SPC

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) is a highly professional, bilingual and dynamic organisation that is closely attuned to the needs, aspirations and priorities of its members and works in partnership with other national, regional and international organisations and its development partners to serve its 22 Pacific Island member countries and territories through technical assistance, training and research. Its work covers a range of sectors including natural resources (e.g. agriculture, fisheries and forestry), social programmes (e.g. culture, health, women and youth), transport and security (e.g. maritime) and cross-cutting services (e.g. information and communication technology, media, and statistics and demography).

SPC is the oldest regional organisation in the Pacific and was originally established in 1947 as the South Pacific Commission. Currently all 22 island countries and territories are full members, along with Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States of America. Although commonly referred to as a regional organisation, SPC has the legal status of an international organisation established by a treaty (Canberra Agreement, 1947). The major operational policies of the organisation are set out in the Declaration de Tahiti Nui, which SPC’s governing body updates as required. SPC’s mission is to help Pacific Island people position themselves to respond effectively to the challenges they face and make informed decisions about their future and the future they wish to leave for the generations that follow.

http://www.spc.int/

Figures:

• over 615 staff (2010)
• 64 million CFP (71 million USD) annual budget for 2009