Commonwealth Secretary-General to visit Pacific

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma will attend the 40th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Cairns, Australia, from 5-6 August 2009. He attends at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd as host, in line with the Commonwealth’s status as an observer at the Forum.

The Secretary-General will take the opportunity to discuss the Pacific region’s priorities and preoccupations in a range of areas, including economic, environmental and political issues. The Secretary-General will also discuss Commonwealth issues and activities in the Pacific, and preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2009.

Before his arrival in Cairns, Mr Sharma will attend a conference hosted by Australia’s Lowy Institute for International Policy in Brisbane on 3 August, focused on the impact of the global economic crisis on the Pacific islands.

Following Cairns, the Secretary-General will visit the Commonwealth Youth Programme South Pacific Centre in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from 10-12 August.

While in Solomon Islands, the Secretary-General will also call on the Governor-General Mr Frank Kabui, Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua, and other Ministers and Constitutional office-holders.

Speaking ahead of his visit, the Secretary-General said: “This annual meeting of Pacific leaders is an excellent platform for discussing issues of regional and mutual interest – on matters that impact on governance, democracy, security and development. The Commonwealth is renowned as a champion of small states, with 26 of its 53 members having populations of less than one million people – nine of those are in the Pacific region. Their concerns with regard to trade and economic sustainability, as well as human resource issues and skills development are of great importance to us all in the Commonwealth. We are committed to our long-term role and partnership in promoting socio-economic and political progress, and regional stability in the Pacific.”

Note to Editors

· The Secretary-General attended the 39th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Niue last year. It was his first attendance at the Forum after taking office in April 2008.

· Eleven members of the Pacific Islands Forum are Commonwealth countries, namely Australia, Fjii Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

· The Commonwealth Youth Programme South Pacific Centre in Solomon Islands was established in 1984 by the Commonwealth Secretariat. It is one of four regional youth centres which include Lusaka, Zambia (Africa), Chandigarh, India (Asia) and Georgetown ,Guyana (Caribbean). The Secretary-General visited the CYP Asia centre in February this year and the CYP Caribbean centre in July.

Key Links:

• Country Profile: Australia
• Secretary-General