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The South Pacific Commission (SPC) is a non-political technical assistance agency with an advisory and consultative role which provides, on request of member countries and its own initiative, technical advice, training, assistance and dissemination of information in social, economic and cultural fields to twenty-two governments and administrations of the Pacific region. Altogether, the countries contain approximately five million people scattered over some thirty million square kilometres. Less than two per cent of this area is land.
The South Pacific Commission was established in 1947 by an agreement signed in Canberra, Australia, known as the Canberra Agreement , by the Governments of Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
The establishment of the Commission was a response by the then colonial powers to assure the economic and social stability of the Island countries and avoid a repeat of the World War II experience by creating mechanisms for meaningful relations among governments.
As events unfolded and times changed, the Commission began to alter its character. In November 1951 the Canberra Agreement was amended to bring Guam and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) into the area served by the South Pacific Commission. In 1962 the Netherlands withdrew from the Commission when it ceased to administer its former colony of Dutch New Guinea, now Irian Jaya, part of Indonesia.
The voices of independent-minded Pacific peoples were being increasingly heard with the first full Island members and the desire by Islanders to change the Commission to what was referred to later as a "Pacific Island Organisation." The first independent and self-governing Pacific States started to articulate Pacific needs and aspirations when admitted to membership: Western Samoa in October 1965, Nauru in July 1969 and Fiji in May 1971.
The political independence of Western Samoa, Nauru and Fiji during the 1960s and early 1970s began the tidal wave of Island sovereignty in the western sense and increased the sound of Island aspiration during "Commission" sessions. This trend continued with the admission of Papua New Guinea in September 1975, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu in November 1978, and Niue and Cook Islands in October 1980.
Perhaps the most marked change in the character of the South Pacific Commission came in 1983 at the Twenty-third South Pacific Conference held in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. After several years of review and discussion, and following recommendations of the internal review of SPC carried out by the then Secretary General, the Twenty-third South Pacific Conference adopted by consensus a resolution that the Conference's twenty-seven governments and administrations should have full and equal membership in the Commission thus admitting to the Commission: .American Samoa, Federated State, of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Guam,. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.
An important aspect of this move was the assumption of financial responsibility by all member governments and administrations on an assessed basis. This also meant the beginning of equal sharing in the decision-making process of the organisation, thus ensuring even greater relevancy to the work programme. The organisation embodied in actual fact its non-political nature to the fullest extent as decision-making was shared equally by member governments irrespective of political status.
Since 1947 the Commission has changed from an organization aimed at helping dependent territories to one in which all countries (whether governments or administrations) have full and equal membership. The evolution of the Commission has paralleled the political and historical developments of the region, which have in turn influenced the mandate the membership and the activities of the Commission. The Commission (and without any direct intention of doing so) has also inevitably promoted conditions which favoured political development, by furthering the development of the region and by responding to the expressed needs of all member countries. It has evolved into a useful and efficient tool for the development of a region that is fast and diverse in both its extremities and its aspirations.
Until 1971, commissioners from the participating governments met in the annual session. The South Pacific Conference, attended by delegates from the Pacific territories, originally met only once every three years. It provided an opportunity for representatives from the Pacific Islands to make known to the participating governments their territories' special needs and problems. The First South Pacific Conference met in 1950. In 1967, the Conference became an annual event; it met immediately before the Session of Commissioners and made recommendations to it.
Proposals for changes in the functioning of the Commission were incorporated in a .Memorandum of Understanding which was formally signed by representatives of the eight participating governments in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, on 2 October 1974, during the Fourteenth South Pacific Conference. The .Memorandum provided for the former Session of Commissioners and South Pacific Conference to meet annually as a single body, known as the South Pacific Conference.
The South Pacific Conference examines and adopts the Commission's work programme and budget for the coming year, and discusses any other matters within the Commission's competence. Each government and administration has the right to send to the Conference a representative and alternate. Each representative, or in his absence an alternate, has the right to cast one vote on behalf of the government or administration which he represents.
