SUVA (Pacnews) — The region’s private sector will now benefit from the establishment of a Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organization, set up this month at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat here in Suva, Fiji.
Henry Sanday, formerly with the Forum Secretariat’s Private Sector Development Unit, has been appointed as the PIPSO interim executive officer. He is assisted by administrative officer Marine Pene.
PIPSO is the premier private sector representative body in the Pacific islands region. It was established at the regional business forum held in Nadi, Fiji in April 2005 to ensure dialogue between public and private sectors for strengthening regional policy making.
The organization has been supported by the Forum economic ministers as well as Forum leaders, and is identified in the Pacific Plan as a strategic partner in the development of the region’s private sector.
“PIPSO is the united voice of the region’s private sector, covers large, medium and small enterprises, a sector which plays such a critical role in the economic development and poverty alleviation within Pacific islands. It is for this reason that the Forum Secretariat is happy to host the Secretariat of PIPSO,” Forum Secretary General Greg Urwin said.
“The implementation of the Pacific Forum’s Private Sector Development Strategy requires a strong and vibrant private sector. The establishment of a home for PIPSO will see better planning and effective implementation mechanisms,” he added.
In partnership with the Forum Secretariat, the Pacific Center of the United Nations Development Program is providing technical assistance to the PIPSO Secretariat.
The assistance from UNDP will also enable the mobilization of resources to support the pursuit of PIPSO’s strategic goals and priority work programs, developing a web-based knowledge network to facilitate dialogue among and with national private sector organizations, and to organize the 2007 PIPSO annual general meeting as well as a regional business forum.
The chairan of PIPSO’s interim board of directors, James Movick from the Federated States of Micronesia, expressed gratitude to both the Forum Secretariat and UNDP for their assistance that enabled PIPSO to hire its interim executive officer and administrative assistant, as well as establish the Secretariat office.
“With an administrative office now in place at the nerve center of regional economic and policy decision-making and headed by an interim executive officer who is very familiar with regional organizations and procedures, we expect to be able to improve the level and nature of private sector cooperation with governments in the formulation and implementation of regional and national economic policy,” Movick said.
PIPSO will give priority initially to strengthening of national private sector organizations in the Forum island countries, and more generally, to represent the interests of the private sector at international forums, help enhance networking with businesses and private sector-related institutions and facilitate capacity building to empower the region’s private enterprises.
“Economic policies that are rooted in commercial reality and that are implemented in partnership with the business community are most likely to be successful. That is what PIPSO is dedicated to achieve, and with this Secretariat now in place, we are truly on our way to improving the lot and improving the role of the private sector in the region,” Movick said.