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7KH5HJLRQLQ5HYLHZ,QWHUQDWLRQDO,VVXHVDQG(YHQWV At the annual Pacific Islands Forum facing challenges to its role and public in August 2010, Forum Secretariat criticism of its officials. staff issued a media release stating, Under Director-General Dr Jimmie “The Pacific Islands Forum, which Rodgers, the spc is becoming the pre- celebrates 40 years of its existence mier intergovernmental development next year, is based on unity” (Forum agency for twenty-six Pacific countries 2010d). However, the unity of the and territories. The spc is creating Forum and other regional institutions new departments and incorporating continues to be tested by the increas- programs from other members of the ing complexity of international issues &RXQFLORI5HJLRQDO2UJDQL]DWLRQVRI such as trade, aid, climate change, and the Pacific (crop). Two crop agen- the regional aftermath of Fiji’s 2006 cies were fully integrated into the spc coup. As Island leaders gathered in Fiji by 1 January 2011: the Pacific Islands for the “Engaging with the Pacific” $SSOLHG*HRVFLHQFH&RPPLVVLRQ conference in July, their final commu- (sopac) and the South Pacific Board niqué noted that “views expressed all for Educational Assessment (spbea). round highlighted what Pacific Small By the end of 2010, the spc had Island States perceived as deficiencies more than 600 staff spread across in the ability of the current model the region: 200 at its Noumea head- of Pacific regionalism to effectively quarters and 360 at the Nabua office address key development and gover- in Suva, with others located at the QDQFHFKDOOHQJHV¨ 1DWDGROD&RPPX- northern Pacific regional office in niqué 2010). Pohnpei, country offices in Port The year 2010 was marked by 9LODDQG+RQLDUDDQGRSHUDWLRQV debates within the Forum and the in ten other countries. Focused on Melanesian Spearhead Group (msg), three core areas (sustainable human growing independent action by development, sustainable economic Papua New Guinea, and the ongoing development, and sustainable natural challenge posed by the postcoup resources management and develop- administration in Fiji. In the face of ment), the spc mandate now covers &KLQDªVGLSORPDWLFDQGHFRQRPLF a range of sectors: agriculture, aqua- commitment to the region, the culture, culture, fisheries, forestry, Obama administration announced gender, information and communi- new regional initiatives, and New cation technologies, human rights, =HDODQGªVFRQVHUYDWLYHJRYHUQPHQW maritime transport, public health, shifted aid and defense policies. While statistics and demography, youth, and WKH6HFUHWDULDWRIWKH3DFLILF&RPPX- cross-cutting areas including food nity (spc) expanded its reach in 2010, security and climate change. the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat There are now nine crop agencies; (pifs) was a troubled institution, besides the Secretariat of the Pacific 440 pol i t ical reviews region in review 441 &RPPXQLW\DQGWKH3DFLILF,VODQGV been “pretty poor,” and there were Forum Secretariat, these include the challenges to translate regional policy Secretariat of the Pacific Regional into action on the ground. Environment Program, the Forum In the lead-up to September’s Fisheries Agency, the Pacific Power global Millennium Development Agency, the Fiji School of Medicine, Goals summit, a study of the 2009 the University of the South Pacific, the &DLUQV&RPSDFWRQ6WUHQJWKHQLQJ Pacific Islands Development Pro- $LG&RRUGLQDWLRQLQWKH3DFLILFZDV gram, and the South Pacific Tourism also presented to Forum leaders and Organization. Given this diversity of called for increased coordination institutions, crop executives agreed between ministries at national level as in 2010 to develop “all-crop” joint well as better coordination between country strategies to avoid duplica- donors. tion of programs in member countries The Forum provided logistical and and territories. United Nations (UN) coordination support for two “peer agencies in the region are attempting reviews” of development programs a similar “One UN” strategy, with XQGHUWKH&DLUQV&RPSDFW,Q0DUFK limited results thus far. Nauru was the first country to volun- A major interagency activity in WHHUWREHUHYLHZHGFKRRVLQJ&RRN 2010 was the inaugural Pacific Food Islands and Tonga as fellow Forum 6XPPLWKHOGLQ3RUW9LODLQ$SULOWR ,VODQG&RXQWULHVWRFRQGXFWWKHSHHU coordinate efforts for all Pacific people review, together with the UN Devel- to have access to safe, nutritious, opment Program as a development local food. The spc and the Forum partner. The following month, Kiri- Secretariat also organized a Regional bati’s systems were reviewed by rep- &RQVXOWDWLRQRQ&XOWXUDO,QGXVWULHV resentatives from Papua New Guinea in December to promote cultural, DQG1HZ=HDODQG%RWK1DXUXDQG creative, and innovative industries. Kiribati