Pacific CSOs Discuss Regional Concerns

Katabwena Tawaka
Programme Manager Information Sharing, Pacific Islands Association of Non Governmental Organisations

The minute Pacific Island Countries’ economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security were the broad areas of discussions at the recent Pacific Regional CSO Forum organised by the Pacific Islands Association of Non Governmental Organisations (PIANGO) in partnership with other Pacific Regional Non – Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs).

The Pacific Regional CSO Forum principally funded by New Zealand’s International Aid and Development Agency, is the annual meeting for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the Pacific whereby CSOs from all corners of the Pacific deliberated on issues of concern and presented the outcomes to their Pacific Leaders.

According to Cema Bolabola, Executive Director of PIANGO, more than 50 Pacific Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) attended the Regional CSO Forum held in Tonga to deliberate on six thematic areas including Pacific trade partnership for sustainable economic growth, energy needs, climate change, HIV/AIDS and gender violence in the Pacific, weaving accountable leadership and democracy into Pacific communities, and supporting a human security framework for the Pacific.

“In its outcome statement, the Forum strongly believes that active involvement and participation of Pacific CSOs in the Pacific will greatly assist Pacific Island Leaders in achieving their vision of establishing mechanisms at regional and national levels to ensure meaningful consultations through the much anticipated Pacific Plan.” she said.

Despite the increasing engagement by governments in training experts in its negotiations in ensuring a cohesive Economic Partnership Agreement for Pacific Island countries, Pacific CSOs strongly urged Pacific leaders to adhere to the ‘red lines’ agreed by Pacific ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) Ministers in June 2007, as a minimum negotiating position.

Further, Pacific CSOs expressed concerns over the additions to the European Union’s (EU) negotiating position with regard to the Most Favoured Nation clause and strongly urged its rejection.

Executive Director for Pacific Institute of Advanced Studies in Development and Governance at the University of the South Pacific, Professor Ron Duncan backed the Pacific CSOs concerns towards the concept of free trade in the region.

“The two main concerns of the small island Pacific states with respect to liberalising their trade are; the loss of customs duty revenue when they lower trade barriers upon joining some form of trade agreement (regional or global) and lowering their barriers against imports leading to the loss of jobs and industries.” he said.

Pacific CSOs have also registered their concern that 70 per cent of Pacific communities, particularly women and children continue to be lacking the access to modern energy services.

The access to safe renewable energy is considered a fundamental pillar to ensure sustainable livelihoods for the eradication of poverty and Pacific CSOs have called on CROP (Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific) agencies and relevant national authorities to work in partnership with CSOs to ensure communities have access to information regarding energy issues.

With climate change posing an immediate threat to the survival of Pacific island communities, Pacific CSOs are deeply concerned with the lack of action by major polluting countries and those who have not signed the Kyoto Protocol.

“We in the Pacific are profoundly the most affected by the impact of climate change despite our insignificant contribution to greenhouse gas emission.” Ms Bolabola said.

The other major threat that could be devastating in the Pacific if neglected is the impact of HIV/AIDs. Pacific CSOs realise that Papua New Guinea is facing a generalised epidemic and the regional pandemic is doubling every five years. There is also a fear that women are making up at least half the number of new cases with discrimination continuing to exist as a result of low education and lack of legal protection.

Pacific CSOs however, welcome the Pacific Islands Regional Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

PIANGO, which is the catalyst for effectively promoting and advancing the interests and well-being of Pacific people by facilitating communication and providing a common voice at regional and international fora believes that responsible leadership and democracy will secure a peaceful future for the people of the Pacific. In their outcome statement, Pacific CSOs recognise the accountability of Pacific Leaders and equal participation of the people is crucial to achieving good governance that recognises the Pacific values in communities

The issue of human security was also discussed at the recent Pacific CSO Forum and Pacific CSOs have noted that the state and its interests have been at the centre of conventional approaches to human security.

CSOs believe that in order for human security interventions to work in and for the Pacific, the approach must also take into account relationships within and between Pacific communities.

Furthermore, Pacific CSOs strongly believe that the granting of independence and self-rule are fundamental freedoms and that the human rights of indigenous peoples are paramount.

“We commend the Forum Leaders for the continuous support they have shown to the issue of political self-determination in the Pacific region and in other parts of the world. However, the Pacific Plan still needs to reflect that support.” Ms Bolabola said.

Pacific CSOs are greatly concerned about the conflicts emerging in the region that are destabilising our countries and threatening the sovereignty of the people in the Pacific. This includes the hope that parliamentary democracy will be restored in Fiji by March 2009, and particular assistance be provided to facilitate and accelerate democratic reform in Tonga.

Gender equality continues to be a concern in the Pacific and Pacific CSOs have strongly urged Pacific leaders to allow women to fully integrate into all process of the Pacific Plan including the Regional Digital Strategy.

According to Pacific CSOs, development goals cannot be adequately achieved without the voice of women to define the type of development they want and without the successful incorporation of women and indigenous strategies in the Plan.

The Pacific Regional CSO Forum was held from the 12th - 15th October in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

CHRI Releases Report on Police Accountability in South Asia Daniel Woods, Coordinator, Police Reform Programme, CHRI The issues around policing and police accountability in South Asia have been thrown into stark relief over the last months – consider the total failure of Government and police accountability in Sri Lanka or the escalating police violence and brutality under the Pakistan emergency. The issues that each of the countries of Commonwealth South Asia – Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – are facing are nothing new, though, stemming back to the legacy of feudal policing left behind by the departing British colonialists and exploited by independent governments to shore up their own power. CHRI has just launched a report looking at police accountability in South Asia, Feudal Forces: Democratic Nations. The report maps the policing terrain of the region, tracing the social and political context, legal frameworks and public experiences of policing and setting out a roadmap for democratic reform. The report also presents an examination of police accountability in the region – internal accountability, accountability to the executive, to parliament, to the judiciary, to civilian oversight mechanisms and accountability to society. South Asian communities have a negative experience of policing – an experience based in torture, extra-judicial executions, disappearances, excessive use of force, failure to follow due process, discrimination and corruption. Each of these malpractices can be traced through to legal and institutional impunity, illegitimate political interference, increasing violent crime (and public support for “tough policing”) and increasing levels of militarisation within the police. There have been some attempts to move policing away from its feudal roots, and to shape police organisations in the image of the developing democracies in the region. All of the governments in the region have constituted specific commissions or committees to examine policing and suggest reforms (except for Maldives, which is reviewing its police as part of its wholesale “reform agenda” policy, ahead of democratic elections in 2008). Typically, the reports of these committees have been set on bureaucrat shelves to gather dust, but this trend is changing. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have both taken concrete steps to bring about legislative and constitutional change, although good reforms are later undermined or diluted. Bangladesh is currently engaged in a reform process, led by the caretaker military government and supported by international donors. India is undergoing rapid and radical change as state legislatures pass new police laws in the wake of Supreme Court directions that police accountability must become a reality. These moves towards reform are not enough to ensure that South Asia’s fledgling democracies get the democratic, transparent and accountable police that they need to thrive and develop. Existing accountability mechanisms must be strengthened and new ones created. The crucial role of independent civilian oversight in ensuring police accountability must be recognised. The process and criteria of appointments to accountability systems must be fair and transparent. Mechanisms must be adequately resourced, and governments and police must respect their recommendations and decisions. For more information, access an electronic copy of Feudal Forces: Democratic Nations from the CHRI website, or request a hardcopy by emailing Gudrun Dewey at CHRI (gudrun@humanrightsinitiative.org).