Press Releases
Pacific to Meet on Public Private Partnerships
PRESS RELEASES:
24 May 2012
[Suva – May 24] More than 90 private sector representatives, national and local government officials, development
partners and members of the civil society from around the Pacific will gather in Nadi next week for the Regional
Roundtable on Promoting Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Local Economic Development in the Pacific
The Roundtable, a first of its kind for the Pacific, will explore how partnerships between the public and private
sectors can lead to economic growth on a local level. Experiences from the Caribbean, New Zealand, Philippines and Nepal
will be shared at the meeting.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative for the Fiji
Multi Country Office, Knut Ostby will deliver the keynote address at the three day Roundtable which starts on May 30.
The Roundtable is organized by UNDP through the Pacific Centre in partnership with the Commonwealth Local Government
Forum, the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation and the Pacific Leadership Programme It is expected to create a
platform for dialogue between the private and public sectors to promote local economic development. It will also promote
partnerships between local government, the private sector and other partners to facilitate more effective local service
delivery and introduce pro-poor public private partnership as a potential modality for local economic development (LED)
and explore how it can be adopted to local contexts in the Pacific.
The Roundtable also aims to provide a common understanding about the type of enabling environment required for PPPs with
clear national frameworks, policies and regulations for an effective LED as well as generate interest amongst Pacific
private sector and non-state actors about potential investment opportunities in local economic development and service
delivery sectors.
Eight Pacific Island countries - Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will be
represented at the Roundtable.
ENDS