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The head of the Pacific Community says after 70 years of activity the Pacific Islands regional agency can point to a long list of achievements.
The director general of the SPC, Colin Tukuitonga, says institutions like the Pacific Games and the Pacific Arts Festival have grown from initiatives by the agency.
He said the region's key scientific body has also long been assessing tuna stocks and has played a vital role in trying to ensure the sustainability of the resource.
Dr Tukuitonga also points to the work the agency has done to counter the impact of lifestyle disease in the Pacific.
"SPC scientists first started describing emerging diabetes, obesity and heart problems in island communities in the seventies, and we continue to do that work now."
Dr Tukuitonga said the SPC has done a lot of work with Pacific youth on gender, the empowerment of women and education standards, among other achievements