Regional development experts from the Australian National University say it has been a slow start for the Pacific Island Forum's framework for Pacific regionialism.
Transcript
Regional development experts from the Australian National University say it has been a slow start for the Pacific Island Forum's framework for Pacific regionalism.
The development agenda replacement for the Pacific Plan was endorsed in July last year and featured for the first time at the leaders summit in Papua New Guinea earlier this month.
The ANU's visiting fellow Tess Newton Cain says while the leaders succeeded in narrowing their focus to a handful of major issues facing the region, there is still a need for more transparency around processes and more inclusion in the discussions.
TESS NEWTON CAIN: One of its main drivers or one of its main objectives is to ensure that when leaders meet such as they did in Port Moresby recently. They only deal with a very small number of issues. Those issues that require a regional response, those issues that require political engagement and political leadership. So when the leaders meet they only meet with, they only address the things that have been determined to be the ones that are needing of leadership and agreement and discussion at that political level. And another way in which it differs which is quite significant is that it allows for suggestions for issues for leaders to consider. To be derived from anyone and everyone within the region.
KOROI HAWKINS: And I understand, this recent meeting was the first time that this actually happened did it go well?
TNC: It certainly managed to bring back the politics into the discussion of the Pacific Islands Forum. The two issues that really got the biggest amount of attention were those where Pacific Island leaders were not looking for technical assistance or development assistance or an aid project. What they were looking for was political commitment and political cohesion.
KH: What can we expect from this new Pacific regionalism strategy going forward?
TNC: I think what we will hopefully see is we will see the process being refined and revised to allow for more transparency. Particularly around how the sub-committee determines which proposals are to go forward and what the assessment of those proposals are. I think we would expect to see leaders requiring of themselves and of those who assist them, opportunities to discuss the issues on the agenda before they arrive at the forum leaders meeting. And hopefully we are also going to see agendas for leaders that are much more action focused and build in much more mutual accountability. And so we would hope to see more of the sort of concrete action for issues that are more about mutual responsibility, mutual accountability, making use of resources that are already in place and really addressing issues that are key to the livelihoods and developments of the Pacific Island countries.
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