SPC’s mission is to help Pacific Island people position themselves to respond effectively to the challenges they face and make informed decisions about their future and the future they wish to leave for the generations that follow.
Goal
Economic Development Division goal is sustainable economic development through accessible, affordable, efficient, secure and safe energy, ICT and transport services.
Objectives
EDD has five objectives for the period 2012 to 2017:
• Facilitate strong leadership, good governance, effective multi-sectoral coordination and strategic partnerships, including monitoring and evaluation;
• Effective policies, plans and regulatory frameworks providing an enabling environment for economic development;
• Strengthened institutions and expertise in the energy, ICT and transport sectors; and
• Improved access to affordable and efficient energy, ICT and transport services
• Secure, safe and environmentally friendly energy, ICT and transport services .
About the Division
The establishment of the Economic Development Division in January 2010 was a culmination of SPC’s internal reform process as well as a specific response to the broader reform agenda under the auspices of the Regional Institutional Framework (RIF).
The division is located at SPC’s Regional Office in Suva, Fiji but has staff located in other Pacific Island countries and territories such as New Caledonia, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Marshall Islands.
EDD pulls together the four key drivers of economic growth – transport, energy, infrastructure and Information and communication technology (ICT). These drivers constitute the four pillars of the division. The infrastructure programme is in abeyance pending further analysis.
Economic Development Division
Economic Development Division Secretariat of the Pacific Community Private Mail Bag, Suva, Fiji Islands
Phone: +679 3370 733
Fax: +679 3370 146
Email: edd@spc.int Website: www.spc.int/edd
Copyright Secretariet of the Pacific Community (SPC) 2011
TRANSPORT PROGRAMME
The Transport Programme became operational under EDD on 1 January 2010 as a result of the Regional Institutional Framework (RIF) process. The main objective of the programme is to coordinate transport developments (maritime and aviation) in the Pacific focusing on national priorities including developing transport policies and regulatory frameworks to ensure safe and secure transport services. In this regard, the programme focuses on the following key responsibilities:
• Facilitated leadership, governance, coordination and partnerships;
• Support effective transport policy, regulatory and legislative frameworks;
• Strengthen transport human resource capacity;
• Enhance transport services to Pacific communities including rural and remote islands;
• Effective technical services to ensure safe and secure transport; and
• Monitor and evaluate transport development in the Pacific.
SPC is the only regional agency dealing with maritime matters in the Pacific Islands region and it is the implementing body for IMO’s Technical Cooperation Division activities. The work of SPC in the aviation sector complements the work of Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO).
The role of SPC’s Transport Programme has expanded considerably with shipping and aviation issues in particular those of smaller island states (SIS) now part of its core focus. In addition to this function, SPC has a major regional role to play in ensuring Pacfic Islands countries and territories (PICTs) comply with international and regional maritime instruments.
The Transport Programme also coordinates the implementation of the Framework for Action on Transport Services in collaboration with PICTs, regional maritime associations and development partners. The framework was endorsed by PICT transport ministers in April 2011 in New Caledonia.
ENERGY PROGRAMME
On 1 January 2010, SPC assumed the lead agency role in the energy sector as mandated to it by the Pacific Energy Ministers, the joint meeting of the Governing bodies of SOPAC, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and SPC; the Forum Leaders and approved by the Sixth Conference of the Pacific Community, held in Tonga on 12–13 October 2009.
The EDD Energy Programme’s key role of the lead coordination agency for the regional energy sector is that of providing leadership for, and improving the profile of energy as a key priority sector in the Pacific islands region. In this regard the Energy Programme of the EDD will focus on the following key responsibilities:
• Coordination and facilitation of accountability and cooperation in the energy sector, including support to the Pacific Power Association
• Advisory support to PICT to better plan and manage their energy sector
• Petroleum Advisory aimed at fair, cheaper, cleaner, more cost effective and more reliable supplies
• Productive uses of Renewable Energy for economic development / project management supplement and coordination
• Energy efficiency in the transport sector
• Coordination of regional energy / mitigation funding proposals and the monitoring and evaluation of the energy sector
PICTO PROGRAMME
The Pacific ICT Outreach (PICTO) Programme was formed under EDD in response to RIF, which resulted in a merger of ICT outreach activities of Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commision (SOPAC) and SPC, and transferring over the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) ICT functions to PICTO on 1 April 2010.
The overall objective of PICTO is to coordinate ICT developments in the Pacific focusing on national priorities, including developing conducive ICT policy and regulatory frameworks for developments, enhancing government services, building local ICT capacity and facilitating provision of accessible and affordable ICT services. In this regard, the programme focuses on the following key responsibilities:
• Provide leadership and enhance coordination and collaboration in the ICT sector recognizing the Pacific ICT needs and priorities;
• Provide support and assistance to ensure PICTs have effective national ICT policy, regulatory and legislative frameworks;
• Strengthen ICT human resource capacity;
• Enhance ICT access to Pacific communities especially to rural and remote islands;
• Effective utilization of ICT to deliver efficient and inclusive government services; and
• Monitor and evaluate ICT development in the Pacific.
Its effort is guided by the ministerial endorsed Framework for Action on ICT for Development in the Pacific and its implementation plan, which outlines a new approach to developing and improving ICT services to support development, strengthen governance and improve the livelihoods of communities in the Pacific region.
Its effort is guided by the Forum-adopted and ministerial endorsed Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific and its implementation plan, which outlines a new approach to improving energy security in the Pacific. It acknowledges the primacy of national energy policies and plans/roadmaps as the principal means for achieving energy security.
