Updated Pacific Plan
PRESS STATEMENT
Wednesday 13 December 2006 PACIFIC PLAN UPDATED The Pacific Plan has now been revised in line with its status as a 'living' document, responding to the region's challenges and emerging priorities. The Pacific Forum Leaders meeting in October 2006, and the resultant 'Nadi Decisions on the Pacific Plan', prioritised a number of key commitments in order to further strengthen regionalism in the Pacific. Says Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Acting Secretary General, Mr Iosefa Maiava: "This was based on consultative reporting to Leaders throughout the year on progress made in implementing the Plan, the key challenges to be overcome for its effective implementation, and recommendations on a number of key commitments in order to move the Plan forward." In the Nadi Decisions, Leaders committed their Governments to take responsibility for implementing and reporting on the Plan, and to ensure that national policies and mechanisms on regionalisms are in place by the 2007 Forum Meeting. "This is extremely important for the long-term success of the Plan," says Mr Maiava. "It is at the country level that development must materialize to have a real impact on the lives of Pacific peoples." Among other things, Leaders affirmed the importance of long-term energy security to the future prosperity of the region, the need to coordinate intensified regional trade and economic initiatives, and agreed that greater attention be given to encouraging participatory democracy. A new initiative adopted by Leaders, now reflected in the updated Pacific Plan, includes the recommendation that water, sanitation and hygiene challenges facing the region be directly addressed under the Plan. The Pacific Plan was endorsed by leaders at the Forum meeting in October 2005, as the blueprint for regional development to enhance and stimulate economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security. The revised document is posted on the Pacific Plan website, www.pacificplan.org, as well as the Forum Secretariat's website, www.forumsec.org. (Ends) For more information, contact Mue Bentley, Media Officer, Pacific Plan email or telephone: 331 2600/322 0320 |
2006