Five Pacific islands countries will be the focus of a high level regional conference on security and conflict prevention, to be held in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, next week from April 27-30.

The Security Sector Governance Regional High Level Conference is hosted by the UNDP-Pacific Centre in co-operation with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to look at the key security challenges and responses in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.

The Co-Chair of the Conference, UNDP's Senior Regional Crisis Prevention and Recovery Advisor, Jean-Luc Stalon, the programme manager for the conference said today that the intention of the of the Conference, which includes Ministers responsible for Security, Parliamentarians, Ombudsman, civil society organizations and law enforcement institutions is to build on the findings of scoping missions to the five island states from November 2008. Those missions where undertaken by UNDP Pacific Centre and Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF), and were observed by PIFS.

Mr Stalon said that some of the topics to be covered during the four-days conference to be held at the Fanonelu'a Convention Centre, will include Security Sector Governance: Global and Pacific; Security Sector Governance and Co-operation in the Pacific - status and needs; Executive, Legislative and Civil Society Oversight of the Security Sector; , institution building and accountability of the security sector; and Gender and Security Sector Governance.

International resource people who have been invited to the conference, included, Dr. Eboe Hutchful, Director, African Security Dialogue and Research (ASDR), Chair African Security Sector Network (ASSN); Peter Batchelor, Chief - conflict Prevention and Recovery Team, UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery BCPR; Boubacar N'Diaye, African Security Sector Network; Giji Gya, Executive Director, International Security Information Service, Europe and Judge; Shackley Raffetto, US Navy JAG, Senior Fellow, DIILS.

Conflict prevention

The UNDP-Pacific Centre was established in 2006 and it has been developing conflict prevention initiatives for the Pacific Islands Forum countries under a close partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

In June 2008 the UNDP Pacific Centre embarked on a regional inception phase project to "Support the Capacity Development of Governance Institutions to Oversee and Manage the Security Sector in the Pacific." The target countries for this regional initiative over the first year are Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

Mr Stalon said that the intended outcome of the conference is to identify the priority needs and capacity gaps "where UNDP Pacific Centre in partnership with international and regional organizations could provide common regional technical assistance, policy advisory or capacity building support improvements in the management and oversight of the security sector."



Regional Delegation

The leaders of delegation to the Nuku'alofa conference, include, Ratu Epeli Ganilau, Fiji's Minister of Defence; Hon. Bob Dadae, the Minister of Defence for Papua New Guinean; Hon. Samuel Manetoali Eaney, from the Solomons Ministry of Police; Maturine Tary, the Executive Manager of the Vanuatu Ministry of Internal Affairs; and Hon. Sonatane Tu'akina Taumoepeau Tupou, Tonga's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence.