Minimisation. This culminated in the development of an Aide Memoir document which 

was used to enhance support from AusAID for the development of the Pacific Regional Land 

Program. 


• Trained representatives from 12 Pacific Island Countries on developing integrated financing 

strategies for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Sustainable Land Management 

project. 


• USP has secured AusAID funding for four students pursuing studies in Land Management.


• Two students are pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Real Estate by coursework, and two 

other students will produce theses titled, “The application of sustainable development 

principles to urban land in Suva City” and “Analysis of Native Land Trust Act principles to 

management of native land in the Pacific region.” 



• Upgrade skills for staff (land surveyors, data officers) in use of technical assistance 

– consultancy services for such uses as: internal management; security and archiving of 

land records; development of a digital data sharing system for land records; and survey 

equipment and training for secondary mining. 

• Lease contract management for Government leases (landowners’ agreement for lease of 

land for government use for national purposes). 


• Two week sitting of the Niue High Court in June 2010 with a one week sitting of the High 

Court programmed for November 2010. 


• The Human Development Programme will support national research and policy advocacy 

on women’s land and cultural rights in Vanuatu. 

• Development of the Pacific Regional Land Program proposal to be funded by AusAID. SPC/ 

Land Resources Division /Human Development Programme will focus on capacity building 

for community land practitioners, gender and youth impact analysis for land reform and 

strengthening land information systems for policy and planning. USP will provide land 

education, training and research for land professionals. 


• All four students (studies detailed above) will complete their studies in 2010. 




• Mostly financial risks – hiring of consultancy services and implementing the plan of action. 


• The major issue is the potential for land disputes to become very divisive in such a small 

community. 


• Further delays in the development and finalisation of the project and availability of both 

human and financial resources to implement the project. 


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(v) Supporting the implementation of measures, existing commitments and programmes 

aimed at increasing awareness of and addressing the causes and consequences of sexual 

and gender-based violence and developing legislation to criminalise gender-based 

violence in all forms. 



Women’s Affairs 

• The Domestic Violence Team, community leaders and members of the Women’s Resource 

Group (ex Community Education Training Centre Graduates), joined together as a 

cohesive network. Competency based training on economics, through the formation of two 

entrepreneurs training workshops for women in small and medium businesses. A 16-day 

awareness campaign throughout the communities and districts and through the media, 

different sectors of Government, Parliamentarians, and the private sectors prior to the 

launching of the White Ribbon Day, in which men championed the launch campaign. 


• Re-enforcement of the Niue Police’s no drop policy in relation to domestic violence matters. 

Community engagement through visits from New Zealand Police staff and a guest speaker 

from a non government organisation regarding domestic violence and its effects on the 

family. 


• Anti prostitution law has been in place for quite some time. 


• The Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development continues in its role as 

Government Focal Point for the advancement of women and protection of children. It 

also maintains its responsibilities in the coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the 

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 

and Convention of the Rights of the Child, as well as its ongoing functions such as the: 

- Identification of policy issues relating to the advancement of women and the protection 

of children including discriminatory practices against women and girls, as highlighted 

in the Draft National Policy for Women 2008-2012. 

- Coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes for the 

advancement of women in line with the National Plan of Action for the Advancement of 

Women in Samoa 2008-2012. 

- Coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes for the 

advancement of women in line with the National Plan of Action for Children in Samoa 

2008-2012. 

- Coordination, monitoring and support for Government women representatives in line 

with their Performance Management System.


- Coordination, monitoring and reporting on the Government of Samoa’s 

implementation of CEDAW and the Convention of the Rights of the Child in line with 

its reporting obligations with the two conventions. 

• Samoa’s Fourth and Fifth Periodic Country Reports are in final draft and nearly ready to be 

submitted to the UN CEDAW Committee. 

• Review of the concluding remarks from the UN Committees for both CEDAW and the 

Convention of the Rights of the Child had been translated into the Samoan language and 

submitted to Cabinet. 

• Women’s Information System and Directory for Women updated and maintained, and data 

was used in the update of the second CEDAW report. 

• The CEDAW Partnership comprised of relevant Government Ministries and non 

government organisations continued with its commitment to ensuring the recognition of 

women’s rights, as well as addressing women’s issues through all levels of implementation. 

• The Gender-Based Violence Steering Committee initiated by the Ministry of Women, 

Community and Social Development complemented and enhanced the ongoing work of 

the CEDAW Partnership, as well as contributed to the reduction of gender-based violence in 

Samoa. 

• Gender-Based Violence Project - this current project funded by UNFPA/NZAID and UNDP 

was initiated to address the findings and recommendations of the SPC/UNFPA Samoa 

Family Health and Safety Study 2000. Some of the initiatives under this Project include: 

- The training needs analysis report for non-government organisations. 

- Integrated education and communication materials on Gender-Based Violence 

interventions. 

- Men Against Violence Advocacy Group – comprising village chiefs and orators. 

- Family safety policy issues paper. 

• SPC/Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team project - Changing Laws and Legislation 

Addressing Violence Against Women - is a new project targeting the increased awareness 

of women on their legal rights and promoting changes to existing legislation to effect better 

protection for women and children from all forms of violence 

• Family Safety Bill, a specific legislation on domestic violence, is in the final stages of 

development process. 

• Crimes Ordinance Act 1961 Review – report by Law Reform Commission submitted to 

Cabinet and some significant amendments have been proposed on sexual offences and all 

forms of related crimes that women and children are vulnerable to. 

• Ongoing commitments of National Coordinating Committee for the Convention of the 

Rights of the Child. 


• The Forum Secretariat, in consultation with relevant Council of Regional Organisations 

in the Pacific and development partner agencies, developed terms of reference to guide its 

implementation of Leaders’ 2009 mandate to address sexual and gender-based violence. 

Support was expressed by the 2010 Forum Regional Security Committee meeting for the 

Secretariat’s planned activities, partnerships and work programmes. 

• With support from the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and 

SPC, Solomon Islands and Kiribati made a joint presentation to the 2010 Forum Regional 

Security Committee on the outcomes of their respective recently published Family Health 

and Safety Surveys. The surveys had been completed with funding supporting from 

AusAID, UNFPA, UNIFEM and SPC. 


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• From their report, Solomon Islands identified key strategic areas to address Sexual and 

Gender-Based Violence. These are: develop National Commitments to Eliminate Violence 

Against Women (now the recently endorsed National Policy on Eliminating Violence 

Against Women); strengthen legal frameworks, law enforcement and the justice system; 

eliminate and prevent violence against women through public awareness and advocacy; 

strengthen and improve protective, social and support services; rehabilitate and treat 

perpetrators; work with men to end violence against women; and coordinate policy and 

services. 

• Kiribati also identified the key policy interventions to assist them to address Sexual 

and Gender-Based Violence. These are: develop a National Gender Equality and Women 

Development policy (NGEWDP); incorporate the Ending Violence against Women policy 

into the NGEWDP; establish Safe Networking Group; finalise the CEDAW Report; Cabinet 

paper on law reforms in line with CEDAW and the Convention of the Rights of the Child; 

proposed new structure for the Women’s Unit in the Gender Equality Department/Ministry. 

• The Forum Regional Security Committee also encouraged the Secretariat to collaborate with 

relevant Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific and development partner agencies 

to address Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the Pacific. 

• The 2010 Forum Regional Security Committee further endorsed a recommendation to 

establish a Reference Group on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence to assist the Secretariat 

(and its partners) and to support national efforts in taking forward the mandate from 

Leaders. 


• As a result of completed gender-based violence and child abuse studies, Solomon Islands 

and Kiribati have improved data that is being used as the evidence base on which to develop 

national policies and interventions for the elimination of violence against women. 

• Ongoing technical support is being provided to Pacific Island Countries and Territories for 

the development of national domestic violence policies, as well as school-based advocacy 

programmes on domestic violence. 

• Nationwide dissemination of Gender-Based Violence research was completed in Kiribati and 

the Solomon Islands, where the findings were disseminated through forums with members 

of Parliament, permanent secretaries, outer island councils and Unamane. 

• An advocacy and awareness campaign also took taken place in the Solomon Islands. 


• In November 2009, USP completed a gender audit on all courses and programs. 

• In May 2010, a Gender Coordinator was appointed. 

• USP is mainstreaming gender, and the first step has been identified as the inclusion of a 

module in all generic courses and 100 level courses. 

• USP has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNIFEM, and they are funding 

the course on gender and the media. Postgraduate courses on gender are offered at the 

School of Education and the School of Government, Development and International Affairs. 

• Gender is also an issue that is included in the Education for Sustainable Development 

Framework that is currently under development at USP.



• The Women’s Office with its affiliated women’s groups, are working closely with Church 

Groups, women and youth, the Police Force and the Domestic Violence Team to ensure of 

a unified approach to combat gender-based violence. Through consolidated efforts, it is 

expected that reported cases of violence will be reduced. 


• Creation of Family Violence legislation to suit Niue’s needs, along with a continuing 

commitment from villages to speak out about domestic violence. 


• A proposed National Bill has been drafted by the National Congress in the Senate on 

domestic violence. 


• Samoa’s Fourth and Fifth Periodic Country Reports are being submitted to the UN CEDAW 

Committee. 

• Family Safety Bill submitted to Cabinet and Parliament. 

• Extensive consultations on Crimes Ordinance Amendment Act. 

• Ongoing programmes on advancement of women, protection of children from all forms of 

abuse, reduction of gender-based violence and promoting rights of most vulnerable groups. 

• Second child protection knowledge attitudes behaviour practices survey conducted. 

• Funding proposal approved for national survey on child vendors in Samoa. 

• Ongoing activities and commitments under the following mandates: 

- Government’s Strategy for the Development of Samoa 2008–2012 

- UN CEDAW ratified by the government of Samoa in 1992. 

- UN Convention of the Rights of the Child ratified by the Government of Samoa in 1994. 

- Millennium Development Goals. 

- Pacific Plan. 

- Commonwealth Youth Programme, UNICEF/ UNFPA/ UNDP Country Programme 

Action Plans 2008–2012. 

- Cabinet Directives. 

- Memorandum of Understanding. 

- National Policies. 


• Further implementation of the Forum Secretariat’s phased work plan to address Sexual 

and Gender-Based Violence in the region, in cooperation with relevant Council of Regional 

Organisations in the Pacific and development partners, and in collaboration with national 

governments. 


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• For Kiribati: 

- Assist with a new Ending Violence against Women policy and a new Gender equality 

policy. 

- Roll out of the costed and time-bound National Action Plan for Ending Violence against 

Women. 

- Support a new strengthened and dedicated Women’s Division under the Ministry of 

Internal and Social Affairs. 

- Implementation of the SAFENET referral network by key service providers in order to 

ensure better service delivery to survivors of violence both in South Tarawa and in the 

outer islands through a new Committee Against Violence Against Women network. 

• For Solomon Islands, implementation of the newly approved Gender Equality and Women’s 

Development and Elimination of Violence Against Women policies through the National 

Action Plan. 


• Over the next year, it is anticipated that a comprehensive review of courses and programs 

will be completed, and a systematic approach to the mainstreaming of gender and gender 

issues will occur. It is also anticipated that policies and supportive documents and 

guidelines at the Faculty and School levels will be aligned over this period. 




• Budget constraints, no transport to carry out the projects/programs to the people in 

the community and districts. Lack of data on gender-based violence. The need for sex 

disaggregated data. Judicial process is slow, due to few qualified lawyers and commitments 

of Government. Training of Counsellor for the Women’s Safe House. Counselling services 

for survivors of violence and those who commit the violence. No bank to enable the women 

to access funds for start up of businesses. 


• Loss of focus or apathy by locals that perceive that it is not a Niue problem. A lack of desire 

to speak out and to keep these matters within family circles. 


• Lack of capacity as the position of gender officer has not been filled but there are plans to 

hire a person. 

• Presently, there is no national policy on gender. 


• Resources mobilisation. 

• Technical capacity to undertake major legislative reviews. 

• Competing priorities and time constraints in terms of meeting deadlines. 

• Cultural sensitivities and protocols.




• Funding constraints. 


• Member states have received capacity building training to continue dedicated work on 

Ending Violence against Women, but will need to secure resources to enable work to 

continue at an active level by engaging the donor community and by continuing to ask for 

technical assistance as needed. 


• The presence of a Gender Coordinator at USP will ensure that a systematic approach is 

taken, and that all developments and monitoring in the area of gender mainstreaming may 

be centrally located at the Office of the Gender Coordinator, rather than being undertaken 

by various sections. 


(vi) Prioritising national actions to mainstream youth issues into the national development 

agenda. 


months? 


• Published the Nauru National Youth Policy document. 

• Finalised the Republic of Nauru YOUTH Pathway 2015, an implementation plan for the 

National Youth Policy 2008-2015. Waiting to be adopted by Government. 


• Approval and adoption of Niue National Youth Policy: 2010 – 2015. 

• Youth delegation attended first ever Pacific Youth Sport Conference held in Auckland, New 

Zealand, March 2010. 

• Youth Parliamentarian workshops and assembly meeting successfully held – UNDP funded 

project. 

• Youth National Festival held. 


• A Youth National Policy and Framework for Actions was developed in 2005-06. 


• The Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development as the Government focal 

point for all youth development issues continues to articulate the following functions: 

- Develop, facilitate and coordinate programmes to improve the self worth of young 

people and build their physical and psychological capacity. 


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- Foster flexible and inclusive learning environment conducive to school retention and 

skills. 

- Formation and career choice for young people. 

- Develop, facilitate and coordinate programmes to increase employment and income 

generation opportunities for all young people of Samoa. 

- Strengthen capacity of young people, youth leaders, and Division for Youth staff to 

manage, implement, monitor and evaluate all youth-related activities. 

- Identify policy and programme issues pertaining to the development of young 

people through the review of the National Youth Policy and the Towards a Legacy of 

Achievement, Versatility and Opportunity through Unity (TALAVOU) programme. 

- Coordinate and implement the TALAVOU program, a project funded by UN Agencies 

and development partners, which will be continued by Government after four years. 

• Samoa National Youth Policy 2001-2011 - Mid Term Review 

- The Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development in collaboration 

with KVA Consult Ltd (a local consultancy firm) conducted public and stakeholders’ 

consultation for both Upolu and Savaii on the mid-term review of the Samoa National 

Youth Policy. Some significant recommendations of the review targeted the development 

of the next National Youth Policy currently in progress. The mid-term review report was 

finalised and had been distributed widely to key stakeholders in Government and nongovernment 

sectors. 

• Samoa National Youth Week - an annual event to celebrate the achievements made by 

various young people, not only as individuals, but as part of organisations they are affiliated 

with. Some of the activities of this week include: 

- A Youth Parliament session held with members selected from various youth groups 

around the country. They held mock sessions as parliamentarians and focused their 

discussion on the issue of domestic violence. 

- A Tausala and Manaia Pageant, which not only showcases the young people’s talents, but 

provides an opportunity to display the natural beauty of Samoan young contestants. 

- The Annual Samoa National Youth Awards to pay tribute to the outstanding achievers 

of the year in their various areas of expertise and talents. Winners both in group and 

individual categories received monetary awards as well as trophies. 

- The International Youth Day celebrated annually with the United Nations themes. 

• TALAVOU programme - the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, as 

the focal point of the project, continued to coordinate the Technical Working Group as well 

as the Steering Committee meetings. 

• The Division for Youth continued to coordinate the implementation and management of 

the TALAVOU programme activities in collaboration with stakeholders. 

• Some of the activities under this programme included: 

- Commonwealth Youth Programme Diploma in Youth Development currently taken in 

partnership with the National University of Samoa – Oloamanu Training Centre. 

- National Peer Education Programme. 

- Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) rehabilitation programme for women 

inmates at Tafaigata Prison. 

- Samoa National Youth Council preparatory phase. 

- Community-based youth business incubator. 

- International Labour Organisation Transition Enterprise Planning pilot projects. 

- Reduction of youth suicide rate and suicide attempts.


- National Career Day 2009. 

- Agri-business training in Savaii. 

- Youth tele-centre training in Savaii. 


• National and regional youth initiatives and issues of concern to young people in the Pacific 

have been supported through technical assistance provided in the lead up to, during and 

after the 2nd Pacific Youth Festival hosted by Fiji. 

• With technical support from the Human Development Programme, national youth policies 

have been reviewed or formulated in American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, 

Republic of the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands, resulting in a favourable policy 

environment in support of youth development. 

• Youth employment and livelihoods were addressed through national micro-enterprise and 

small enterprise training in partnership with the International Labour Organisation. 

• In collaboration with regional and national agencies, SPC is in the process of conducting 

a review of the Pacific Youth Strategy 2010 which, along with other youth studies, will be 

used as the basis for developing the Pacific Youth Strategy. 

• Development of a regional youth and agriculture strategy in collaboration with the Land 

Resources Division. The Youth and Agriculture Strategy developed during the period July 

2009 to June 2010 is a direct response to a request by the Heads of Agriculture and Forestry. 

• Provide technical assistance and support to the Pacific Youth Council to engage civil society 

in youth development work to complement and strengthen national youth institutions. 


• Provided environment input to the 3rd Pacific Youth Festival held in Fiji in July 2009, 

including a social marketing workshop with a focus on climate change adaptation. 

• Supported youth-related Education for Sustainable Development activities in partnership 

with USP. Facilitated USP’s Leadership and Education for Sustainable Development Forum 

and facilitated an environment-focused session at the Pacific Regional Symposium on 

Strengthening Regional Institutional Capacity on Education for Sustainable Development 

held in Suva in March 2010. 

• SPREP also provided financial support to several member countries to assist with youth 

environmental education activities organised at the national level (2009 focus on climate 

change; 2010 focus on biodiversity conservation) 


• PRIDE has contributed to addressing youth issues in some countries through its 

subprojects. In Fiji, for example, two subprojects worth FJ$140,000 were devoted to drug 

awareness workshops for school heads, teachers and other stakeholders in all the provinces 

and districts. Two positive outcomes have been the development of a national policy and 

teachers’ manuals. Similarly, in Nauru, two subprojects worth A$122,000 focused on youths 

– one on basic literacy training for approximately 60 out-of-school youths; and the second 

on the development of a life skills and TVET curriculum for Year 9 students. 

• USP supported the Pacific Youth Festival in July 2009. Numerous staff members were 

involved in the delivery of plenary presentations and facilitating of workshops and skills for 

life sessions. 

• As part of USP’s focus on Education for Sustainable Development, a number of youth 

workshops have been offered through Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable 

Development, in collaboration with staff of the Faculty of Arts and Law. These workshops 


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have focused on pertinent issues such as “Youth and Climate Change in the Pacific” (2009); 

and “Governance and Leadership in the Pacific” (2009). 

• The School of Social Sciences is current deliberating on the need to offer courses and 

programs on youth development issues. 



• As soon as Government adopts the Republic of Nauru YOUTH Pathway, public 

awareness will be required to prioritise the activities within the document as it is quite 

a large document. Donors’ and Governments’ support will be sought to assist with the 

implementation of the document. It is anticipated that implementation will begin before 

the end of 2011. 


• Implement Policy and Action Plan: 2010-2015. 

• National Youth Council yearly programmes in sports, culture and camping. 

• Attend Commonwealth Youth Caucus Meetings. 

• Promote Life Skills – workshops and bush walks. 


• A National Youth Convention was held in March 2010 and a resolution resulted whereby a 

Palau National Youth Congress would be re-established. Several youth delegates attended 

the Micronesian Youth Service Network Regional Annual Conference which was held in the 

Federated States of Micronesia in April 2010. 


• The new Samoa National Youth Policy finalised and approved by Cabinet. 

• Ongoing Implementation of TALAVOU programme. 

• Ongoing activities and commitments under the following mandates: 

- Government’s Strategy for the Development of Samoa 2008–2012. 

- CEDAW ratified by the Government of Samoa in 1992. 

- Convention of the Rights of the Child ratified by the Government of Samoa in 1994. 


- Pacific Plan. 







• Regional youth and agriculture strategy and action plan to be endorsed by the Heads of 

Agriculture and Forestry Services and the Ministers of Youth. 

• Funding secured to commence implementation of recommendations of the Pacific Youth 

Strategy 2010.


• Engaging member countries and territories to develop the key youth priorities to be 

addressed at regional and national levels based on the outcomes of the review of the Pacific 

Youth Strategy 2010 and the report on the State of Pacific Youth. 

• Continue to provide technical assistance to countries and territories to review their 

national youth policies and plans and mainstream youth actions into other sectors. 

• Coordinate youth development efforts at the regional level with other regional agencies/ 

partners. 

• Facilitate the collection and dissemination of youth-related data and information and tools 

to assist other sectors, countries and territories to respond effectively to youth issues and 

concerns. 

• Continue with technical support to build and strengthen capacity of regional and national 

youth institutions to deliver youth programmes. 


• The Commonwealth Youth Program is expected to cease its support for the Diploma in 

Youth Program in July 2010. There may be a gap in terms of the study of social work/ 

welfare of youth in the Pacific. Over the next year, a situational analysis is expected to 

review the need to offer the program at USP to meet its member countries’ needs. 




• Human capacity and funding. 


• No major risks identified. 


• Presently there is no person running the Division of Youth and there is a lack of funds to 

hire personnel. 



• Lack of technical capacity to undertake major legislative reviews. 


• Cultural sensitivities and protocols. 


• Funding constraints on the implementation of review recommendations. 

• Lack of ownership by countries to embrace recommendations. 

• Shifting national and regional priorities. 

• Inadequate response from national youth authorities to regional and national dialogue to 

inform plans and actions to be undertaken. Can be due to low capacity at national level. 

• Lack of human and financial resources to cover all member countries and territories. 


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• The major risk is related to the funding implications for the delivery of a new USP program. 

With the cessation of the Commonwealth Youth Programme funding, USP will need to 

assess the validity of this program and to ascertain where this fits in within the priority 

areas of the region, and in particular the member countries of USP. 


(vii) Acknowledging the importance of ensuring access to greater and more equitable 

opportunities for those with disabilities, to enhance their quality of life and promote and 

protect their rights and dignity. 


months? 


• The Communiqué from the Cairns Pacific Forum Leaders’ Meeting in August 2009 includes 

acknowledgement of the need for increased attention to people with disability in the 

region, endorses the holding of a Pacific Disability Ministers meeting and the proposal for a 

Regional Disability Strategy. Leaders requested that a report back from the Pacific Disability 

Ministerial meeting be submitted for their consideration at the next Leaders’ meeting. 

