A move by the Pacific Islands Forum to review its sole agency in the north Pacific is being criticised by the Frederated States of Micronesia.
Secretary-General, Meg Taylor Photo: supplied / Forum Secretariat
The decision to look at future of the Pacific Islands Development Programme (PIDP) based at the East-West Center in Hawai'i was made at the recent Foreign Ministers Meeting.
The Forum's Secretary-General, Dame Meg Taylor from Papua New Guinea, has welcomed the ministers' decision for the heads of state to review the role of the PIDP when they meet next month.
Is this part of a broader discussion by Forum leaders about reducing the membership of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific, or CROP?
Are we to see a single regional organisation?
Dame Meg said no specific agency is being singled out as leaders will look at other agencies within CROP.
Dame Meg, who ends her six-year tenure in January, said the governance and accountability of any regional agency are important.
"When this matter became an issue for the leaders, they asked us to review the PIDP," she said.
"So an independent assessment was done by an independent consultant.
"That matter is now with the foreign ministers who noted the responses that these CROP agencies had given."
President of the Federated States of Micronesia, David Panuelo. Photo: RNZ / Jamie Tahana
FSM leader not happy
The President of the Federated States of Micronesia has criticised the move.
Speaking at the East-West Center last month, David Panuelo said the PIDP was crucial to the development of countries in the northern Pacific.
Panuelo said regionalism was key to the region maintaining solidarity and unity.
"The PIDP East-West Center played a significant role then and continues to play a significant role in the nation-building of our respective countries in the north Pacific," President Panuelo said.
"Most of our founding fathers were trained and educated at the East-West Center and they helped in the nation-building process of the FSM and the other Micronesian states."
Dame Meg said the key issue here is "we have a new CROP charter and when a CROP member does not turn up to four consecutive meetings you start asking questions as to what's going on?
"As the Chair of CROP, I take this very seriously," she said. "It's my job to take these matters very seriously.
"If we have CROP agencies then you have got to function, you have an oversight of your governance systems and you are accountable under the CROP Charter."
But President David Panuelo claimed the Secretariat had excluded the PIDP from CROP meetings since mid-2019.
He said this only reinforced Micronesia's perception of the need to insist on having a voice "equal to other countries in the Pacific".
Meanwhile, next month's virtual Forum Leaders Summit is also expected to elect Dame Meg's successor.
There are five nominees for the position - Tongan economist Amelia Kinahoi Siamomua, former Fiji diplomat Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, former Cook Islands' prime minister Henry Puna, Marshall Islands ambassador to the United States Gerald Zackios and former head of the Pacific Community Jimmy Rodgers from the Solomon Islands.