Pacific-focused Research Scores $800k

As the Pacific grapples with heightened security and climate change concerns, a new investigation is getting underway to shed light on how international organisations have developed and governed across the region.

Understanding how organisations operate in the region will be of benefit to Pacific nations, whose bureaucracies are often strained by the push-pull of multiple institutional environments, says associate professor in public international law Guy Fiti Sinclair, the recipient of a five-year $800,000 Rutherford Discovery Fellowship, announced yesterday.

Dr Sinclair’s research will analyse the international legal framework in the Pacific through the global organisations operating in the region.

"There's a lot of attention on the Pacific currently because of security concerns and also because it's an area heavily impacted by climate change and other issues, so there's a real opportunity to think about how these international organisations can work better and how they can interact more effectively."

Sinclair is hopeful his research will assist policymakers and government officials in Aotearoa to navigate the dynamics of regional law and politics and continue to keep the bonds strong across all of Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa.

"There are competing visions and informal and formal interactions across Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa. I will be exploring all those kinds of relationships, and the research will help to grow our understanding of the different organisations operating in the Pacific."

International law and organisations expert Dr Guy Fiti Sinclair is one of just 12 recipients to be awarded an $800,000 Rutherford Discovery Fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi this year

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