12 Jan 2018

Forum looks for more diverse policy submissions

11:04 am on 12 January 2018

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is seeking more diversity in public submissions to help inform regional policy.

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Photo: RNZ

During the last forum meeting in Samoa in September, leaders endorsed the Blue Pacific as a new narrative for collective political action.

The Secretariat's Pacific regionalism adviser Joel Nilon said they now wanted to hear from sectors of society they hadn't had much input from previously, like academia, civil society, and private companies.

He said specific areas of interest included foreign policy, regional security, labour mobility and the small island states strategy.

"The Pacific Islands Forum is really committed to development and implementation of a regional policy agenda that is inclusive, transparent and really one that is owned by all Pacific people, and so generally speaking we want to hear from the broadest cross section of the Pacific as possible."

Joel Nilon said they also wanted to encourage more input from the Northern Pacific.

Online submissions will be accepted until the end of February with in-country consultations planned until mid-March.