WASHINGTON (Pacnews) — Counterpart International has welcomed calls for the promotion of good governance practices by the University of the South Pacific.
Counterpart’s president and chief executive officer, Lelei LeLaulu, said a Pacific solution must be found to address the economic, political and social woes that have plagued the region in the last few years. And he has called on regional leaders to embrace a project titled “Voices and Choices: Gardening Good Governance and Democracy in the Pacific” promoted by the Foundation of the South Pacific International.
The Suva-based FSPI is an arm of the Counterpart, one of the U.S.’s largest non-governmental organization with an annual budget of about $150 million.
The Voices and Choices project targets citizenship empowerment on good governance at the rural and grassroots level.
LeLaulu said there was little interaction with or understanding of national governments and civic institutions, “recently introduced concepts in the Pacific,” among the rural people.
“FSPI believes that democracy and governance need nurturing in a Pacific appropriate fashion with outreach to be conducted at all levels of society, particularly at the rural and community level.”
LeLaulu’s statement echoed sentiments by USP’s deputy vice chancellor, Professor Rajesh Chandra, who called for good governance in national, sub-national, corporate and civil society levels, while opening the joint “Country Update for Fiji” seminar organized by USP and the Australian National University.
LeLaulu added that the Voices and Choices project was a product of the Pacific that drew solutions from within the diverse cultures in the region.
