Caption: SPC 8th Conference Ratu Inoke Kubuabola (left) and SPC DG Designate Dr Colin Tukuitonga (middle) signing the Contract and witnessed by outgoing SPC DG and his predecessor Dr Jimmie Rodgers(right).
The newly appointed Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Dr Colin Tukuitonga today signed his Contract with the SPC 8th Conference Chairman, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola in the presence of the outgoing SPC Director General Dr Jimmie Rodgers, making him the 18th Director General of the Organization since its inception 66 years ago.
Under the SPC Governance Arrangements, the Director General is employed by the SPC Conference, whose current chair is Fiji, over the next 24 months until the 9th Conference to be held in Niue in 2015.
Following a 6months Probationary period, the term of the SPC DG Contract is 2years, with provisions for up to a maximum of two extensions of 2 year periods.
Dr Colin Tukuitonga’s appointment as Director General was unanimously endorsed by the 26 SPC Member Countries who attended the two-day 8th (Ministerial) Conference of the Pacific Community concluded yesterday. In acknowledgement of his appointment, Dr Tukuitonga thanked the Minister for the 8th SPC Conference for their confidence in his capability to be at the helm of the SPC at this crucial period in the Pacific Community’s history that it needs to be having a much stronger voice and impact on the Global Community’s design of the post- 2015 Sustainable Development Goals.