Launch of NZ's Pacific Development Strategy
Rt Hon Winston Peters
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Embargoed until 12.45pm, 24 June 2008
Media
statement
Launch of NZ's Pacific Development Strategy
The government's new Pacific Development Strategy will ensure a focussed and effective approach to aid work in the region, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said today.
In launching the strategy at Parliament today, Mr Peters said New Zealand will spend more than $2 billion over eight years in official development assistance to the Pacific, assuming aid levels remain the same.
"The Pacific remains New Zealand’s main development focus, accounting for 70 per cent of our bilateral aid, and over 50 per cent of our total aid," said Mr Peters.
“The Pacific Strategy acknowledges our place in the world as a Pacific nation and outlines the future shape of our assistance to our Pacific neighbours. It sets out the areas where New Zealand’s contribution can be most effective.
"This allows us to make a sustainable impact on improving health and education in the Pacific; to address infrastructure gaps and promote economic growth, and to improve governance and leadership.
“Aid from New Zealand is only part of the answer. The strategy also sets out New Zealand’s expectation that the Pacific region, and individual Pacific countries, will take up the challenge and do the work necessary to lift their own citizens out of poverty,” said Mr Peters.
The Pacific Development Strategy will be implemented by NZAID, with support from other government agencies.
Copies can be downloaded at www.nzaid.govt.nz
ENDS
Pacific Development Strategy
Q & A
What is the purpose of the Pacific Development
Strategy?
This strategy, covering the years 2007 –
2015, is focussed on reducing poverty and hardship in the
Pacific. It will help ensure New Zealand’s official aid
and development efforts in the region are well coordinated,
and support Pacific people to make lasting and positive
changes in their own communities.
Where in the Pacific
does our aid go?
NZAID prioritises assistance to Pacific
countries most at risk of not meeting the Millennium
Development Goals – Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and
Vanuatu. We have major country development partnerships with
Kiribati, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands and Tuvalu.
Assistance to Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau reflects our
constitutional commitments and social ties.
How much does
New Zealand spend on aid in the Pacific?
NZAID will spend
$242.7 million in the Pacific region in 08/09 through
bilateral and regional programmes. Additional aid from New
Zealand flows into the Pacific from NZAID’s NGO and
multilateral programmes, as well as through development work
done by other Government agencies in the region.
How does
New Zealand decide what to support?
NZAID, along with our
country and/or regional partners, work together to identify
the development challenges and outline the sectors NZAID
will focus on and how we will work in the country or
thematic area.
NZAID is working towards supporting fewer
activities on a larger scale, and to implement these more
effectively over a longer period.
What is NZAID?
NZAID
is the New Zealand government's international aid and
development agency. The agency is responsible for delivering
New Zealand's Official Development Assistance (ODA) - the
government's aid programme - and for advising the government
on international development policy and issues.
What are
the Millennium Development Goals?
In September 2000 a
summit of 189 countries, including New Zealand, identified
eight goals around which to rally their efforts to reduce
extreme poverty. These goals were reconfirmed at a special
UN summit in 2005.
The goals are:
Goal 1: Eradicate
extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal
primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and
empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5:
Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria
and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental
sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for
development
NZAID Pacific Allocations
08/09
TYPE PROGRAMME ALLOCATION
PACIFIC PACIFIC
Major
Bilateral partners Papua New Guinea
$23,000,000
Solomon
Islands 32,843,000
Vanuatu 17,000,000
Bilateral Partners
Samoa 10,500,000
Tonga 12,000,000
Tuvalu 2,550,000
Kiribati 6,000,000
Fiji 5,000,000
Constitutional Relationships Cook Islands
11,000,000
Niue 16,690,000
Tokelau 17,125,000
Regional/Thematic Programmes Pacific
Governance 13,000,000
Pacific
Growth 1,500,000
Pacific Social
Development 11,500,000
Pacific Environment and
Vulnerability 6,500,000
Multilateral and
Pacific Regional Agencies Regional
Agencies 28,960,000
NZ Non-Govt Agencies
Funds (outside bilateral, regional,
thematic and multilateral Programmes) Pacific NZ Government
Agencies 8,000,000
PIC Participation Fund 400,000
Non-country Scholarships and
Non-programme allocations Pacific Regional Open
Scholarships 4,570,000
Pacific Heads of Mission
Funds 985,000
Nauru 2,900,000
French Pacific
Territories 625,000
Micronesia 50,000
Niue/Tokelau
Trustfunds - Planned Contribution 10,000,000
TOTAL
ALLOCATION
242,698,000