The Smaller Island States (SIS) within the Pacific Islands Forum have urged development partners to support the SIS Development Fund. The Fund, administered by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, supports SIS short term development initiatives. SIS includes the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia and Tuvalu. At the 2012 SIS Officials meeting held at the Secretariat in Suva, Fiji on 30 July, officials discussed the potential of the Fund to support broader areas of the Pacific Plan reflecting SIS priorities which could be implemented and monitored through the Pacific Plan monitoring process. The Forum Secretariat is currently developing a programme based approach around the Fund, as the basis for securing additional resources from a wider range of development partners. The SIS Officials meeting also welcomed the proposed review of the Pacific Plan in 2013, in particular the proposed emphasis of the review on the specific needs and interests of the SIS within the Pacific Plan, and the potential for the development of a sub-regional SIS strategy within the framework of the Plan. The outcomes of the SIS Officials meeting will be submitted to the SIS Leaders’ Meeting which will be held in the Cook Islands on 27 August. ENDS For media enquiries contact Mr Johnson Honimae, the Forum Secretariat’s Media Officer on phone: 679 331 2600 or email: johnsonh@forumsec.org.fj