To assist the Conference in its work the Memorandum signed in 1971 also provided for a Planning and Evaluation Committee and a Committee of Representatives of Participating Governments. The South Pacific Conference resolution adopted in October 1983, when all Governments and administrations were admitted to full and equal membership, replaced these two committees by providing for a Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (CRGA) to operate as a Committee of the Whole. This Committee meets several months prior to the annual Conference to consider and recommend the administrative budget and other administrative matters, evaluate the draft work programme and budget presented by the Secretary-General, nominate the principal officers of the Commission, and report thereon to the Conference.
| American Samoa | Northern Mariana Islands |
| Australia | Palau |
| Cook Islands | Papua New Guinea |
| Federated States of Micronesia | Pitcairn Islands |
| Fiji | Solomon Islands |
| France | Tokelau |
| French Polynesia | Tonga |
| Guam | Tuvalu |
| Kiribati | United Kingdom |
| Marshall Islands | United States of America |
| Nauru | Vanuatu |
| New Caledonia | Wallis and Futuna |
| New Zealand | Western Samoa |
| Niue |
| American Samoa | Northern Mariana Islands |
| Cook Islands | Palau |
| Federated States of Micronesia | Papua New Guinea |
| Fiji | Pitcairn Islands |
| French Polynesia | Solomon Islands |
| Guam | Tokelau |
| Kiribati | Tonga |
| Marshall Islands | Tuvalu |
| Nauru | Vanuatu |
| New Caledonia | Wallis and Futuna |
| Niue | Western Samoa |
The SPC emblem, designed in New Caledonia, was officially adopted on 6 February 1970 on the occasion of the twenty-third anniversary of the South Pacific Commission. Each star represents a member government and administration of the Commission, which at present number twenty-seven.
The Commission's role is advisory and consultative. Its programmes are closely coordinated with those of the countries of the Pacific for which it works. The Commission does not wish to concern itself with the politics, nor does it attempt to control development programmes, of governments or administrations within the region.
The mandate of SPC has changed over time as the countries' needs have changed, but development relevant to need has always been the basic principle. In 1975 the need was seen to specifically re-define the objectives of the organisation, and the Sixteenth South Pacific Conference in 1976 adopted the Review Committee's recommendations that the Commission undertake the following functions:
SPC's guiding philosophy is one of service to its Island member countries and cooperation with the other regional and international organisations, working to improve the economic, social, cultural and environmental qualities of the region. SPC activities in each country are undertaken as part of its annual work programme. This is approved each year by the South Pacific Conference, a process which ensures that the Commission remains responsive to the needs of the Island countries.
In addition to meeting the specific requests of Island countries, as a regional organisation, the Commission takes seriously its responsibility to keep abreast of developing technology and international trends in its fields of expertise and to seek innovative and creative ways to apply these to Island situations. It is alert to the mandates, programmes and activities of similar organisations in the regional and international areas in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and to maximise the utilisation of scarce resources available to the Pacific. Islands.
A feature of SPC's operation is its use of English and French as the official working languages, as membership includes both English-speaking and French-speaking countries. Almost every publication comes out in both languages and translation and interpretation services are provided for all the Commission's principal conferences and meetings and, from time to time, to other organizations in the region .
The South Pacific Commission draws its regular budget from the contributions of all of its twenty-seven member countries, each of which is assessed on an agreed formula. The largest contributors are the governments of Australia, France New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Like many other international organisations, SPC has to contend with off-shore and local inflation and fluctuating exchange rates, requiring careful management of the budget. This is particularly so in the case of the South Pacific Commission where efforts to "increase" its regular budget are often hampered by a "unanimity rule", which requires the agreement of all twenty-seven member countries to any increase in their annual contribution levels.
Voluntary contributions (extra-budgetary) are also provided by some member countries, other governments, various aid agencies and international organisations, and other external sources.
Altogether, assessed and extra-budgetary contributions for the 1987 financial year represent a total amount of about 1,000 million CFP francs, with extra-budgetary contributions representing approximately half of the amount.
