PIFS Secretary General Signs MoU With Australia

PIFS Secretary General Signs Mou With Australia

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Foreign Minister of Australia, Mr Stephen Smith covering Australia’s annual membership contribution to the Forum and as well as its annual contributions to the Secretariat’s Work Programmes for 2010 to 2011.

Australia’s assistance to the Forum Secretariat is delivered under AusAID and has been substantial with over $50 million provided since 1988. The funding extended under this new MoU for 2010 and 2011 amounts to $10 million.

“My staff and I are very grateful to the Government and people of Australia for their continued support of the work of the Secretariat which allows us to be able to extend services for the benefit of the citizens of Forum member countries and deepening of our regional cooperation,” says Mr Slade.

“This financial assistance will enable the Secretariat to implement Leaders’ decisions on the key pillars of the Pacific Plan which address economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security. It will also assist the Secretariat to coordinate and contribute to regional efforts on addressing emerging priorities such as dealing with climate change and the global economic crisis as well as pursing the Millennium Development Goals.”

Mr Slade will today attend a meeting of the Cairns Compact Core Group in Sydney. The Forum Secretariat is coordinating the implementation of the Compact endorsed by Forum Leaders in August last year.

Mr Slade says: “One of the priorities from the Forum in Cairns last year is the Cairns Compact which the Forum Secretariat has been implementing together with other stakeholders in the past several months. The Cairns Compact Core Group meeting in Sydney will hear the progress so far in the implementation of the Compact.”

ENDS.

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