FSM Information Services
Press Release
Pacific Island Development Program & East-West Center Host Micronesian Conference of Leaders
HONOLULU—On October 14th, 2019 His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), attended the Inaugural Micronesian Conference of Leaders, hosted by the Pacific Island Development Program (PIDP) and the East-West Center, alongside the Honorable Raynold B. Oilouch, Vice President of the Republic of Palau, and the Honorable David Paul, Minister in Assistance to the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The purpose of the conference included discussing the historic and contemporary activities of the PIDP and the East-West Center, and offering input on how PIDP can improve its services to the Pacific, among others.
A central outcome of the conference is that President Panuelo made clear that the position of the FSM National Government is that PIDP is a valuable organization that can provide further value to the FSM and the Pacific at large through revitalizing historic programming (such as the Pacific Islands Report), strengthening contemporary programming (such as making the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders an annual event), and developing new programming, including the development of country-plans in concert with the leadership of Pacific Island national governments.
PIDP is a member of the Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific (CROP), also known as a CROP agency, which are agencies that provide various services to the members (e.g. the FSM, Palau, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, etc.) of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF). Though a simplistic analogy, a CROP agency—such as PIDP, the Secretariat to the Pacific Community (SPC), or the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA)—is to the PIF what a United Nations (UN) agency—such as the World Health Organization (WHO) or the World Trade Organization (WTO)—is to the UN. PIDP is unique amongst CROP agencies as it’s the only CROP agency headquartered above the equator.
A core discussion during the Micronesian Conference of Leaders was regarding PIDP’s continued status as a CROP agency, which—as seen in the Joint Communique resulting from the 50th PIF Leaders Meeting in Tuvalu—is less than certain.
Her Excellency Karena Lyons, former Ambassador of New Zealand to the FSM and presently the Vice President of the East-West Center and Director of the PIDP, and her staff described some of the current programming PIDP engages in, including the North Pacific Women’s Action Program, which hosts and mentors female community leaders from the FSM, RMI, and Palau, and the Pacific Regional Integrated Science & Assessments (RISA) program, which provides valuable climate-change research and policy analysis in areas like physical modeling of groundwater resources, drought issues, and migration data. An example of this data would include that drought has affected 90% of the RMI in the past five years, but that sea-level rise is cited not as much as a reason to emigrate or leave the RMI as it is a cited reason not to return to the RMI.
“I am impressed with the breadth and depth of the programs you are running,” President Panuelo said in an intervention, showing appreciation at how more than 800 FSM citizens have been in PIDP-developed educational programming, and emphasizing the FSM’s commitment to ensuring PIDP remains a CROP agency in good standing.
President Panuelo, Vice President Oilouch, and Minister in Assistance Paul spoke at length on how the FSM, Palau, and the RMI benefit deeply from PIDP, and advocated for further assistance. President Panuelo noted that a revitalization of the Pacific Island Report would be useful, and was happy to learn that PIDP confirmed that a redevelopment was in the works.
All three countries noted that PIDP can, does, and should continue to, provide empirical data to support decision-making.
“When we try to back-up [our thought processes and decisions] with empirical data…this is where the PIDP could really help,” Minister in Assistance Paul said.
“PIDP and the East-West Center…[work across] diverse sectors, integrating science, and assessment programs for the region on [issues like] Climate Change…. Furthermore, within the Pacific, Micronesia is outsized and outnumbered by our sisters…this is why I am very grateful that the leadership at the East-West Center is committed to support…the only CROP agency north of the Equator,” said Vice President Oilouch.
“I am extremely pleased to support the [PIDP’s] rejuvenation, and look forward to it remaining a part of our formal regional architecture,” President Panuelo said.
Following the conclusion of the conference proper, President Panuelo addressed the FSM, RMI, Palauan, PIDP, and other delegations, attendees, and partners—including the Honorable David Ige, Governor of the State of Hawaii, Admiral Philip Davidson, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Celeste Connors, Executive-Director of Hawaii Green Growth.
“The FSM supports the Indo-Pacific strategy, and asks our closest partner, the United States, to join us, and be a champion in the fight against climate change,” President Panuelo said. “The Pacific Island Conference of Leaders needs to be rejuvenated…and its relevance brought back into the Pacific mainstream. The [PIDP] can become an exemplar CROP agency by reintroducing the Pacific Islands Report…and by holding [the PICL]…on an annual basis. It can become an exemplar CROP agency by increasing its partnership with [SPC]…We Are Oceania…Hawaii Green Growth, and the Blue Prosperity Coalition.”
“The [PIDP] is one of the original Pacific-based NGOs,” President Panuelo continued. “Through its structural and objective reforms with the East-West Center, I am confident that it will be ideally postured to continue its legacy of value-added initiatives that will improve the quality of our citizens’ lives, and the viability and credibility of our National and Regional institutions. I might even go so far as to say that a successful [PIDP] would be an integral component of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
President Panuelo’s speech can be viewed in full, courtesy of the East-West Center, here: https://vimeo.com/366835546
The FSM National Government is deeply appreciative of the opportunity to attend the inaugural Micronesian Conference of Leaders and share its views on PIDP and East-West Center programming. The Nation looks forward to strengthening its partnership with the PIDP in its ongoing pursuit of extending peace, friendship, cooperation, and love in our common humanity to all other nations, organizations, and peoples.
