The team reviewing the Pacific Plan on regional development says there is a fundamental need to rethink a document many deem ineffective or irrelevant.
The group, set up last year, amid concerns at the lack of progress in the implementation of the Plan, say they have spoken with more than 500 people and visited all 16 Forum member countries and two associate members over the past 4 months.
In his opening remarks to officials at a mid-point assessment of the review, the chair, former Papua New Guinea prime minister, Sir Mekere Morauta, says there is a desire for a framework to guide progress towards a more integrated Pacific, but the Plan in its current form is not effective enough.
Sir Mekere says there is a need for fundamental shifts in the 'rules of the game' that ultimately determine the nature, scope and impact of change in the region.
