FOC concludes Pre-Forum session
PRESS STATEMENT (74/08)
24th July 2008 PRE-FORUM SESSION OF FOC CONCLUDES TWO-DAY MEETING The two-day Pre-Forum Session of the Forum Officials Committee (FOC) has concluded at the Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji today with the endorsement of a Letter from the Chair of the Meeting to the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum containing decisions on the issues discussed. FOC with membership from all 16 Forum member countries is the governing council of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. The FOC pre-Forum session prepares the agenda for the Leaders when they meet for their annual Forum meeting. The 2008 Forum Leaders meeting will be held in Niue 19 – 21 August. “The discussions over the past two days have been very frank and fruitful resulting in what the meeting believes are some very substantive recommendations to Leaders on some major issues currently affecting the region,” says Sisilia Talagi, the Chair of the meeting and Niue’s High Commissioner to New Zealand. “As the recommendations will have to go to our Leaders for their consideration I am in no position to divulge any details but what I can say is that our meeting was able to discuss thoroughly the issues and it is now on the Leaders to make the final decision based on our recommendations,” says Ms Talagi. She adds: “I must congratulate all the members who attended and of cause the Acting Secretary General of the Forum Secretariat and all his staff for their contributions towards a successful meeting.” The Letter from the FOC Chair will now be transmitted to the new Chair of the Forum, the Premier of Niue, Hon. Toke Talagi, MP when the Leaders meet in Niue on 19th August. The agenda of the Pre-Forum Session of FOC included issues such as Regional Partnership Mechanisms, a Progress Report on the Implementation of decisions of the 2007 Forum, Regional Activities under the Biketawa Declaration, Radioactive Contaminants in the Marshall Islands, the Secretariat’s 2008 – 2012 Corporate Plan and related reviews of its Organisational Structure, Budget, Planning and Reporting Process, Budget and Finance Systems, a Framework for Regional Meetings, Membership Contributions, the Agreement Establishing the Pacific Islands Forum and the Secretariat’s 2008 Revised Budget. ENDS. |
2008