PRESS RELEASE (67/11)
14th August 2011

Senior officials from member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum will attend a series of meetings from 15 – 19 August in Suva, Fiji as part of the preparations for the 42nd Pacific Islands Forum to be held in Auckland, New Zealand early next month.

The officials meetings, to be held at the Forum Secretariat in Suva, includes the Smaller Island States (SIS) Officials Meeting, 15th August; the Pacific Plan Action Committee (PPAC) Meeting 16 – 17 August and the Forum Officials Committee (FOC) Pre-Forum session 18 – 19 August 2011.

“The meeting of the SIS Officials is an opportunity for the smaller members of the Forum to caucus on issues of special interest to SIS before those issues are discussed at the Pacific Plan Action Committee and Forum Officials Committee meetings,” says Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum.
 

Mr Slade added: “The PPAC, which is mandated to oversee the implementation of the Pacific Plan, will among other issues discuss the 2011 Pacific Plan Progress Report which tracks progress on the implementation of the priorities endorsed by Forum Leaders in 2009.”
 

Recommendations of the PPAC Meeting are relayed through the Meeting’s Chair to the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum.
 

The Forum Officials Committee, which is the governing council of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, will consider the Secretariat’s Corporate issues including the 2012 Annual Budget as well as the Secretariat new Programme Strategic Plans for 2012 - 2014.

FOC will also discuss regional security and governance issues affecting the region. Outcomes of the FOC meeting will also be relayed to the Forum Leaders when they meet in Auckland, New Zealand, 6 -9 September.

The SIS Officials, the PPAC and FOC meetings will also be attended by representatives of Forum Associate members and Observers as well as Council of Regional Organisations for the Pacific (CROP) agencies.

ENDS.

For media enquiries, contact Mr Johnson Honimae, the Forum Secretariat’s Media Officer on phone 679 3220303, email: johnsonh@forumsec.org.fj or Ms Mue Bentley Fisher, the Forum Secretariat’s Communications Officer on phone 679 331 2600 or email: mueb@forumsec.org.fj