PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SENIOR OFFICIALS DISCUSS CAIRNS COMPACT AT REGIONAL WORKSHOP
Press Release #1109-37
Palikir, Pohnpei – FSM Information Services
November 27, 2009
Senior officials from Pacific Islands Forum countries, regional organizations, development partners and other stakeholders will discuss the Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific at a regional workshop to be held in Nadi, Fiji, 26-28 November. (Note: Representing the FSM at this workshop is Mr. Kandhi A. Elieisar, Assistant Secretary for Asia, Pacific, Africa and Multilateral Affairs, FSM Department of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Maryann Eperiam, Assistant Director for Overseas Development Assistance, Office of SBOC)
The Cairns Compact was adopted by the Forum Leaders at their annual meeting this year in August in Cairns, Australia.
The key objective of the Cairns Compact will be to drive more effective coordination of available development resources from both Forum Island countries and all development partners, with the aim of achieving real progress against the MDGs.
“To prepare for the implementation of the Cairns Compact it is imperative that senior officials in Forum member countries, regional organizations and development partners have a good and common understanding of what our Leaders expect out of the Compact especially the key deliverables need to be undertaken for its successful implementation,” said Feleti Teo, Acting Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
“As the principal implementing agency for Forum Leaders’ decisions, the Forum Secretariat has convened discussions with Forum member countries and other stakeholders including CROP agencies and development partners to have a common understanding of what the Cairns Compact entail and the essential deliverables expected by the Leaders before work commence on its implementation,” Mr Teo said.
He added: “Now is the chance to sit down with senior officials from ministries of National Planning and Finance, and aid coordination divisions to bring them onboard as they are at the forefront of implanting the Compact at the national level.”
An overview of the Cairns Compact will be presented to the workshop with an update on work to date in coordinating the implementation. The workshop will also discuss some of the key deliverables of the Compact including the Peer Reviews of National Development Plans as well as the reporting on assessments of Development Partner activities in support of the Compact. The workshop will discuss the Cairns Compact Implementation Schedule and what resources are required for the implementation of the Compact.
INTENDED BENEFITS OF THE CAIRNS COMPACT
The Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific is intended to achieve better development outcomes through enhanced coordination and more effective delivery of development assistance.
The Compact was endorsed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders at their meeting in Cairns last August.
When presenting an overview of the Compact to the Regional Workshop underway in Nadi, Fiji, Deputy Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Feleti Teo said to improve development outcomes, the Compact calls for cooperation not only amongst Pacific Island Countries (PICs) but also with and amongst development partners and regional and international agencies.
“In effect, a more coordinated approach could enable greater impact in responding to national development outcomes rather than individual efforts. This heightens the quality of that development assistance and as a result, making the benefits of development assistance more visible.”
Mr Teo added: “The Compact, successfully implemented, should assist and position PICs to better direct all available resources from their own national budgets and those from development partners towards achieving national development priorities.”
“It would also serve as a mechanism to allow development partners to better coordinate their development assistance and align them to agreed upon national development priorities prescribed in national development plans. It would give similar direction in the alignment and coordination of resources to regional priorities set by Forum Leaders under the framework of the Pacific Plan.”
Work on the Compact implementation schedule is now in progress and is being coordinated through the Forum Secretariat. Central to this process are simultaneous efforts to develop and consult on a peer review of national development plans process, a model of reporting on development plans, guidelines on the assessment of development partners support to the Compact and tracking development effectiveness and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) progress.
The three-day regional workshop being held in Nadi, Fiji is part of an ongoing process to facilitate inclusive consultation with all stakeholders in progressing these efforts and subsequently its implementation. The workshop is attended by senior government officers as well as development partners and CROP agencies.
Participation of Forum Island Countries at the Regional Workshop on the Cairns Compact is funded by AusAID.