• Australia provided support to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to convene the first ever 

meeting of Pacific Ministers with portfolio responsibility for disability, in the Cook Islands 

from 21-23 October 2009. The meeting promoted partnerships between Disabled Peoples 

Organisations and Government through active participation of representatives of country 

Disabled Peoples’ Organisations with their attending Ministers. A key outcome was the 

finalisation and endorsement of the first Pacific Regional Strategy on Disability 2010 2015. 

• The Australian Government has committed to ensuring that its aid program explicitly 

recognises and responds to the needs of people with disability in its Development for All 

Strategy. Early progress in implementation includes: 

- AusAID’s targeted education and infrastructure focus has seen more disability-inclusive 

measures in programming, particularly in regard to greater accessibility; 

- supporting Pacific Governments in efforts to improve education outcomes of children 

with disability – for example, in Samoa, Kiribati and Nauru; 

- assisting specialist schools for children with disability – such as a school for children 

with vision impairment in Fiji; 

- through AusAID TVET programs in the Pacific, Australia is increasing work with partner 

countries to assist people with disability to access training; to be retained in training; 

and to move to employment from that training, for example in Tonga and Samoa. These 

programs will include strategies to increase the participation in training and skilling 

for work of people with disability, through funding for: providing additional support to 

trainees in existing classes; targeted new classes and places; and equipment and access: 

- AusAID is also assisting the training of workers in disability-related fields through the 

disability worker streams of community services vocational training courses run by the 

Australia-Pacific Technical College;


- funding Motivation Australia to partner with the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health 

and Medical Services to establish effective wheelchair provision in five provinces, to 

meet the immediate and ongoing needs of people with a mobility disability for access to 

appropriate wheelchairs, training and support through local sustainable services; 

- assisting sports programs that include people with disability; 

- providing scholarships and leadership awards to Pacific people with disability to 

undertake study; 

- support to Pacific regional and national Disabled Peoples’ Organisations to build 

their leadership to effectively advocate on disability, represent members and assist 

governments, and promote local and regional ownership through building skills and 

enabling people with disability to participate in national development processes; 

- disability-inclusive practices implemented in AusAID’s flexible mechanisms of 

support (non-government organisation programs, scholarships and leadership awards, 

volunteers) have ensured they are being accessed by Pacific people with disability; and 

- the Australian Government’s Avoidable Blindness Initiative is enabling members of 

the Vision 2020 Australia Global Consortium to scale up existing activities that reduce 

avoidable blindness in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Solomon Islands, and to 

support additional work by regional organisations. 

• At a regional and global level, Australia is seeking to raise the profile of disability-inclusive 

development with other bilateral donors, UN agencies and multilateral banks and shape 

development partner commitment for greater regional and global effectiveness and impact. 

• Australia has participated in UN events and panel discussions on disability and 

development, including at the Conference of State Parties to the UN Convention on Rights 

of Persons with Disabilities, is collaborating with WHO on its forthcoming World Report 

on Disability and is extending UNICEF’s focus on children with disability through its ‘Child 

Friendly Schools’ Initiative. 

• Australia’s partnership agreements with key UN agencies (for example, UNICEF and UNDP) 

commit parties to work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals in a way 

which is socially inclusive, including ensuring that programs meet the needs of people with 

disability. 


• National Action Plan: 2003 – 2008 fully implemented. 

• New Action Plan is yet to be done, awaiting assistance from SPC. 


• A National Consultation was held with UNESCAP, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat 

and Pacific Disability Forum to work on the National Policy for Disabled People and a draft 

policy is under review. 


• Samoa is a signatory (1998) to the Asian and Pacific Decade for the Disabled Person, 1993- 

2002, and the 2003-2012 Asian and Pacific Decade and Biwako Millennium Framework. 

• In October 2008, Cabinet approved the establishment of a Disability Taskforce comprising 

relevant Government Ministries and non-government organisations, with the Chief 

Executive Officer of Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development as 

Chairperson and the Attorney-General as Vice-Chairperson. It also identified the Ministry 

of Women, Community and Social Development as the Government focal point for persons 

with disabilities. The Taskforce was tasked with the development of a National Policy for 


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Persons with Disabilities, a National Plan of Action and to review existing legislation to 

ensure that people with disabilities and their needs are recognised. 

• In April 2009, Cabinet endorsed the Report of the Disabilities Taskforce which 

comprised the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities 2009-2013 and its associated 

Implementation Plan. It also endorsed the recommendation for a legal consultancy to 

undertake a comprehensive review of existing legislation to ensure that the issues and 

challenges faced by people with disabilities are adequately addressed in the current laws. 

• A recommendation was also endorsed for the establishment of a focal point position for 

people with disabilities in the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development. 

• A discussion paper on Samoa’s Progress towards Becoming a Party to the Convention of 

the Rights of People with Disabilities drafted by the Ministry of Women, Community and 

Social Development’s Legal Specialist was endorsed by the Disability Taskforce for further 

consultations and discussion prior to a Cabinet submission on the subject. 

• The Minister of Women, Community and Social Development, along with other Pacific 

Island Leaders endorsed the Pacific Strategy for Persons with Disabilities in October 2009. 


• The informal working group has been formed as part of the Health and Population Working 

group. 

• The first Forum Disability Ministers Meeting was convened in October 2009. 

• The Pacific Regional Strategy on Disability was endorsed at the Forum Disability Ministers 

Meeting in 2009. 

• Disability policy development done and finalised in Kiribati. 

• Human Rights Training and Capacity Building workshops for Disabled Persons 

Organisations in seven countries. This was done in collaboration with Australian Human 

Rights Commission and Pacific Disability Forum. 


• Inclusive education, which includes children and youth with disabilities, has been a 

key focus of the PRIDE Project. PRIDE has in the past collaborated with SPBEA, UNICEF, 

UNESCO, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat 

and the Fiji Government to deliver a regional workshop on inclusive education. A tangible 

outcome of this regional workshop was a publication - No. 6 in the PRIDE Project Pacific 

Education Series - entitled Inclusive Education in the Pacific. 

• At least 7% of PRIDE subprojects have been undertaken in the area of inclusive education. 

Countries which drew on PRIDE funds for support in this area have included the Cook 

Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa. The outcomes have included policy development, 

development of curriculum frameworks, public awareness campaigns, resource 

development, and capacity building and training. 

• Two of three regional subprojects have focused on Inclusive Education. PRIDE supported 

the course writing of degree-level distance and flexible learning courses in special education, 

thus contributing to the offering of a Bachelor of Education in Special Education/ Inclusive 

Education at USP. It also supported regional vision impairment mobility training in 

partnership with the Pacific Disability Forum. Sixteen education, health and rehabilitation 

professionals from 12 PRIDE member countries participated in the program. 

• USP has policies and regulations that prevent the discrimination of students with special 

and diverse needs. The School of Education prioritises the training of educators of students 

with special needs.


• USP’s infrastructure has also been reviewed to assess its student-friendliness and usability. 

This has involved the acquisition of new computers with the Job Access With Speech 

(JAWS) program installed for students who are visually impaired, and the improvement in 

wheelchair access to facilities on campus. 



• Australia will continue discussions with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on 

opportunities to support its efforts to promote and support implementation of the Pacific 

Regional Strategy on Disability 2010-2015. 

• Australia will continue to respond to partner government requests to support their efforts 

to ensure development includes and benefits Pacific people with disability. 

• AusAID’s procurement of a Regional Disability-Inclusive Development Adviser to be 

based in the Pacific will act as a regional resource to support both AusAID and partner 

governments to ensure development is more disability inclusive. 

• Australia will continue efforts to ensure its development assistance in the Pacific is 

accessible to and equally benefits people with disability. 


• Continue with national and village community activities through Village Women Groups, 

in affiliation with the National Women’s Conference. 


• The draft policy will be reviewed and finalised towards end of August 2010. 


• Ongoing meetings of the Disability Taskforce. 

• Monitor the implementation of the National Plan of Action for the National Policy for 

Persons with Disabilities. 

• Further progress towards Samoa becoming a party to the Convention on the Rights of 

People with Disabilities. 

• Establishment of a focal officer for Persons with Disabilities in the Ministry of Women, 

Community and Social Development. 

• Ongoing commitments under the following mandates: 

- Government’s Strategy for the Development of Samoa 2008–2012. 

- CEDAW ratified by the government of Samoa in 1992. 

- Convention of the Rights of the Child ratified by the Government of Samoa in 1994. 








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• The drawing up of the action plan on the Pacific Regional Strategy on Disability and the 

monitoring and evaluation framework for the plan. 

• The third phase to take place, which includes the launching of the action plan, Monitoring 

and Evaluation framework, and the implementation of the Pacific Regional Strategy on 

Disability. 

• Policy development to be undertaken in Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. 

• To complete the same training in the remaining two countries, and should funding be 

available, the countries in the northern Pacific. 


• Over the next year, it is expected that further developments in this area will take place in 

line with various sections of USP, such as Campus Life and the Student Services Centre. 

Laboratory facilities may be improved, and staff may undergo sensitisation training so that 

they are more aware of the special and diverse learning needs that students may present 

with at USP. 




• Australia as a party to the UN Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities has 

committed to recognising the importance of international cooperation and its promotion, 

in support of national efforts engaging in international and regional cooperation to assist 

partner government efforts toward disability inclusive development. 

• Ultimately, effective implementation depends on the commitment of Pacific Governments 

to ensure partnerships, national and regional initiatives and provide priority and 

commitment to increasing the quality of life of people with disability. 


• Voters not fully supporting their women parliamentarian nominees. 


• Getting the National Congress to ratify the Convention. 



• Technical capacity to undertake major legislative reviews. 


• Cultural sensitivities and protocols. 


• The issue of availability of funding is a major risk. Should funding for implementation not 

come through, implementation will be difficult to achieve. The political will at the national 

level in implementation is also a risk. Inclusive in this is the continuing changes in the 

government focal points for disability inclusive development in Forum Island Countries.




• Funding and time are issues, in particular in terms of renovation of building structures to 

ensure that all amenities are in accordance with student needs. 


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[C] 

Addressing the impacts 

of Climate Change


(i) Continuing the implementation of the Niue Declaration on Climate Change. 


months? 


• Over the last 12 months, the Cook Islands has advanced its commitment to both a Pacifictailored 

approach to addressing climate change and continued advocacy for recognition 

in all international fora of the urgent, social, economic and security threats caused by the 

adverse impacts of climate change and sea level rise. 

• Based on increasing scientific evidence, the Cook Islands have established a clearly defined 

national position, including the need for the global average temperature increase to 

be limited to well below 1.5°C and the need for developed countries to undertake 45% 

emissions reductions by the year 2020. This is clearly reflected in the Smaller Island States 

Leaders’ Declaration at the Cairns Forum, as well as the subsequent Alliance of Small 

Islands Developing States (AOSIS) Leaders’ Declaration in September 2009. 

• In support of the AOSIS, the Cook Islands have made specific submissions to the United 

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Bali Action Process, 

including on adaptation and a mechanism to address unavoidable loss and damage from 

climate change, and emissions from international marine and aviation transport. 


• Development of National Adaptation Programme of Action, “Republic of Nauru Adapt”. 


• Advocate climate change awareness for all stakeholders. 

• Implement renewable energy and energy efficient projects. 

• Niue is part of the ongoing Pacific Climate Change Science Program under the overall 

International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative project from the Australian fund of 

A$150 million for the region. 

• Niue was involved in the development of SPREP’s report on the Review of Regional 

Meteorological Services. 

• Ongoing work on the Second National Communication. 


• Palau has two solar projects – the National Hospital lot with a grant aid from Taiwan and at 

the capital parking lot in the big island of Babeldaob, with another to be built at the airport 

parking lot with funding from Japan in 2010. 


• SPREP continued to play a lead role in coordinating regional climate change initiatives that 

provide support to Pacific Island Countries in the Pacific Year of Climate Change (2009) and 

beyond through: 

(1) Monitoring the implementation of and advocating the Pacific Islands Framework for 

Action on Climate Change (PIFACC). 


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- SPREP has continued to coordinate the implementation of the PIFACC as the 

regional policy on climate change, particularly through the Pacific Climate 

Change Roundtable. In 2010, the PIFACC is undergoing a midterm review that 

will help to maintain its relevancy as the key regional guidance framework for 

climate change policies and responses to ensure the resilience of Pacific peoples 

and environments to the risks and impacts of climate change over the next five 

years. 

- The consultations undertaken for the mid-term PIFACC review produced a series 

of recommendations for the future of the PIFACC, for the consideration of Forum 

Leaders and SPREP Members. 

- There were also initiatives carried out to strengthen the Pacific Climate Change 

Roundtable, which convened in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, in 

October 2009. The Roundtable is developing a stronger role in ensuring that 

PIFACC is delivered, and it instigated a climate financing review for the region. A 

new Pacific Climate Change Roundtable governance structure is being developed 

to include thematic working groups. 

- In terms of climate change financing, SPREP has been engaged in the 

development of Australia’s International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative, 

the articulation of Pacific priorities for the Japan Cool Earth project (Pacific 

Environment Community Fund recently set up within the Pacific Islands Forum 

Secretariat) and the development of the Pacific elements for the European Union 

Global Climate Change Alliance. SPREP has also assisted GTZ (Germany) with 

the development of their existing and planned climate change activities for the 

region. These are all contributing to the overall implementation of the Niue 

Declaration, and are likely to bring tangible benefits for Pacific Island Countries. 

(2) Supporting Pacific Island Countries in UNFCCC and Conference of the Parties (COP) 

processes: 

- SPREP continued to support Pacific Island Countries in the lead-up to and 

during the negotiations at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in 

December 2009, through negotiations training, technical support and briefing 

materials for delegations from the region. SPREP also coordinated a team of 

Pacific journalists to attend the conference and report to numerous media 

outlets. This complemented SPREP’s work in the implementation of mitigation 

and adaptation measures, as well as in the enhancement at different levels of 

knowledge on climate change issues and impacts. 

- Pacific Island Countries were well placed to articulate their concerns at the 

COP 15, but were not able to reach the legally binding agreement that they had 

called for. Following the conference, SPREP provided additional briefing on the 

outcomes and the next steps, as well as detailed analyses of the extent to which 

subsequent texts met the needs of Pacific Island Countries prior to the UNFCCC 

meetings in Bonn, Germany in May-June 2010 

(3) Implementing the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project 

- The inception workshop for the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project 

(approved by the Global Environment Facility in October 2008) was held 

in Samoa in June and July 2009. This was the first opportunity to bring all 

stakeholders together to discuss implementation arrangements at the regional 

and national levels. It was also a chance to deliberate on existing and new 

partnerships that will be linked to the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change 

project with the view to contribute to project outcomes. The workshop also


provided the National Project Management Unit representatives with hands-on 

training opportunities on project administration. 

- The inception workshop benefited from good country and partner engagement. 

Country-specific issues were discussed, which included receiving and 

administering financial advances; options to hasten disbursement of funds; use 

of the UNDP Face Forms; sourcing and contracting; and retention of country 

project staff. 

- National Project Management Units: to date, 12 Pacific Adaptation to Climate 

Change project countries have recruited their coordinators and set-up their 

Project Management Units. Eleven countries have set-up their National Steering 

Committees whilst Papua New Guinea is currently using an existing steering 

committee. Work is being carried out to get the Republic of the Marshall Islands 

up to par in terms its of project management set-up. 

- Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project technical meeting: the main purpose 

of the meeting held in Suva in October 2009 was to roll out the technical 

components of the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project, which 

included approaches and tools to be used at the regional and national level. 

Technical advice support was provided by USP, SOPAC and SPC; a good example 

of collaboration between Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific 

agencies. 

- Tools development: two guides are being developed. The first is the Mainstreaming 

Guide and the second is the Integrating Socioeconomics into Adaptation 

Planning guide. These guides will help provide some uniformity on how 

mainstreaming and vulnerability and assessment work is carried out. 

- Vulnerability and assessment training: vulnerability and assessment training 

was carried out for representatives of government agencies, non government 

organisations and community representatives of Niue and Tuvalu. 

- Mainstreaming: support was provided to Niue in the development of their 

climate change policy. Technical support was provided to Tuvalu in conjunction 

with UNDP on their National Adaptation Programme of Action inception 

workshop, including planning of their adaptation mainstreaming activities and 

capacity development. A regional guideline on mainstreaming climate change is 

being developed. 

(4) The Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy Project 

(PIGGAREP): 

- PIGGAREP continued to assist Pacific Island Countries with the removal of 

barriers to the widespread utilisation of feasible renewable energy technologies 

(see also the section above (iv) Expediting the implementation of the 2009 

Pacific Energy Ministers’ decisions and, in particular, the five key areas 

highlighted by these Ministers to achieve greater energy security across the 

Pacific). 

- Capacity building and training - conducted a capacity building workshop on the 

Clean Development Mechanism as part of a European Union-funded capacity 

building project on the Multilateral Environmental Agreements. 

- Supported UNDP in a regional workshop on the Second National 

Communication and in particular on the greenhouse gas inventory. 

- Training assistance to Tuvalu on its greenhouse gas inventory. 

- Regional and international cooperation – participated and contributed as a 

Lead Author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report 


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on Renewable Energy. Funded three Pacific Island Countries’ participation in 

an intensive planning workshop to review the Pacific Islands Regional Energy 

Policy. 

(5) Review of meteorological services 

- SPREP concluded the review of regional meteorological services, as requested by 

Forum Leaders, in April 2010. This made recommendations relating to regional 

coordination and support; strengthening national meteorological services; and 

the provision of specialised meteorological services from service providers in the 

region. 

- In June 2009, SPREP started a partnership with the Finland Meteorological 

Institute, under a project to build the capacity of Pacific Island Countries in the 

areas of climatology and meteorology. The project is based on identified national 

priorities in: Quality Management Systems for aviation meteorology services; 

communications skills and strategies; and review of an existing regional strategic 

action plan. 


• Collection, distribution and evaluation in six countries of the SPC Centre for Pacific Crops 

and Trees climate ready collection to assist countries with adaptive crops and varieties. 

• Collecting of community knowledge through agrobiodiversity studies. 

• Establishment and evaluation of a climate ready collection, which consists of crops and 

varieties with climate tolerant traits, such as drought tolerance or salt tolerance. 

• Collaboration with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research 

Organisation (CSIRO) in carbon fertilisation work to progress the development of climate 

models for the crops of the Pacific. 

• Drought and salt tolerance research. 

• Breeding taro for climate tolerance traits – a participatory breeding programme in Samoa. 

• Agrobiodiversity studies – community-focused studies which generate information on 

weather patterns and the response of diversity to any climate changes. Such studies will also 

record indigenous knowledge. 

• Evaluation of the Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees taro core collection in Papua New 

Guinea at two sites - drought-prone lowlands and an atoll. 

• Agrobiodiversity study of an atoll island in Fiji: community observations of weather and 

diversity response. Introduction of “new” diversity to assist with climate change. 

• Collection of crops to support work described under International Climate Change 

Adaptation Initiative – xanthosoma in French Polynesia and swamp taro in the Federated 

States of Micronesia. 

• Secured the resources to appoint a Senior Climate Change Adviser to assist Pacific Island 

Countries to incorporate adaptive strategies into their national sectoral planning, and 

work towards a whole-of-government approach to developing adaptation technologies and 

implementing adaptation strategies. 

• Supported mainstreaming of climate change into the Tonga Forest Policy (endorsed 

December 2009). 

• Supported the development of a draft Fiji policy on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation 

and Forest Degradation. 

• Supported mainstreaming of climate change into the draft Fiji Forest Decree. 

• Supported the development of a draft Vanuatu Forest Policy developed with climate change 

fully integrated.


• Developed various information products on climate change, agriculture and forestry to 

increase knowledge and awareness. 

• Trained journalists to cover climate change issues and supported journalists and country 

officials attending the Copenhagen Conference of the Parties. 

• Held a conference on atoll agriculture and expanded research activities. 

• Supported the Federated States of Micronesia to develop food security and climate change 

assessments. 

• Two pilot sites established in Tonga and three in Vanuatu to trial adaptation approaches. 


• Educate all USP students on the subject of climate change by mainstreaming environmental 

awareness into compulsory courses at the undergraduate level and at the postgraduate level 

through its recruitment of more research students in the field. 



• Cook Islands are striving for a legally binding ratified agreement to be reached in Cancun, 

addressing the Bali Action Plan and amendments to the Kyoto Protocol that cover issues 

outstanding from the Copenhagen Accord. 

• Cook Islands’ reservations on the Copenhagen Accord is based on it being voluntary, 

insufficiently ambitious, and ambiguous about prioritising Smaller Island Developing 

States for long term new and additional funding. There are also concerns about linking 

the issue of impacts of implementation of response measures to adaptation to the adverse 

effects of climate change. This will impede progress and does not give adaptation and 

addressing loss and damage from unavoidable climate change impacts the separate 

attention they deserve. 


• Initiate partnership with Global Climate Change Alliance, GTZ Germany, Governments of 

Japan and Spain, and other members of the international community to support Pacifictailored 

approaches. 


• A review of the current regional strategy of the development of meteorological services in 

the region. 

• Complete the Second National Climate Change Communication strategy. 


• The Pacific Adaptation for Climate Change project assisted by SPREP and funded by Pacific 

partners UNDP/Global Environment Facility on the food security aspect in Ngatpang State 

to be half completed by that time and more capacity building from the Pacific Climate 

Change Science Program from Australia. 


• Implementation will continue under the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project, 

PIGGAREP, Pacific Islands-Global Climate Observing System (PI-GCOS) and Pacific Islands 

Global Ocean Observing System (PI-GOOS) (moved from SOPAC to SPREP). Support will 


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be provided to develop further climate change activities in the region in partnership with 

donors and Pacific Island Countries. The climate change team at SPREP will be further 

strengthened to provide enhanced support. 

• For the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project, work over the next 12 months 

includes vulnerability and adaptation assessment training and conducting on-ground 

assessments; mainstreaming training and actual mainstreaming work at the national level; 

and on-going capacity development in the areas of project management and administration, 

climate change science, vulnerability and assessment training and mainstreaming. 

• Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands will focus on food security. The 

Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa and Vanuatu are developing coastal 

management capacity and Nauru, Niue, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu 

are looking to strengthen their water resource management. 

• For PIGGAREP, more resource assessments, feasibility studies and training and capacity 

building activities will be implemented in collaboration with other parallel activities in 

Pacific Island Countries and in accordance with the PIGGAREP’s agreed work plan for 2010. 

