Pacific Concerns Resource Centre Inc. (PCRC) serves as the secretariat for the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) Movement. Based in Suva, Fiji Islands, we act for over 100 affiliated non-government and community organisations from around the Pacific.

We collect and disseminate information, advocate and lobby, promote discussion and understanding and mobilise resources within and outside the region on our five campaign areas: demilitarisation, decolonisation, environment, human rights and good governance and sustainable human development.

PCRC was first established in Hawai'i in 1980. From 1986 we were based in Auckland before moving to Suva in 1993.

The Sustainable Human Development Desk looks at the effects of economic and trade institutions and agreements at international, regional and national level. It also focuses on building the capacity of Pacific NGOs in the implementation of the "new" ACP-EU Partnership Agreement Cotonou Agreement.

Pacific NGOs and the Cotonou Agreement
Thanks to funding attained via the European Centre for Study, Information and Education on Pacific Issues (ECSIEP), the desk has been able to conduct 13 two-day national seminars throughout the Pacific on the Cotonou Agreement. With the assistance of partner national civil society organisations (CSOs), these were conducted in the Pacific ACP countries of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Tuvalu, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.

National consultative mechanisms of NSAs/CSOs have been initiated by participants to be in constant dialogue with governments and the EU on the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement.

Apart from the quarterly production of Europasifika newsletter, the SHD desk responds to queries, networks with the EU Delegate's Office in the Pacific, and with focal points within the ACP-EU civil society community. This work is done mainly to enhance dialogue, communication and information exchange between all actors.

As part of its objective to participate in regional and international policy dialogue on EU-ACP Pacific cooperation, PCRC was formally invited by the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat to make an input into the Draft Regional Support Strategy and Pacific Regional Programming process under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme. Together with other regional CSOs, PCRC worked on its own initial submission to the Forum as the basis of a collective input into the Draft RSS.

PCRC's submission was initially on three main areas: formalising relationships between the Forum and Pacific CSOs on ACP-EU matters, which includes a plan to set up a ACP-EU Pacific Civil Society Liaison Unit at PCRC, the Forum's evolving draft policy on NGOs and comments on the Draft RSS.

PCRC has joined the CROP Working Group on Human Resource Development that is tasked to provide advice on the Regional Indicative Programme for the 9th EDF Fund and also plays an active role in the ACP Civil Society Forum.

Global economic/trade institutions and instruments
PCRC continues to monitor and disseminate information on global trends being set by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation. PCRC made public statements and Pacific News Bulletin continues to highlight the impacts of policies by these institutions in Pacific countries like Papua New Guinea.

PCRC hopes to establish a Pacific network on Gender and Trade that will address WTO, regional trade instruments such as PICTA and PACER and the Economic Partnership Agreement between ACP and EU. This project is associated very closely with the International Gender and Trade network.

PCRC is also an active player in the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) - a coalition of non-government and civil society organisations working on globalisation and economic issues to promote viable sustainable Pacific communities.

At the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Nauru in August 2001, PANG released a statement to leaders not to endorse the Pacific free trade area agreement, but have more consultations and debate on the issue. In early 2002, PANG also released a critique of the Social Impact Assessment of the Pacific free trade area.

For more information on our sustainable human development campaigns contact Tupou Vere at tvere@pcrc.org.fj

Website: http://www.pcrc.org.fj/pcrc
Sustainable Human Development