Caption: Dr Jimmie Rodgers, SPC Director-General, and Mr Setareki S. Macanawai, Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Disability Forum. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Nadi, Fiji, 14 May 2013 – The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) signed a memorandum of understanding on 14 May 2013.
The four-year agreement will strengthen links between SPC and PDF and help build new, proactive and complementary approaches to disability issues in the region.
In particular, the MOU will ensure better coordination between two regional organisations that each have their own areas of expertise and extensive networks and partnerships.
With the mobilisation of joint resources, the agreement will facilitate cross-cutting research in several areas that could benefit people with disabilities, and collection of accurate data. This collaborative process, combining two separate views and strategies, will also highlight gaps in addressing the needs of people with disabilities.
Dr Jimmie Rodgers, SPC Director-General, acknowledged that the partnership with PDF will be important in helping SPC deliver technical programmes that are disability inclusive. He said that as the lead technical agency for Pacific development in many areas, SPC must ensure that its services reach everyone.
Mr Setareki S. Macanawai, Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Disability Forum, welcomed the timely partnership with SPC and thanked Dr Rodgers for his leadership, vision and commitment to the initiative. He said that SPC is a key partner for promoting, sustaining and advancing disability inclusive development in the Pacific and noted the importance of ensuring that the voices of people with disabilities, along with their representative organisations, are heard and counted.
Press release