NZ contributes to Regional Security Fund
PRESS STATEMENT (230/07)
29th November 2007
NEW ZEALAND CONTRIBUTES TO FORUM REGIONAL SECURITY FUND
The Government of New Zealand is to contribute NZ$500,000 towards the Forum Regional Security Fund in the coming year.
Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Greg Urwin and the Acting New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, Joanna Kempkers signed documents relating to the grant in Suva, Fiji, today
“The Regional Security Fund enables the Forum through the Secretariat to respond to difficult and tense situations in the region as well as helps us to coordinate and organise regional security initiatives in keeping with the broad security mandate given us by Forum Leaders when they endorsed Biketawa Declaration at their meeting in Kiribati in 2000. We are most grateful for the generous contribution New Zealand has made to the Fund,” says Mr Urwin
“Under the auspices of the Declaration, in the past eleven months we have undertaken two successful Forum Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meetings, an Eminent Persons Group mission to Fiji and an independent study of Fiji’s electoral process – all of which was supported by the Regional Security Fund,” he said.
The fortnightly Forum-Fiji Working Group Meetings are also supported by the Regional Security Fund.
It was the Independent Technical Assessment for an Election Timetable in Fiji that found that elections could be held in Fiji by March 2009. This date has since been agreed to by the interim administration. And through the fortnightly Working Group meetings, the Forum has been able to keep the channels of communication and dialogue with Fiji open and to work constructively with the interim administration.
“The fund has enabled us to fulfill our Biketawa mandate, and it is most important that we should continue to have the means to do so,” Mr Urwin said.
ENDS
For more information, contact Mr Johnson Honimae, the Forum Media Officer on phone 679 331 2600 or email johnsonh@forumsec.org.fj
29th November 2007
NEW ZEALAND CONTRIBUTES TO FORUM REGIONAL SECURITY FUND
The Government of New Zealand is to contribute NZ$500,000 towards the Forum Regional Security Fund in the coming year.
Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Greg Urwin and the Acting New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, Joanna Kempkers signed documents relating to the grant in Suva, Fiji, today
“The Regional Security Fund enables the Forum through the Secretariat to respond to difficult and tense situations in the region as well as helps us to coordinate and organise regional security initiatives in keeping with the broad security mandate given us by Forum Leaders when they endorsed Biketawa Declaration at their meeting in Kiribati in 2000. We are most grateful for the generous contribution New Zealand has made to the Fund,” says Mr Urwin
“Under the auspices of the Declaration, in the past eleven months we have undertaken two successful Forum Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meetings, an Eminent Persons Group mission to Fiji and an independent study of Fiji’s electoral process – all of which was supported by the Regional Security Fund,” he said.
The fortnightly Forum-Fiji Working Group Meetings are also supported by the Regional Security Fund.
It was the Independent Technical Assessment for an Election Timetable in Fiji that found that elections could be held in Fiji by March 2009. This date has since been agreed to by the interim administration. And through the fortnightly Working Group meetings, the Forum has been able to keep the channels of communication and dialogue with Fiji open and to work constructively with the interim administration.
“The fund has enabled us to fulfill our Biketawa mandate, and it is most important that we should continue to have the means to do so,” Mr Urwin said.
ENDS
For more information, contact Mr Johnson Honimae, the Forum Media Officer on phone 679 331 2600 or email johnsonh@forumsec.org.fj
