Secretariat of the Pacific Community at a glance

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) at a glance

How did SPC begin?

SPC was established as the South Pacific Commission on 6 February 1947 under the ‘Canberra Agreement’, at about the same time as the United Nations. The six founding members were Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The name of the organisation was changed from the South Pacific Commission to the Secretariat of the Pacific Community during its 50th Anniversary Conference held in Canberra in 1997. The new name better reflected the membership of SPC, which lies on both sides of the Equator – not just to the south.

Why was SPC founded?

The aim was for the organisation to ‘provide assistance to the dependent territories of the six founding members in a coordinated manner’ after World War II. Each of the six founding members had territories in the Pacific before and after the war. Establishing one single organisation to help coordinate the development of the many island countries was the reason SPC was established.

Who are the members today? How can one join SPC?

The organisation now has 26 members: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Islands, France, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, USA, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna (Netherlands and UK are no longer members). Other independent countries may apply for membership, but there are strict criteria, including a genuine commitment to help Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) and respect their special circumstances, culture and practices.

What does SPC do?

SPC’s mission is to help Pacific Island people make informed choices and decisions about their future and, more importantly, the future of their children and grandchildren. To achieve its mission, the organisation provides a number of key services to PICTs. Its principal role is to build and supplement the capacity of its members in key development sectors, such as health, agriculture and fisheries, through technical assistance, training and research. The broad scope of SPC’s work comes under three divisions: Land, Marine and Social Resources.

Land Resources has two objectives: sustainable management of forest and agriculture systems, and biosecurity and trade facilitation. It provides advice, expertise, technical support and training to members on all aspects of agriculture and forestry, including diversification, plant and animal health, biosecurity and trade, crop and animal production, and plant genetic resources.

Marine Resources includes coastal and oceanic fisheries and maritime programmes. The fisheries programmes support development and management of regional and national fisheries, conduct research and monitoring of the region’s tuna and reef fisheries, and assist governments to establish sustainable aquaculture systems. The maritime programme works with the maritime sector of member countries and territories to review and update maritime legislation, and provides training to ensure that all seafarers meet international standards, thus promoting safety and wider employment opportunities.

Social Resources includes SPC’s programmes in public health, statistics and demography, and human development (culture, women, youth, and community education). Activities include giving member countries and territories practical assistance and training to strengthen their capacity to fight a wide variety of non-communicable and communicable diseases (such as diabetes, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria) through surveillance and preventive measures and health promotion; collecting and analysing population data, including support and training for censuses; advocating for gender and youth issues in regional and national policies and strategies; and supporting legal protection of traditional knowledge and expressions of culture.

Who governs SPC?

The Pacific region has of course changed since 1947 and SPC has changed with it, evolving from an organisation aimed at helping dependent territories to one in which all countries, irrespective of political status, have full and equal membership. This ‘ownership’ of SPC by Pacific Island nations is not merely symbolic. All member countries share financial responsibility for SPC and have an equal role in its governance, and meet annually to approve its proposed activities and direction. The close involvement of its members has been one of the main factors in ensuring that SPC’s work programmes are relevant to the real needs of Pacific Island people.

Decision-making at SPC happens at different levels:

• The SPC Conference is the highest decision-making body. The Conference, which meets every two years, comprises ministers of foreign affairs from all 26 member countries and territories. They decide on organisational policy and direction and appoint the Director-General.

• The Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (CRGA) is the body below the Conference and comprises senior officials. They meet every year to approve the organisation’s annual work plan and budget.

• At the organisational level, the Director-General is accountable for all decisions.

Where does SPC’s funding come from?

The organisation’s budget has grown steadily in recent years, reflecting its ability to retain the trust of its members and donors and attract international funding for its work. SPC’s total budget for 2007 is more than USD 46 million. Funding comes from its traditional donors (founding members, European Union, United Nations Population Fund and the Global Environment Facility) and from more recent partners such as the Asian Development Bank and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Contributions from member countries are assessed on the basis of government expenditure.

Where is SPC located? Who works for SPC?

One key principle underpinning SPC’s approach to service delivery is ‘moving services closer to people’. This explains SPC’s progressive decentralisation of its programmes to members. In 2007, SPC has a physical presence in 17 of its 22 island members. The organisation’s headquarters are in Noumea, New Caledonia; there are two regional offices, a large one in Suva, Fiji and a small one in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia; and 14 operational field offices are located in the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.

SPC currently has around 340 staff, with an ever-growing proportion from the Pacific Islands. The broad scope of SPC’s work goes with the profile of experts, specialists and researchers hired by the organisation. In recent years, SPC’s leadership has continually paid tribute to the highly professional standards of its staff, who are part of the organisation’s investment in regional human development resources.

Contracts offered to professional staff are usually for a period of three years. At the end of the first three-year period and provided that the performance of the staff is satisfactory, the position can be extended for another three years. At the end of the second period, the position is re-advertised.

How can I work for SPC?

All positions at SPC are filled through an advertisement and interview process. SPC’s competitive recruitment process is based on the merits of candidates rather than on quotas or other criteria. All appointments are made by the Director-General – apart from the Director-General position itself, which is appointed by the Conference using the same process: advertising, interviewing applicants, recommending the best candidate and offering them the position. If there is more than one equally deserving candidate for the post of Director-General, the Conference conducts an election.

ENDS

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