BY BEN BILUA
FORUM Chair Jeremiah Manele has acknowledged the presence of Council of Regional Organisation in the Pacific [CROP] at the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.
Speaking at the Leaders Dialogue with CROP Manele said, the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific play an instrumental role in the implementation of any decisions coming out from forum meetings.
He said CROP agencies have invested in aligning to the region’s collective 2050 Strategy which is not regional leaders’ strategy but a document collectively agreed up by the Blue Pacific Continent.
Manele salutes all CROP Heads, and their respective Teams for working to support the 2050 Strategy Implementation.
“I recognise that we are still in early days of implementation but I remain confident that with the right mechanisms, institutional arrangements and the collective political will of this body, we will advance towards the achievement of our 2050 Vision.
“This is not a mere aspiration – it is an imperative. All of us around this table today, including our CROP Heads, are entrusted with the responsibility of Leadership; to ensure that we can collectively deliver for our people, to drive the collective aspirations of our governments, to advocate for the partnerships and support that we need to ensure our priorities are implemented,” he said.
Manele said the regional system must always be, first and foremost, centered on the people and the membership that it serves.
He said collective decisions as Forum Leaders are for nought, if it is not supported by the implementation machinery such as the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific.
“I encourage us to engage with openness, candour, and the spirit of solidarity that defines our Blue Pacific Continent,” Manele said.
