R E G I O N A L   M E E T I N G S


Pacific Regional Meeting of Parliamentarians on Population and Food Security

At the beginning the parliamentary delegates were skeptical that there was food insecurity in the Pacific islands; by the end of the conference, all the parliamentarians were convinced about the emerging food security problems in Paradise. This was the general consensus of the outcome of the first Pacific Regional Meeting of Parliamentarians.

The topic of this landmark meeting was "Food Security, Population and Development", held on 13-14 August at the Warwick Hotel, Coral Coast, Fiji. The conference was hosted by the National Parliament of Fiji, with the support of the Government and private sector firms. Other official sponsors were the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), an affiliation of nineteen Asian member states of the UN and its specialized agencies, headquartered in Bangkok.


Participants at the Pacific Regional Parliamentarians' Workshop

Thirty-five parliamentary delegates from fifteen regional countries (Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western Samoa) and twenty observers attended the workshop. Over two days, the parliamentarians debated on topics related to food security, population and development in the Pacific, such as population dynamics; food requirements and population growth; environment and food production; the role of civil society; and the World Food Summit as a framework for national policies and actions in food security. The discussions were facilitated by thematic presentations by Ms. Kesaia Seniloli, Coordinator of the Population Studies Programme, University of the South Pacific; Mr. Jacques du Guerny, Chief of the Population Programme Service, FAO Rome; Ms. Taiamoni Tongamoa, Population and Environment Development Officer, South Pacific Re! gional Environment Programme; and Mr. Karunesh Bhalla, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative (on behalf of Mr. Somsey Norindr, United Nations Resident Coordinator).

The Prime Minister of Fiji, Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka, addressed both the opening and closing ceremonies, a distinctive gesture in honour of the first gathering of regional parliamentarians and in recognition of the significance of the subject. The Honourable Speaker of the Fiji House of Representatives, Dr. Apenisa Kurisaqila, was the Conference Chair-person. Ms. Etta Tadesse, UNFPA Representative for the South Pacific, and Mr. Shiv Khare, Executive Director of AFPPD also addressed the meeting. Administrative support for bringing the delegates from a sub-region spanning 30 million sq. km was provided by the UNFPA Field Office and UNDP. The UNFPA Country Support Team assisted the host institution in planning the programme, identifying speakers, and in preparing the conference documentation.

The parliamentarians unanimously adopted a Statement summarising their common stand on food security, population, and development issues in the Pacific, and recommended the incorporation of its content in the country statements of Pacific Island delegations to the World Food Summit in Rome.


(For the full text of the "Parliamentarians' Statement" see AFPPD Statement).

IPPF - Workshop on Quality of Care in Family Planning Service Delivery

In an attempt to upgrade the knowledge and skills of NGOs in reproductive health on quality of care, the IPPF organised a workshop with the following objectives:

The workshop was held at the Tokatoka Resort, Nadi on 27-31 May 1996. There were 15 participants from Family Planning Associations in the Pacific, namely Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Western Samoa, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. UNFPA and UNICEF also attended as bservers. The CST Adviser on RH/FP was the main resource person in this workshop.

The workshop's agenda covered a wide range of subjects including technology update on a selected number of family planning (methods), field visits to hospitals and health centres and group exercises. However, the major focus was on the quality of family planning care and services. The basic elements of FP quality care/services as recommended by Ms. Judith Bruce were also utilised as guidelines for discussions. A regular monitoring and evaluation exercise to assess the situation of FP care services was also emphasised.

5th Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders

Presidents, prime minsiters, and senior ministers headed their country-delegations to the Fifth Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders held at the Sheraton Resort on Denarau Island in Nadi, Fiji, on 10-12 July.

"Population, Employment Creation and Resources Management" was the theme of this year's political leaders' triennial get-together. His Excellency the President of Fiji, the host country, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, said the theme of the conference embraced almost the totality of the concerns of government. "For if these problems were solved, then health, education and so many other sectors would improve and in turn reciprocate by contributing to development".

Fifty four political and administrative decision-makers from 16 Pacific countries (including French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Hawaii) and about 50 observers representing the diplomatic community, United Nations agencies and regional institutions participated in the three-day conference which was chaired by Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. The triennial meeting was organized by the Pacific Islands Development Programme of the East-West Centre.


Government leaders at the 5th Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders

The meeting identified various areas of cooperation and development in the region that could be improved like trade and fisheries, shared concerns of unemployment, job creation, resource management, promotion of entrepreneurship and small businesses, and public sector reforms.