publicly welcomed the process Forum leaders held their annual (Forum 2010c, 2010a), but no other PHHWLQJLQ9DQXDWXLQ$XJXVWDQG countries volunteered for peer review were presented with a plethora of for the rest of the year. reports from the Forum Officials As the key Forum donor (with over &RPPLWWHHWKH3DFLILF3ODQ$FWLRQ a$50 million allocated to the Forum &RPPLWWHHWKH)RUXP5HJLRQDO6HFX- Secretariat since 1988 and a$10 mil- ULW\&RPPLWWHHDQGDUDQJHRI)RUXP lion pledged for 2010–11), Australia ministerial meetings. A key focus was joined other countries to fund regional progress with the 2005 Pacific Plan— initiatives on leadership, election the framework designed to link the monitoring, and participation of work of regional intergovernmental more women in national parliaments. organizations to national development Throughout 2010, the Forum coordi- priorities. Briefing journalists before nated four teams of election observers the Forum, Deputy Secretary-General to monitor voting during general elec- Feleti Teo said that, in spite of many tions in Nauru (April), Bougainville achievements, reporting from Pacific (May), Solomon Islands (August), and governments on the Pacific Plan had &RRN,VODQGV 1RYHPEHU 442 the contemporary pacific 23:2 (2011) In spite of increased donor The Forum Secretariat’s role in resources for governance programs trade policy was a particularly conten- (including funding for the Pacific tious issue. In September, the Forum Ombudsman Alliance, assistance for appointed Papua New Guinea’s Aivu women in politics, and support for Raevo Tauvasa as the new perma- Tonga’s democratic elections on 25 nent representative to the World November), there were still worry- Trade Organization in Geneva. Trade ing trends in government behavior. diplomacy in Europe reflects the Launching a publication on Islands priority given by Pacific members of leadership in October (plp/pifs WKH$IULFDQ&DULEEHDQDQG3DFLILF 2010), Forum Secretary-General grouping to the proposed Economic Tuiloma Neroni Slade noted many Partnership Agreement with the Euro- adverse trends in the region, including pean Union (EU) before they move to “a growing dominance of the Execu- finalize negotiations for the pacer- tive over the Legislature; the discon- 3OXV 3DFLILF$JUHHPHQWRQ&ORVHU nect between policy and its actual Economic Relations-Plus) free trade applications; the inability of govern- agreement with Australia and New ments to act decisively on fraud, cor- =HDODQG ruption and maladministration; and A regional Economic Partnership the lack of resources and authority for Agreement (epa) was supposed to be integrity and oversight bodies to inde- completed before December 2007 but pendently and effectively undertake is still in limbo. The lack of progress their prescribed functions. Universal has prompted criticism of the Forum problems like private interests, conflict Secretariat and its director for eco- of interest and abuse of public facilities QRPLFJRYHUQDQFH'U&KDNUL\D%RZ- continue to occur” (Forum 2010e). man, formerly trade advisor for the In 2011, the Forum will celebrate Australian Agency for International its fortieth anniversary and, accord- Development (AusAID). Throughout ing to the secretary-general, will the year, Bowman’s predecessor at “take stock of the achievements the Secretariat, Dr Roman Grynberg, and...reflect on some of the lessons continued a series of public attacks on learnt over the years to guide the the conduct of regional trade policy, way forward to ensure the continued arguing that “the complete failure relevance of the Forum as the pre- of leadership of the Forum in the mier political regional organization” EU negotiations is not a mistake but (Forum 2010g). However, the Forum’s simply serves Australia’s interests. role was widely critiqued during 2010. The direction that the Forum is taking $VWXG\E\WKH9DQXDWXEDVHG3DFLILF cannot be seen as in the interests of Institute for Public Policy argued that the islands. the institution has “without reform, the Forum faces an become openly and unambiguously existential crisis. It has been politi- an instrument of Australian and New cally paralyzed on the main challenges =HDODQGSRZHULQWKH3DFLILF¨ *U\Q- confronting the region: trade, climate berg 2010, 32). change and the military takeover in &ULWLFLVPRIpifs staff also came Fiji” (Bohane 2010, 1). IURP)RUXP,VODQG&RXQWULHV fic). pol i t ical reviews region in review 443 In a leaked letter (Abal 2010), PNG to act on violence against women and Foreign Minister Sam Abal called for children. However, in 2010, New major changes in Forum trade policy =HDODQG)RUHLJQ0LQLVWHU0XUUD\ and Secretariat personnel, stating: “I 0F&XOO\UHGXFHGIXQGLQJIRUZRPHQªV am indeed disappointed and disturbed and human rights programs as part of by the manner in which pifs staff