The European Union has signed a 186 million US dollar deal with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat for its Pacific Regional Indicative Pogramme.
It is funded under the 11th European Development Fund for the period 2014-2020
Koroi Hawkins reports:
"The massive deal is to benefit all 15 Pacific countries in the African, Carribean and Pacific Group. It includes an emphasis on sustainable management of natural resources and the environment, the management of waste as well as inclusive and accountable governance.
The Forum Secretay General Dame Meg Taylor welcomed the EUs commitment to Pacific Regionalism. The European Commissioner for International Coopeation and Development Neven Mimica says the EU's ambition is to support sustainable development in the Pacific.
The priorities in the Pacific RIP were determined through a consultative process which commenced in 2012, involving all the Pacific ACP States, technical agencies in the region, civil society and other key stakeholders."
The 15 Pacific ACP Countries that will benefit from the resources are Cook Islands, Timor- Leste, Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
