PIDP Origins & Governance

Since 1980 the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) has served the nations and peoples of the Pacific through innovative capacity building, interchange among regional leaders, and policy-relevant research on priority issues. Housed in the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, PIDP is a founding member of the Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific (CROP), and is the Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders (PICL), a regional council of 20 member governments. PICL members help us to channel our capabilities and leverage the resources of PIDP and the East-West Center to advance the collective ambition of Pacific peoples.

PICL was inaugurated in 1980 by then Fiji Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and Hawaii Governor George Ariyoshi, and “is intended to provide a unique opportunity for island leaders from the North and South Pacific, regardless of political status, to meet as equals in an informal setting to discuss development goals and problems and to exchange ideas and experience.”

Our CROP Partners

PIDP: 40 Years in the Pacific