A new integrated approach to the work programme is in the process of implementation and will most certainly involve further co-operation with outside funding agencies. Existing activities and projects such as the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Tuna and Billfish Assessment Programme, the Health, Nutrition, Demography and Plant Protection programmes are already largely supported by extra-budgetary funds, and, as the core budget decreases in value, the organisation will become more dependent on outside sources of income.
Technical publications are published in English and French as the need arises, and include the following series: technical papers, handbooks, information documents, information circulars, reports of meetings; statistical bulletins; newsletters on various topics. The publications disseminate information on recent developments in the Commission's field of work. Other publications include: Monthly News of Activities and Report of the South Pacific Conference . Publications are listed in the SPC Publications Catalogue and the Library Accessions List .
SPC publications should be available from government offices and deposit libraries. There are deposit libraries in American Samoa, Australia, Canada, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Ne-w Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tokelau (Office for Tokelau Affairs, Western Samoa), Tonga, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Western Samoa. If your local deposit library does not have the publication you want, the librarian should be able to get it for you from SPC, from a government office, or on interlibrary loan.
The SPC hopes to establish deposit libraries in all member countries. If there is no deposit library in your country and if you cannot obtain the publication from a government office, please let SPC know by writing to the Secretary-General, South Pacific Commission. B.P. D5, Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia.
The SPC is led by a management team headed by the Secretary-General, who is the chief executive officer of the Commission, with the Director of Programmes and the Deputy Director of Programmes as members. This team approach to management was established in November 1976 with the installation of what came to be called the Management Committee.
After almost twenty years of exclusively European senior management of SPC, the first Island country Secretary-General, Afioga Afoafouvale Misimoa from Western Samoa, was elected in January 1970. This new trend has developed and expanded over recent years to the point where all three current members of the Management Committee are Island people.
Permanent secretariat headquarters:
Anse Vata, Noumea, New Caledonia
Telephone: 26.20.00 and 26.20.11Telex: 3139 NM SOPACOM Cables: SOUTHPACOM
Fax: (687) 26.38.18
Postal Address: B.P. D5, NOUMEA CEDEX, New Caledonia
Office hours:
Monday-Friday:
7.30 a.m.-12 noon
1.00 p.m.-4.00 p.m.
Holidays:
6 February, SPC Anniversary
Good Friday
All official New Caledonian holidays
Branches
Fiji
SPC Community Education Training Centre
Private Mail Bag
SUVA, Fiji
SPC Regional Media Centre
Private Mail Bag
SUVA, Fiji
SPC Plant Protection Office
Private Mail Bag
SUVA, Fiji
The SPC Management Committee is ably assisted by the professional and support staff working in the organisation's various programmes. SPC staff are recruited both internationally and locally, giving the organisation a distinctly international air. Many are from the countries of the region and their advice and willingness to share their intimate knowledge of the "Island way" contribute significantly towards the practical "grassroots" approach to the activities which the organisation aims to foster. It would be difficult for any other organisation in service to the Pacific to equal this combination of intimate knowledge of the Pacific Islands and the cadre of highly qualified and motivated staff.
Over one hundred staff members are based at SPC headquarters in Noumea, approximately thirty are based in Fiji (Community Education Training Centre, Regional Media Centre, Plant Protection Office), and around ten are normally based in various countries within the region for training programmes.
Over the years the South Pacific Commission's work programme has evolved directly in response to the changing needs and aspirations of the people of the region, which ensures its constant relevance to the region and explains its history of solid achievements. As the only international organisation covering all the countries of the Pacific Region, SPC has done its best to fulfill its objectives. constantly adapting to modern, historical and socio-economic chances, while nevertheless taking an active role in shaping these developments. SPC has also been instrumental in the development of local expertise and in promoting self-reliance and regional co-operation. In some well-known cases such as the South Pacific Games and the Festival of Pacific Arts, SPC involvement was crucial to their establishment, but this receded after the initial stages.
