Chandra congratulated Slade on his appointment.
He said the region was confident that with his long high-level international and diplomatic experience and understanding of the workings of the region, he would be able to steer the region through what is undoubtedly one of the most challenging periods.
Chandra assured Slade that his regional institution’s support and determination to play its part in the further development of the Pacific Plan.
Effective regional engagement is one of the priorities of the regional university, Chandra said.
Slade referred to the special role of the university in producing the region’s human resource needs.
He also raised the importance of the university making early and decisive contribution to the issue of food security in the region, and also pointed to the need for sustained diplomatic education and training.
The university assured Slade that it would undertake these initiatives.
Slade also reminisced about his early involvement in the development of the curriculum of the USP law degree as the chair of the workshop specially convened for the development of the USP law program.
He also recalled his involvement with a group of other Pacific island lawyers at the university that prepared the groundwork for what eventually became the Law of the Sea.
