for Forum in 2000
p. 41 · Read in the full issue
F$11.9 million budget for Forum in 2000
enior officials from South Pacific Forum countries have . approved an FJSII.9 million budget for the activities of the South Pacific Forum Secretariat in 2000.
The Forum Officials Committee (FOC), which oversees the Secretariat operations, also approved a Work Programme that focuses on supporting member country efforts in economic reform; representing their interests at international fora such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation, and promoting regional trade.
Other Secretariat activities this year include increased involvement in the establishment of a Free Trade Area within the region over the next decade.
The Secretariat will continue to coordinate a variety of initiatives in social policy issues (for example, education, gender and health) including an Education Ministers conference, regional security issues, and the advocacy of Forum positions on a range of political and economic issues.
Monitoring of issues in the French territory of New Caledonia (now an Observer to the Forum) will continue. A new sub-committee will also monitor developments in French Polynesia which has expressed an interest in developing a closer association with the Forum group.
Existing programmes are developed to reflect the priorities emerging from the Forum and Ministerial meetings including the Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM); Forum Trade Ministers Meeting (FTMM) and other Ministerial level meetings held in 1999 for aviation and communications.
About one third of the Secretariat budget is funded from contributions from the 16 member states (Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu).
The balance is provided through extra budgetary support from development partners to the region. ■