Questioning the benefits of the “crowded development space” in the Pacific Region, the SPC's new Director General, Dr Colin Tukuitonga is promoting the role of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), which he says is well-placed to respond to the diverse needs.

Ahead of his first high-level meeting with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, one of the region's largest donors, Dr Tukuitonga last week questioned the costs and benefits of having  a plethora of organisations involved in development. “And yet the impact is uncertain,” he said. 

“Many of the agencies that operate in the Pacific region do so in relative isolation, and only focus on one priority area,” he stated.

“The SPC  is leveraging its expertise across multiple sectors, including health, climate change and fiheries, to deliever more comprehensive results forPacific Island countries and territories. We are changing the way we work and respositioning ourselves to provide more coordinated and high quality technical, scientific and policy advice to our members.”

With over 65 years of experience in the Pacific, he said the intergovernmental organisation was well placed to respond to Pacific Islands diverse needs.

Dr Tukuitonga stated, “We work hard to tailor development solutions to specific country circumstances based on the available scientific evidence, and an in-depth understanding of the Pacific social, cultural and political environment.

“Yet there is more to be done and SPC’s broad mandate and multi-sectoral approach give us a distinct advantage.”