The SPC has an integrated work programme covering diverse activities such as food and materials, marine resources, rural management and technology, community services, socio-economic statistical services, education services. information services, regional consultations, awards and grants, as well as cultural conservation and exchange. This integrated work programme is directly shaped by the evaluations and recommendations of Island countries themselves, expressed through appropriate official channels and technical meetings, and by the Secretariat itself. As the Island countries now have much more local autonomy than before, they have significant input in determining their own development programmes and needs, which in turn is reflected in SPC's work programme activities. The proposed SPC work programme and budget are finally approved at the annual South Pacific Conference where all member countries are represented, thus ensuring the relevance of SPC's input to the region and its efficiency in terms of real needs, costs and effort.
All the programme activities of the Commission are currently being reviewed in an effort to improve the integrated nature of their approach, to look at long-term solutions to needs, to plan programmes in order to derive maximum benefit. All requests to SPC will in the future be treated as a "package" to determine the impact on all factors involved; all the expertise of the Commission will be called upon for input. This will require much more programme planning and management than was needed before in simply responding to isolated requests, and may necessitate the merging of some of the existing programmes in order to derive the maximum benefit from the resources at SPC's disposal.
Agriculture
Recognising the paramount importance of food production for small Island countries, the Agriculture programme aims to provide appropriate support to local agricultural programmes, particularly in the promotion of food production and nutrition, in-country training, short-term attachments, and coconut development. It also aims to promote subsistence and economic agriculture to reduce dependence on imports and to increase exports. These activities take the form of consultancies, grants and inter-country visits.
Plant Protection
The objective of the Plant Protection programme is to provide assistance to member governments in the development of national plant protection services. Advice and direct involvement are provided by the SPC Plant Protection Officer, based in Fiji, on plant quarantine, field crop protection, biological control weed control, safe and efficient use of pesticides, and other plant protection aspects.
Coastal fisheries
The South Pacific Commission has always recognised the importance of marine resources to the economic development of all the countries of the region, as the seas constitute vast and mostly untapped resources. The present work of the coastal fisheries programme consists of three main projects. First, the Deep Sea Fisheries Development Project--a village-level, rural development project, with three roving master fishermen--which promotes the development and expansion of artisanal fisheries throughout the region. It develops and evaluates new, simple technology fishing gear and techniques, and provides practical training to local fishermen and government fisheries extension officers. Second, the Regional Fisheries Training Project provides short-term vocational or specialised training activities tailored to meet the specific needs of individual countries or groups of countries. Third, the Fish Handling and Processing Project pro- ides development assistance to the post-harvest fisheries sector by the provision of training and technical expertise and advice in aspects of fish handling, processing and marketing.
Tuna and Billfish Assessment Programme
The Tuna and Billfish Assessment Programme (TBAP) of the South Pacific Commission evolved from the Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme, which attempted to determine the potential for expanding skipjack fisheries in the SPC region. The essential task of the TBAP is to monitor the catches of tuna in the region and perform biological analysis of these data to provide a long-term basis for sustainable benefits to the Island peoples from their tuna resources. Priority items include the collection and evaluation of fisheries data and maintenance of a regional oceanic fisheries data base, assessment of interaction between fisheries for oceanic species, assessment and monitoring the levels of exploitation of stocks of commercially important tuna and billfish species, studies in the biology and ecology of tuna and billfish and baitfish species, and assistance to countries in the implementation of appropriate systems to monitor artisanal and subsistence fisheries and in training fisheries biologists in various aspects of quantitative fisheries methods.
Environment Management and Technology/South Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Concern for environmental protection of the South Pacific led the governments of the region to establish the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and to formulate in 1982 an Action Plan of activities to be undertaken on their behalf by SPREP. The South Pacific Commission serves as the implementing agency for SPREP, with a Co-ordinating Group consisting of SPEC (the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation), SPC, ESCAP (the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), and UNEP (the United Nations Environment Programme). SPREP undertakes research, monitoring education and the provision of information for the sustainable management of land, sea and air resources. Major environmental projects include: watershed management, inland and coastal water quality monitoring and control, ecological interaction among tropical coastal ecosystems, oceanography and occupational hazards from the use of pesticides. An activity with far-reaching implications has been the negotiation of a Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region.
Rural Health, Sanitation and Water Supply
The aim of the Rural Health, Sanitation and Water Supply programme is to provide information, instruction, assistance and facilities which will satisfy, at least in part the need for improved sanitary conditions of rural communities in the region. Within a broad framework, the programme has had a particular focus over the last six years on the promotion and provision of rural water supply and sanitation projects for small communities. The programme also organises training courses in the field of environmental health and related areas, undertakes environmental health surveys, upon request from member countries, and provides technical advice on matters relating to environmental health and sanitation.
Rural Development
The overall objective of the Rural Development programme is to assist in improving the quality of life in the rural areas and outer islands of the region by supplementing the rural development activities of Island countries through an integrated approach. Programme activities are thus geared towards a pragmatic and integrated approach, to diversify job-creating rural activities and expand activities that lack production, promote income-generating opportunities for rural communities, promote the active participation of rural populations in their own development, and to encourage the use of traditional practices and knowledge in the formulation of rural development projects.
Rural Technology
The Rural Technology programme aims to provide technical assistance, advice and pilot projects on alternative energy sources to countries of the region. This activity is specifically directed to projects at the village and rural levels, utilising solar and wind energy for electricity production (for lighting, communications, food storage, water pumping, etc.), and wind energy for mechanical water pumping, as well as other forms of renewable energy.
Women's programmes and activities/Pacific Women's Resource Bureau
The Pacific Women's Resource Bureau was established in 1982, in response to a need voiced at the Seminar of South Pacific Women in 1981, to organise and coordinate women's projects and activities. The Bureau aims to assist national women's offices in upgrading their skills to deal with women's problems at local, national and international levels, to develop an information network among Pacific women as a means of exchanging ideas and views and develop national and regional programmes on issues and problems facing women, and to assist governments on request in bringing about the active participation of women in national development efforts.
Health Education
The Health Education programme essentially advises countries of the region on the development of their health education programmes and gives "on the spot" practical assistance such as carrying out surveys, guidance to local health education officers, and general stimulation in health education activities by keeping local personnel informed of developments in the field of health education. The programme also produces audio-visual materials appropriate for the Pacific Islands and organises in-country training courses for health educators and other public health personnel.
Nutrition
The Nutrition programme assists in the development of appropriate nutrition programmes in the Island member countries. The programme, in conjunction with the epidemiology component, also assists in the design, implementation and analysis of nutrition surveys that are carried out in the Pacific Island countries. An important component of the Nutrition programme is the production and distribution of appropriate health education materials on nutrition and foods. It also assists nutrition and health workers in the region in the development of nutrition programmes through technical advice and through its clearing-house activities.
Community Health
The work of the Epidemiology/Community Health section involves mainly the provision of assistance to countries in the collection of data on health status and various diseases, including routine morbidity and mortality reports (notifiable diseases, cancer) and in-country surveys. The analysis and publication of this information at SPC is done in close co-operation with health department personnel, and leads to the provision of advice on the design, implementation, and evaluation of prevention and control programmes. Ongoing regional projects include the Cancer Registry and the monthly reports on notifiable diseases (South Pacific Epidemiological and Health Information Service), while a large number of activities, such as surveys, are carried out in the field, with data processing and analysis at SPC headquarters.
Statistics
Statistical services are an essential ingredient of all planning and development. The Statistics section assists governments and administrations in the region to develop the range of socio-economic statistics produced, and to improve their quality and reliability. It aims to promote a better understanding of statistics among government officials, and to encourage a wider use of such data, particularly in planning and policy making. It helps co-ordinate statistical developments by fostering co-operation between government statistical agencies in the region, and by promoting the widespread use of international standards and classifications. It provides a statistical information service, by the issue of regional publications, and the supply of regional data and analytical reports.
Economics: Information, Research, Advisory Services, Training and Programme Co-ordination
The section assists governments of the region through the provision of advisory services, especially of a technical nature in the fields of economic development planning, agricultural development policies, marketing and price stabilisation, and economic development policies in general. Training courses are also organised, with emphasis on the techniques of development planning, project analysis, farm management and negotiations with overseas interests. The section also undertakes research on economic development issues that are considered important by the region, collects, analyses, publishes and disseminates economic data of relevance to the region.
Services in Population Data and Data Utilisation
This programme's objectives are to assist governments to obtain information on the size, composition, distribution, fertility and mortality trends and socio-economic characteristics of their populations, recognise the underlying role of population in all social and economic development and utilise population data in development planning and administration. The programme combines technical assistance and training in census, demography and population statistics, and also included a project on migration, employment and development in the South Pacific.
The project on Technical Assistance and Training in Census, Demography and Population Statistics is dedicated to support the Pacific Island governments in improving the collection of demographic information and in increasing the technical competence of government officials to deal with population statistics and "population and development" issues. A beginning has also been made in the area of data processing towards supporting the local capabilities, mainly employing micro-computers. The project continues to supply professional expertise to the governments of the region, on request.
The project on Migration, Employment and Development in the South Pacific was originally executed in co-operation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) with funding from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). Later, the project was funded from the SPC core budget with financial assistance from the Australian Development Assistance Bureau (ADAB). The objective of the project was to further assist the governments of the South Pacific in integrating population distribution and migration issues into population, employment and development planning.
Community Education Training
The SPC Community Education Training Centre (CETC) at Narere, in Fiji, conducts a ten-month community development training course for about 30 community-worker students (women) annually, with the broad objective of training women in methods of community education in order that they might help others to acl1ieve better living conditions for Island families and communities. The training programme focuses on a core course in community development and women's affairs, and a choice of specialised courses is available in one of three areas: agriculture and related fields, home economics, health and food/nutrition.
Regional Media Centre
The SPC Regional Media Centre, based in Suva, Fiji, was created in 1974 to improve community communication skills throughout the region. The Centre conducts regular workshops and training courses in radio, video, photography, graphic arts, printing and other selected areas of audio-visual communication media. The Centre consists of an audio-visual workshop, a photographic studio, a reprographic unit, a radio/video studio and a training room.
Youth and .Adult Education
The Out-of-School Youth and Adult Education programme provides non-formal education for youth and young adults in integrated community development subjects. Direct training assistance is available to member countries in various forms; however, major requests received concern curriculum development, provision of resource materials. policy formulation, course planning and organisation, technical and financial assistance, and advisory services. An outreach programme in the form of a Mobile Training Unit is operated to train youth leaders and community development workers from countries of the region, in specific skills appropriate to their own country.
Information services cover those activities that provide the information and clearing-house services. Dissemination of information is a special feature of all SPC programmes, and through the library's documentation services and the publications office, member governments and their peoples are provided with a wide range of information relevant to their daily lives.
This item covers provision for the South Pacific Conference, the meeting of the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (CRGA), inter-organisation consultations for funding of programmes, and evaluation of SPC programmes .
SPC makes provision for a number of awards and grants in its annual budget and has thus been able to provide short-term experts' and specialists' services in many fields. This enables SPC to respond quickly to meet specific needs of countries. Provision is also made to meet part travel costs for inter-country study visits, with this item being so much in demand that the Secretariat is unable to meet all requests. Funds for regional travel (student training) are also available to assist in the travel costs of country trainees undertaking training or study, primarily in institutions within the region.
SPC was instrumental in the setting up of the Festival of Pacific Arts and acts as the Secretariat of the Council of Pacific Arts. Grants-in-aid are provided to enable smaller nations to act as hosts. Grants are also provided for emoluments and travel of the Festival Director. SPC also provides budgetary allocations for the occasional meetings of the Council of Pacific Arts. Grants-in-aid of cultural development and the conservation of traditional practices provide financial assistance to enable continuation of work in the fields of ethnomusicology, archives of Pacific music and national programmes of cultural development, the continuation of grants to countries for the preservation of traditional knowledge and its traditional application.