8 June 2006

NZ, Vanuatu launch five-year development plan

Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Vanuatu's Education Minister Joe Natuman, Minister of Education today launched the new NZAID-Vanuatu Joint Five Year Development Strategy for 2006-2010. NZAID is the government's international development agency.

Mr Peters said the goal of the strategy was poverty reduction, particularly in rural areas, and to support a more stable and prosperous Vanuatu.
The strategy has three main focus areas:

- To support economic development in the rural sector, particularly through the productive sectors such as agriculture;
- To improve human resource development and education through substantially enhanced support to basic education; and,
- To strengthen governance by providing assistance for the establishment of a
new Correctional service, and continued support for the judiciary and NGOs.

"This strategy provides an opportunity for New Zealand to expand and deepen our engagement with Vanuatu in order to support the Vanuatu government's goal to reduce poverty and hardship for all its people," Mr Peters said.

"To support this new strategy, we are substantially increasing our Official Development Assistance to $NZ85 million over the next five years. Six NZAID staff will manage the programme."

Mr Peters said New Zealand was committed to supporting more effective aid delivery in Vanuatu and would align its programmes more closely with Vanuatu's own national development priorities and strategies. New Zealand would also actively promote better coordination with other donor partners working in Vanuatu.

ENDS

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