The work plan for 2011 will be based on Pacific Island Countries’ priorities, which will be 

formulated and discussed at its annual multipartite review meeting in November 2010. 

• For meteorological services, the review provided for a comprehensive set of 

recommendations targeting several strategic areas in regional coordination support, 

strengthening of national meteorological services, and regional specialised meteorological 

services. 

• SPREP will seek to implement firstly the ‘next steps’ activities to ensure a firm foundation 

for the implementation of the strategic recommendations of the review. These include 

establishing a Regional Desk for Pacific National Meteorological Services and restructuring 

the Regional Meteorological Services Directors collective into a Pacific Meteorology Council, 

to meet in early 2011. Upon completing this, SPREP will set a framework and programme by 

which to implement the recommendations over the next 12 months. 

• SPREP’s partnership with the Finland Meteorological Institute to build the capacity of 

Pacific island countries in climatology and meteorology will continue. 


• Increase in the number of countries evaluating the Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees 

climate ready collection. 

• Data to indicate which crops/varieties have been identified by the countries as possessing 

climate tolerant traits. 

• Increased awareness of communities of climate change and important contribution 

agrobiodiversity can make to managing climate change. 

• Expansion of the SPC/GTZ ‘Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region’ project 

to cover 12 countries and additional sectors (for example, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, 

tourism, and energy). 

• Recruitment of a SPC Climate Change Adviser to improve technical support to member 

countries in mainstreaming climate change across all sectors (for example, agriculture, 

forestry, fisheries, health and human development). 

• Adaptation approaches tested at two pilot sites in Tonga and three sites in Vanuatu. 

• Initial development of national adaptation strategies in land-based resources in Fiji, Tonga 

and Vanuatu. 

• Development of a climate change communication strategy for Vanuatu.



• The University aims to increase student and staff awareness of the Niue Declaration 

and climate change in general. Specific activities to achieve this objective are under 

development. 




• Limited support from developed country partners in recognising, accommodating and 

advancing Smaller Islands States’ concerns that are based on the science, in particular how 

to address unavoidable loss and damage from the adverse effects of climate change through 

risk management, insurance and rehabilitation/compensation. 

• Funding may be constrained in scope (more studies and not implementation), not driven 

by Pacific Island Countries’ national priorities, and conditional on having acceded to the 

Copenhagen Accord (although both Australia and European Union have indicated this will 

not be the case for their funds). 


• Financial, technical, and absorptive capacity constraints are the main issues faced. 


• Limited local technical capacity to carry out a greenhouse gas inventory for Niue. 


• The maintenance of the project, which is being worked out with Palau’s national electric 

corporation, was not included with the two previous solar projects but was calculated into 

the airport project. 


• General - continuity of staff engaged in projects at the national level is an issue, as well as 

focal points providing necessary reporting to donors. Funding and time constraints may 

also become risks as individual workloads increase. 

• PIGGAREP - the Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific endorsed by the 

special Forum Energy Ministers Meeting and the current review of the Pacific Islands 

Framework for Action on Climate Change should provide an environment for closer 

synergies between energy and climate change mitigation efforts in the Pacific Island 

Countries. 

• Meteorological review - a key agency involved in this area of work is the Fiji Meteorological 

Service, which provides specialised regional meteorological services. While SPREP has 

established a positive working relationship with the Fiji Meteorological Service and its 

parent government ministry, through consultations over the past few years, it would be 

remiss not to acknowledge the risks posed both politically and through the legal system 

of any institutional revisions to the Fiji Meteorological Service institution that SPREP and 

other partners, including the Fiji Meteorological Service, should wish to implement to 

improve the regional services component of meteorological services produced there. 


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• In country capacity to evaluate collection is limited. 

• Delays in getting policies finalised and approved due to political and other unforeseen 

circumstances. 


(ii) Developing Pacific-tailored responses to support adaptation and mitigation measures 

and better coordination of Disaster Risk Management-Climate Change Adaptation 

(DRM-CCA), and furthering regional and international efforts and research to support 

national action in combating climate change. 


months? 


• Work for the 2nd National Communications Strategy covering all these areas to be 

completed by the end of June 2010. 

• The second greenhouse gas inventory completed. Commercial and domestic energy audits 

on Rarotonga undertaken and draft energy efficiency guidelines prepared. National Energy 

Strategy developed, mitigation technology needs assessment conducted. 

• Scenarios and climate trends identified through the National Institute of Water and 

Atmospheric Research report. 

• A history of cyclones for the Cook Islands published. 

• Three site-specific community-based assessments conducted in partnership with nongovernment 

organisations and the Red Cross. 

• Adaptation technology needs assessment under development. 

• Disaster Risk Management National Action Plan completed, however recent experience 

shows it still requires work 

• The Aitutaki and Penrhyn cyclones highlight the need for supporting government in risk 

sharing/transfer and insurance, to make funding after such events more predictable as well 

as leveraging “building back better”. 

• UNDP-Global Environment Facility Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change pilot on coastal 

infrastructure (harbour) in Mangaia under way. 

• Participation in Pacific Island Framework for Action on Climate Change review. 

• Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme opportunities related to communitybased 

adaptation. 


• Consultations on the development of a climate modelling software program specifically 

tailor-made for Nauru have been undertaken. 

• National Disaster Management Office officially setup in late 2009.



• Niue National Disaster Plan has been updated and systems put in place to deal with the 

ongoing tsunami threat. Continued community engagement in the Disaster Council’s role 

and function in conjunction with the various village councils. 

• A mid-term review was carried out by SPREP and surveys were distributed earlier in 2010 to 

identify linkages between climate change adaptation and disaster risk management. 

• The Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project and PIGGAREP, partnership with 

International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative (current – have regional and national 

components). 

• Partnership with the Asian Development Bank and World Bank on Pacific Climate Change 

Roundtable (Pacific climate change resilience planned – have regional and national 

components). 

• GTZ on agriculture and forestry resources sectors adaptation to climate change (led by SPC 

in partnership with SPREP). 


• The Palau National Emergency Management Office, under the office of the Vice-President, 

put together a National Disaster Risk Management Framework 2010 with assistance from 

UNEP earlier this year that coordinates all agencies within the Government as well as other 

organisations during a disaster. 


• Commencement by SOPAC of a €5.7 million European Union funded project to reduce the 

vulnerability of communities in Pacific overseas countries and territories. The project will 

address adaptation to climate change as well as disaster risk management more generally. 

Consultation with participating countries has been conducted over the last 12 months, 

resulting in draft project implementation plans. 

• SOPAC continues to support the Government of Kiribati to implement their European 

Union-funded alternative building aggregates project. This represents a sound “no-regrets” 

approach to climate change, by seeking to remove sand and gravel mining pressure and 

protecting fragile beaches in urban South Tarawa, by providing an environmentally safe 

alternative. SOPAC also continues to support other regional fora and adaptation projects by 

undertaking technical reviews of vulnerability to climate change stress and providing databased 

solutions and advice, for example, recent work in Funafuti, Tuvalu to collect detailed 

data on waves, shoreline and land elevation and near shore bathymetry (seafloor mapping). 

• SOPAC has also continued its support for the development and implementation of the 

disaster risk management national action plans and utilises separate regional funding 

mechanisms from the AusAID National Action Plan Facility (2008) and the European 

Development Fund 9 and the ACP-European Union Natural Disaster Facility (2009). During 

the reporting period, SOPAC has collaborated with other members of the Pacific Disaster 

Risk Management Partnership Network to support national action plan development in a 

number of countries: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga 

and Tuvalu. Support for national action plan development will commence in 2010 for 

Kiribati and the Solomon Islands. Whilst SOPAC and partner organisation have developed a 

standard or generic model for developing and implementing national action plans (used in 

Vanuatu in 2006, the Marshall Islands in 2007 and the Cook Islands in 2008), the approach 

in other countries has differed significantly. In Tonga, for example, the Government decided 

to develop a joint Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management National 

Action Plan given the similarities in focus of climate change adaptation and disaster risk 


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management in terms of reducing vulnerability and risk. It is anticipated that the Tonga 

Climate Change Adaptation/Disaster Risk Management National Action Plan will be 

presented to Cabinet by a special Government Task Force in June 2010. 

• To enhance existing regional and international efforts to support Pacific Island Countries 

in their implementation of disaster risk management practices, SOPAC, in collaboration 

with the Secretariat of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and 

a range of other development partners and donors, have commenced the mid-term review 

process of the Pacific Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Framework for 

Action 2005 – 2015 (Regional Disaster Risk Management Framework) and as well the Hyogo 

Framework for Action 2005 – 2015. These are the overarching policy instruments that guide 

disaster risk management in the Pacific and at a global level. They provide the basis from 

which national action plans are being developed for Pacific Island Countries. 

• The mid-term reviews of these policy instruments will include the conducting of six 

national disaster risk management progress reviews (Cook Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, 

Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu) and a regional disaster risk management progress 

review. 

• SOPAC has over the course of 2009 and 2010, supported the development of regional and 

national risk databases (in eight Pacific island countries: Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New 

Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) through funding provided 

by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. Other partners in this initiative 

include AIR Worldwide, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) New Zealand 

and the Pacific Disaster Center. The databases, once completed, will provide Pacific Island 

Countries with invaluable data and information that can be used to strengthen the national 

development planning and decision-making processes. The databases will also help to 

inform a regional initiative to examine the feasibility of a Pacific catastrophe risk financing 

fund. The feasibility study is being addressed by the World Bank. 


• A draft National Coastal Management Framework was developed through a project in 

Vanuatu to enhance coastal and marine ecosystems’ resilience to climate change impacts 

through strengthened coastal governance and conservation measures. 

• SPREP in partnership with SOPAC provided technical assistance to Tonga based on Tonga’s 

request to develop a Joint Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management 

National Action Plan. 


• Through its Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PACE-SD), USP 

has for the last three years engaged in community adaptation work. With the support of 

AusAID, the centre has, since 2007, assisted community adaptation programs in six Fijian 

villages. The focus has been on communities that were already experiencing problems with 

either water supply or coastal erosion, both of which are projected to be made worse by 

climate change. Also, with the support of UNDP, an independent preliminary evaluation 

has been completed for these projects. This evaluation has established a framework for 

monitoring and evaluation, and good progress has been achieved in each village. These 

pilot projects in Fiji have demonstrated that significant adaptation outcomes that are likely 

to be sustainable can be obtained with modest cash expenditures, coupled with close and 

continuing engagement of the community concerned.



• Environment Stakeholder Forum to be held on 20 – 22 July 2010 for review and updating 

of the National Environment Strategic Action Framework, including the thematic area of 

climate change 

• Submission of the 2nd National Communications Strategy in Cancun, December 2010. 

• A national adaptation prioritisation and policy (National Action Plan-like process) is to be 

developed through funding from the Italian Government. 

• A functional review of how climate change best fits within the Cook Islands’ national 

government structure is to be conducted, subject to funding from the Australian 

Government under the Australian Pacific Adaptation Strategy Assistance Programme. 

• Application of a National Implementing Entity that meets fiduciary requirements to 

facilitate direct access to the Kyoto Protocol Adaptation Fund and other sources. 

• Designation of a National Adaptation Authority to facilitate endorsement and submission 

of adaptation proposals to the Global Environment Facility System for Transparent 

Allocation of Resources (STAR) and other sources through Multilateral Implementing 

Entities. 


• Development of the Nauru Sim Clim (tailor-made projection software), strengthened 

linkages and networking with the National Disaster Management Office and Atmospheric 

Radiation Monitoring Stations. 


• Further enhance disaster responsiveness and preparedness of every person on Niue Island. 

With better warning systems in place ensuring effective and clear communication of 

disaster threats. 

• Regional programme of action on biodiversity and climate change (planned for Global 

Environment Facility 5 – with regional and national components). 


• National Emergency Management Office arranging for agencies to work together to 

improve responsibilities and/or tasks in this regard. 


• Work under the SOPAC implemented Disaster Risk Reduction in Pacific Overseas Countries 

and Territories project will include stakeholder consultations, delivery of a public 

awareness programme, delivery of an asset and socio-economic survey, collection and 

analysis of technical data, and the conduct of geoscience reconnaissance field assessments. 

• The Kiribati Aggregates Project is presently seeking additional funding from the European 

Union to allow the building of a lagoon basin dredge system. Otherwise, progress continues 

on the development of logistics for the company and both the environment impact 

assessment and the outreach program are expected to be underway in 2010. 

• SOPAC will maintain is regional technical support services for deployment on a request by 

request basis. 

• In relation to the development and implementation of Disaster Risk Management 

National Action Plan, SOPAC and other members of the Pacific Disaster Risk Management 


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Partnership Network will continue with support for national action plan implementation 

in the countries currently receiving support, specifically: Cook Islands, Federated States of 

Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, 

Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. 

• The mid-term reviews of the Regional Disaster Risk Management Framework and the 

Hyogo Framework for Action are being conducted over the course of 2010 with preliminary 

findings to be presented to the 39th session of the SOPAC Governing Council in October 

2009. The final review reports will be presented in 2011 to the Pacific Platform for Disaster 

Risk Management and as well the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction which will be 

held in Geneva in May 2011. 

• The development of the regional and national risk databases will be completed in 2011. 


• Continued implementation in pilot sites of the Vanuatu project. 

• SPREP will continue to support the mainstreaming of climate change and disaster risk 

reduction into development planning and decision making processes. 


• Phase Two of the pilot project is being discussed with the hope that the project objectives 

could be duplicated to other areas within Fiji and the Pacific. 

• There are upcoming projects targeted at meeting the challenges of climate change in the 

Pacific Islands through more training, applied research and community engagement. 




• Public service personnel caps and ongoing effects of global economic recession limit 

national capacity to develop proposals and address these issues that are an additional 

burden to the existing development priorities of the Cook Islands. 

• Locally appropriate technologies remain expensive and difficult to access. 

• Funding tends to be for assessments and planning rather than implementation of mitigation 

or adaptation measures 

• Implementing entities like the UNEP, UNDP and the Asian Development Bank tend to 

advocate for multi-country approaches in order to address scale and high transaction 

costs for Pacific Islands, but this induces delays and does not allow for individual country 

priorities to go forward. 


• Financial, technical and absorptive capacity constraints are the main common issues faced. 


• A lack of co-ordination between the National Disaster Council and failure to share ideas 

between various villages. 


• The major issues in question would be to have involved agencies understand their roles, 

requiring more training and workshops including meetings amongst departments organised



by the National Emergency Management Office disseminating and sharing of information 

pertinent to responsibilities of each departments. 


• The dredge planned for South Tarawa to remove mining pressure for beaches has become 

substantially more expensive to supply than originally expected due to the economic 

downturn, steel and equipment prices and the long gestation time for this project. Without 

further funding support, the project may no longer be able to secure an adequate dredge 

system and would fail to address beach mining in South Tarawa. 

• In terms of the development and implementation of disaster risk management national 

action plans, the regional funding mechanisms provided by the European Union and 

AusAID provide for ‘seed funding’ to support disaster risk management and climate 

change adaptation mainstreaming efforts within Pacific Island Countries. However, in 

order for successful mainstreaming of disaster risk management to take place, countries 

must consider increasing the levels of national investments through the annual budgetary 

appropriations in order that disaster risk management practices can contribute to national 

development in a sustainable manner. 

• In relation to the development of risk databases, the major challenge will be to work with 

countries to ensure that mechanisms are in place to facilitate the sharing of the risk data 

and information with the relevant stakeholders at national and sectoral level, as well to 

ensure regular updating of the databases themselves. 


• The need for on-going Government support for implementation of the Vanuatu project. 


(iii) Coordinating regional efforts in the completion and early implementation of the 

outcomes of the December 2009 Copenhagen meetings. 


months? 


• Conference of the Parties (COP) serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena 

Protocol on Biosafety adopted decisions that requested the Ad Hoc Working Group on Longterm 

Cooperative Action under the Convention, “to continue its work drawing on the report of 

the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention presented to the 

COP as well as work undertaken by the COP on the basis of that report” and similarly, for the Ad 

Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol. 

• The Cook Islands has actively participated in negotiations since Copenhagen and made 

submissions including textual suggestions and amendments for the Ad Hoc Working Group 

process. 

• In terms of regional efforts, Cook Islands has also worked with the Pacific sub-region Global 

Environment Facility focal point and other bilateral and multilateral funding partners 


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to highlight climate-related priorities for both short and longer term funding, taking into 

account the cost-effectiveness of early action on adaptation and energy efficiency and 

renewable energy targets. 

• Hosted the Pacific Parliamentary Assembly on Population and Development-Forum 

Presiding Officers and Clerks, that resulted in the Rarotonga Communiqué for which 

climate change was a central topic. 


• Work still being undertaken. Institutional arrangements within the international 

community need to be finalised prior to action being undertaken nationally. 


• Niue has not formally signed up to the Copenhagen Accord. 


• Palau associated itself with Copenhagen Accord in January 2010 and with AOSIS, in pursuit 

of a negotiated text during the climate change meetings to improve the Accord to meet the 

needs of Smaller Island Developing States. 


• SPREP supported the Pacific Island Countries in the United Nations Framework Convention 

on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations with technical and logistic support, 

negotiations training and media communications up to and at the Copenhagen meetings. 

• A lack of satisfaction with the Copenhagen Accord, even by those that have associated with 

the Accord, established that a regional compromise could be sought through support for 

the UNFCCC Ad Hoc Working Group Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention 

Chair to develop a consolidated text for further negotiation in 2010. SPREP supported 

Pacific Island Countries with analyses of the merits of the May 2010 proposed text. 


• A USP representative was present at Copenhagen. USP co-hosted an Open Forum on Climate 

Change with the European Union, in order to stimulate debate on what needs to happen 

now between Copenhagen and Cancun. 



• The Cook Islands will advocate for Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific agencies 

to review and further harmonise the Pacific Plan, PIFACC, Pacific Islands Energy Policy and 

Plan, Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Risk Management Framework to ensure current 

inconsistencies are addressed. 

• Advances in the Pacific Islands Forum recognising the need for ambitious targets reflecting 

the science requirements for Pacific Island Countries’ survival, including limiting global 

average temperature increase to well below 1.5C and the associated emissions reductions 

requirement. 

• Millennium Development Goal Summit to highlight regional challenges, how to address 

them, and advance predictable finance for them. 

• Progress towards legally binding agreement that can be ratified on Long-term Cooperative 

Action under the Convention and Kyoto Protocol Amendments in Cancun.



• Continue negotiating in the international arena under the guidance of the AOSIS. 

• Improve coordination with other Pacific Island Countries through the existing portals 

provided by environmental regional organisations (SPREP, SPC, UNDP and SOPAC) 


• Continue participation in international negotiations and collaborate with regional 

counterparts. 


• Anticipating a legally binding agreement at the COP16 in Cancun, Mexico, at the December 

2010 conference. 


• The Ad Hoc Working Group Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention Chair’s 

text was issued in May 2010 for negotiations at the June and August sessions and at one 

further session before COP 16. Pacific Island Countries are endeavouring to complete 

negotiations as soon as possible, with a view to reaching agreement at COP 16, but it is too 

early to determine whether this will be feasible. It has been suggested that a series of COP 

decisions could at least be taken at COP 16 as an interim measure. 


• USP will continue to participate in the dialogue on this topic, and will provide advice to its 

member governments. 




• Inconsistencies in regional plans and policies, for example the Pacific Islands Energy 

Policy and Plan to, “encourage exploration for and development of indigenous sources of petroleum 

products”, which could come at the expense of the regional renewable energy priorities and 

targets found in the PIFACC. 

• Political will signalled by Leaders’ participation and recognition of the urgency of the issue 

in Copenhagen might get diluted and manipulated by individual national interests, unless 

there is a transparent legally binding agreement able to be ratified under the UN. 


• Financial, technical and absorptive capacity constraints are the main issues faced. 


• Mitigation options implied within the accord for Small Island Developing countries. 


• The climate change negotiations in Bonn, Germany must succeed, otherwise a breakdown 

in negotiations, as occurred in the COP 15, could occur again. 


• The major risk remains the distance between various parties’ positions on the Ad Hoc 


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Working Group Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention text and its impact 

on negotiations under the Kyoto Protocol. Another issue is the availability of funding for 

participation, both of Pacific Island Countries and SPREP, in the negotiations. 


(iv) Enhancing the resilience of ecological systems and associated biodiversity and providing 

ecosystem services with a focus on the impacts of climate change in line with the Year of 

Biodiversity in 2010. 



• Furthering of the Island Biodiversity Programme of work. 

• Conducted education awareness activities on the issues, including at National Environment 

Week and Rarotonga Lagoon day. 

• While limited by funding constraints, some documentation of traditional knowledge, 

including through partnerships with non government organisations and traditional leaders. 


• Work plan designed to commence biodiversity / climate change related activities in 2010. 


• National Climate Change policy for Niue endorsed by Government. 


• SPREP is coordinating the Pacific strategy for the International Year of Biodiversity, under 

the theme ‘Value Biodiversity – It’s Our Life’. The second of the strategy’s three objectives is 

‘to highlight the links between biodiversity protection and building resilience to impacts of 

climate change.’ 

• SPREP initiated discussions on ecosystem-based adaptation at the 2009 Pacific Climate 

Change Roundtable, and continued this activity into 2010, with scoping work on coral reefs 

and climate change, and the development of a large scale regional project on climate change 

and biodiversity. 

• Funding secured from Australian International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative 

to implement regional biodiversity, ecosystem services and climate change adaptation 

assessment project. 


• On 27 March 2010, the School of Education and the School of Islands and Oceans, in 

collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education, the International Union 

for Conservation of Nature, Commission on Education and Communication (Oceania), 

the Pacific Taxonomic Initiative (BioNET - PACINET), Nature Fiji- Maqereti Viti and 

the Econesian Society, hosted a one-day “Symposium on Teaching and Learning about 

Biodiversity” to launch 2010 as the UN Year of Biodiversity.



• Completion of 4th National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological 

Diversity. 

• Native tree revegetation on Aitutaki in the aftermath of cyclone Pat. 

• Documenting and promotion of traditional knowledge related to climate and biodiversity. 

• Strengthening national capacity in biosecurity through the Global Environment Facility 

invasive species project. 

• Promulgation of permits and consents and biodiversity regulations. 


• Strengthened linkages and synergies with projects implemented under Rio Conventions: 

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification / UNFCCC / United Nations 

Convention on Biological Diversity. 


• Develop the National Action Plan for Climate Change. Develop Pacific Island Forum for 

Global Environment Facility 5 to access allocation for Niue under the climate change 

portfolio. Develop a project proposal to also access Kyoto Protocol Adaptation Fund. 

Coordinate the Regional Climate Change Roundtable 2011. 

• Implement Global Environment Facility-Pacific Alliance for Sustainability 4 project on 

water harvesting (Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change) and on renewable energy/energy 

efficiency. 

• Implement Global Environment Facility-Pacific Alliance for Sustainability 4 Forest 

Conservation and Management project. 

• Implement Global Environment Facility-Pacific Alliance for Sustainability 4 Invasive 

Species project. 


• The climate change and biodiversity project will be elaborated upon in consultation with 

Pacific Island Countries and a final proposal presented for donor funding. Information 

sharing and awareness-raising will also continue in the context of the Year of Biodiversity, 

including through regional media training and preparatory meetings for both the 

Convention on Biological Diversity and UNFCCC COPs. 


• The Institute of Applied Science focuses on the preservation of biodiversity, and has plans 

to improve its repository of specimens. 




• Delays in support for an Integrated Approach to National Biodiversity proposal under the 

Global Environment Facility 


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• Limited local capacity, technology and data in a format that enables monitoring of changes 

in ecosystems and species over time. 




• The absorptive capacity of the Department and the relevant stakeholders in implementing 

climate change projects. 


• There is a risk that funding will not become available or that the project may take too long 

in securing endorsement from the Pacific Island Countries. 


(v) Assisting with the assessment called for by the United Nations General Assembly 

Resolution A/Res/63/281 Climate Change and its possible security implications. 



• The September report requested by the United Nations Secretary-General on the security 

dimensions of climate change highlighted that there are real and emerging threats 

including loss of territory, statelessness and increased numbers of displaced persons. 

These should be the subject of the focused attention and increased preparedness of the 

international community. 

• Scientific work since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 4th Assessment 

Report is indicating sea level rise with the melting of the Greenland ice sheets, and emerging 

issues like ocean acidification from carbon dioxide levels greater than 350 parts per million 

are of particular concern for Pacific Islands, although gaps remain in looking at these 

impacts for the region. 

• There has been limited progress, as efforts to bring references to the internationally 

negotiated Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island 

Developing States, the Mauritius Declaration and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further 

Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small 

Island Developing States into the UNFCCC and other fora have been met with resistance. 


• Main emphasis has been focusing on adaptation measures, nonetheless taking into account 

efforts to include mitigation action. 

• National Energy Policy Framework developed for Nauru to secure energy and work towards 

cleaner and more conservative energy.



• Support was provided to the Pacific Island Countries’ UN Missions in the preparation of 

their presentations before the General Assembly. 


• Paper prepared for the Secretariat of Pacific Small Island Development States at the UN to 

address the resolution of the UN General Assembly on ‘Climate Change and its Possible 

Security Implications’. 



• Cook Islands will continue to advocate for addressing the threats noted above, including 

through research and observational needs, support for national policy development, 

seeking an international mechanism under the UNFCCC to address unavoidable loss 

and damage from climate change impacts through risk management, insurance and 

rehabilitation/compensation. 


• Stronger collaboration between Energy and Climate Change Divisions to mainstream 

efforts into National Sustainable Development Strategy in an integrated manner. 


• If requested by the UN, information about impacts and issues in the region will be provided. 


• The Climate Change Adviser will consult with Pacific Island Countries and Territories to 

assist them with cross cutting measures to help them maintain their security in the face of 

climate change. 




• Ongoing resistance to taking meaningful action to increase resilience of Small Island 

Developing States. 

• Climate change being negotiated in a non-transparent, non-participatory manner in fora 

other than the UNFCCC, which fails to take into account the security concerns of Small 

Island Developing States. 


• Financial, technical and absorptive capacity constraints are the main common issues faced. 


• Pacific Island Countries unable to develop and/or implement national adaptation 

programmes of action to address potential threats to all relevant sectors. 


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(vi) Strengthening data collection and analysis for improved climatic monitoring and 

preparedness through integrated whole-system approaches. 



• The South Pacific Sea Level and Climate Monitoring tide gauges have continued to collect 

data. 

• Cook Islands Marine Resources Strengthening project, funded through NZAID, was intended 

to assist with development of baselines and indicators for a State of Environment Report, but 

unfortunately there remains a gap. 

• Pacific Climate Change Science Programme activities begun with the support of the 

Australian Government, and two workshops (one official, one technical) have been 

undertaken. 

• However, limitations remain with regard to support to National Metrological Services and 

the national implementation plans under the Global Climate Observing System and other 

Pacific Regional Meteorological Plans still require funding support to be implemented. 


• The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (emissions statistics) is approximately 60 percent 

complete. Daily records monitored at the Atmospheric Radiation Monitoring Station, 

including daily tidal gauge readings data, and have begun working closely with newly 

established National Disaster Risk Management Office. 


• The Pacific Climate Change Science Program project, under the International Climate 

Change Adaptation Initiative, has enabled Niue to enter its climate data in the Pacific Web 

Portal - homogenising data and report writing on the climate of Niue. 

• Ongoing seasonal climate forecasting under the Pacific Islands Climate Prediction Project 

(AusAID) - ongoing production of the Niue climate outlook; and initial phase of a new 

climate database system for Pacific Island Countries. 


• SOPAC hosts the South Pacific Regional Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project 

(SPRSLCMP). This project is funded by the Government of Australia and overall 

management is provided by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. In the past 12 months, 

calibration, maintenance and precision levelling surveys were completed in Fiji, Tonga, 

Tuvalu, Nauru, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and 

the Federated States of Micronesia. Phase IV of the project is in its final year and funding for 

a further five years (Phase V) has been secured. 

• SOPAC continues to build its Pacific Regional Island Shoreline Monitoring System (PRISMS). 

Data on some 27 islands is now available and provides accurate information regarding 

shoreline change, erosion and island building processes over the last 20 to 50 years.



• SPREP has participated in the International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative science 

programme in support of Pacific Island Countries. 

• A climate change portal is under development. 

• Support for Regional Meteorological Service Directors has continued. 

• Coordination of Pacific Islands-Global Climate Observing System (PI-GCOS) and the 

transfer of Pacific Islands Global Ocean Observing System (PI-GOOS) to SPREP will 

strengthen climate information availability and accessibility for decision making. 

• In partnership with the Government of Australia through the International Climate 

Change Adaptation Initiative project will provide climate change projections scenarios and 

down scaling of global climate models for the Pacific region and for Pacific Island Countries 

– thus improving capacity for climate change adaptation. 


• Compilation of scientific literature on climate change-related communicable and vectorborne 

diseases. 

• In collaboration with Institut de Recherche pour Developpemente, longitudinal data 

collection from Pacific Island Countries and Territories on dengue disease outbreaks and 

sero-group typing (since 1970s). 

• Contribution of a paper to the Commonwealth Book on the climate change and health 

for Pacific Island Countries and Territories and a presentation on climate change to the 

Ministry of Health meeting in Madang. 

• Contribution to the establishment of a climate change repository in the SPC library. 


• USP, in the course of staff and student research, regularly collects data which is related to 

climate monitoring. USP is the beneficiary of a Memorandum of Understanding signed 

between the Governments of Fiji and South Korea titled “A Renewable Energy Generation, 

Resource Assessment, and Capacity Building Programme for Sustainable Economic 

Development of the Pacific Island Countries”. The project will improve data collection in 

the region, relating to renewable energy and climatic monitoring. 



• Automatic weather stations to be upgraded and put in place to enhance early warning 

systems pending funding. 

• Collaboration with the Sustainable Land Management project, looking at mapping land use 

change, which is relevant for climate change vulnerability assessments, especially digital 

elevation models and vegetation cover. 

• Data collection for the establishment of baselines for monitoring land use change. 


• Completion of National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, completed national scenario 

projections through tailor-made software, Nauru Simclim, and continuation of 

Atmospheric Radiation Monitoring Station and tidal monitoring. 


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• Chapter on the climate of Niue in the Pacific Island Climate Report of the Pacific Climate 

Change Science Program. 


• The Government of Australia has committed to support the SPRSLCMP by implementing 

a Phase V for this Project. Planning will be followed by implementation of Phase V 

commencing 2011 and completed in 2016. In addition, full refurbishment to the current 

SPRSLCMP network will be implemented during 2010-2011. 

• Work to add eight more Tuvalu atolls to PRISMS is underway. 


• Further work under International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative is expected to 

continue, as is the support to the Regional Meteorological Service Directors. The climate 

change portal is expected to be finalised and operational, allowing for strengthened data 

collection and sharing in the region. 


• Possible correlation of dengue outbreaks with climate change data. 


• The activities under the Memorandum of Understanding will be implemented, including 

the administrative set-up, the mobilisation of personnel, and the set up of resource 

assessment systems. 




• Public Service personnel caps and ongoing effects of global economic recession limit 

national capacity. 

• Institutional arrangements for Metrological Service and Emergency Management and their 

linkages to climate change require strengthening. 




• Reduction in the number of rainfall stations due to lack of financial resources to sustain 

collection of rainfall data and maintenance of equipment. 

• There is a need for basic climate equipment to be replaced, such as the grass and soil 

thermometers. 


• Appropriate levels of funding to support activities throughout the implementation of Phase 

V of the SPSLCMP. 

• With regards to PRISMS, this work remains almost entirely unfunded, yet it is has been



endorsed by the SOPAC Council. Given the financial strain SOPAC is under, this critically 

important work to inform Pacific Island Countries of shoreline climate change impacts and 

warn of sudden shifts in island building processes is immediately threatened. 


• Lack of funding for the full implementation of the climate change portal is a major risk. 

There is a further risk if downscaled models do not take into account the fullest range of 

emissions scenarios. 


• No specific resources are currently directed towards these activities. 


• As the project involves the movement of technical personnel and materials from South 

Korea to Pacific Island Countries, the administrative matters must be handled properly in 

the first year in order to ensure smooth implementation. 


(vii) Building scientific capacity across the region through strategic partnerships with bodies 

such as the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, and an expansion in scientific 

education and training programmes. 


months? 


• Participation in workshops and training by various organisations such as the Food and 

Agriculture Organisation, regional food security strategy development, WHO climate 

change and health work programme for the Pacific Region, Climate Action Network and 

Red Cross training programmes. 

• Partnerships with SOPAC for the Asian Development Bank Mapping Vulnerabilities 

technical assistance. 


• National training in use of modelling software to generate scenario projections, building of 

greenhouse gas inventory, vulnerability and adaptation assessments all in accordance with 

the guidelines provided under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment 

reports 3 and 4. 


• SOPAC routinely supports USP and a range of other regional agencies during workshops 

by providing technical expertise for assessments, presentations, and lectures. SOPAC 

also hosts the Pacific Island Countries’ training attachments for students and provides 

postgraduate supervision for USP students. 


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• SPREP staff have engaged in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change work as the 

Lead Author of the special report on renewable energy, and have also been selected as the 

Lead Author for the 5th Assessment Report. 

• A project was designed to support scientific reports being developed by the region, however 

funding has not yet been secured. 


• Membership of SPC in the Global Partnership for Climate, Fisheries and Aquaculture 

convened by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Bank to highlight the 

need for science to assess the vulnerability of fisheries and aquaculture to climate change, 

and develop appropriate adaptations by sharing information and lessons learned. 

• Possible collaboration with Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy 

Efficiency and National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health in regard to 

adaptation strategies for communicable and emerging diseases. 

• Collaboration with the Pacific Climate Change Science Programme and Pacific Adaptation 

Strategy Assistance Program to improve the understanding of atmospheric climate and 

oceanic conditions by national focal points in Pacific Island Countries and the adaptations 

needed to maintain economic growth, food security and livelihoods. 

• A programme was designed to identify whether climate change is having an effect on 

fisheries and fish habitats in the region, in addition to the effects of fishing and local habitat 

degradation. 


• USP offers postgraduate courses on climate change. The Postgraduate Diploma is relevant 

to anyone involved with planning for natural resources, economic and social development, 

and/or the natural environment, especially graduates working in government or nongovernment 

organisations who are not yet familiar with climate-related issues, but need 

to be. With support from the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO, funding was made 

available for the development of the Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Course. With 

further support from AusAID, USP is able to offer scholarships to regional students (at the 

postgraduate level through to PhD level) to undertake this program. USP is also developing 

other climate change course units. 

• The AusAID funding focuses on strengthening USP’s capacity and network in climate 

change at national and regional levels. The program works in line with USP’s Strategic Plan 

and provides an effective academic and research-based delivery service in the field of climate 

change at USP. The program is structured to offer sound learning support systems and 

resource tools in climate change for students of the South Pacific region and further afield. 

• Scholarships have been awarded to six postgraduate students who have enrolled into the 

Postgraduate Diploma in Climate Change, and three students pursuing a Masters in Climate 

Change. There is also a PhD student earmarked for a scholarship under this scheme. His 

focus is on the “Effect of groundwater salinisation on sugarcane crops in Lomawai, Viti Levu 

Island, Fiji.” 

• Further, through the Edulink Project, there is support to mainstream Education for 

Sustainable Development into regional Universities and in so doing, partners such as the 

University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) are able to develop their climate change and 

variability impact assessment and management course, as well as their disaster management 

course.


• In terms of USP’s partnership with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, key 

staff members are engaged in research and the writing of chapters that contribute to the 

Panel Reports. 

• Besides the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, USP is closely networked with 

UNEP to collaborate on the Global Environment Outlook Report. USP has collaborated 

on the publication of Global Environment Outlook Report 4 and again are engaged in the 

compilation of Global Environment Outlook Report 5. The University will contribute a 

chapter to the Pacific Environment and Climate Change Outlook Report to be published in 

2012. 



• A scholarship programme for postgraduate climate change courses in-country (if the Pacific 

Adaptation Strategy Assistance Programme funding goes ahead). 

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change PhD Scholarships, set up with Nobel Prize 

money, gives priority to Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Country 

applicants. 

• Development of a practical course on climate change vulnerability and adaptation for 

community members, if funding can be found. 

• Preparation for the census in the first half of 2011 to ensure information related to both 

mitigation and adaptation is captured. 


• Full completion of scenario projections using 1990 baseline year and latest findings under 

the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Same applies 

for Greenhouse Gas Inventory Vulnerability and Assessment. 

• Anticipate stronger communication between Government of Nauru and Intergovernmental 

Panel on Climate Change Secretariat to devise ways for better enhancement of national 

scientific capacity. 

• Will need to further provide curriculum activities at secondary level education including 

more advanced degrees under regional institutions such as University of South Pacific and 

other well respected institutions in more developed countries such as Australia and New 

Zealand. 


• SOPAC will continue its positive response to such requests and demand. 


• Further opportunities will be sought through International Climate Change Adaptation 

Initiative and other cooperation to expand on scientific education and training 

opportunities, including seeking funding for the scientific report writing project. 

• Through the Climate Change Roundtable process, the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change 

project and PIGGAREP, tertiary institutions, regional agencies and individuals will be 

encouraged and supported to build the capacity in the Pacific Island Countries to conduct 

scientific research and related education and training programmes. 


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• Publication of a comprehensive assessment of the vulnerability of fisheries and aquaculture 

to climate change, including a summary for policy makers. 

• Modelling of the projected effects of climate change on catches of all four species of tuna in 

the industrial fishery in the Pacific under low and high carbon dioxide emissions. 

• Possible collaboration with Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy 

Efficiency and the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health in regard to 

adaptation strategies for communicable and emerging diseases. 


• More scholarships will be offered within the region to enable a larger number of candidates 

to undertake the Post Graduate Diploma Course. The Postgraduate Diploma will be relevant 

to anyone involved with planning for natural resources, economic and social development, 

and/or the natural environment, and especially useful for graduates working in government 

or non-government organisations who need to be familiar with climate‐related issues. 

• There are upcoming projects targeted at meeting the challenges of climate change in the 

Pacific Islands, through more training, applied research and community engagement. 




• Not enough Cook Islanders at PhD level to apply for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 

Change-type scholarships. 

• Limited capacity makes it difficult to spare people to take up studies. 

• Funding might not be forthcoming, despite efforts invested in developing proposals. 




• A major threat is the lack of regional funding and support for research and scholarships 

to build capacity. At present, the crucial importance of building Pacific Island Countries’ 

empirical understanding of climate change threats and thus inform appropriate 

adaptation responses is poorly acknowledged. Furthermore, the lack of fundamental 

baseline information (such as land height information) to support climate change and 

student research is also inadequate; all of this culminates to hamper progress in regional 

understanding and capacity building. 


• Time constraints on the part of those in the Pacific Island Countries who could write 

scientific reports, as well as financial resources are the main risks. 


• National focal points for climate change are not kept informed of the latest climate change 

science and are unable to adjust adaptation strategies accordingly.


(viii) Building support, with the assistance of regional and international partners, for the new 

Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food security, and capitalising 

on the offer made by Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to share relevant lessons 

learned. 


months? 


• Very little achieved in this area. 


• Continued support to Papua New Guinea through the Coral Triangle Support Program and 

review of the Asian Development Bank regional technical assistance. 


• Provision of expert advice by SPC on adaptations to climate change for the fisheries sector 

during the development of the Regional Plan of Action for the Coral Triangle Initiative at 

the Jakarta workshop. 

• Under the SPC CRISP programme, a project conducted by the World Fish Centre for the 

development of environmentally friendly aquaculture and trade of marine ornamentals in 

the Solomon Islands: 

- Interviews held in Solomon Islands with key marine resource management stakeholders 

from non-government organisations and government to understand the existing 

relationships of collaboration and information exchange, and the impact it has on 

improving and encouraging uptake of community-based fisheries management. 

- The project builds upon the previous research undertaken by the World Fish Centre, 

including the development of a clam hatchery and the analysis of options for the Solomon 

Islands. The focus was development and training for village-based marine ornamental 

farms. 


• The Institute of Applied Science at USP has provided consultancy services to the 

development of the Coral Triangle Initiative, and will be the main implementing 

organisation of the capacity building component. 



• This specific task requires more attention. 

• It would be convenient if lead countries offered to share information and initiate dialogue 

for this activity. 


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• On-going support to Papua New Guinea through the Coral Triangle Support Program. 


• Continued provision of advice based on the vulnerability assessment described above. 

• Delivery of a vulnerability assessment for the fisheries sector to Papua New Guinea and 


• Recommendations to Solomon Islands stakeholders to enhance coordination and 

information exchange and uptake of community-based fisheries management. 

• Promotion of the demand for products from the Solomon Island for the aquarium trade, 

including increasing the supply of sustainably cultured fish and invertebrates. 


• Extra budgetary funding support has been sourced from AusAID, to allow FFA to provide 

in-meeting support to Coral Triangle Initiative participants. 


• USP will continue to be involved with capacity building as part of the Coral Triangle 

Initiative. 






• The regional plan of action for Coral Triangle Initiative is not a priority for national 

governments due to their national capacity limitations. 

• The SPC CRISP programme is due to end December 2010. 


• Limited resources are available. Coral Triangle Initiative process has potential to duplicate 

management efforts through FFA/SPC/Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission if 

not managed carefully.

[D] 

Achieving 

stronger national 

development 

through better 

governance 


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(i) Demonstrating strong national leadership and enhanced regional attention to accelerate 

improvements to development coordination in the region, to maximise the effectiveness 

and impact of the resources of Pacific island governments and development partners to 

make faster progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. 


months? 


• The Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific is an 

initiative agreed by Leaders at the 2009 Pacific Islands Forum. The Compact sets out actions 

designed to improve the coordination, use and impact of development resources in the 

Pacific, in line with international best-practice as expressed in the Paris Declaration on 

Aid Effectiveness and Accra Agenda for Action. It is based on principles that recognise the 

development needs of the Pacific, and reflects the shared commitment of Forum Countries 

and their development partners to improving development outcomes in the region. 

• The Compact is a response to Leaders’ concerns that the Pacific region remains off-track 

to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The Compact aims to accelerate 

progress against the Millennium Development Goals, by strengthening countries’ 

leadership of their own development agenda, and encouraging development partners to 

work more effectively together. 

• Australia has strongly supported regional efforts to strengthen development coordination 

and effectiveness through implementation of the Compact. Working closely with the 

Forum Secretariat, other Forum members and development partners, Australia has made 

a significant contribution to the substantial progress that has been made to date. This has 

included supporting: 

- successful establishment of the Compact’s new review and reporting processes, focused 

on country peer reviews of Nauru and Kiribati, and country and development partner 

reporting; 

- completion of the third annual Pacific Millennium Development Goal Tracking Report; 

- preparation of a Road Map on Strengthening Public Financial Management; 

- preparations for a private sector dialogue in Port Vila; and 

- improvements to development data. 

• Specific contributions from Australia include: 

- preparing a Development Partner Report on Australia’s efforts to reduce aid 

fragmentation, ease the burden of aid administration and improve development 

effectiveness; 

- participation in the Technical Working Group supporting preparation of the 2010 

Millennium Development Goal Tracking Report; 

- participation in regional workshops and meetings focused on Compact implementation 

and improving development effectiveness and coordination in the Pacific; 

- funding for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s work to manage implementation of 

the Compact (A$1.41m for 2010-2011); and


- funding for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) to strengthen the statistical 

capacity of Forum Island Countries (A$10m over four years to 2013). 

• Convening a high level informal consultative group of key development partners to 

support implementation of the Cairns Compact (comprising the Asian Development Bank, 

Australia, the European Union, France, Japan, New Zealand, United States, UNDP, the World 

Bank and the Forum Secretariat). 


• The Aid Management Unit in the Department of Finance arranges meetings between 

donor-funded project consultants and the Office of Parliamentary Counsel on all matters 

where a donor project involves legal or legislative issues. 

• The Office of Parliamentary Counsel works directly with donor partners on major 

parliamentary projects (for example, the Constitutional Review Project, parliamentary 

strengthening, consolidation of legislation) and copies the Aid Management Unit in all 

relevant correspondence so the Unit has the information it needs to properly coordinate 

donor assistance. 

• Parliament was closely involved in the review of the National Sustainable Development 

Strategy. 

• Nauru participated in the Cairns Compact Peer Review earlier in the year, which aimed 

to promote international best practice in key sectors, improve effective budget allocation 

processes and guide support from development partners. The Peer Review was a beneficial 

exercise for Nauru because it will now be able to improve its systems and processes in the 

development aid coordination and development planning arena. 


