Kia Orana and Salutations:
Delegates representing Members of the SPC
Director General of the SPC, Dr Jimmie Rodgers
Director of the SOPAC Division, Dr Russell Howorth
Members of the STAR scientific and technical network
Representatives of partner and donor organisations
SPC Staff
Friends
I must say from the outset that Noumea occupies a special place in my heart and it’s a great pleasure to return to be among friends from around the region, and to be a guest of Director General Dr. Jimmie Rodgers.
The only down-side is that this visit has to be a very brief one as I must return home to Parliamentary duties. But it’s great to be back and to be included in this week’s organised gatherings of esteemed representatives from around the Pacific and beyond.
Following the STAR Network Meeting address yesterday, my pleasure doubles this morning in providing a few welcome remarks and a short Outgoing Chair's Address for this opening plenary session of the Second Meeting of the SPC Applied Geoscience and Technology Division – more commonly referred to – as SOPAC.
It is pleasing to welcome delegates representing most of the SPC Members here today. I also extend a welcome to all those delegates representing partners and donors that provide the support, including financial resources for the Division to carry out its extensive work programme. In particular, I recognise the Chair of STAR, Professor John Collen and his colleagues from the Science, Technology and Resources (STAR) Network.
Thank you for the privilege of addressing the STAR Meeting last evening. I’ve noted that some 40 scientific and technical papers were presented over the course of the 2-day meeting.
Likewise Professor Gary Greene, Chair of the Programme Monitoring and Evaluation Group (PMEG), who are drawn from the STAR Network to provide for Members the invaluable independent annual ongoing overview of the Division and its work.
I am aware you have been carrying out your monitoring and evaluation over the past week with staff at the Division Offices in Suva and here in Noumea amongst the Members. On behalf of the Members, I extend to your team our sincere appreciation.
The Cook Islands has been part of the SOPAC work programme since its inception. Whilst we sent our apologies for not being able to be present at the First Session of the then Committee for the Coordination of Joint Prospecting for Mineral Resources in the South Pacific Offshore Areas back in 1972, we did formally join at the Second Session a year later. We then hosted a SOPAC annual meeting in 1976 – the Fifth Session of CCOP/SOPAC.
The Cook Islands has had the opportunity to host three SOPAC annual meetings 1976, 1986 and 1995. I was hoping to welcome SOPAC back to Rarotonga last year but unfortunately there was a direct clash with a sporting event known as the Rugby World Cup Finals – and connecting flights through Auckland became impossibly busy!
The Cook Islands however, was honoured with the role as Chair of the SOPAC Division Meeting for this past year, and it is that context as Outgoing Chair that I join with you all, this morning.
At that early session back in 1976, the summary conclusions and recommendations was very brief. Nonetheless, the summary captured the very rationale for the Cook Islands’ interest at that time. The Committee stressed the importance of offshore mineral potential and its assessment by exploration in relation to matters concerning jurisdiction over marine resources.
During that year, the Cook Islands fisheries research vessel Ravakai carried out a survey cruise totalling 2,900 kilometres. Continuous echo soundings and free-fall equipment was used to obtain samples and bottom photographs at 12 stations. A large field of manganese nodules extending from 250 kilometres north of Aitutaki to Penrhyn were discovered. And the photos indicated a remarkable nodule density of around 90 percent.
In making these welcome remarks and observations necessarily focused from a national perspective, I should also mention that the number of Members in 1976 has grown from 8 to now include all the Members of the SPC: 22 Pacific Island countries and territories along with four metropolitan Members. At the same time, the work programme has both broadened and deepened in scope.
Our Changing Region
As you are all aware, the institutional environment in which we operate has changed dramatically over the past three years as a consequence of the implementation of the Regional Institutional Framework (RIF) reform process. The RIF is now behind us but for sure, since the 1st of January 2011, these transition years going forward – tumultuous at times – are dedicated to dealing with the subsequent outcomes.
This year has been a year of review largely for the former SPC work programme and an opportunity to map out a course for the new SPC. An Expert Review Group (ERG) met in January followed by an Independent External Review (IER) from February through to the delivery of its report and recommendations in July.
This report and its recommendations were considered by a Special Session of the CRGA in early August. And the opportunity to have further follow-up discussions will take place next week here in Noumea at the regular annual meeting of the CRGA.
The ERG Report on the SOPAC Division concluded that work programme delivers core services and that it is premature to comment in detail on how geoscience delivery might best be provided from within SPC, given that administrative and funding options are currently under investigation.
