The Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat in Vanuatu, Mr Peter Forau welcomes the formal establishment of the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) and looks forward to attending the 2nd PIDF Summit to be held at the Sheraton Fiji Resort, Denarau, Nadi, Fiji from 18 to 20 June 2014.
He congratulated the Fiji Government for successfully establishing the PIDF Secretariat formally only a year after its conception at the First PIDF Summit in 2013.
This is a milestone achievement for the region and demonstrates Fiji’s commitment to providing a mechanism for strengthening regional solidarity on regional issues in the global and international discourses.
Mr Forau also took the opportunity to congratulate Mr Feleti Teo for his appointment as the Interim Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Development Forum and the staff of the PIDF Secretariat.
The Director General of the MSG Secretariat said the establishment of the PIDF is timely and now provides a necessary, holistic and inclusive mechanism for the Pacific to discuss and create direct partnerships with the United Nations on key development issues such as green growth, and sustainable development issues through the PSIDS and AOSIS and G77 processes that includes the participation of Governments, private sector and civil society.
He said at present there are no mechanisms in place to allow direct partnership from this region to the United Nations. “Pacific island countries can now stand together on Green Growth and Sustainable Development issues hence PIDF fills this gap,” said Mr Forau.
Mr Forau also confirmed that the MSG Secretariat is currently working on and developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize its working relations with the PIDF.
