Pacific Community
Established: Established as the 'South Pacific Commission' on 6 February 1947 under the Canberra Agreement, signed by Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Name: The 37th South Pacific Conference in October 1997 held in Canberra Australia, celebrated 50 years of operations and members agreed to a name change for the organisation to the 'Pacific Community' (the original acronym 'SPC' has been retained to represent the 'Secretariat of the Pacific Community'.
Location: Noumea, New Caledonia (Headquarters) and Suva, Fiji (Community Education Centre, Agriculture and Forestry programs).
Head of SPC: Director-General, Dr Jimmie Rodgers (Solomon Islands)
Aims: non-political organisation, delivering social and economic technical development assistance to the region through advisory and consultative activities.
Work programs
- fisheries
- health
- agriculture
- community education
- socio-economic and statistical services
Staff numbers: approximately 300 including 146 professional staff Budget: AUD 47.2 million (2004)
Australian contribution: $9.7 million (2006) to support 22 Pacific island countries with technical assistance, training and research in the natural resources sector (agriculture, fisheries) and socio-economic development (health, statistics, culture, youth and women's programmes).
Membership: twenty six, comprising the governments and administrations of 22 territories and independent island states of the Pacific region, plus Australia, France, New Zealand, and the USA. The UK has confirmed its intention to end its membership with effect from 1 January 2005.
List of members: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, the United States, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.
Contact Details for Further Information
If you have any further questions about the Pacific regional organisations, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade may be able to help you. Please contact:
Director, Pacific Regional Section
Phone (02) 6261 2224
Fax : (02) 6261 2661