Given that the Division contains a critical mass of geoscience expertise across most of the areas it is tasked with addressing, and functions well as an integrated unit, it is clearly desirable to leave the current structure intact. It is also desirable that staff within the support services remain closely associated with the programmes that they are assisting.
The IER Report found that the SOPAC Division’s activities fully meet the criteria set by the IER team and should remain as core functions of SPC. However, in order to strengthen and consolidate SPC’s work on infrastructure, the IER suggested that SPC review where the water and sanitation function should be housed in the future.
The Special Session of CRGA agreed to take up that suggestion with full consultation amongst the Membership. I am aware a draft TOR for this consultation has been prepared and is before this meeting for consideration and input before being considered next week at CRGA proper.
Organisational Achievements
The SOPAC Division currently stands as the largest of the SPC with a staff compliment of 95, and a revised budget for 2012 of close to 15 million CFP Units. And as the reports provided to this meeting for your consideration record, it the Division has had a very busy and productive year.
Much has been delivered as services to Members that contributes to the Key Result Areas (KRAs) of the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan for the Division. I note during this meeting you will hear of 12 selected highlights from the many activities of the work programme, and in commending these to you I would like to make specific mention of the Cook Islands interests in five of them as well as many other activities carried out.
For example, the highlights of the SOPAC Division work programme for Cook Islands during the past year include my signing of two maritime boundary bilateral agreements with Niue and Kiribati.
Secondly, I received from Dr Rodgers, on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders, the Regional Legislative and Regulatory Framework for Deep Sea Minerals Exploration and Exploitation. My Deputy Prime Minister Tom Marsters, who is responsible for Seabed Minerals, conducted a public launch of the Framework Document during the Forum Meeting in Rarotonga.
These proud achievements reflect a deep satisfaction that we and other Members experience as a result of the high service delivery from the Division, and should be reported as such through the Chair's Summary Report to the CRGA.
In conjunction with the PMEG process, I challenge us all to focus on how we can measure that service delivery by way of describing "impacts" and "benefits". This is not an easy task but necessarily, it is one in which we must engage. After all, it is we – the Members – who must speak to the outcomes, having first requested the work to be undertaken.
Looking Ahead to the Future
Many of you will be aware that the theme for this year's Forum Leaders Meeting in Rarotonga was Large Ocean Island Developing States.
We framed this theme as a new challenge for the Pacific – one that stems from a re-defined awareness of who we are and how we ought to project ourselves into the global arena. And in so-doing, how we should take on a greater sense of optimism to drive our growth and sustainability.
Much of the work programme of the SOPAC Division will be a significant part of this new challenge. The work of SOPAC directly and indirectly impacts on the sustainable use of our marine resources and the protection of our marine environment.
Prospects for economic opportunity lie in our ocean space and we must engage in proper stewardship by practising a precautionary approach. To do this, we need to build our scientific and technical data and monitoring capability, which can – over time – be turned in to information products that enhance our understanding and knowledge.
All of this underpins sound policy decision-making across all levels in our countries. The role of the SOPAC Division work programme is vital, and in this context will continue to add value to national capacities, and help meet the demands associated with limited resources and expertise.
During the year, the final suspension of the SOPAC Commission took place with an exchange of letters in early August between Dr Rodgers as Director General of the SPC and Dr Russell Howorth in his capacity and last act as Director of SOPAC "The Commission".
Also during the year the process to advertise and recruit a Director for the SOPAC Division was completed and we have a Director Designate appointed and who is expected to commence work in early January.
I’m sure we are all looking forward to welcoming the new Director and give our support to his anticipated leadership of the Division work programme and contribution at the executive level in the SPC.
I’m also sure that we all join together in wishing the outgoing Director our highest regards. I know that he would probably want me to keep this short – and perhaps leave the real praises to the vicinity of the bar!
But seriously, I must extend my commendations to Russell for his service to the region throughout his tenure.
He has built and cultivated long lasting relationships in the Pacific and around the world and is renowned for his depth of experience in assisting and managing the concerns and issues of the member countries.
His valued advice and assistance to the region should not be lost – so I hope that Russell’s expertise will have a lasting input to the Pacific’s work ahead, in some meaningful way.
On behalf of all your friends in the Cook Islands and in respect to the Members and the countless numbers of officials with whom you have worked closely for many years, you have our deepest gratitude.
In closing, please allow me to extend a very warm welcome to your Incoming Chair, the Federated States of Micronesia. I wish you well in your year as Chair, and the Cook Islands assures you of our full support.
My best wishes also go toward a successful meeting and I look forward to reading about your deliberations in the Chair's Summary Report to be finalised before you close this week in readiness for its submission to CRGA next week.
Thank you all very much.
