By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

The Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program for the Pacific based in Suva, Fiji has just visited Palau for an open dialogue with government officials regarding development priorities for the next five years from 2008 to 2012.
Toily Kurbanov, who hails from Turkmenistan, said he had intensive talks with Ministers of State, Finance, Commerce and Trade, Health and other local officials.
The visit is to identify areas that Palau would be able to have the benefit for full national ownership of such development projects.
The Fiji Multi-Country Office serves nine Pacific countries which include; Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga, Kiribati, Nauru and the Solomon Islands. World leaders pledged in 2000 to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015.
UNDP's network links and coordinates global and national efforts to achieve these goals.
After Pacific Island Countries discussed how the MDGs could be included in national strategies in March 2003, UNDP in partnership with various regional organizations, has been assisting Pacific Island Countries incorporate the MDGs as part of their national and regional development plans. In 2004, UNDP working with regional governments and organizations released the Pacific Regional Report on the MDGs, which highlights progress made to date by Pacific countries in achieving the eight goals set out.
Kurbanov said the UNDP is here to identify about impacts on the ground such as building operational presence in Palau for instance the UN Children’s Educational Fund, UN Population Agency etc.
He said the UNDP continues to extend technical assistance, building new projects as the Pacific Countries continue to develop on a step-by-step approach in the framework of the priority plans of the MDGs.