Secretariat of Pacific
Islands Conference

As Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders and its Standing Committee, PIDP offers services to governments in the region including:

1. Providing administrative support for and facilitating communication among members of the Pacific Islands Conference and its Standing Committee,

2. Preparing reports and plans and convening meetings of the Standing Committee,

3. Expanding collaboration at the regional level with members of the Committee of Regional Organization of the Pacific (CROP), formerly South Pacific Organisations Coordinating Committee (SPOCC), and

4. Facilitating the ongoing activities of the Joint Commercial Commission, an initiative first proposed by U.S. President George Bush at the summit meeting of the United States and leaders of the Pacific island nations in October 1990.

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Research & Dialogue

Current research areas include:

• Using the Talanoa (dialogue) process as an essential development tool (with special emphasis on the situation in Fiji);

• Fiji Futures;

• Solomon Islands Projects; and

• Reinventing Government.

PIDP is also conducting a multi-faceted research and pedagogical project called Islands of Globalization.  The project seeks to enhance understandings of the origins, nature and consequences of globalization from the perspective of small island societies, and in the context of changing notions of "islandness." Islands of Globalization focuses on the Caribbean and Pacific regions, and pursues pedagogical, policy and popular research that engages different types of audiences: intellectuals, academics, and students; artists; policy makers; and members of the general public. 

Throughout its history PIDP's research has focused on a number of areas including:

• Economic Development

• Cultural and Social Aspects of Development

• International Trade and Investment

• Population and Economic Development

• Resource Management and Sustainable Development 

• Tuna Resource Development

• Disaster Mitigation

• Private Sector Development

In addition to the research being conducted by PIDP staff fellows and director, the current strategic plan (adopted by the 2001 Conference) calls for increased collaboration, where appropriate, between PIDP and other ongoing research at the East-West Center.

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Education and Training

PIDP's education and training initiative takes a broad view of the human resource development needs and priorities in the Pacific islands region.

The learning opportunities provided must be directly relevant to the islanders' development needs. Only in this way can human resources contribute to the process of sustainable development in the Pacific islands well into the 21^st Century.

In keeping with this emphasis, PIDP's activities are designed to fuse development needs with education and training opportunities for the peoples of the Pacific islands. PIDP, through the East-West Center's Education Program, now provides the following study and specialized training opportunities:

• The South Pacific Islands Scholarships are for individuals who would like to pursue courses of study leading to a bachelor's or master's degree in fields that are relevant to the Pacific islands. Applicants should possess a strong academic record and a desire to broaden their knowledge of the Pacific, Asia, and the United States.

• Various other Graduate Scholarships are also available for individuals who, having successfully completed a baccalaureate program, wish to undertake study leading to a master's or doctoral degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Fields of study may include the social or natural sciences, the humanities, or other offerings found at the University.

• Programs and resources are offered for educators in the United States and the Pacific to expand and improve teaching about the Pacific Islands region. Working with the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawai‘i, PIDP sponsors summer programs for college and university faculty and maintains a website of course syllabi and instructional resources. A 5-week summer institute for college teachers, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, was most recently offered in July 2003.

• Short-term Training Scholarships are organized in response to specific requests from Pacific island governments. These group training opportunities stress immediate skill needs, drawing upon expertise from throughout the region. Training courses are conducted in Hawai‘i as well as in other Pacific island locations. Follow-up instruction and dialogue via satellite are sometimes incorporated into training activities.

• Special Intern Scholarships provide individuals with a broad array of practical learning opportunities in Hawai‘i that have direct relevance to development in the Pacific islands. Internships are arranged on the basis of official requests and are ordinarily for one to six months. PIDP is particularly supportive of requests for priority attachments that are normally outside the scope of conventional aid programs. 

Secretariat of the Joint Commercial Commission

See JCC information here.

Pacific Islands News

See Pacific Islands Report information here.