1259 Pacific Island Plan - what will the future hold?
austraLasia 1259

Pacific Island Plan - what will the future hold?

PORT MORESBY: 24th September 2005 -- When Pacific Island leaders meet in Port Moresby next month, one of the central issues will be discussion of a Pacific Plan promoted by the Pacific Islands Forum.  While the idea of some sort of federation or common action between island nations was first proposed by the then King of Hawai'i  120 years ago, this is the first real outline of an agenda for regional cooperation and development in the context of the 21st century.
    Naturally, larger Oceanian nations like Australia and New Zealand are looking on with mixed feelings.  Nobody could disagree with the aim of a Pacific Plan to help island peoples "live free and worthwhile lives", but over many years now the two larger nations have been able to call the shots on many issues ranging from economic growth to governance.  There are also the interests of other major world powers impinging on the lives of islanders - France especially, the USA, and now China. 
    The Plan is meant to cope with benefits and challenges brought about by globalisation, featuring deeper and broader regional cooperation.  It targets goals of economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security.  Interestingly, China has backed the plan.  Growth in economic, trade relations between China and PIF (Pacific Island Forum) nations has increased by 68% in recent years.  China is insisting on the recognition of the One China policy as a pre-requisite for trade relations.  Most PIF nations have representation at the UN.
    Salesians have communities in PNG, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, and from time to time are invited either to assist particular events or to consider opening communities in other island nations such as Kiribati, Guam, Tonga, Cook Islands.  The Pacific Islands broadly include zones known as Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.  The recent move to align the Salesian work in the Solomon Islands with PNG makes sense inasmuch as they are both Melanesian nations.  Fiji is in the 'middle', both geographically and culturally, between Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.  Samoa, on the other hand, regards itself as the 'cradle of Polynesia'.
    Salesian provinces and communities involved in the PIF zone will no doubt be following with interest any developments arising from the proposed Pacific Plan.
VOCABULARY
Pacific Islands Forum: an inter-governmental body established 1971 to enhance co-operation amongst Pacific Island nations
call the shots: make the important decisions
[We were wrong: San Jose City, as reported in #1248, is not part of Metro Manila but slightly further north in the province of Nueva Acija, central Luzon]
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