South-South cooperation among Pacific Island countries - a regional overview Delhi, India, 22-25 October 2013 Dr. Colin Tukuitonga Secretariat of the Pacific Community
Overview of Pacific region Outline SPC and its contributions, existing platforms, feedback Examples of existing regional cooperation / South-South cooperation within the Pacific region Examples of South-South cooperation between Pacific, Asian and Caribbean regions Further strengthening South-South cooperation where to from here?
Pacific Region Small Islands Big Challenges
Pacific islands a region of contrasts Countries and 22 disparity Total Area 36, 000,000 square kilometres Total land area Approx. 551,000 sq. (1.5%) Total population Under 18 years Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia Approx. 10 million people 50 percent 5 countries, 87% of Pacific population 7 countries, 6% of Pacific population 10 countries, 7% of Pacific population Languages > 1,200 (PNG more than 800) Pop. Doubling time 40 years
Secretariat of the Pacific Community Established by the Canberra Agreement 1947 Largest and oldest Pacific regional organisation Provides science and technical support to Members (PICTs), broad scope, No specific child agenda per se but contributes in many ways that protect and promote child and adolescent wellbeing 7 Divisions, >20 Sectors including education, gender, youth, human rights, culture, food security Some sectors are critical in enabling child and adolescent rights and wellbeing to be developed e.g energy, transport, environment, water, waste Strong existing partnerships, CROP agencies, UNICEF, UNFPA
Beijing 2010 Child Survival: Call to Action Conference convened by USAID and UNICEF June 2012 coordinated discussions between PNG, Kiribati, FSM, Tuvalu on working together SPC and UNICEF dialogue on Child Survival Indicators SPC, UNICEF lobby for Child Survival on Pacific Health Ministers Meeting and revised Pacific Plan SPC main role is high-level advocacy and support for policy development; facilitate information flow, convenor, coordinator, communicator
Existing Platforms for Action on HLM Themes Healthy Islands (Yanuca Declaration) Pacific Youth Development Framework (PYDF) 2014-2023 to adolescent issues Pacific Education Development Framework 2009 2013 to progress all education issues, especially ECD and ECE Multiple strategies and plans relevant to urban settings; PIFS/SPC Regional Action Framework (RAF) linked to Pacific Plan
Healthy Islands (Yanuca Declaration) Adopted by Pacific Health Ministers 1995; renewed calls for action, most recently at Health Ministers Meeting Apia (Apia Communique) Healthy Island Vision aspires to a place where; - children are nurtured in body and mind; - environments invite learning and leisure; - people work and age with dignity; - ecological balance is a source of pride; and - the oceans that sustain us are protected.
Pacific Youth Development Framework 2014-2023 Outcome Area 1 Youth Employment Outcome Area 2 Health Outcome Area 3 Governance and Participation Outcome Area 4 - Environment
Pacific Education Development Framework 2009-2015 Requested by Forum Economic Ministers Endorsed by all Forum Education Ministers in Tonga PEDF anchored on human rights, especially CRC Guides but not direct work of Ministries PEDF coordinates regional activities, advocacy, leadership role in policy dialogue M&E Framework being developed
PEDF 2009-2015 Vision Quality Education for All Strategic Goals 1. achieve universal and equitable participation and access (Access & Equity) 2. improve quality and outcomes (Quality) 3. efficient and effective use of resources (Efficiency & Effectiveness) EFA Goal 1 expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged
Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (PBEA) SPC hosts the Secretariat (SPBEA) Intergovernmental regional organisation (est.1980) Purpose is to develop assessment procedures towards national and regional certificates Administers two regional senior secondary school qualifications Assists PICTs improve quality of education Recent independent review
Regional Rights Resource Team (RRT) Valuable regional resource on policy and legislative approaches to public policy issues For example, currently assisting several PICTs with policy work and draft legislation on Violence Against Women; issue has huge impact on children and young people Limited capacity currently www.rrrt.org
SPC Statistics for Development Works closely with National Statistics Offices in PICTs Comprehensive statistical information on range of issues; can support South-South Cooperation needs Leads/coordinates the Ten Year Pacific Statistics Strategy 2011-2020; AusAID-funded SPC continues to provide support to urban growth population statistics to assist urban, town and country planning in PICTs for RAF
Enablers SPC works in wide range of areas that contribute to the three themes, most especially urban settings as an opportunity for realising child rights SPC facilitated discussions on Urbanisation in the Region, and a Regional Framework for Action(RAF) was produced Urbanisation remains a cross cutting priority in current SPC Corporate Plan, a responsibility for actions across all divisions SOPAC and Economic Development activities are critical to urbanisation dialogue and impact on people and their health, rights, development, etc
Pacific Plan Review Review of Pacific Plan 2013 Framework for Pacific Regionalism Recommendations for new approach, including development of new strategy, indicators of poverty and progress, Articulate a new vision, shared values, strategic directions for the Pacific, and identify a small range of regional issues of significance needing attention of Pacific Leaders OPPORTUNITY perhaps for a Pacific Agenda for Children? SPC and PIFS central in planned reform process
Examples of South-South Cooperation between PICTs Regional Cooperation mechanisms that underpin social, cultural, trade, economic and political relationships between countries: Melanesian Spearhead Group ( Papua New Guinea, Solomon islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia) Micronesian Chief Executives Summit (MCES) comprising heads of governments of CNMI, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands and Palau Polynesian Leaders Group (8 independent states, selfgoverning nations and territories)
Examples of South-South Cooperation between PICTs South-South cooperation at Political leaders level Pacific Islands Forum comprises heads of governments from 16 countries. This is the body that we need its endorsement for multi-country commitment to support child protection & welfare and child rights South-South Cooperation at the parliamentarian s level The Pacific Parliamentary Assembly on Population and Development (PPAPD) this is an assembly comprising members of parliament from fourteen Pacific island countries with common interest in population and development issues.
Examples of South-South Cooperation between Pacific regional organisations [PROs] South-South Cooperation at regional organisation s level Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) - coordinating body for eleven Pacific regional organisations. SPC is the largest technical / scientific agency with programmes in agriculture, aquaculture, biosecurity, culture, disaster reduction, education, energy, fisheries, forestry, gender, geoscience, ICT, human rights, maritime boundaries, media, parliamentarians on population and development, public health, statistics and demography, transport, water & sanitation, youth, and cross-cutting areas including food security and climate change
Examples of South-South Cooperation between the Pacific and Asia Cooperation and exchange of information between SPC and ASEAN on Pandemic preparedness Cooperation between SPC, ASEAN and SAARC through the Regional Steering Committee for GFTADs [Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Trans-boundary Animal Diseases] for Asia and the Pacific
Conclusions In the Pacific islands region, South-South cooperation in any field of priority between island countries is an imperative, not an option In the Asia-Pacific region, South-South cooperation provides an excellent platform for countries to share experiences, best practices and help each other move forward together HLM is an excellent opportunity for acting on the rights of Children and Young People in the Pacific, and beyond
Conclusions Several existing platforms that can be used to advance current themes e.g. PYDF and PEDF; perhaps select an issue and agree a process for progressing desired outcomes Possible need for inter-hlm event(s) for PICTs to share experiences, progress and challenges ahead of HLM; SPC could facilitate Needs to be integrated and fit in with existing policy/programmes because of capacity challenges in many small island states