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12 November, 2013, Apia, Samoa: The Acting Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa, Honorable Fonotoe Pierre Lauofomet with the Samoa Peer Review Team yesterday to welcome them into the country as they prepare to hold consultations with government and other key stakeholders. “The government of Samoa welcomes the Peer Review team and as our Forum Leaders agreed back in 2009, we believe that through this peer review process, Samoa will be able to take stock of our government systems and identify strengths and challenges in the delivery of developmentprogrammes and services to our people,” said Mr. Lauofo. “Samoa is seen in the region as a leader in development effectiveness efforts and the Peer Review team will look for insights into the factors surrounding your success,” says Mr. Richard Neeves, Secretary of Finance from Cook Islands and leader of the Samoa Peer Review team. “Four Samoa Government officials have served on seven past peer review processes and in doing so, your Government officials have been instrumental in the Pacific’s South-South exchange of experiences and consequently developing capacities of government officials across the region especially in the areas of planning and aid coordination,” said Mr. Richard Neeves. Peer Reviews bring together officials of Forum Island Countries and development partners to mutually address development challenges. The Review concept is based on the idea that if a Forum Island Country wants to make improvements in its development efforts, it may be better to seek advice from Pacific neighbors rather than relying too much on international experts. The thinking is that other island countries may be facing, and could have found solutions to, exactly the same dilemmas confronting the country requesting a Review. Over the next two weeks, the Samoa Peer Review team will hold consultations with parliamentarians, central government ministries and other key stakeholders including the central bank, private sector, NGOs, civil society organizations and Samoa’s development partners. Samoa will be the 13thand the last Forum Island Country to undertake the Forum Compact Peer Review Process.
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