Fiji Min info
Nanaia Mahuta, front second from right, with leaders and officials from the Pacific Islands Forum and children at the CSO roundtable in Suva.
The Pacific Strategy for 2050endorsed at the Leaders Summit in Fiji is a commitment to stay connected for a free, safe and prosperous region, said Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta.
Mahuta and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern are both present at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Suva.
During Wednesday’s roundtable on civil society strategy for 2050, Mahuta said civil society has made a fundamental difference in the way governments think about society.
She said that when governments were unaware of the magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was civil society organizations (CSO) hard at work in their communities.
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More than 80 civil society leaders from Tonga, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Niue, Fiji and Australia, and the New Zealand diaspora community attended the CSO Forum. The event was organized by the Pacific Islands Association of NGOs (PIANGO) and the Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS).
Mahuta said civil society formed a very strong backbone for the Covid-19 responses of many countries.
She said civil society organizations knew where the vulnerabilities were during the pandemic, and “know how to reach out and support them in times of uncertainty.
“Governments may not have all the solutions, but when we work with civil society organizations we have an advantage in how we respond to challenges. Civil society brings solutions to the table.”
She also said that the civil society organizations have made a fundamental difference in the way governments think about the community.
Mahuta praised the work civil society organizations have done in times of crisis. “Your perspective is unique, your input is essential and your vote has contributed to a strong and ambitious guiding document of which we can all be proud.”
NZ High Commission
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and her Tuvalu counterpart Simon Kofe.
PIANGO Secretary Sepesa Rasili stressed the importance of the 2050 strategy and said it would be inherited by the children and further amplify the voices of the CSO sector.
“This will also secure the future of the region against the challenges of today and the decades to come, for a free, safe and prosperous region.”
Mahuta said the forum provided an opportunity to hear the perspectives of civil society organizations and how they could contribute to the Pacific 2050 strategy.
“Pacific development partners and their unique perspectives, vital input and votes have contributed to a strong and ambitious design for the Pacific 2050 strategy that we can all be proud of.
“The 2050 Strategy is a testament to the region’s commitment to staying connected and working together to achieve a shared vision of a resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity that ensures that all people in the Pacific can be free and healthy in their lives. productive life.”
FCOSS Director Vani Catanasiga said civil society organizations complemented the role of their governments to ensure alignment with development effectiveness principles that focus on ownership, results, partnerships, transparency and shared responsibility.
The Pacific 2050 strategy was approved on Thursday at the forum leaders’ retreat.