The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat PIFS will soon begin work on a case study of the Tonga Energy Roadmap (TERM) for regional and global learning and replication.

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, made this announcement at the Pacific Leaders’ Energy Summit held in Nuku’alofa, Tonga last week (21-22 March).

“In a recent peer reviewing of the Tongan national development plans under the Forum Compact for Strengthening Development Coordination, a principal recommendation was made for Development Partners to replicate the TERM approach in other sectors,” the Secretary General told the high-level meeting.

This recommendation was made on the basis that the TERM provided a good way for development partners to engage in a coordinated manner with a specific sector of Government.

Adopted in 2010, the TERM is acknowledged as a good development practice across the region and globally. It sets out a single plan for all donors to align their assistance towards, rather than Government realigning its priorities based on development partner interests.

“I am pleased to note that a Secretariat peer review follow up team will start work on the TERM case study this month and will liaise with the World Bank and other relevant stakeholders on the details of the requisite work,” said the Secretary General.

“I am certain that the case study will produce valuable information to provide further guidance to the Government of Tonga, and I’m sure to the region, in the implementation of the TERM.”

The Tonga Peer Review [2] was carried out in August 2012 by a team of Pacific experts on planning, budgeting, development and aid management, assisted by a technical team from the Forum Secretariat. At the invitation of the Government of Tonga, the team included Mr Colin Tavi, Manager of Vanuatu’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr Oscar Malielegaoi, Assistant CEO Budget of Samoa’s Ministry of Finance and Mr Gary Wiseman, Manager of UNDP Pacific Centre, Fiji.

Peer Reviews [3] are an initiative under the 2009 Cairns Compact for Strengthening Development Coordination (Forum Compact) [4], which is a commitment by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to support the implementation of Pacific Plan priorities, providing the principles and processes for more coordinated and efficient delivery of development programmes at the national level.

Other Forum countries to have undergone Peer Reviews include Nauru and Kiribati in 2010, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Niue in 2011, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia in 2012. – Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, 28/03/13.