• Palau published a 2008 Palau Millennium Development Goal Status Report and a Poverty 

Analysis Report. The reports provide data and analysis that identify distinct and strategic 

approaches to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. They aptly provide 

the necessary data and analysis within the context of the achievement of the Millennium 

Development Goals and offer both an assessment of progress and identification of gaps that 

need further attention. 



• The next 12 months will focus on translating progress to date into concrete improvements 

to development coordination and effectiveness in the Pacific. Evidence and analysis 

generated by Compact review and reporting will be used to inform decisions by Forum 

Leaders, regional organisations and development partners on how best to take forward the 

important work commenced in 2009. 

• Recommendations made by Forum officials for Leaders’ and partners’ consideration at the 

2010 Forum and Post Forum Dialogue include: 

- Forum members to identify priority actions that they will take to strengthen 

development coordination over the next 12-18 months; 

- development partners urged to better support national led efforts to improve 

coordination, including through greater predictability of funding; 

- guiding the Forum Economic Ministers’ Meeting to ensure early implementation of the 

Road Map on Strengthening Public Financial Management; 


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- continued support of Forum members and regional organisations for effective 

implementation of the Cairns Compact, including ongoing support to the Forum 

Secretariat; 

- development of a set of principles to guide the coordination of climate change 

resources; and 

- Leaders issuing a joint statement on Millennium Development Goals in the Pacific 

region at the 2010 Forum and Millennium Development Goal+10 UN Summit. 

• The processes established in 2009 will also continue in 2010, modified as appropriate in 

light of experience. 

• Australia will continue to strongly support this work, and will be an active participant 

in, and advocate for, regional initiatives to advance development effectiveness and 

coordination. This will include continued involvement in the Cairns Compact 

Development Partner Group, which will play an important role in building partner 

consensus on actions required to improve development coordination in the Pacific. 


• The Office of Parliamentary Counsel is participating in two working groups with other 

departments and the Aid Management Unit in relation to donor-funded assistance in 

policy development; the policies developed through these projects will ultimately result in 

legislation being drafted by Office of Parliamentary Counsel. 


• Palau has continued this effort by initiating a Household Income Survey in 2009. This 

survey has served to update information from the previous surveys and identifies in 

particular those individuals living daily “in hardship”. The survey also identifies those who 

earn income through subsistence means that could benefit from opportunities created 

in handicraft trade, small scale agriculture ventures and fishing. The administration is 

pursuing funding avenues to create country-based national programs tailored to assist 

low or no income families to meet the daily and essential needs of their families. From 

the most recent regional scorecards of the achievement of the Millennium Development 

Goals by 2015, Palau is poised to achieve 7 of 8 Millennium Development Goal goals by 

2015. Greater attention is required on Millennium Development Goal 1, the eradication of 

poverty and hunger. 




• The Cairns Compact is a long term endeavour whose success depends on the sustained 

commitment and participation of Forum members, development partners and other 

stakeholders. The benefits of better development coordination – more effective use 

of development resources, reduced administrative burden for countries, improved 

information to guide decision-making – will only be fully realised over time. As such, there 

is a risk that insufficient commitment from key parties will undermine achievement of 

these important objectives. 

• As a Forum member and a major development partner in the Pacific, Australia has an 

important ongoing role to play in supporting regional efforts to improve development 

outcomes in the Pacific, through strengthened coordination and effectiveness. However,



this work requires collective effort, much of which must ultimately be led by Forum Island 

Countries. Where capacity to take such a leadership role is lacking, outcomes are less likely 

to be met. 

• Adopting new, more coordinated approaches to delivering development assistance requires 

changes in practice, and in perspective. There is a risk that Australia, along with other 

Forum members and partners, will not manage the transition to these new approaches 

effectively, which would also undermine achievement of objectives. 


• None identified. 


• As stated, the lack of staff in the Office of the Statistics and Bureau of Budget and Planning 

with sufficient professional personnel able to consistently maintain, monitor and evaluate 

progress made toward the work of the Millennium Development Goals has been an obstacle. 

Included among the varied factors are budgetary constraints. In some instances, these 

limitations have prevented staff from participating in capacity building opportunities 

offered. 


(ii) Committing to sustainable and appropriate: collection and compilation of statistics; 

information management; and records-keeping, to ensure the development and 

implementation of better-informed national policy. 



Statistics 

• One of the key initiatives and priorities in recent years is to broaden the statistical coverage. 

A taskforce was established to ensure the Bureau has the capabilities to completely meet 

its mandate. The Bureau is fortunate to have acquired two statistical trainees in the 2009- 

10 fiscal year, who transferred from Youth Affairs, where they had undergone a vigorous 

three month work experience program with the Bureau. This has resulted in the Bureau’s 

increased productivity in particular for social and economic statistics with the monthly 

dissemination of the Consumer Price Index and other areas of social statistics where 

production has also increased. 

• Another highlight for the Bureau for the fiscal year 2009-10 is the completion and update 

of the Product Classification Trade software to support the draft Harmonised System of 

Commodity Classification that Customs officials are finalising. Batches of trade statistics 

data are now entered into the Product Classification Trade system and soon Nauru will be 

able to provide its own trade statistics to users, instead of relying on secondary sources. 

• An acquisition of technical experts for economics statistics from development partners has 

also established a solid base for monitoring National Accounts and Balance of Payments 


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Statistics, with recently published figures of Gross Domestic Product for 2009. The 

framework for carrying out the comprehensive field exercise is still provisional, due to a 

lack of respondents understanding of the data requirements; however, this can be resolved 

as face-to-face discussions progress. 

• Throughout the 2009-10 fiscal year, the Bureau has provided technical support and 

advice to a range of line ministries such as the Department of Commerce, Industry and 

Environment with their rainwater harvesting survey and ground water survey. Also with 

similar assistance to the Health Department towards planning and implementation of the 

centralised Health Information System. 


• Enactment of the Niue Statistics Act 2009. 

• Collection phase of the Niue Mini Population Census and Agriculture Census. 

• Ongoing statistical releases for the Niue Consumer Price Index and Niue Travelling 

Resident and Visitors. 

• Participation in the International Monetary Fund/Pacific Financial Technical Assistance 

Centre National Accounts workshop to introduce the National Accounts Statistics 2008 

additions. 

• Work on the development of the new Financial Management and Information System 

progressed well and implementation to commence in July 2010 – the commencement of 

the new financial year. 


• Detailed statistics on violence against women and children were collected through national 

surveys in Solomon Islands and Kiribati, which has led to the development of national 

action plans to eliminate such violence. 

• Gender mainstreaming capacity stocktakes conducted in six Pacific Island Countries 

and Territories have aided countries in collecting baseline data and identifying strategic 

interventions to improve the capacity of government for gender-responsive governance. 

• Sub-regional workshop for statistics officials and national women’s machineries in the 

three French territories on strengthening gender statistics for improved policy making and 

governance. 

• A sub-regional workshop was conducted in Noumea in November, with eight participants 

from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. 

• A national Data Analysis and Report Writing workshop was held in Guam in October- 

November, attracting 13 participants from various public sector agencies. 

• Overall, national and sub-regional training has contributed to strengthening statistical 

skills across the region, directly benefitting 45 male and 46 female participants from 

government and quasi-government agencies. 

• Pacific Island Countries and Territories have benefited from a comprehensive update of the 

Millennium Development Goal indicator database this year, produced by SPC. 

• Published year population and demographic indicators for national policy, planning and 

statistical offices, as well as bilateral and regional development partners. 

• Three Micronesian countries had national strategic statistical plans finalised. 

• Technical assistance and associated training for national statistics office staff and survey 

teams enabled household income and expenditure surveys to be completed in Solomon 

Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga and Kiribati. 

• Demographic and health surveys completed in Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Republic of the 

Marshall Islands and Nauru.


• Planning began for a new round of demographic and health surveys, commencing with 

Kiribati in 2009-10, Tonga 2010-11, Fiji 2011-12 and Vanuatu or the Federated States of 

Micronesia in 2012-13. 

• Pacific Regional Information SysteM (PRISM) was been used in 2009 to expand mapping of 

malaria incidence and prevention initiatives in Solomon Islands (Guadalcanal). The tool 

was further used during the recent H1N1 outbreak to determine the spread and impact of 

the virus at national and regional levels. 

• PRISM is also being used in 2010 to assist Tonga in redrawing its electoral boundaries for 

elections scheduled in November 2010. 

• Strengthened the availability of economic statistics for time series amongst Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories through PRISM. 

• Compilation of National Accounts estimates (Gross Domestic Product) was done for Niue 

and Nauru. 

• Training and technical assistance in Economic Statistics Classifications was done for Tuvalu, 

Vanuatu and Kiribati. 

• Reclassification and conversion of Government Finance statistics was completed for 

Kiribati. 

• Pacific Island Countries and Territories have benefited from SPC collaborative training in 

national accounts with the Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Centre. 

• Technical assistance was offered in estimation and compilation of price indices for Tuvalu, 

Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Samoa, Guam and Kiribati. 

• Review of trade statistics, editing, presentation and report briefs were done for Kiribati 

• Completed support to the design and implementation of business survey in Samoa. 


• SOPAC is committed to improving access and availability of critical baseline data and 

information to support climate change science and adaptation through the continued 

development of the web-based “Geonetwork” system. 

• SOPAC also provide support for disaster risk management information through the Pacific 

Disaster Net web information portal (www.pacificdisaster.net), which is an initiative 

developed under the auspices of the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Partnership 

Network. The implementing partners of the Pacific Disaster Net are SOPAC, UNDP Pacific 

Centre, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, UN Office for the 

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Secretariat of the UN International Strategy 

for Disaster Reduction through their offices in Suva. 


• A revamped program on official statistics is planned to be offered from 2011. A UNFPA 

funded project is presently underway to restructure the current official statistics program. 

Under this program, all the official statistics and population studies courses will be prepared 

for delivery in modes such as distance teaching, face-to-face and module teaching. 



• In the next 12 months, the Government of Nauru is committed to carrying out its mandate 

and striving to improve the standards of the economic statistics portfolio, as well as 

conducting the Nauru Population and Housing Census in early 2011. 


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Advocacy Program 

• Capacity building and training still plays a big part of the Bureau’s investment for 

development and this initiative is an ongoing advocacy program set out by the National 

Sustainable Development Strategy. Based on the recent statistics benchmark study for the 

region, Nauru has the lowest number of permanent staff working in central statistics office, 

combined with no qualified graduates. The Bureau is planning to upgrade the skill level of 

its current staff to ensure that all capacity gaps and needs are addressed in order to achieve a 

quality output. Throughout the fiscal year, a strong emphasis on staff capacity building will 

be initiated with the in-country USP campus. 


• Design working policies to support the governance provisions stipulated in the Statistics Act. 

• Complete and finalise the Mini Population Census and Agriculture Census with the Food 

and Agriculture Organisation and Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. 

• Review/revise the Consumer Price Index basket in conjunction with Statistics New Zealand. 

Revise/rebase the National Accounts in conjunction with Statistics New Zealand. 

• Revive the compilation of balance of payments with Statistics New Zealand. 

• Revive the defunct Product Classification Trade system with Customs Niue and Statistics 

New Zealand. 

• Streamline the design of the immigration cards to be more user-friendly. 

• Compilation of Niue’s Food Balance Sheet. 

• Monitoring of the Financial Management and Information System throughout the first 

year. 


• The Human Development Programme and its partners will continue to strengthen the 

collection, analysis and use of gender statistics for improved monitoring, reporting and 

gender-responsive policy making. 

• The Statistics and Demography Programme will continue to provide technical assistance 

support in relevant data collection, processing, analysis and presentation to Pacific Island 


• Data dissemination workshops in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. 

• Assistance with the Republic of the Marshall Islands census in April 2011. 

• Undertaking demographic and health surveys in Tonga and Kiribati. 

• The Statistics and Demography Programme will continue to conduct capacity 

supplementation activities in the various areas of economic statistics for Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories that have significant capacity constraints. 

• Rebase of consumer prices for Samoa and Tonga is expected to be completed. 

• Expanded utilisation of redeveloped PRISM and the Population Geographical Information 

System (PopGIS). 


• Geonetwork and Pacific Disaster Net development will be continued and supported. 


• Over the next year, all courses will be converted into MOODLE and MODULE format, and 

will be offered as short courses and through the internet.


• Negotiations will be undertaken with institutions such as SPC, Statistical Institute for Asia 

and the Pacific, and the Australian National University to institutionally integrate their 

short courses into USP’s official statistics program. 

• A research and analysis program will be proposed in conjunction with the Australian 

National University, which will be an integral component of USP’s future Masters program. 

• A special awareness campaign has been planned so that a significant number of staff from 

national statistical offices and government departments can take advantage of the new 

offerings in the official statistics program. 




Budget constraints 

• Budgetary constraints are one key element that will continue to be an obstacle for the 

National Bureau of Statistics, with the limited resources available to enable it to carry out all 

of its legislative mandates. 

• Most recent major statistical undertakings, such as the National Population Census and 

Household Surveys are donor funded. Budgetary constraints experienced by the Nauru 

Government to make tangible financial commitment for such activities poses a serious 

threat to undertaking such costly exercises in the future. 

Human resource constraints 

• The current lack of staff affects the National Bureau of Statistics’ ability to carry out 

succession plans, therefore threatening the Bureau’s capabilities when staff turnover occurs. 

• Ongoing capacity building and training opportunities on new and improved statistical 

methods and techniques remains a major concern that needs to be addressed in a more 

comprehensive fashion. 

Data dissemination 

• Inability to provide the relevant data in a timely manner will affect the supply of the whole 

range of data to users. 

• Inability to convince other departments of the importance of evidence-based policy and 

streamlining into policy and planning. 

Infrastructure 

• Inability of the current information technology infrastructure to facilitate the 

dissemination of large files, which affects the range of data received by users and the 

National Bureau of Statistics. 

• Power load shedding, which occurs sporadically and without notice during and after 

working hours, could contribute to the loss of data, files and office hardware, and poses a 

threat to the security and integrity of statistical archives. 

• Safe storage of statistical data currently not in place poses concerns to the possibility of 

complete losses of data from the lack of back-up. 


• Staff capacity and number limitations. 

• Funding and availability of technical assistance. 


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• In relation to the Financial Management and Information System – there are two main 

issues: capacity and monitoring throughout the first couple of months of implementation 

of the system. 


• Generally, Pacific Island Countries and Territories national capacity to collect, process and 

analyse statistical data is limited. 

• Opportunities for skills transfer and capacity building are also limited. 

• The lead times that some Pacific Island Countries schedule for census planning, 

implementing and printing relevant documents are sometimes very short. 

• Capacity to understand and apply gender statistics is low and there is limited integration of 

gender statistics in existing technical programmes and budgets to rectify this. 

• Most Pacific Island Countries and Territories do not have the right personnel to work on 

economic statistics in the National Statistics Offices, with most qualified people working in 

other departments such as planning, training and banks. 

• Weak statistical legislation makes it difficult for Pacific Island Countries and Territories to 

collect economic statistics from businesses. 

• Limited financial resources allocated to the collection of economic statistics. 


• Sustained resourcing of such efforts presents considerable challenges and lack of it hampers 

progress. 


• Some possible disagreement between institutions is possible. Conflicts of interests need to 

be managed so that mutual benefits are realised and all parties can gain. 

• The training program may prove to be costly, but the gains realised from this program are 

likely to be significantly greater than the costs. 


(iii) Implementing efforts to allow for improved access to official information. 


months? 


Parliament 

• In August 2009, Parliament unanimously passed proposed amendments to the Constitution 

which included the right to information. This particular proposal was among those that 

failed at referendum. However, the Stephen’s Government has indicated its intention to 

proceed with Freedom of Information legislation regardless of whether the constitutional


right to information is included in the Constitution. Parliamentary Counsel recently 

participated in a Freedom of Information Master Class as part of UNESCO’s World Press 

Freedom Day conference in Brisbane. Depending on the outcome of the June 19 election 

and the legislative agenda of whichever government is elected, Freedom of Information 

legislation may proceed in the next 12 months. 

• Also in the last 12 months, work has commenced on a project to consolidate the laws 

of Nauru and to create a database that makes all legal information (case law, legislation, 

gazettes) accessible to the public online. This project will enable people for the first time to 

access complete and accurate information about the laws in Nauru. The project is funded by 

NZAID and is managed by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel. 

• Among the proposed constitutional amendments passed by Parliament in August 2009 

was the creation of an Ombudsman. This proposed amendment is likely to commence in 

2010 (subject to the passage by Parliament of necessary consequential amendments to the 

relevant Act). The establishment of an Ombudsman would likely improve access to official 

information, especially written reasons for administrative decisions. 

Government Information Office 

• The Government Information Office was established in May 2008 and it published the 

first edition of the government newsletter – Nauru Bulletin on 16 October 2009. This 

is a significant step forward in the Nauru Government’s commitment to providing 

information to the people. Through the Nauru Bulletin, the Government Information 

Office reports Government news and information freely, in a timely manner and with 

very little or no interference from Government. The Government Information Office also 

puts out Government media releases, Parliamentary statements, as well as notices from all 

Government departments and entities and the information reaches the wider population 

faster. Before the establishment of the Government Information Office, this had never been 

done before. 

Chief Secretary Office 

• Restructure of departments in 2009, including the Chief Secretary, Department of Foreign 

Affairs and Trade, Health, Education, and Justice and Border Control. 

• Introduction and completion of MYOB for the payroll. 

• Promadis system for the registry of births, deaths and marriages for accuracy of data. 

• Establishment of the Student Internship Program as the best recruitment and retention 

strategy developed. Intake of students is expected to increase in December 2010. 

• Professional Development Committee established. 


• On-going periodical statistical releases. 

• Continuous update of office website with links to SPC/PRISM site and other websites. 

• On-going dialogue with other organisations and provision of data upon request as it is made 

available. 


• Article 4, Section 12 under the Fundamental Rights of the Constitution of the Republic of 

Palau states: “A citizen has the right to examine any government document and to observe 

the official deliberations of any agency of government.” 


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• Consistent with the 2008 outcomes of the regional workshop on Freedom of Information 

held in Honiara, Solomon Islands, the Secretariat and its partners primarily the UNDP 

Pacific Centre have been promoting the value and importance of freedom of information, 

transparency, and accountability through national workshops targeted at senior 

government officials, non-government organisations, and policy-makers. 

• Awareness workshops were held in Honiara, Solomon Islands (2009), Nauru (2009) and 

Palau (2009). 

• Assisted the Solomon Islands Ombudsman prepare a proposal for assistance in developing 

Freedom of Information legislation. Political commitment from the Prime Minister 

to consider Freedom of Information legislation to strengthen its good governance 

development agenda. 

• Although the Forum Secretariat continues to support awareness raising and promoting the 

value of Freedom of Information in strengthening governance, its focus is on building the 

framework to enable Freedom of Information. 

• UNDP and UNESCO continue to work with government and non-government 

organisations to promote the importance of access to information for participatory 

development and good governance. Most notably, in May 2010, UNESCO’s annual Media 

Freedom Day Global Conference, which was held in the region for the first time, focused 

specifically on the value of access to information. 

• The Brisbane Declaration endorsed at that meeting highlighted a range of key issues 

and priorities in the Pacific, stressing the importance of Pacific governments promoting 

simple, cheap and regular access to government information through the development of 

information policies and laws. 



Parliament 

• The Legal Information Access Project for consolidation of legislation and creation of a 

coordinated system for the management of legal information is underway and is likely to be 

completed and the database launched, in the first quarter of 2011. 

• If the necessary consequential Parliamentary Amendments Act to the Constitution of 

Nauru are passed, and commencement provisions provide for an immediate or phased 

commencement (rather than being delayed until the next general election), then the office 

of Ombudsman may be established within the next 12 months. 

• Subject to the outcome of the forthcoming election, Freedom of Information legislation 

may be drafted, introduced and passed within the next 12 months. 

Government Information Office 

• The Government Information Office has enjoyed a level of freedom in that it is able to 

report freely and it is hoped that this freedom will continue, even beyond the next 12 

months. Aside from that, it is also hoped that the Government Information Office can 

acquire advanced recording equipment for interviews that can be done abroad on official 

trips, which can then be relayed back to Nauru via email and rebroadcast on local radio so 

that both the Government and the public can keep in touch with what their Government is 

doing.



• Implementation of corporate plan for Chief Secretary’s Department. 

• Capacity building and institutional strengthening in the Public Service. 

• Establishment of new positions in the Salaries and Employee Benefit unit. The unit 

currently has three staff. 

• Technical assistance on consultation of implementation progress and maintenance of 

MYOB program, including refresher course for staff. 

• Draft salaries, employee benefit policy and procedures. 

• Prepare a Human Resources Development Strategy with the assistance of a consultant. 


• Maintain dissemination systems so more people will have access to statistics. 


• Pass a Freedom of Information Act in Congress so that if information is denied, legal action 

can be taken against that agency or person. 


• To build a strong and enduring partnership with regional organisations working in the field 

of archives, record-keeping and records-management and to apply their technologies for 

records-keeping and records management to support good governance. 

• Critical to building a framework to achieving greater freedom of information is recordkeeping 

and records management. In this regard, the Secretariat is working with Pacific 

Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives and the Australian Public Service 

Commission to explore the Regional Branch’s model toolkit for record-keeping and records 

management, and its potential utility for implementation as a regional technical assistance 

program. 

• Complete a proposal for development partner funding to implement in the region. 




Parliament 

• Political instability and uncertainty make it difficult to anticipate whether the Freedom of 

Information legislation and creation of Ombudsman will come to fruition. 

• The Legal Information Access Project is in progress and should be completed on time, unless 

there is unforeseen political interference. 

• Lack of capacity in the Public Service will make it difficult to implement Freedom of 

Information legislation in an effective manner. Successful implementation would require 

substantial capacity building in the Public Service. 

Government Information Officer 

• Budget availability in acquiring needed equipment and computer software. 


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• The major problem Nauru is facing is the capacity of staff. However, measures have been 

taken to overcome these capacity gaps. 


• Staffing capacity and limitations. 


• Need to convince Congress of the importance of enacting a Freedom of Information Act 

to ensure proper legal action can be taken against an agency if information is denied to a 

citizen. 


• Record-keeping and records management infrastructure of Pacific Island states to support 

freedom of information and access to official information requirements. 

