Regional summit to see call for a bigger commitment on the implementation of Pacific Plan
Pacific Governments are to be called on to make a greater commitment to the Plan for regional integration.
Leaders of the 16 Forum Islands countries are to meet in Nadi in three weeks and this week the agenda has been set at an
officials meeting in Suva.
Don Wiseman reports.
“In the Pacific Plan Annual Report, which will form the basis of discussions at the summit, the officials say there is a
need for intensifed regional engagment over long term energy security. They says the impact assessment and gap analysis
of the PACER closer economic relations deal be addressed. The officials also say the trade initiatives should be
broadened to include trade in services such as labour mobility, public health and other social cultural benefits. They
call for the effective delivery of donor aid to be an integral part of the plan. The officials also say that the plan
must be built into each country’s national development strategies and that regional organisations and aid donors work
together on this. And they also say governments need to ensure that their national interests complement or support the
overall interest of the region.”