26 July 2017 | Noumaa
More than 40 member country representatives and development partners are attending the 10th Conference of the Pacific Community (SPC) for the next two days in Noumea.
The theme for the high-level dialogue for this Conference, which will also mark SPC’s 70th anniversary, is “Innovative Partnerships for Sustainable Development.”
A series of key-note speakers will take the floor to contribute to the dialogue, including, H.E. Hilda Heine, President of the Republic of Marshall Islands; Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Pascal Lamy, High Level Facilitator for out-reach activities on the Post-Cotonou Agreement.
The Director-General of the Pacific Community, Dr Colin Tukuitonga said the high-level meeting this week is crucial for sustaining the strategic direction of the Pacific region’s largest development organisation.
“This year SPC marks its 70th Anniversary and we’re delighted to celebrate this milestone during our governing body conference here at the SPC Headquarters in Noumea. The Pacific Community exists to support the development aspirations of our Pacific Island members and it is therefore paramount that we engage our member delegations and our partners to steer the strategic direction of the organisation and ensure the effective delivery of work,” Dr Tukuitonga said.
The Chair of 10th Conference, Mr Philippe Germain, President of the New Caledonia Government, said “This is the first time that a president of the Government of New Caledonia is chairing this Conference. It is a lofty mission that I view as a powerful lever for our contribution to the region’s development and outreach. I see chairing this very important Pacific island intergovernmental organisation as an opportunity to move to a new level. To do that, I will have two years during which I intend to propose a roadmap that is both ambitious and needed to strengthen our ‘regionalism’.”
The Conference comes after two days of the organisation’s annual governance meeting, the 47th Meeting of the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (CRGA 47).
High on the agenda for this meeting was the implementation of key priorities for the Framework for Pacific Regionalism and a high-level discussion on the Pacific Youth Development Framework, a regional approach to youth-centred development in the Pacific, coordinated by SPC and the Pacific Youth Council and discussions around the continued effective implementation and monitoring of SPC’s five-year strategic plan.
SPC will also celebrate its 70th anniversary with its 26 member countries and territories and partners at a Gala Dinner on Friday, 28 July.
Media Contact:
Jean-Noel Royer, SPC Communications Officer, [email protected] or +687 87 70 63