• Priority of Pacific Island governments to recognise the value of building, maintaining and 

sustaining versatile record-keeping and records management practices. 


(iv) Supporting efforts to allow an enhanced role for women in national decision-making 

processes. 


months? 


Parliament 

• Parliament established a Nauru Parliamentary Group on Population and Development and 

appointed a Member of Parliament as champion for gender equality. 


• Women’s groups joined together as a cohesive network, giving women’s issues a voice and 

presence. Nine women stood for Parliament, the largest number in the history of Nauru 

politics. 


• Good governance at the local government level, including non-government organisations 

and civil society. 


• Palauan women have advanced at various levels in both the public and private sectors as 

parliamentarians, ministers, directors, governors, judges, lawyers, and businesswomen. 

There is now a Bureau under the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs devoted to 

gender.



• UNDP has been working with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to continue to promote 

the importance of women in decision-making. In May 2010, UNDP supported a national 

meeting on women and decision making in Tuvalu, which endorsed the importance of 

exploring options to reserve seats in parliament for women, amongst other key priorities. 

The meeting is one of a number of national consultations which will be held prior to a 

regional meeting on women in decision-making which will be convened in late 2010 by the 

Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, with support from UNDP and UNIFEM. 


• Support from the Human Development Programme for national and sub-regional 

workshops on the use of temporary special measures to improve gender balance in national 

legislatures. 

• The Human Development Programme supported the Permanent Secretary of the Solomon 

Islands Ministry for Women to attend a legislative summit in the Federated States of 

Micronesia to share her expertise on the need for temporary special measures to increase 

gender balance in national legislatures. 



Parliament 

• When the 20th Parliament is elected on 19 June 2010, Parliament will need to appoint 

new champions for each of the Forum Presiding Officers and Clerks/Pacific Parliamentary 

Assembly for Population and Development themes, and the champion for gender equality 

will need to work closely with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, Women’s Affairs and 

Forum Presiding Officers and Clerks to ascertain what concrete measures can be taken to 

enhance the role of women in national decision-making processes. 

• There are presently no women in Parliament, and it remains to be seen whether any women 

will be elected to the 20th Parliament. 


• People have a better understanding of their human rights, especially women’s rights. People 

are more aware of the initial steps to take when their rights are being violated. Intensified 

efforts by all concerned towards eliminating gender biased issues. Recognition from external 

partners through implementing of national programmes. More sponsored workshops to 

enhance women’s participation in national politics. To draw up a Women’s National Policy. 

Human rights education for members of Parliament and Government officials. 

• As identified in the reviewed National Sustainable Development Strategy 2005-2006 for 

Nauru, there is a possibility of the ratifying CEDAW. 


• Strong national support from Government to implement local government, nongovernment 

organisations, and civil society programmes. 


• Work has started to prepare baseline data on women in various areas to get an accurate 

picture of the status of women at all levels in the society. 


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161 



• A regional meeting on women in decision-making, which will be convened in late 2010 by 

the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, with support from UNDP and UNIFEM. 


• Continued advocacy for gender-balanced legislatures. 




Parliament 

• Political instability and uncertainty have meant that there have been no Parliamentary 

Group on Population and Development meetings or activities in 2010. 

• Lack of women in Parliament means that women still do not have a direct role in national 

decision-making. 


• Budget Constraints. Training for the Women’s Office in relation to priorities in certain areas; 

legal rights and changing laws to ensure women’s equality before the law. Constraints to 

carry out development and initiative efforts have been with line departments and officials. 

The need for gender sensitive programmes to be made part of governmental/organisational 

priorities. Lack of national women’s capacity to coordinate gender mainstreaming strategy 

across all sectors of Government. To introduce gender-responsive budgeting processes. 

Mobilising/lobbying women to stand for Parliament. Archaic laws to be reviewed and 

amended. 


• Government budget support is limited and requires further scrutiny to fully address the 

whole population of Niue’s local needs. 


• Need personnel and funding to work on the above mentioned matters. 


• Very low political will and prioritisation of women’s issues is a major risk.


(v) Continuing to strengthen accountability and integrity institutions, through approaches 

such as the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance and Pacific Regional Audit Initiative. 



• The submission of the first ever Special Audit Report to Parliament covered many years’ 

backlog of transaction and compliance audit. 

• Activated Public Accounts Committee of Parliament and deliberated the Special Audit 

Report. 

• Certification of Republic of Nauru WAN data 2002, 2003 and 2004. 

• Implementation of the first phase of the Sub-regional Audit Support Program in Nauru and 

taking up financial attest audit of two major State Owned Enterprises – the Nauru Central 

Utilities and the Republic of Nauru Phosphate Corporation. 

• Updating audit of all the Foreign Missions of Nauru – Consul General of Nauru in Brisbane, 

High Commission of Nauru in Suva, UN Ambassador of Nauru in New York and Embassy 

of Nauru in Taipei. A Special Report on the Working of Foreign Missions has also been 

submitted to the President of Nauru for submission to Parliament. 

• Audit of Transport Department (revenue) has been completed. 

• Audit of Republic of Nauru Hospital (revenue) has been completed. 

• Capacity building of the Audit Department has been done by recruiting more local staff and 

having training provided to them by the Director of Audit on a regular basis. 

• Functional reorganisation of the Audit Department has been done and strategic plans have 

been formulated for year 2009-12. 

• Audit of the Republic of Nauru Finance Corporation has been started after 16 years. 


• Niue has instigated a one year trial as of February 2010, which is referred to as the 

Complaints Handling Ombudsman Backed Service. Due to the cost and necessary legislative 

changes required to establish a fully fledged Ombudsman Office, it is believed that this trial 

will provide some answers as to how to address these issues or how Niue should progress 

in terms of an Ombudsman Office. Assistance for the trial is being provided by the Pacific 

Ombudsman Alliance and the New Zealand Ombudsman Office. 


• Palau has a new Ombudsman appointed by the President. The office of the Ombudsman is in 

Koror and provides services to the public when requested. 


Pacific Ombudsman Alliance 

• The Pacific Ombudsman Alliance is now established and fully operational, serviced by 

secretariat support from the Commonwealth Ombudsman of Australia. The Pacific 

Ombudsman Alliance has provided service delivery and mutual support for ombudsman 

and allied institutions in the region over the last 12 months with funding from AusAID. 


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163 


• The Pacific Ombudsman Alliance Board Meeting held in Rarotonga, 16-17 March 2009, 

approved work plans, funding of work plan, placements, freedom of information and 

ongoing funding support over the next five years from July 2009 to June 2014. 

• The Pacific Ombudsman Alliance Board most recently met on 18 March 2010 in Canberra 

and elected a new Board. Board members are Rom Brent, Acting Commonwealth 

Ombudsman of Australia; Beverely Wekam, Chief Ombudsman, New Zealand; Chronox 

Manek, Chief Ombudsman, Papua New Guinea; Wiriki Tooma, Secretary, Kiribati Public 

Service and Janet Maki, Ombudsman, Cook Islands. 

• Explored hosting an alliance webpage with reciprocal links to members’ office websites. 

• Provided information on training material as part of the network news. 

• The Complaint Handling Ombudsman Backed Scheme Trial undertaken in Niue which was 

also a scoping project to develop a booklet on alternative models for introducing complaint 

handling and ombudsman services in Small Island States; 

• Placement of an officer in the Samoan Ombudsman Office completed in April 2010. 

• Relevant amendment to the charter of the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance. 

Pacific Regional Audit Initiative 

• Work is progressing on improving standards of accountability and integrity under the 

Pacific Regional Audit Initiative. The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions 

Secretariat has been established and is based in Auckland, New Zealand. 



• Working closely with Public Accounts Committee. 

• Certification of Republic of Nauru WAN 2005 and 2006. 

• Implementation of the second phase of the Sub-regional Audit Support Program in Nauru 

and taking up balance/pending financial attest audit of two major State Owned Enterprises, 

namely the Nauru Central Utilities and the Republic of Nauru Phosphate Corporation. 

• Audit of Foreign Missions as are due. 

• Audit of the Education Department, Health Department, Finance Department, Transport 

Department, Government of Nauru stocktake and Chief Secretary. 

• Completion of Republic of Nauru Finance Corporation Audit. 

• Ongoing capacity building. 

• Attending Sub-regional Audit Support meetings (Holding Chair of Sub-regional Audit 

Support) and participating in the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions 

meeting at Johannesburg. 


• Implementation of a Complaints Handling Ombudsman Backed Service which will include 

the provision of technical assistance and training for relevant staff within all Government 

Departments on the appropriate processes to undertake in dealing with complaints from 

the public. 


• Palau submitted a request to the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance to educate the Ombudsman 

on the roles and responsibilities of the Ombudsman, as he is new to this post. The Alliance


has accepted the request and will provide financial assistance to the Palau Ombudsman to 

travel to Australia and Solomon Islands to visit the Ombudsman’s Offices. 


Pacific Ombudsman Alliance 

• Explore the Complaint Handling Ombudsman Backed Scheme in the Federated States of 

Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Kiribati based on the trial in Niue. 

• Creation of a training unit constituted with officers from member countries. 

• Develop two out of the five training modules. 

• Country visit by the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance to Tonga to raise awareness on the role of 

the ombudsman, subject to an invitation from the Government of Tonga. 

• Develop training program on forensic accounting training. 

• Register as an Australian Partner Organisation with Australian Youth Ambassadors for 

Development / Volunteering for International Development from Australia. 

• Develop Pacific Ombudsman Information Sharing Network. 

Pacific Regional Audit Initiative 

• The hiring by the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions Secretariat of a Capacity 

Building Adviser, a Technical and Methodology Adviser and an Administrative Assistant. An 

Executive Director has already been engaged by the Association. 




• The major issue is that qualified auditors and more qualified persons are lacking in the 

Audit Department. Capacity building is a major issue. 


• There are some financial and technical considerations that may hinder development, 

however assistance from the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance, the New Zealand Ombudsman 

Office, and the Commonwealth Secretariat will address most, if not all, of the perceived 

problems. 


• Due to financial and human resource constraints, the Office of the Ombudsman is unable to 

provide full services to the public. 


• The recognition and endorsement by the Pacific Plan Action Committee of the work of the 

Pacific Ombudsman Alliance strengthens its mandate to strengthen accountability, integrity 

and transparency in the region. Challenges to the independence of accountability and 

integrity institutions. 


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165 


(vi) Encouraging greater involvement of parliamentarians in the development agenda, 

through the Forum Presiding Officers and Clerks/Pacific Parliamentary Assembly for 

Population and Development (FPOC-PPAPD) and other leadership groups. 


months? 


Parliament 

• In October 2009, the Parliament of Nauru held a workshop on the establishment of 

a Parliamentary Group on Population and Development and appointed a number 

of champions, one for each of the main Forum Presiding Officers and Clerks/Pacific 

Parliamentary Assembly for Population and Development themes. The group developed a 

work plan for October 2009-Decemeber 2010. 


• Attendance and participation of the Speaker, Clerk and Members of the Assembly 

at regional, back-to-back conferences of Forum Presiding Officers and Clerks/Pacific 

Parliamentary Assembly for Population and Development, where members shared with 

other legislatures the experiences and developments in respective national assemblies. 

• Advocacy work amongst the youth, with the appointment of four Parliamentarians, which 

included the Niue Speaker, as the Regional Youth Champions for HIV/AIDS, STIs and 

teenage pregnancies. 

• Capacity building with the combined in-country population and development-HIV/ 

AIDS and STIs workshop for Members and support staff of the legislature, where 

the Niue National Champion for HIV/AIDS and STIs was also appointed. Further 

regional Champions were appointed at the Forum Presiding Officers and Clerks/Pacific 

Parliamentary Assembly for Population and Development, Rarotonga, and Cook Islands, 

where Niue’s representative was appointed the Regional Climate Change Champion. 

• In-country information, technology and communication workshop for Members and 

support staff focused on the use of computers and the internet. 


• In cooperation with national legislatures, UNDP is currently implementing parliamentary 

support projects in Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Palau. These projects 

aim to strengthen the capacity of Pacific legislatures to discharge their constitutional 

law-making, oversight and representational mandates in order to support sustainable and 

participatory national development through improved governance. 

• UNDP, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Pacific 

Legislatures for Population and Governance, also worked with Pacific legislators to develop 

“Pacific benchmarks for democratic legislatures” which were endorsed at the annual Pacific 

Legislatures for Population and Governance meeting in November 2008. 

• UNDP continues to work with UNFPA and the Pacific Legislatures for Population and 

Governance to support national legislators to effectively promote population and 

governance issues locally.



• Participation of HIV/AIDS and youth champions in the Pacific Youth Festival in Fiji in July 


• Launched the ‘Be Safe’ HIV/AIDS prevention campaign on Fiji TV and Sky Pacific. 

• Convened the 2nd Biennial Thematic Conference on Climate Change and Gender in 

Rarotonga, Cook Islands from 16-17 November 2009. 

• Convened the joint 3rd Pacific Parliamentary Assembly for Population and Development 

General Assembly and 8th Forum Presiding Officers and Clerks meeting in Rarotonga, Cook 

Islands from 18-19 November 2009. 

• Adopted the Rarotonga Declaration on Climate Change, the Pacific Parliamentarians 

Framework for Action on Climate Change and the Pacific Parliamentarians Framework for 

Action on Gender. 

• Established the Pacific Legislatures for Population and Governance through a merger of 

Pacific Parliamentary Assembly for Population and Development, and Forum Presiding 

Officers and Clerks on 19 November 2009. 

• Adopted the Pacific Legislatures for Population and Governance Strategic Plan 2008 2012, 

the Pacific Legislatures for Population and Governance Communications and Advocacy 

Strategy, the Pacific Legislatures for Population and Governance Resource Mobilisation 

Strategy and the Recommended Benchmarks for Pacific Democratic Legislatures. 

• Appointed five Legislators in Nauru, the Marshall Islands, and Kiribati as champions for 

HIV/AIDS, youth, climate change, gender and governance. 

• Appointment of five Pacific Legislators as champions for climate change. 

• Appointed five Pacific Legislators as champions for gender, five Pacific Legislators as 

champions for governance and a coordinator as the Executive Officer of the Pacific 

Legislatures for Population and Governance on 1 January 2010. 

• Established the permanent headquarters of Pacific Legislatures for Population and 

Governance in Rarotonga, Cook Islands on 20 November 2009. 

• Established Parliamentary Groups on Population and Development in Nauru, Niue, Marshall 

Islands, Kiribati and the Federated States of Micronesia. 



• Subject to the formation of a Government following the 19 June 2010 general elections, 

the Parliament Secretariat proposes to convene a meeting of the Parliamentary Group on 

Population and Development to appoint new champions for each of the Forum Presiding 

Officers and Clerks/Pacific Parliamentary Assembly for Population and Development 

themes, and to facilitate progress against the work plan. 


• Further capacity building and follow up workshops planned for Members and support staff 

on benchmarking of the legislature; and follow up computer workshops to consolidate and/ 

or progress training to next level. 


• UNDP will also soon be mobilising parliamentary support projects in Tonga, Tuvalu and the 

Federated States of Micronesia. 


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• Support for advocacy activities by Legislators in Cook Islands, Samoa, Kiribati, Marshall 

Islands and Tuvalu. 

• Establishment of Parliamentary Groups on Population and Development in Solomon 

Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. 

• Support for induction of new Parliamentarians in Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Tonga and 

Federated States of Micronesia. 

• Design and production of advocacy materials for HIV/AIDS, gender, governance and climate 

change in Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia. 

• Solomon Islands parliamentary champions’ 30-second promotional video through local TV 

on HIV/AIDS, climate change, gender and governance. 

• Ongoing training for parliamentary champions. 

• Promote good governance and leadership integrity amongst Pacific legislators. 

• Promote understanding of Pacific benchmarks for democratic legislatures. 

• Resource mobilisation and strengthening of the Secretariat. 




• Political instability and uncertainty have hampered any progress by the Parliamentary 

Group on Population and Development for the first half of 2010. If political instability 

continues, it is unlikely that the Parliamentary Group on Population and Development will 

be able to make any progress. 


• Financial constraints/capacity - Niue’s economy would not have been able to fund 

the attendance and participation of the Speaker, Clerk and Members at past or future 

Forum Presiding Officers and Clerks/Pacific Parliamentary Assembly for Population and 

Development regional conferences (since Rarotonga conference 2009, it is now known 

as the Pacific Legislature for Population and Development), let alone the running incountry 

capacity building workshops, without the assistance of the Pacific Legislature for 

Population and Development. 


• Limited financial and human resources available to support the advocacy initiatives of the 

Parliamentary Group on Population and Development.


(vii) Addressing corruption through the use and implementation of relevant and existing 

national, regional and international mechanisms and commitments. 



Parliament 

• Among the proposed constitutional amendments passed by Parliament in August 2009, was 

the insertion in the Constitution of a Leadership Code, which proscribes corrupt practices 

by Leaders. This proposed amendment is likely to commence in 2010 (subject to the passage 

by Parliament of necessary consequential amendments to the relevant Act). The inclusion of 

a Leadership Code in the Constitution would be complemented by a Leadership Code Act, 

which would set out the details regarding the proof of leadership offences, and which would 

establish a Leadership Code Tribunal. 

• In 2009, some public officials were charged with criminal offences in relation to the 

misappropriation of public funds; at least one official was convicted and imprisoned for 

these corrupt practices. This is a new and unusual development in Nauru, and the holding 

to account of persons who have stolen public funds sends an important message that people 

can no longer get away with this sort of conduct. 

• Nauru is not yet a party to the UN Convention against Corruption, but the Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs has received an invitation to attend a meeting on the Convention in July 

2010, and it is anticipated that Nauru may become a party shortly thereafter. 

Justice Department 

• Most significantly, in August 2009, Parliament unanimously approved the Constitution of 

Nauru (Referendum Amendments) Bill 2009. Had the Bill been approved by referendum, 

clause 16 would have inserted into the Constitution a new Article 13B, enshrining as a 

fundamental right the right to information held by Government and its instrumentalities. 

It would have also obliged Parliament to enact freedom of information legislation. Freedom 

of information is considered an essential element of any government’s efforts to increase 

accountability and limit corruption. Unfortunately, in February 2010 the referendum to 

adopt the amendments to the Constitution failed to secure the necessary two-thirds support. 

• In August 2009, the Governments of Nauru and Australia signed a Partnership for 

Development, a key objective of which is more efficient and accountable public sector 

management. 


• Establishment of a 12-month trial office called the Complaints Handling Ombudsman Based 

Service, within the Justice Department. 


• The Republic of Palau ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption in 

February 2009. Assistance from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in developing a gap 

analysis is ongoing. This is to assist Palau to identify the problem and from there it will 

formulate a plan to address the gap in its corruption framework. 


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169 



Anti-corruption 

• Since the Forum Leaders’ decision of 2004, which invited members to consider signing 

and ratifying the United Nations Convention against Corruption to strengthen good 

governance in accordance with the Biketawa Declaration, only three Pacific Island states 

have recognised it. Papua New Guinea ratified it on 16 July 2007, Fiji and Palau acceded 

to the United Nations Convention against Corruption on 14 May 2008 and 24 March 

2009 respectively. Ten states in the Pacific region are yet to accede to the United Nations 

Convention against Corruption. 

• Through the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UNDP Pacific 

Centre, the first sub-regional workshop on the UN Convention against Corruption was 

held on 10-12 March 2009, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It aimed at, amongst other 

things, raising awareness amongst key policy-makers of the importance of the United 

Nations Convention against Corruption and building familiarity with its key provisions. 

• A sub-regional workshop to promote the ratification and reporting on the United Nations 

Convention against Corruption, was attended by four Pacific Island country representatives 

in Toronto, Canada from 29 September – 1 October 2009. 

• National accountability, Freedom of Information and Anti-Corruption Consultation for 

Palau Stakeholders, 18-19 August 2009. 

• Following the 2009 Palau workshop, the Secretariat is currently examining Palau’s national 

laws, regulations and policies against the United Nations Convention against Corruption, 

to assist with completion of a self-assessment toolkit and complete a gap analysis, which 

amongst other activities, will build the groundwork for a National Action Plan. 

• In early 2010, UNDP provided inputs into Papua New Guinea’s draft National Anti- 

Corruption Strategy Framework. 

Strengthening Leadership 

• The AusAID Pacific Leadership Program support leads the work on this issue in the region. 

Its program directions are provided by the Advisory Panel of eminent Pacific Islanders, who 

met in April 2010. The Program’s target countries are Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, 

Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu and Timor Leste. 

Forum Principles of Good Leadership 

• The Secretariat completed research and analysis on the Forum Principles of Good 

Leadership, drawing from research on the sixteen Forum member countries. A report has 

been provided on each Forum member country. 



Parliament 

• Leadership Code may be introduced in the Constitution and complemented by legislation. 

• Nauru may become a party to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. 


• The 2009 review of the National Sustainable Development Strategy lists as priority 

outcomes the introduction of legislation dealing with freedom of information and a 

leadership code.



• A review of the Complaints Handling Ombudsman Based Service trial to determine the way 

forward in terms of an Ombudsman Office. 


• Complete the gap analysis on anti-corruption frameworks in Palau to assist the Ministry 

of State in completing the self assessment checklist, which is a new review mechanism 

developed to review all signatories to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. 

• Strengthen the Ombudsman Office by making it independent from the Office of the 

President. This can only be done by legislation. 


Anti-corruption 

• Complete examination of Palau’s legislation, regulation and policies and submit report for 

Palau government. 

• For one of the remaining ten Pacific Island States to recognise the United Nations 

Convention against Corruption. 

• To encourage all countries, irrespective of whether they have ratified the United Nations 

Convention against Corruption, to complete the new self-assessment toolkit. 

• Key information such as implementation gaps, identifying type of technical assistance 

needed to fill such gaps, and setting out elements of an action plan to advance ratification 

of the United Nations Convention against Corruption or implementation where they have 

ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption. 

• UNDP will shortly be publishing a “Guide to Undertaking United Nations Convention 

against Corruption Self-Assessments” which is designed to assist policy-makers in the 

Asia-Pacific region to assess their compliance with the United Nations Convention against 

Corruption and identify priorities for action. 

• In July 2010, UNDP and the UNODC will be holding a “Pacific Conference on Ratification 

and Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption”. The conference 

is designed to raise awareness in the region of the usefulness of the United Nations 

Convention against Corruption as a framework for Pacific governments to inform their 

efforts to tackle corruption. 

