The Sustainable Development Strategy Project
Support Sustainable Development in Pacific Island Countries.
Strategic Direction No. 1, SOPAC Corporate Plan (2002-2004)
What is the Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS)?
The Sustainable Development Strategy Paper is an initiative by SOPAC to identify the development constraints of its member countries that fall within the mandate of the organisation and establish plans of action to address them with our given expertise in a manner that will contribute to long-term, sustainable development in the Pacific.
The SDS is intended as a clear, plan of action that will contribute to the implementation of the SOPAC Corporate Plan. It will, therefore, aim to focus the three new Programme Areas of the SOPAC- Ocean and Islands, Community Risk and Community Lifelines towards supporting sustainable development in the Member Countries.
Why a Sustainable Development Strategy?
This initiative to develop a Sustainable Development Strategy follows SOPAC s efforts in the recent past to develop and implement a Poverty Alleviation Policy. The Poverty Alleviation Policy Paper sought to ensure that SOPAC s development initiatives addressed the primary concerns of the target communities, besides being consistent with the development initiatives of the global development community. SOPAC advocates the sustainable livelihoods approach that aims to improve the livelihood options of the poor by integrating resource management, environment and resilience into their lifestyles. The SDS is therefore a logical, pro-active and necessary step in promoting sustainable livelihoods and reducing poverty.
Who are the Stakeholders?
The primary stakeholders of the project are the member countries of SOPAC. An inclusive consultative process will seek to ensure that the member countries acquire ownership of the process as well as the outputs. The priorities of the donors, other CROP agencies and strategic partners too will be taken into account to ensure consistency and strengthen interdependencies.
What will the SDS offer the client community?
The SDS will also go a step further than the Poverty Policy Paper by establishing a time-bound implementation agenda for Sustainable Development Initiatives across the three work programme areas.
The SDS will seek to :
- Establish the concept of Sustainable Development in the unique context of our member countries
- Outline SOPAC s philosophy and approach towards addressing the issues
- Establish a time-bound implementation plan with clear accountabilities that can be integrated into the Annual Business Plan and Work Programme.
What will the Key Outputs of the Project be?
- The Sustainable Development Strategy Paper that is relevant to the overall vision and mandate of SOPAC.
- The Sustainable Development Strategy incorporated into the new Corporate Plan (2002-2004) and work programme of SOPAC.
- Inputs provided for SOPAC s contribution to the Pacific Submission for World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) at Johannesburg, August 26th September 4th, 2002.
Funding
The project is funded primarily by the Pacific Office of the British Department for International Development (DFID). The New Zealand Overseas Development Assistance (NZODA) has provided additional funds under the Small Grants Scheme.
The project commenced at the end of January and is to be completed at the end of July 2002. A draft strategy paper will be developed by the end of April, which would then be availed for internal and external reviews. The Strategy Paper will be finalised through a regional workshop to be held in Fiji at the end of June. The final document will be published and distributed by the end of July 2002.
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