Letters

Forum Secretariat responds to claims of agenda “hijacking”

I write to comment on the negative remarks made in your September issue in the article by Sophie Foster Hildebrand relating to the recent South Pacific Forum Meeting held in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia and in particular how the agenda is shaped. The agenda for botn the Pre-forum Officials Committee and the South Pacific Forum Meeting itself is not set by the Forum Secretariat; it is set by the members themselves through a process of consultation with all members as well as other regional organisations.

While the Secretariat provides the ini tial first draft of the agenda to facilitate the process, and circulates this to all members and to all South Pacific Organisations Coordinating Committee (SPOCC) agen cies for their comments and amendments well in advance of the meetings, the end product is the result of the collective input from all member countries and regional organisations, reflecting the issues that those who respond deem to be important issues that require a regional position.

These draft agendas remain until the day of the meeting when members can then make any last minute adjustments before adopting the agenda at the first ses sion of these meetings.

It is also customary each year to pro vide every opportunity for members to table any other items of concern during the meetings both at the Pre-Forum Officials meeting as well as at the Summit. For instance, there is a traditional item “Country Initiatives” under which mem bers are at liberty to raise for regional con sideration additional items of major con cern to them.

The agendas for these meetings are therefore what members make them to be and it is for members to highlight what issues are of major concern tothem, both in the process of consultation leading up to the meetings and at the meetings.

Comments made on the agenda after the meetings, will have relevance to the shaping of the agenda of the next South Pacific Forum and related meetings to be hosted by the Republic of Palau around October in 1999.

W. Noel Levi CBE

Secretary General Forum Secretariat