Secretary General appointment

Abraham will assist VANGO in the full-time operation of the office and working with Partners and stakeholders to strengthen the role of civil society.

VANGO was revitalised by the government in 2017 by then Minister of Internal Affairs Andrew Napuat.

A steering committee was appointed then to elect the board of directors in 2017 after it experienced a sharp decline in 2015 through the ongoing governance and operational issues, which led to mistrust and loss of confidence for the organisation.

This comes as Micronesian leaders this week announced their intention to withdraw their five countries from the premier regional body, after their candidate wasn't selected for the organisation's top job.

The presidents of Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Palau said that South Pacific countries dishonoured a "gentleman's agreement" to rotate the post evenly among sub-regions, and that it was Micronesia's turn.