Fiji’s Former Ambassador to the United States of America, Solo Mara will become Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Development Forum in three months.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama made the announcement at the PIDF Plenary Session on Governance and Institutional issues at Pullman Resort in Nadi yesterday.
Bainimarama said Mara will leverage his diplomatic experience, in Fiji and in capitals around the world, to enact a new mandate to restructure the PIDF and review its charter to maintain its effectiveness in an evolving political landscape.
The Prime Minister said Mara will be charged with stripping away the more bureaucratic systems within PIDF to streamline operations and foster an institutional culture that better leverages the greatest competitive advantages.
He says there is a huge amount of white space in the Pacific that is currently being missed by other regional players, which the PIDF must step in to fill.
Bainimarama said that includes issues such as the empowerment of women, young people and those living with disabilities; the management of waterways; building up our regional tourism market; and combatting flows of drugs and illicit materials through Pacific waters.
He also says Fiji has graciously accepted the chairmanship the Pacific Islands Development Forum for the year ahead.
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