December 10, 2014: The United Nations General Assembly has today adopted a resolution granting the request for observer status of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community to the United Nations General Assembly.
The resolution was originally submitted by the delegation of Fiji in support of the decision taken by the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Pacific Community of which Fiji was the Chair.
In his statement after the adoption of the resolution today, the Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations, Ambassador Peter Thomson said this was a step in the right direction for sustainable development in the Pacific region, in particular for PSIDS, as it will help synchronize their development programmes with those of the United Nations agencies and programmes.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community currently unites some 22 Pacific Islands Countries and territories (includes US and French territories in the Pacific). Through the assistance from its metropolitan members, SPC provides the necessary policy assistance and technical expertise to assist member countries in broad areas of development including in the fields of energy, transport, public health, agriculture development, disaster reduction, human development, development statistics, oceans and fisheries.
In concluding his statement to the General Assembly today, Ambassador Thomson said “we welcome the granting of observer status to the Pacific Community, coming as it does at the very important juncture, as we jointly design the Post- 2015 Development Agenda.”
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