Busan, 30 November 2011/ PIFS/ ACP Newsdesk: Two regional allies of the ACP Group of States, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), have called for stronger recognition of the vital role of regional platforms and organizations in enhancing links between country priorities and global efforts for effective development cooperation.

In a joint statement issued by both organisations at the end of a jointly organised Side Event at the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4), in Busan, Republic of Korea, PIFS and NEPAD said they “acknowledge the opportunity to forge a new way forward and the need to bring leadership and ownership of the global partnership closer to developing countries.”

The call came alongside the ACP Group’s own position in Busan, which advocated the alignment of development financing to regional development strategies.

“To this end, we recognize regional platforms backed by political leadership as agents of consensus building between sovereign states for effective development cooperation, commensurate to national and regional conditions,” the joint PIFS NEPAD statement stated.

In a letter conveying the joint statement to coordinators of the HLF4, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade and the Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD, Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki said:

“We are inspired by our experiences in developing country-driven and context-sensitive regional platforms for regular dialogue, peer to peer learning and a common voice to development perspectives through the African Platform for Development Effectiveness and the Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific (Forum Compact). Both institutions are committed to strengthen these initiatives in future.”

The joint coordination of the Side Event at the HLF4 between PIFS and NEPAD has been seen as an excellent example of south-south cooperation in the call for a new Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, the theme of the Busan high level forum.

During the Side Event, representatives from the Pacific and Africa shared their national, regional and global experiences in coordinating development assistance. Cabinet Ministers from the Pacific included the Cook Islands, Samoa and Solomon Islands, while the African region was represented by Cabinet Ministers from Togo, Uganda and the Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). All of whom spoke of their country experiences in aid coordination and accountability, and the implementation of the Forum Compact in the Pacific and the African Platform for Development Effectiveness.

– Pacific Island Forum Secretariat

Read the full Joint statement