MAJURO, 24 August: The United Nations will expand its presence in the Pacific Islands by opening local offices in eight island nations during the next year, a UN official said Thursday.
UN agencies will establish offices in the Marshall Islands capital Majuro, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau, said Najib Assifi, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)s representative for the Pacific who is based in Fiji.
The opening of the UNs first offices in the Northern Pacific follow pressure from Marshall Islands President Kessai Note, Palau President Tommy Remengesau and Federated States of Micronesia President Joseph Urusemal.
The population fund is taking responsibility for establishing offices in the Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia, but is doing so in partnership with the UN Development Program (UNDP) and UNICEF, the UN Childrens Fund.
The move to establish field offices in the region is part of broader reforms within the UN system. These three UN agencies whose offices for the Pacific are based in Fiji have been directed to develop a unified program for the Pacific, Assifi said.
UNICEF is taking the lead to establish offices in Kiribati and Vanuatu, while UNDP will establish offices in Palau, Tuvalu and Nauru.
The plans to open these offices still have to be given final approval but once a letter from UN headquarters is sent and “the governments respond, we are ready to come,” said Assifi.
Kilde: The Push Journal