Strengthening Leadership 

• Continued implementation of program activities by AusAID in identified target countries. 

Forum Principles of Good Leadership 

• Publication of the Forum Secretariat research into good leadership principles in June 2010. 

The baseline for this research has the potential to form the framework to monitor trends 

and gaps in leadership practice for the region. 


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171 




Parliament 

• Political instability and uncertainty have hampered any progress, with consequential 

amendments to the Constitution, which include the Leadership Code, since March 2010. 

If political instability continues, the commencement of the Leadership Code and other 

constitutional amendments is likely to be further delayed. 


• The ongoing political uncertainty is a major impediment to progress in this area. Also lack 

of capacity within major institutions responsible for monitoring and preventing corruption 

also makes such progress very difficult. 


• Capacity and resource constraints in a small government and possibly political will. 


• Lack of political will has hindered the progress of the Ombudsman Act in Congress. 


• A comprehensive UN Convention which requires responsible implementing agencies to 

ensure Pacific states are fully aware and cognisant of its reporting and implementation 

requirements. 

• Need for the presence of lead UN implementing agency to support Pacific States with 

their reporting and implementation requirements in order to harness the value of this UN 

Convention in addressing corruption.

[E] 

Ensuring improved 

social, political and legal 

conditions for stability, 

safety and security 


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173 


(i) Improving human security outcomes for Members, through advancing effective conflict 

prevention, conflict resolution mechanisms and peace building. 


months? 


Nauru Police Force 

• On-going training of police officers and increasing capacity for effective community 

policing through more active engagement with the community. 


• Efforts have continued, with the assistance of the Australian Federal Police, to strengthen 

the Nauru Police Force to ensure a culturally-appropriate approach to conflict, in order to 

ensure that a robust legal system can deal with issues of conflict as they may arise. 


• Continuing training of Police staff in media and conflict resolution, as well as individual 

placements in New Zealand for officers to gain experience in conflict prevention and 

resolution by working alongside New Zealand Police officers. Training by way of officers 

attending seminars involving other Pacific Police forces. 

• Continued support to various national and regional actions concerning human security, 

including climate change events. 


• More public consultations on issues that affect every person’s life. The Law Commission is 

currently reviewing some of the current and old legislation that include, for instance, the 

Crimes Ordinance Act, Coroners Ordinance, Care and Protection legislation and others. In 

the course of the reviews, public consultations are being held to provide the opportunity for 

the community to voice concerns over key legislation. In addition, Commissions of Enquiry 

are being held to similarly engage public opinion on issues such as the right to freedom of 

religion and lands and titles. 


Security Sector Governance in the Pacific 

• A Joint UNDP and Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Publication was launched entitled 

Enhancing Security Sector Governance in the Pacific Region: A Strategic Framework. 

• The 2010 meeting of the Forum Regional Security Committee endorsed further study on 

the preparation of key guiding principles on security sector governance for the region for 

its consideration. 

European Union Assistance to Regional Peace and Security Mechanisms 

• The European Union intends to fund a study to assess options for the European Union 

to support existing Pacific Islands Forum frameworks in the interlinked areas of security, 

conflict prevention and governance.


Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat-Civil Society Organisations’ Dialogue 

• The Forum Secretariat hosted two Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat-Civil Society 

Organisation Dialogue workshops, in November 2009 and April 2010, to discuss conflict, 

peace and security issues. 

• The dialogue workshops will become a bi-annual event, timed to allow civil society to raise 

views with the Forum Regional Security Committee annual meetings (in June) and to allow 

the Forum Regional Security Committee responses to be conveyed back to civil society 

organisations. 

Human Rights 

• A Human Rights Adviser was appointed in March 2010 to oversee and coordinate the 

implementation of the human rights objectives of the Pacific Plan, in cooperation with 

relevant Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific agencies and partner agencies. 




• Further training and workshop participation through the year, improved peace and stability 

in the community. 


• The efforts set out above will continue. 


• Continued support to various national and regional actions concerning human security, 

including climate change events. 


• The reports from the public consultations on the law reforms and reports of the commission 

of enquiries will help provide further guidelines on how to improve people’s situations in 

Samoa and allow for peace building within the nation. 


• The Forum Secretariat and relevant partners will work toward fulfilling the requests of the 

2010 Forum Regional Security Committee outlined below. 

Security Sector Governance 

• To develop national and regional policies and provide technical assistance to interested 

countries to strengthen security sector governance in the Pacific Islands region, including 

through expressions of interest from countries not yet receiving such assistance. 

• Undertake further study on the preparation of key guiding principles on security sector 

governance for the region for consideration by the Forum Regional Security Committee. 

European Union Assistance to Regional Peace and Security Mechanisms 

• The Forum Secretariat and where appropriate, Forum members, will provide appropriate 

assistance and advice to the European Union in the course of its intended support study. 


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175 


Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat-Civil Society Organisation Dialogue 

• The Forum Secretariat, in consultation with member states, will respond to civil society 

views with a report tabled at subsequent Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat-Civil Society 

Organisation Dialogue workshops. 

Human Rights 

• Undertake further research and scoping to explore the potential for regional human rights 

mechanisms, including the establishment of a dedicated Working Group to achieve this 

goal. 

• Continue to assist Forum Island Countries with ratification of, and reporting on, 

international human rights treaties and conventions as an effective means to gauge 

development progress in the region. 

• Assisting Forum Island Countries with universal periodic review recommendation 

implementation. 

• Facilitation of internal Forum Secretariat human rights training. 





• Lack of sustainable resources and capacity to respond effectively to emerging issues. 


• The ongoing political uncertainty is a major impediment to progress in this area. 


• Lack of buy-in from donor agencies. Lack of local resourcing to provide training required 

for junior officers. Capacity and resource constraints in a small government and possibly 

political will. 


• None identified.


(ii) Strengthening cooperation in the law enforcement and border security sectors to address 

terrorism and transnational crime. 


months? 



• Closer cooperation between Police and Border Control, with successful interdiction at 

border control. Closer ties with the Pacific Transnational Crime Centre. 


• A new border control strategy has been adopted, bringing the three major border control 

agencies (Immigration, Customs and Quarantine) under a Director of Border Control. This 

aims to better coordinate information and intelligence sharing amongst the agencies. There 

has been considerable investment in building the capacity of the Financial Intelligence Unit 

to better track currency flows. 


• Strengthening of Niue’s immigration procedures and increased interconnection between 

Police and Immigration. Attendance of senior immigration or police officials to the annual 

terrorism and transnational crime conferences. 

• Ratification of 12 counter-terrorism international instruments essential to meeting 

international standards. 

• In relation to the Financial Intelligence Unit, entering into information exchange 

agreements with the New Zealand Financial Intelligence Unit and other Financial 

Intelligence Units. 


• The Ministry of Justice holds weekly meetings with Bureau heads. During these meetings it 

discusses issues that are of a security concern to the Bureau of Immigration. 

• The Bureau of Public Safety, as a member of the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police, has actively 

participated and deployed an officer to the Micronesia Transnational Crime Unit in Pohnpei, 

Federated States of Micronesia. Information is regularly shared with member countries of 

the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police. In the past two years, the Bureau of Public Safety has 

deployed an officer to the post at the Micronesia Transnational Crime Unit for a rotation of 

six months. Presently, there is a Palau Police Officer posted at the Unit. 


• The Government of Samoa remains committed to meeting its international obligations 

under counter terrorism conventions and is currently reviewing the national legislative 

framework against terrorism and transnational organised crime. Discussions on improving 

Samoa’s legislative framework to meet its international obligations and consideration of a 

working draft Bill on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Organised Crime was also made 

during a workshop held in Samoa last year. 


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177 


• Capacity building efforts for law enforcement and border security officers is an ongoing 

activity to strengthen awareness and interagency cooperation. There is enhanced regional 

cooperation spearheaded by Australia to foster information sharing and best practices for 

law enforcement and border control officers as seen in the Proliferation Security Initiative 

Workshop Australia organised and hosted last year. 

• Samoa’s National Border Management Committee continues its work in Samoa to discuss 

issues of interest to Samoa’s borders. 

• Samoa currently hosts the Pacific Transnational Crimes Coordination agency for the 

Pacific. To further strengthen its own national and regional cooperative work in addressing 

terrorism and transnational crime, Samoa joined and became a member of the International 

Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) in October 2009. 


Transnational Crime and border security 

• The development of the Annual Pacific Transnational Crime Assessment Report by the 

Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and partner law enforcement agencies was presented 

to the 2010 Forum Regional Security Committee meeting. Support was expressed by the 

Forum Regional Security Committee for collaborative projects between Forum Members, 

the Forum Secretariat, regional law enforcement secretariats and relevant stakeholders to 

address the various issues raised in the Pacific Transnational Crimes Assessment, including 

legislation, data collection, drug trafficking, criminal deportees, money laundering, 

organised crime, people smuggling and human trafficking and commercial fraud. 

• A meeting of the Working Group on Counter Terrorism was convened by the New Zealand 

Government in conjunction with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat before the 2010 

Forum Regional Security Committee. The Working Group comprised senior officials from 

Member States, officials from the Forum Secretariat, and law enforcement agencies. The 

Working Group endorsed a proposal by the New Zealand government (which was also 

welcomed by the Forum Regional Security Committee) to run a regional counter terrorism 

exercise, Ready Pasifika II, scheduled for early 2011. 

Border Control Training 

• The Secretariat has provided support to an ongoing joint initiative between the Pacific 

Immigration Directors’ Conference, Australian Department of Immigration and 

Citizenship, New Zealand Immigration and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to provide 

basic and advanced border document examination training for law enforcement officers. 

This training initiative is conducted annually. 

Small Arms and Light Weapons 

• The 2010 Forum Regional Security Committee endorsed the draft Regional Implementation 

Guidelines for the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit 

Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN PoA). 

• The Control of Ammunition project is being finalised to assist Members by providing 

a regional toolkit with model provisions and procedures to regulate the importation, 

distribution, sale, storage and destruction of ammunition and also to be used as resource 

material for ammunition matters by law enforcement agencies in the region. 

• The Model Weapons Control Bill supported by Forum Leaders in 2003 has been revised to 

include provisions on arms brokering, which was identified as an area not well regulated in 

the region.


Strengthening Information Management 

• A Forum Regional Security Committee Working Group for Strengthening Information 

Management was established inter-sessionally in early 2010. Chaired by the Forum 

Secretariat, the Working Group includes Australia, Kiribati and New Zealand, as well as 

various regional law enforcement agencies and has been tasked with consolidating previous 

work undertaken in this area and providing the Forum Regional Security Committee in 

2011 with pragmatic recommendations for information sharing at both the national and 

regional levels. 

Criminal Deportees 

• The Forum Secretariat and relevant law enforcement agencies in the region continued 

to highlight issues arising from criminal deportees, removed nationals and returnees in 

identified Forum Island Countries. 

• The Forum Secretariat has liaised with International organisations and law enforcement 

agencies such as Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police and UNESCO, who have been conducting 

studies on various aspects of the deportees issue within the region. The Pacific Immigration 

Directors’ Conference continues to work with the International Organisation for Migration 

on the Assisted Voluntary Return Project for the Pacific. 

UNODC Activities in the Pacific 

• The UNODC’s Regional Programme Framework underpins its technical assistance activities 

in the Pacific region. 

• The UNDOC has ongoing and future activities aimed at (i) strengthening law enforcement 

and criminal justice responses to criminal or terrorist threats in the Pacific region; and (ii) 

enabling Pacific Island Forum countries to meet their obligations under relevant United 

Nations resolutions and instruments. 

Law Enforcement Unit Immigration Secondment Project 

• In 2010, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Law Enforcement Unit will recruit a secondee 

for six months, following Forum Secretariat appointment processes, to undertake an 

immigration related study for the Secretariat. This project will be undertaken with the 

support of the Pacific Immigration Directors’ Conference Secretariat and will focus on 

human trafficking and people smuggling issues in the region. 




• More effective exchange of law enforcement intelligence with key stakeholders, training 

and workshops. 


• Better coordination between the border control agencies and the Nauru Police Force. 

Strengthened legislation to combat terrorism and transnational organised crime is also in 

the pipeline. 


• Continuing to identify potential risks to Niue’s borders through effective profiling of 

hopeful migrants to the countries and identifying the risks that they pose. 


178


179 


• Niue intends to ratify the four remaining counter-terrorism international instruments (out 

of the current 16 instruments essential to meeting international standards). 

• Currently negotiating Tax Exchange Information Agreements under the auspices of the 

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with other countries. 


• The Bureau of Immigration, under the Ministry of Justice, has plans underway to upgrade 

the passport reading machines to meet International Civil Aviation Organisation 

requirements. 

• The Bureau of Public Safety recently posted a new officer to the Micronesia Transnational 

Crime Unit for the next six months. The Officer will be the sixth police officer deployed to 

the Unit. 


• Greater information sharing with other law enforcement and border officers in the region 

through meetings and initiatives such as the Proliferation Security Initiative hosted 

again by Australia in 2010 and training courses such as the United States security courses 

in Hawaii this year. These opportunities are valuable for Samoa to further knowledge, 

experience and best practices with other colleagues from the region. 


• The Forum Secretariat and relevant partners will work towards fulfilling the following 

requests of the 2010 Forum Regional Security Committee outlined below. 

Small Arms and Lights Weapons 

• Provide assistance and coordination, as required under the Regional Implementation 

Guidelines for the UN PoA. 

• Review the constraints faced by Members on implementing the UN PoA, and provide a 

strategy on how to mobilise available resources to advance implementation activities 

within the region. 

• Explore the issue of unexploded ordnance in the region to assist Forum members in 

addressing this longstanding matter. 

• The ammunition control project is intended to be used as a model toolkit for Members to 

control the importation and sale of ammunitions, as well as providing training awareness 

material. 

Criminal Deportees 

• The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Law Enforcement Unit to coordinate with the Pacific 

Islands Chiefs of Police and the Pacific Islands Immigration Directors Conference, to 

advance a coordinated strategy to assist members to counter the threat posed by criminal 

deportees. 

UNODC Activities in the Pacific 

• Forum Secretariat to continue to actively seek mechanisms for further engagement with 

the UNODC across the breadth of their activities in the Pacific region. 

Law Enforcement Unit Immigration Secondment Project 

• The Forum Secretariat Law Enforcement Unit to provide a report to the 2011 Forum 

Regional Security Committee on the outcomes of the Law Enforcement Unit Immigration 

Secondment project.


Strengthening Law Enforcement Information Management 

• The Forum Regional Security Committee Working Group for Strengthening Information 

Management is to perform a stocktake of the current law enforcement information sharing 

processes available throughout the Pacific at both the domestic and regional levels. The 

Working Group is scheduled to meet upon completion of this initial work to identify key 

issues and prepare possible solutions to be recommended to the Forum Regional Security 

Committee in 2011. 





• Breakdown of good governance and will at the political and bureaucratic levels through 

corrupt practice. 


• The ongoing political uncertainty is a major impediment to progress in this area. Also a lack 

of capacity within a major institution responsible for monitoring and preventing corruption 

also makes such progress very difficult. 


• Getting the balance right between making Niue an attractive place for migrants to enquire 

about and making sure that immigration control procedures are adequate and reviewed 

periodically to ensure they are current to meet the needs. 

• Capacity and resource constraints in a small government and possibly political will. 


• Asylum seekers - Palau is not a signatory to the agreement, however it is in the process 

of reviewing the agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 

(UNHCR). 


• The major over arching issue impacting all the programme’s activities is the shortage of 

resources, both financial and personnel, particularly in Forum Island Countries. 


180


181 


(iii) Promoting and consolidating regional stability through adherence to Forum values and 

the principles of the Biketawa Declaration. 


months? 



• Maintaining law and order, ensuring the human rights of individuals when enforcing the 

law, continue contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands 

(RAMSI) and active participation in regional policing initiatives, including through Pacific 

Islands Chiefs of Police Forum. 


• Nauru has been a major beneficiary of regional cooperation, through the Pacific Regional 

Assistance to Nauru (PRAN) program. As a result of the success of PRAN, Nauru has 

emerged from the crisis phase and is on the path to sustainable economic recovery and 

development. At the 2009 Leaders’ meeting, Leaders agreed with Nauru that having 

achieved its objectives, PRAN is no longer required. Nauru has also contributed personnel to 

RAMSI. Nauru invited a Forum election observer team to monitor the April 2010 elections. 


• The Bureau of Public Safety has deployed two police officers to the Solomon Islands with 

RAMSI. These officers will be returning home after a one year rotation ending in November 

2010. The Bureau of Public Safety has been deploying its officers with RAMSI since 

November 2006. 

• The Bureau of Public Safety deployed two Police Peacekeepers to Darfur, Sudan under the 

United Nations Africa Mission in Darfur (UNMID). Their tour of duty began in November 

2008 and is scheduled to end in November 2009. UNAMID requested a six month extension, 

which would have the officers returning home in May 2010. One police officer has returned 

home after one and a half years in Darfur, while another police officer was asked to extend 

her tour term for an additional six months, which would have her returning home in 

November 2010. 


Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands 

• Agreement by the Solomon Islands Government and RAMSI on a Partnership Framework 

in 2009 (this was also welcomed by the 2009 Leaders’ Forum). The Framework provides a 

clear and structured way forward for RAMSI to fulfil its mandate in the Solomon Islands. It 

also provides a sense of joint ownership, as it was negotiated jointly by the Solomon Islands 

Government and RAMSI, and progress on it will be assessed jointly. 

• A high level Joint Oversight Committee was also established to monitor the 

implementation of the Partnership Framework. The Committee is chaired by the Solomon 

Islands Prime Minister.


• The Triumvirate (Solomon Islands Government, RAMSI and the Pacific Islands Forum 

Secretariat) have met six times to discuss implementation of RAMSI’s mandate and ensure 

issues regarding implementation were kept on track, as well as ensure all parties were kept 

informed. 

• A key development since the Partnership Agreement has been the quarterly oral briefings by 

RAMSI to Cabinet. 

• In April 2010, the Forum Ministerial Standing Committee on RAMSI held a successful 

meeting in Honiara. Papua New Guinea was welcomed as a permanent member of the 

Committee. 

Fiji 

• A Ministerial Contact Group meeting was convened in Auckland on 31 May 2010 to discuss 

ways to re-engage with Fiji. 




• Improved community trust and perception, continued implementation of regional 

strategies. 


• Nauru expects to continue to respect and adhere to the principles outlined in the Biketawa 

Declaration, and to continue to contribute to regional initiatives where possible. 


• The Bureau of Public Safety, under the Ministry of Justice, is currently undergoing a 

selection process to choose two police officers to be deployed to RAMSI for a one year tour 

of duty beginning September 2010 and ending in November 2011. 



• Continued strengthening of relations between the Solomon Islands Government and 

RAMSI under the Partnership Framework 





• Deterioration of good governance at the political level, breakdown of law and order through 

emerging social and economic factors, lack of sustainable resources. 


• The ongoing political uncertainty is a major threat to continued progress in this area. 


182


183 




• The Ministry of Justice and the Bureau of Public Safety stand to face issues in shortage of 

manpower, as it is deploying experienced police officers to RAMSI and Darfur (UNAMID). 

• Shortage of equipment and vehicles (aging ambulance, fire trucks and police cars). 

• Overcrowding jail/correction facilities (juvenile, female, male). 



• No risks. 

Fiji 

• The Fiji government has shown little sign of wanting to engage with the Forum in a process 

that is consistent with the Forum’s values.

Other On-going 

Pacific Plan 

Priorities 

This section provides an update 

on priorities set by leaders at 

previous meetings of the 

Pacific Islands Forum. 


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185 

Priority 

Development of a regional cultural strategy to maintain and strengthen Pacific cultural identity. 


months? 


• Study completed on the valuation of culture in the Pacific to provide Pacific Island 

Countries and Territories with data to understand how to value culture in relation to the 

four pillars of the Pacific Plan, and for the development of a Regional Cultural Strategy. 

• Development of the Regional Cultural Strategy underway. 

• Technical assistance provided to the Solomon Islands to prepare for the 11th Festival of 

Pacific Arts to be held in 2012, including provision of organisation guidelines and timetable 

and mentoring of festival organisers. World Intellectual Property Organisation-funded 

revision of copyright law and implementation of traditional knowledge. 

• Festival of Arts evaluation study endorsed by the 23rd Council of Pacific Arts and Culture. 

• Scoping study on Trade Marketing the Festival of Pacific Arts completed with funding from 

the World Intellectual Property Organisation. 

• Partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and World Intellectual Property 

Organisation for ongoing implementation plan for protection of traditional knowledge. 

• European Commission funding obtained for development of the cultural sector, including 

development of cultural policies, marketing strategy for the cultural industries, and 

preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. 



• Regional Cultural Strategy completed and presented to Forum Leaders. 

• Continue to provide technical assistance for preparations of the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts. 

• Implementation of recommendations from the evaluation of the Festival of Pacific Arts. 

• Development of a Festival of Pacific Arts trademark underway. 

• Cultural policies developed in six targeted countries. 

• Cultural industries scoping completed and marketing strategy developed. 

• Development of cultural statistics and indicators for national planning and policy. 




• Lack of human resources to carry out the multiple activities currently underway and 

required for successful development of cultural sector as a driver of the economy and for 

social wellbeing.

Priority 

Human Rights components of the Pacific Plan’s Governance Pillar that contribute 

towards the improvement of systems that enhance transparency, accountability and 

equity. 



• In partnership with UNIFEM, assisted Kiribati to prepare their reports to the CEDAW 

committee. 

• Provided training to French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna in CEDAW 

reporting, with technical support ongoing. 

• Provided assistance to Tuvalu, Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the 

Republic of Marshall Islands and Nauru in reporting under the new Universal Periodic 

Review mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council. The Pacific Regional Rights Resource 

Team joined the Tuvalu government delegation in its reporting in Geneva. 

• In partnership with the University of the South Pacific’s Law school, provided training for 80 

graduate lawyers in human rights and family law. 

• Provided policy assistance and training for civil servants and members of parliament of 

countries that wished to ratify international human rights conventions, including Nauru 

(CEDAW). 

• Completed work with UNAIDS and UNDP Pacific Centre in reviewing legislation in 15 

Pacific Island Countries and Territories. Options for legislation published and available on 

UNDP Pacific Countries’ website. Model legislation has been developed for the Pacific to 

combat discrimination that fuels the spread of HIV. 

