HONIARA – The Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) Leaders’ summit and conference which was scheduled to be held in Honiara from the 4-6 July, is being deferred, the Secretariat has confirmed.
On Sunday the PIDF Secretariat confirmed the postponement was made following a request from the host and Chair, Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela.
A statement was then issued, which did not clearly state why the July event was called off.
“As per the request of the chair of the PIDF Biennial conference and host of the PIDF Governance meetings, the Honorable Rick Houenipwela Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands the PIDF Governance meetings to be held in Honiara are to be delayed until later this year.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused but will revert with new arrangements once a new date is communicated by the chair of the PIDF Biennial conference and host of the PIDF Governance meetings the government of the Solomon Islands,” the statement from the PIDF Secretariat said.
Last month, the Prime Minister was briefed on the progress of arrangements by the Secretary General of PIDF Francois Martel.
Martel informed the Prime Minister that all preparations are well underway and that invitations for the participating countries have already been sent out.
The PIDF Meeting was also planned to coincide with the country’s 40th Anniversary celebrations as well as the Melanesian Arts Festival (MACFest), which will also be held in the first two weeks of July.
For the PIDF, Solomon Islands was expected to host leaders of PIDF members namely Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Tonga, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Timor Leste, and Palau.
Two non-state members the Pacific Island Association of Non-Governmental Organisation (PIANGO) and the Pacific Island Private Sector Organization (PIPSO) are also expected to attend.
Invitations have also been extended to Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Niue and Cook Islands (non-PIDF Members) for the Summit and Biennial Conference.
Territories such as New Caledonia, Wallis & Futuna, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Pitcairn Island leaders have also been invited.
PIDF is a unique platform bringing together leaders from the public and private sectors and civil society to address regional development challenges, through mutually beneficial innovative partnerships.
No one sector in society can deliver the complexities of sustainable development alone. PIDF uses the expertise of the private sector, normative leadership of the public sector, and successful delivery mechanisms of civil society.
It provides a framework for bringing together governmental, business and civil society leaders to secure concrete commitments and mobilize action in support of the Green Economy.
PIDF was also said to be a space for catalysing, mobilizing and mainstreaming action in support of sustainable development through a green economy in Pacific Island Countries.
It’s an action-oriented platform to identify innovative solutions that will ensure sustainable development through a green economy. PIDF works closely with international institutions to engage state and non-state actors to develop high-impact collaborations on sustainable development through the Green Economy….
