Pacific Island Forum leaders meeting in the Cook Islands this week need to prioritise the governance tools in their anti-corruption roadmap to make sure the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent can bring full benefits for Pacific peoples, according to Lord Fusitu’a, Chair of the Oceania region of the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC).
“The 2050 Strategy which Leaders have adopted references governance 17 times – we need the implementation tools of the Teieniwa Vision roadmap to get the new Strategy working as soon as possible,” said Lord Fusitu’a.
“Our Pacific Presidents, Premiers and Prime Ministers need to appreciate that we cannot address climate change, gender-based violence or education needs without ensuring good governance is in place to ensure efficient use of funding and skills,” said Lord Fusitu’a.
“The 2050 Strategy is an excellent long-term guide for the real priority issues for our Pacific communities – but without good governance and corruption proofing we won’t be able to successfully implement the short-term and medium-term initiatives needed.”
The Teieniwa Vision, drafted in Kiribati in 2020, was adopted by Forum Leaders in 2021 as the Pacific region’s roadmap on anti-corruption, localising tools and strategies from the UN Convention Against Corruption, which all Pacific countries have now ratified.
This week’s 52nd biannual meeting of Pacific leaders in the Cook Islands aims to be action and future oriented with a focus on Implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
“We need real action on Teieniwa Vision priorities such as right to information, robust anti-corruption bodies and National Strategies, whistleblower protection and whole of society engagement on corruption prevention with parliamentarians, CSOs, the private sector and other stakeholders,” said Lord Fusitu’a.
The Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) is the only international network of parliamentarians focused solely on combating corruption, with members in over 70 countries and five regional chapters, including GOPAC Oceania, which includes parliamentarians and former parliamentarians from the Pacific parliaments.