Friday, 19 September 2014, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Noumea, New Caledonia
The development challenges faced by Pacific Island countries were the focus of two days of meetings in Frankfurt and Berlin between the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and German Government and development agencies.
Dr Colin Tukuitonga, Director-General of SPC, said the meetings were important in furthering SPC’s relations with Germany with a view to strengthening the organisation’s work for sustainable development in the Pacific Islands: Part of SPC’s mission is to bring as much goodwill and expertise to bear as possible to help our Members as they work towards their development goals. Germany is a long-standing partner of SPC and we are looking to deepen this relationship, particularly around the theme of climate change, and show the German Government that we place great value on its assistance and interest in the challenges faced in our region. We were delighted to be able to send a strong message that SPC is willing to engage more closely with Germany in the future for the benefit of our Members and the region as a whole.
Dr Tukuitonga noted that German technology and expertise allied with the German Government’s proactive approach to the environmental aspects of development make Germany a privileged partner for initiatives in the field of climate change.
The meetings also provided opportunities for highlighting the initiatives and programmes that are being developed and implemented by Pacific Island countries and territories, with SPC’s assistance, to address areas of immediate concern, such as climate change, food security, non-communicable diseases and economic development.
SPC’s delegation included the Director-General, Dr Colin Tukuitonga, and two Deputy Directors-General, Cameron Diver and Fabian McKinnon.