MSG

The signing ceremony was held in Vanuatu, with MSG Secretariat Acting Director General George Hoa'au and OFC President Lambert Maltock signing off on plans to establish a mutually cooperative relationship between the two organisations.

"I started this discussion even before I became President of the OFC but I was determined to see it come to fruition during my four-year term," Maltock said.

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation is expected to work with the grouping of Melanesian countries in areas like planning, policy, information sharing, product development and marketing.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed in Port Vila also includes collaboration with airlines on products, capacity building and training.

The tourism body's CEO Chris Cocker has highlighted the great potential for Solomon Islands and PNG in the area of cruise and niche tourism.

He's also pointed to the example of Fiji which has 40 percent of the Pacific's regional market share.

Manasseh Sogavare, who is the Solomon Islands prime minister, is in the Vanuatu capital as part of his second MSG capitals' visit in his capacity as chair.

Mr Sogavare's office said that revised criteria for observer status and associate membership guidelines within the MSG will be discussed and endorsed.

This comes as the MSG considers a full membership application by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua which currently has observer status in the MSG.

The delegation of 22 officers are being hosted by the Fiji Police Women’s Network and have been involved in various activities covering policing as well as sports.

The initial talks regarding the visitation happened during the Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting last year.

Fiji Police Women’s National Coordinator Acting Superintendent Sala Radaniva says they looking at conducting a similar visit to Vanuatu next year.

Photo: FBC

The joint MSG and SPC Youth@Work Emerging Leaders Programme is designed to develop strong youth leaders and equip them to lead development in the Melanesian sub-region.

Over a span of two years, 20 youth leaders from Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will attend six week-long workshops, which include practical on-site visits to workplaces and agencies.

They are also in support of full membership of ULMWP to the Melanesian Spearhead Group .

The MSG members said they are committed to advocating for West Papua and strongly adhere to the principles that are at the core of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, which is the ‘Political aspirations of self- determination of our Melanesian people.’

There is recognition that such a commitment will require bold and ethical leadership and a clear understanding of our Melanesian values.

According to RNZI, the group's leaders said there was a criteria issue with the West Papuans' application, and the group's secretariat needed to establish guidelines for membership.

They said a decision would now be made when they next meet in September.

Mr Sogavare, who is the prime minister of Solomon Islands, has also declared his country's support for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua's bid to be a full member of the MSG.

Mr Sogavare has just been in Port Vila where he met with his Vanuatu counterpart Charlot Salwai whose proposal to give the Liberation Movement full membership at the MSG is to be discussed at an upcoming MSG leaders summit in Papua New Guinea.

During their meeting, Prime Minister Sogavare expressed appreciation on behalf of the government and people of Solomon Islands to the Government and people of Vanuatu for backing Solomon Islands bid to host the 2023 Pacific Games.

He said with the support of Vanuatu, the other two MSG Member countries, Partners to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) from the Micronesian region and a few Polynesian countries, Solomon Islands successfully secured the hosting right for the regional games in 2023.