Government of the Federated States of Micronesia

First Meeting of the Working Group for the Micronesian Village Project Set

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): March 16, 2009 - This Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 the inaugural meeting of the Working Group for the Micronesian Village Project is scheduled to meet at the Department of Foreign Affairs conference room. This project is designed to be similar to the Suva Pacific Village, where regional and international stakeholders will be brought together under "one roof" in the North Pacific, to improve collaboration and coordination of activities of all organizations that provide assistance to Pacific Island Countries and Territories. This facility would provide office and conference space for organizations like SPC, which already has a regional office in Pohnpei, and other CROP agencies that may wish to relocate to Pohnpei, and can be extended to UN agencies and other international organizations.

The Working Group is chaired by the Hon. Vice President Alik Alik and will be attended by several members of the President's Cabinet plus members from the Pohnpei State Government, Kolonia Town Government, and the Manager of SPC Northern Regional Office, Mr Amena Yauvoli and the Country Development Manager of the UN Joint Presence Initiative, Mr. OKean Ehmes.

At the meeting, they will discuss and finalize the Terms of Reference for the Working Group which maps out the proposed activities against the stipulated timeframes, as well as providing a reporting obligation to the Working Group so that progress of the work is conveyed to the political leadership for their updates and decisions. One of the biggest issues for discussion is for Pohnpei State to identify a suitable and sizable land site needed for the implementation of the project and to secure the appropriate legislative decision required to accomplish this.

This project has gotten a lot of attention since there is a growing demand from member states for regional organizations to decentralize their services and move closer to the member states that they serve. When this project becomes reality, we will finally have a "one stop shop" facility to the northern Pacific countries and Territories for technical assistance, research, training and support in scientific, technical and social issues.