• Conducted consultations with members of parliament on the centrality of human rights to 

achieving Pacific Plan goals, resulting in increased ratification of human rights conventions 

and passing of human rights-compliant legislation in some Pacific Island Countries. 

• Provided technical assistance to nine countries (Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Nauru, 

Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) in a range of areas including 

(i) legislative analysis of bills, (ii) constitutional review processes and (iii) support to law 

reform in compliance with international human rights conventions. 

• During the same period, lawyers and community paralegals from the abovementioned 

countries also received training on CEDAW, human rights, human rights and gender, 

freedom of information and a Bill of Rights. 

• Trained and put into place six country focal officers trained in human rights and gender in 

relevant Ministries in Vanuatu, Tonga, Kiribati, Samoa, Tuvalu and Nauru. These country 

focal officers will assist countries to advance legislative change, which addresses violence 

against women as well as compliance to international human rights obligations. 

• Developed a policy paper in partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on 

advancing the development of a Pacific regional mechanism on human rights as per the 

Pacific Plan. 

• Submitted a Pacific paper on regional human rights mechanisms for the Australian 

Parliamentary sub committee for human rights. 


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187 



• Legislative reform relating to violence against women – the Pacific Regional Rights 

Resource Team will work with governments and non-government organisations in nine 

countries (Cook Islands, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and, Federated States of 

Micronesia, Nauru and Vanuatu) with financial support from the United Nations Trust 

Fund on Violence Against Women to reform laws that will address violence against women. 

The initial objective is development of model legislation that could be adapted by each 

country. 

• Develop model legislation for protection of people living with HIV/AIDS – the Pacific 

Regional Rights Resource Team will help Pacific Island Countries and Territories develop 

legislation that protects people infected or affected by HIV from discrimination through 

the development of model legislation that could be adapted. Initial work will be done with 

Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Palau and Vanuatu in reviewing existing legislation and looking 

at improved legislative options. 

• Report to the UN Human Rights Council under the new Universal Periodic Review 

reporting mechanism on human rights. The Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team, in 

partnership with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, will assist both 

civil society and the governments of Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Samoa, 

Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Nauru and Republic of the Marshall Islands 

in reporting to the UN Human Rights Council under the new Universal Periodic Review 

reporting mechanism on human rights. 

• CEDAW reporting – the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team will assist Tuvalu and 

Kiribati report to the CEDAW Committee in conjunction with UNIFEM. The Human 

Development Programme will continue to assist the French Territories in preparing their 

contribution to France’s CEDAW report. 

• Enhancing women’s participation in politics – the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team 

will work with other SPC programmes and UNIFEM to assist the Solomon Islands to 

develop temporary special measures to enhance women’s participation in politics. 

• Development of a regional human rights mechanism for the Pacific – in partnership with 

the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team will further 

develop the concept of a regional human rights mechanism for the Pacific for consideration 

by Forum Leaders. 

• Legislative lobbying toolkit – in collaboration with the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, 

the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team plans to publish a legislative lobbying toolkit 

that will assist governments and civil society in understanding how laws are passed in the 

Pacific. 

• Decentralising part of the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team’s operations – SPC is in 

consultation with the Government of Vanuatu to open a country office in Vanuatu in the 

next few months. The Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team will move some of its services 

and staff to Vanuatu. The Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team already works closely with 

the USP law faculty and USP has agreed to provide office space to accommodate the Pacific 

Regional Rights Resource Team until December 2009. 

• Further developing a policy paper on the viability of a regional human rights mechanism 

for the Pacific




• Human rights, a foreign concept – human rights are still too often considered a foreign 

concept and their links to everyday living and sustainable development are not fully 

understood even at government level. 

• Meeting international reporting obligations – many countries continue to find their 

reporting obligations a huge challenge as most international human rights conventions 

demand multi-sectoral reporting, which requires well-trained people, good coordination 

and adequate budgetary provision. 

• National and regional human rights mechanisms – most countries do not have sufficient 

resources to have national human rights mechanisms that can provide support and services. 

Therefore, there is a need for a regional human rights mechanism that can provide services 

in human rights reporting and education to the region. 

• Impact of political instability – political instability, whatever the cause, increases human 

rights challenges faced by countries by lessening the ability of Pacific populations to access 

essential services such as education, shelter, health care, livelihoods and social services, all 

of which are fundamental human rights. 

• Impacts of political change - some donors feel that human rights are not an integral part 

of economic development, and therefore, human rights work is often reduced through 

budgetary cuts during economic or political changes. 

Priority 

Developing effectively managed and sustainable national tuna industries. 


months? 


• Institutional strengthening review of the Kiribati and Tuvalu fisheries authorities 

completed with the Global Environment Facility- Oceanic Fisheries Management project 

funding support. 

• Institutional strengthening and review for Fiji continued. 

• Implemented collaborative projects between the Governments of Tonga, Vanuatu, Niue, 

Nauru and Federated States of Micronesia and the FFA to address the issues pertaining to 

enhancement of the domestic economy by their national tuna industries. 

• Provided financial and technical support to Pacific Islands Tuna Industry Association. 

• Developed a programme to improve the capacity of countries to export seafood, noting 

work already underway in several countries including Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Fiji. 


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• Seek extra-budgetary funding for reviews in other member countries. 

• Seek funding and assistance for Kiribati and Tuvalu to implement outcomes of the review. 

• Finalise the Fiji review. 

• Continue support under the regional Economic Integration project and initiate new 

projects in Kiribati and Solomon Islands. 

• Liaise and monitor the progress of national and regional industry associations. 

• Continue existing work and expand to include other countries, particularly the Republic of 

the Marshall Islands and Kiribati. 




• Donor funding for continued implementation ceases or is reduced. 

• Projects not effectively implemented at the national level due to political interference and 

lack of government support. 

• Industry associations not effective due to financial constraints, lack of capacity and other 

circumstances. 

• Delays encountered in approving regulatory processes and in developing technical 

capacity. 

• Political will remains to implement the projects. 

Priority 

Implementing (with the assistance of the FFA) comprehensive conservation measures to 

protect stock levels in coastal, exclusive economic zones and on the high seas. 


months? 


Application of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management 

• Completion of Niue and Tokelau Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management. 

• Continuation of Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management process for Tuvalu and 

commencement for Fiji and the Solomon Islands. 

• Commenced or continued revision of Tuvalu, Niue, Fiji and Samoa Tuna Management 

Plans and management regulations.


Development of conservation measures in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission 

• Commenced development of negotiation strategies for Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission issues throughout 2010. 

• Member country assessments of the implementation status and implications of the Western 

and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Conservation and Management Measures. 

• Commenced preparations of a comprehensive FFA brief for the FFA Science Working 

Group, which is scheduled to meet in the margins of the 6th meetings of the Western and 

Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Scientific Committee to assist member countries in 

consolidating their views. 

• Commenced preparations of comprehensive FFA brief for the FFA Technical and 

Compliance Working Group scheduled to meet in the margins of the 6th meetings of the 

Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Technical and Compliance Committee to 

assist member countries in consolidating their views. 

• Met the 100% observer coverage on purse seiner requirements, consistent with the Western 

and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conservation and management measure 2008-01. 

• Organised the Regional Management Options Consultations to enable member countries 

to consolidate agreed positions on fisheries management measures in preparedness for the 

Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meetings. 

Strengthen national management frameworks 

• Country workshops and visits to assist in addressing respective national priority and policy 

needs. 

• Collaborated with SPC-Oceanic Fisheries Programme on the analysis of tuna management 

options for FFA member countries. 

• Drafted fisheries management papers to be considered by officials and Ministerial Forum 

Fisheries Committee meetings. 

• Organised, drafted and presented meeting papers for the Forum Fisheries Committee Sub- 

Committee on South Pacific Tuna and Billfish held in May 2010 and commenced planning 

for next meeting in October 2010. 

Participate in the establishment of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management 

Organisation 

• Prepared comprehensive briefing paper on general South Pacific Regional Fisheries 

Management Organisation issues for Forum Fisheries Committee 74. Established small 

working group to lead participation in the Preparatory Conference. 

• Identified funding to facilitate member support at Preparatory Conferences. 




• Completion of Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management work in Tuvalu, Fiji and 


• Finalise and then support the implementation of the Tuvalu, Tokelau, Niue, Fiji and Samoa 

Tuna Management Plan. 


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191 


• Tuna Management plans revised consistent with the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries 

Management concepts and implemented. 


Commission 

• Member countries effectively implementing the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission Conservation and Management Measures. 

• FFA members knowledge enhanced and able to effectively participate in respective Western 

and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meetings and implement Western and Central 

Pacific Fisheries Commission decisions at a national and sub-regional level. 

• Complete FFA brief for the FFA Science Working Group and provide policy advice to further 

enhance members’ participation at the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission 

Scientific Committee. 

• Complete FFA brief for the FFA Technical and Compliance Working Group and provide 

policy advice to further enhance members’ participation at the Western and Central Pacific 

Fisheries Commission Technical and Compliance Committee. 

• Support FFA members in resolving outstanding matters relating to the Regional Observer 

Program. 

• Complete the 6th Regional Management Options Consultation and prepare FFA member 

positions for Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission 7. 


• Workshops planned for numerous member countries. 

• Drafting of fisheries management papers to be considered by officials and Ministerial 

Forum Fisheries Committee meetings. 

• Present meeting papers for the Forum Fisheries Committee Sub-Committee on South Pacific 

Tuna and Billfish held at the margins of the 6th Management Options Consultation. 

Participate in the establishment of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries 

Management Organisation 

• Preparation of South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation brief for FFA 

members for the 1st Preparatory Conference. 

Strengthening legal frameworks 

• A key aspect of implementing conservation measures is to give it domestic legislative 

effect by incorporating them into national laws. Continued assistance to countries on their 

legislative reviews as detailed below. 

• Continued legislative reviews of Acts for a number of countries including Samoa, Fiji and 

Vanuatu. 

• Joint legislative review with SPC have commenced for Tuvalu and Niue so that work on the 

coastal and offshore components are consolidated in one Act. 

• Joint legislative review with the Food and Agriculture Organisation/SPC has commenced 

for Palau on inshore and offshore components. 

• Comments provided to Solomon Islands on their draft Act. 

• Comments provided to Kiribati on their draft Act. 

• Engage national consultants, where available, to enhance national legal capacity. National 

consultants engaged for Samoa, Vanuatu and Tuvalu. 

• Continued drafting of approaches to reflect Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission obligations in a more efficient manner to assist countries with their national 

legislative updates.



• Complete/continue drafting and consolidation of fisheries Acts. 

• Commence work on subordinate legislation 

• Use of national consultants promoted where available. 

• Ongoing support individually and collectively. 





• Inability to complete Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management because of time, 

resource and capacity constraints. Tuna Management Plans not implemented due to 

national constraints. 


Commission 

• Policy advice provided by the FFA Secretariat not accepted by member countries. 

• Insufficient financial and skilled human resources at the national level to implement 

Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission decisions. 

• Lack of support for FFA member positions at Scientific Committee. 

• Lack of support for FFA member positions at Technical and Compliance Committee. 

• Lack of effective participation during Regional Observer Program discussions due to 

unfamiliarity with issues. 

• FFA member positions for Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission 7 not agreed at 

the 6th Management Options Consultation. 


• Insufficient country workshops and visits by the FFA Secretariat to assist members. 

• Fisheries management recommendations not endorsed by officials and Ministerial Forum 

Fisheries Committee meetings. 

• Fisheries management decisions not taken by Forum Fisheries Committee Sub-Committee 

on South Pacific Tuna and Billfish. 

Participate in the establishment of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management 

Organisation 

• Lack of effective participation due to lack of understanding of issues. 


• Legislation to give effect to conservation measures not enacted or not enforced. 

• Countries do not actively use the approaches to draft Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission legislation to adapt their national laws, due to factors such as limited resources 

or other national priorities. 

• Countries do not update national laws, or national consultants or counterparts do not 

follow up on legislative work/collaboration with the FFA Secretariat at national level, due to 

factors such as limited resources or other national priorities. 


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193 

Priority 

Adopting full implementation, as called for by PNA Leaders without delay, of the 3rd 

Implementing Arrangement including the Additional Terms and Conditions of Access 

to the EEZs of the Parties. 


months? 


• Four Parties to the Nauru Agreement members given legal effect to the 3rd Implementing 

Arrangements through regulations or board resolutions before the end of December 2009. 

• Two Parties to the Nauru Agreement members have 3rd Implementing Arrangements 

approved by Cabinet for Parliamentary approval and currently implementing the 3rd 

Implementing Arrangements under licence terms and conditions. 

• Remaining two members are undergoing final review of the 3rd Implementing 

Arrangements for government approval and currently implementing the 3rd Implementing 

Arrangements under licence terms and conditions. 

• Continued assistance to members of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement to build capacity 

in the application and conservation benefits of the 3rd Implementing Arrangements. 



• Remaining five Parties to the Nauru Agreement members are currently working towards 

incorporating the requirements either by regulation or by new legislation. 

• Provision of ongoing assistance to Parties to the Nauru Agreement members to ensure that 

standardised regulations and licence conditions adopted and implemented by all Parties to 

the Nauru Agreement members. 




• The remaining five members are being given priority attention to enable them achieve the 

target.

Priority 

Action to expedite improved monitoring, control and surveillance as required by 

regional agreement. 



• Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Strategy adopted at Forum Fisheries 

Committee 74. 

• Various operations carried out since May 2009. In April 2010, Operation Raibalang carried 

out with the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau and with United States Navy and 

Coast Guard. 

• Operation Tui Moana carried out with the Cook Islands, Samoa and the Royal New Zealand 

Air Force in May-June 2010. 

• Planning for Operation Kurukuru, Island Chief 2010. 

• Dockside Boarding and Prosecution workshops in Niue (July 2009), Solomon Islands 

(October 2009) and Cook Islands (May 2010). 

• Preparation of National Fisheries Surveillance Officers course to be held in late June – early 

July 2010. 

• Preparations for Advanced Regional Fisheries Enforcement and Training course to be held in 

August 2010 in Australia and ensuring that the course is tailored to Pacific Island countries’ 

situation. 

Observer Programme 

• Endorsement by Forum Fisheries Committee of FFA Observer Implementation Plan, 

including schedule of activities to meet observer requirements of United States Treaty, 

Federated States of Micronesia Arrangement, Parties to the Nauru Agreement 3rd 

Implementing Arrangement and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission 

Conservation Measure 2008-01. 

• FFA conducted three national observer training courses and one regional observer course. 

Financial support was also provided to a Federated States of Micronesia National Observer 

course. Papua New Guinea ran two national courses using FFA-trained trainers. 

• From 1 July–31 December 2009, 58 observers and 19 cadets will have been trained. 

• Improved processing of observer-collected Monitoring, Control and Surveillance data. 

• Operation of FFA Observer Implementation Plan, noting that the Plan sets out the priorities 

and that supplementary resources will be required. 

• Fish Aggregation Device closure held from 1 July to 21 August 2009, with 100% coverage of 

purse seine vessels attained. One hundred and fifteen observer placements made on United 

States Treaty vessels and 40 placements on Federated States of Micronesia Agreement 

vessels. 


194


195 



• National implementation plans to be completed in 2010. 

• Continued monitoring and surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone providing a 

disincentive to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. 

• Collaboration with Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission to ensure integrity 

of Fish Aggregation Device closure as required under Western and Central Pacific Fisheries 

Commission Conservation measure 2008-01. 

• Prosecution and Dockside Boarding workshops to be held in Republic of the Marshall 

Islands and Nauru. 

• Delivery of National Fisheries Surveillance Officers course. 

• Planning for Advanced Evidence and Investigation Regional Training Course tailored to 

Pacific Island countries. 


• Expansion of training directed at 3rd Implementing Arrangement and Western and Central 

Pacific Fisheries Commission Conservation measure 2008-01. 

• Train the trainer courses to build national training capacity. 

• On-going development of regional observer database. 

• Provision of urgent assistance to members to develop national and sub-regional capacity to 

meet the observer requirements of Conservation and Management Measure 2008-01. 

• Improved coordination of national observer programmes. 

• Similar numbers of placements for the coming six months. 




• Ongoing commitment to Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Strategy, in particular data 

sharing and other cooperative arrangements. 

• Non-participation of relevant FFA members. 

• Scheduled workshops are postponed due to factors such as constraints at national level and 

other national priorities. Trained officers do not utilise their increased understanding and 

skills fully due to other national priorities. 

• National Fisheries Surveillance Officers course desired competency levels not reached. 

• Advanced Evidence and Investigation Regional Training course is not conducted due to 

budgetary constraints. Desired learning and competency levels not achieved. 


• Projected numbers of national observers cannot be achieved by 1 January 2010 because of 

capacity and resource limitations. 

• Non-development of infrastructure and finance to support observer expansion. 

• Non-achievement of observer numbers. 

• Non-adoption by countries.



• Database not implemented or utilised by members. 

• National and sub-regional observers’ capacity targets not achieved due to resource and 

capacity constraints. 

• Fleet fluctuations and movements reducing effective placements. 

Priority 

Continuing to press distant water fishing nations to comply with all relevant national 

and international laws and conventions to ensure the long-term sustainability of tuna 

stocks. 


months? 


• To support compliance, the FFA continued to provide Vessel Monitoring System Services to 

the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission under a Service Level Agreement that 

was concluded in December 2008. The Commission Vessel Monitoring System commenced 

on 1 April 2009. 

• FFA Observers Programme Strategy endorsed and action taken to commence 

implementation. 

• To support monitoring and compliance on the High Seas, FFA supports the implementation 

of Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission High Seas Boarding and Inspection 

Procedures (Conservation and Management Measure 2006-08). The FFA provided High 

Seas Boarding and Inspection training in 2008 and continues to provide technical and legal 

advice on the implementation of the procedures. 



• Ensure the continued provision of Vessel Monitoring System services to the Western and 

Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. The Commission Vessel Monitoring System allows for 

the monitoring of vessels fishing on High Seas in the Convention Area in order to determine 

those who are fishing legally/illegally, which impacts on sustainability of stocks. 

• FFA Observers Programme Strategy revised in light of Third Implementing Arrangement 

and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Regional Observer Program 

requirements. 

• Continued provision by FFA of technical and legal advice on implementation of High Seas 

Boarding and Inspection. 

• Support the sharing of High Seas Boarding and Inspection platforms. 


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197 




• Confidentiality provisions of Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission deny 

FFA member state access to data of vessels fishing in High Seas coming into FFA member 

Exclusive Economic Zone, unless a member country enters into a bilateral agreement with 

the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. 

• Non-adoption of strategy by countries for various reasons, including resource and capacity 

constraints to establish national observer programmes. 

• Insufficient infrastructure to meet observer obligations and opportunities. 

• FFA members unable to implement High Seas Boarding and Inspection procedures because 

of capacity and resource constraints. 

Priority 

Progressing urgent efforts to delineate extended Continental Shelves and prepare 

submissions to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf by May 2009 

and efforts to delimit maritime boundaries for improved governance and management 

of ocean resources. 


months? 


• With bilateral arrangements, FFA to seek authorisation from FFA members for the release 

of maritime boundary data from SOPAC to support the enhancement of FFA vessel 

monitoring and operations systems. Inclusion of updated maritime boundary information 

in FFA operating systems to support, among other things, the improved governance and 

management of ocean resources. 

• Identified funding for a workshop to progress bilateral/trilateral negotiations between 

members 



• Follow-up on requests for authorisation from FFA members and update of FFA vessel 

monitoring and operations systems. 

• Organise and conduct workshop, provide ongoing support including seeking additional 

funding such as ACP-Fish II.




• FFA vessel monitoring and operations systems not updated due to lack of updated boundary 

information. 

Priority 

Progressing collectively, while also seeking to engage the USA and France, strengthened 

mechanisms to protect regional fisheries via new multilateral Pacific regional 

arrangements patterned on the Niue Treaty Subsidiary Agreement model for exchange 

of fisheries law enforcement data, cross vesting of enforcement powers and the use of 

fisheries data for other law enforcement activities. 


months? 


• Parties to the Niue Treaty met in May 2010 and agreed to progress a multilateral Niue 

Treaty Subsidiary Agreement to promote enhanced Monitoring, Control and Surveillance 

cooperation. However, noting that this would not increase or formalise engagement with 

the United States/France, Parties also agreed that the Niue Treaty Subsidiary Agreement 

would only be one tool and that others would need to be identified, specifically for wider 

engagement of non-Parties. 



• Implement Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Strategy. 

• Brief members and participate in Joint Ministerial meeting in Canberra. 

• Identify resources and funds to carry work forward from the Joint Ministerial meeting. 




• Parties do not sign up to the multilateral subsidiary agreement. United States and France 

not interested in more formal arrangements. 


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199 

Priority 

Hydropower development. 


months? 


• SOPAC has conducted a number of hydrographic surveys to improve understanding of the 

functioning of water dams for the design of hydropower facilities. 



• Two dam siltation surveys will be conducted in Fiji and Papua New Guinea. 




• Resources in funding and time (growing demand for resource-type jobs) to do surveys. 

Priority 

Understanding and predicting wave behaviour. 


months? 


• SOPAC has rescued considerable sets of observational wave data in the last 12 months 

collected in some member countries in the early 1990s. 

• SOPAC has collated Pacific Basin wave model reanalysis data from numerical modelling 

centres in Europe and the United States. This has been used to support a risk-based 

approach to climate change adaptation in the coastal zone (for example, the December 

2008 extreme swell event in several west Pacific countries was found to be a 20 year return 

interval event).



• SOPAC will continue to collate wave and sea level data from public domain sources, 

including satellite-derived datasets. Tools will be developed to use these datasets to improve 

coastal management. Specific work will be conducted in the Cook Islands to gain an 

understanding of the influence of ocean surface waves on lagoon processes. Lessons learnt 

from the activity could be expanded support site selection of renewable energy systems 

such as wave power. 




• Current sources of information on the historical wave climate and present wave 

characteristics at a Pacific Basin scale are not at sufficient resolution to describe wave 

variability and change at national or island scales. Further resources are need to secure 

modelling expertise, computing power and long-term observation systems to enable 

prediction of waves for coastal management in Pacific Island Countries. 

• Funding - information on wave climate represents baseline data that is generally not an 

action supported by donors. 


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PACIFIC PLAN OFFICE Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat phone +679 3220 347 | fax +679 322 0266

PACIFIC PLAN 2010 ANNEX - Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

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