UN to begin Pacific Strategy Consultations in Kiribati

UN to begin Pacific Strategy Consultations in Kiribati

30 June 2016

United Nations Resident Coordinator for the Pacific, Osnat Lubrani heads to Kiribati for Pacific-wide national consultations to inform the development of the new United Nations Pacific Strategy. She will be accompanied by several United Nations (UN) Senior Officials.

Ms Lubrani said the consultations and development of the new Pacific Strategy will represent a new way of working for UN in the region.

“We are engaging with a wide array of stakeholders in each country and we encourage new, innovative ideas and approaches to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Pacific.

“The purpose of the consultations will be to identify where the resources of the UN – be that funding, technical expertise or other support – can be best utilised to help Pacific Island Countries achieve their own development objectives,” says Ms Lubrani.

The UN’s Pacific Strategy will set the direction for 21 UN agencies working in 14 countries across the region for the period 2018 – 2022.

Successful consultations have already taken place with the government of Samoa and Tokelau, and following her time in Kiribati, Ms Lubrani would be leading delegations to the Kingdom of Tonga, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau amongst others.

Given most of the UN agencies are headquartered in Suva, consultations with Fiji have extra emphasis and would take place in August.

Ms Lubrani says she and her colleagues are approaching the discussions with openness and are excited about the possibility of exploring new ways of delivering assistance in the Pacific.

“The Pacific is a very unique context for the UN, and each country is quite different. Often the big global approaches and ways of working need a degree of customisation to work well here – we are excited to work with our partners to design activities that really deliver for Pacific people.

“The UN has particular strengths in areas such as human rights, youth and climate change, and we want to use the development of the Pacific Strategy as a chance to understand how our areas of strength can best complement national and regional priorities.

“Working closely with others, being more focused and positioning the UN as a genuine partner for the Pacific are my goals as we develop this strategy. I am very excited to meet with stakeholders, partners and leaders to discuss the opportunities,” says Ms Lubrani.

The UN’s Pacific Strategy will cover both regional and country activities and will be launched in late 2016.

ENDS

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