PCRC: Pacific ACP state parties not to give up Policy space to non ACP countries

Media Release

21 August 2003

The Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (PCRC) is strongly urging the 14 Pacific African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) member states to re-claim lost ground on their policy space in matters discussed under the Cotonou Agreement and use their majority influence to shift the Regional Authorising Officer (RAO) mandate currently accorded to the Secretary-General of the Pacific lsland Forum secretariat to a collective group of all National Authorising Officers (NAOs) from selected Pacific ACP countries.

PCRC's Assistant Director for Sustainable Human Development Tupou Vere said "This path is provided for and would be in the spirit of Article 8 of Annex IV (Implementation and Management Procedures) of the Cotonou Agreement and would immediately minimise or avoid any further encroaching of a non-ACP member state’s influence on the sovereignty of Pacific ACP to determine their own development path within the Cotonou Agreement.

Ms. Vere added "the PCRC views the appointment of an Australian as the upcoming Secretary-General of the Forum Secretariat as a political and institutional problem. The Pacific Island Forum member governments had mandated the Secretary-General to be the RAO for regional programming of European Development Funds (EDF). The office of the RAO thus provides technical and secretariat support to Pacific ACP governments when they are determining the use of EU aid towards poverty eradication and development in the Pacific region."

Pacific Concerns Resource Centre

83 Amy Street
Toorak
Private Mail Bag
Suva
Fiji Islands.

Telephone: +679 3304 649
Facsimile: +679 3304 755
E-mail: pcrc@connect.com.fj
Website: www.pcrc.org.fj