(SPC), Nadi, Fiji – The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Island Development Forum (PIDF) last week made a commitment to work together to address issues relating to sustainable development in the Pacific region.
This follows the signing of a four-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) between SPC’s Director-General, Dr Colin Tukuitonga, and PIDF Interim Secretary General, Mr Feleti Teo, during the Second PIDF Summit in Nadi on Friday.
The MOU encompasses several collaborative implementation mechanisms, including the development of joint programmes in areas of mutual interest and the commitment to share information.
In accordance with this, PIDF and SPC have already agreed on developing a joint activity on Youth and Green Growth. There is huge potential in harnessing the contributions that young people can make to the region’s sustainable development.
The Pacific Youth Development Framework is a framework that works to harness this potential and the MOU provides the vision and mandate to do this within a green growth agenda.
The MOU recognises the respective expertise and contributions of both international organisations towards assisting member Pacific Island countries and territories to meet their national priorities in the areas of social, environment and economic development.
By joining their competencies, SPC and PIDF will be able to maximise effective cooperation and efficiency, and reduce duplication in service delivery.
Dr Tukuitonga said that this MOU would help the two organisations crystallise their joint efforts to help Pacific people realise their development goals.
SPC has over 67 years of providing technical service delivery across all the pillars of sustainable development, and continuing to do so in partnership with PIDF will ensure that all stakeholders in Pacific Island development work towards the same priority goals.
And Mr Teo had this to say: “The signing of the MOU with the largest regional intergovernmental organisation and the biggest provider of technical services – SPC – is a huge milestone in the growing recognition and acknowledgement of the meaningful role that PIDF will contribute to regional efforts to achieve inclusive sustainable development. PIDF stands to benefit tremendously from this partnership, especially in the technical areas of mutual interest where SPC has been the preferred regional service provider.”
The MOU comes into effect immediately. It will be subject to review after two years and renewable by mutual consent at the end of four years.
– SPC
