MSG Subcommittee on Legal and Intuitional issues ends

A two days meeting hosted by Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade for the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Sub-Committee on Legal and Institutional Issues (SCLII) in Honiara this week has successfully ended yesterday.

The SCLII is a sub-committee comprising of lawyers from Foreign Affairs and State Law Offices of MSG member countries including the Police and other government officials from respective inter-government agencies of member countries who attend such meetings from time to time depending on relevant issues that form part of the meeting agendas.

The 9th SCLII chaired by FLNKS and co-chaired by PNG, had its members discussing various legal texts and some outstanding legal frameworks that needed to be deliberated on, reviewed and finalized in proper form and legal language. Once they are finalized, these will undergo respective national processes for vetting by Attorney General’s Offices/State Law Offices before these documents form part of an agenda for endorsement by MSG Leaders’ meeting later in the year.

The various legal frameworks and texts were needed to be discussed and reviewed to bring into harmony with existing relevant national laws of member countries as well as where international and customary laws are seen fit to be considered.

Formed in 2005 initially as the Legal Issues Working Group (LIWG), the name changed in about 2010 to Sub-committee on Legal and Institutional Issues. The reason for the change in name was to accommodate new issues that were raised at Senior Officials meetings and even during the Leaders’ Summit from time to time that premises on work of various institutions such as the courts, quarantine and customs, and trade to name a few.

The meeting held twice yearly, and alternatively hosted by member countries has ended on Thursday with a small reception and presentation of gifts to men and women officials from MSG member countries who have attended the 9th SCLII in Honiara. The 10th SCLII is proposed to be hosted in Noumea, New Caledonia later in the year.

ENDS

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