Opening Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration for the 2012 Pacific Immigration Directors Conference,

21st November 2012

 

TO THE ACTING CHAIR, MR FRANCOIS BATICK, PRINCIPAL IMMIGRATION OFFICER FOR VANUATU, MEMBERS OF THE PACIFIC IMMIGRATION DIRECTORS CONFERENCE (PIDC) FAMILY & REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS

KIA ORANA KOTOU KATOATOA, KOTOU TEI TAE MAI KI TEIA AKAKOROANGA MAATA TIKAI I TEIA MATAITI

(A SINCERE KIA ORANA OR GREETINGS TO YOU ALL FOR MAKING IT TO OUR SHORES FOR THE 16TH ANNUAL PACIFIC IMMIGRATION DIRECTORS CONFERENCE)

The Hon Tom Marsters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Restituto Tiangco as Cook Islands Honorary Consul to the Philippines. 

Mr Tiangco is a very well-respected businessman who is extensively involved in the Philippines fishing industry with diverse business interests in the Philippines and Indonesia. Mr Tiangco has consular jurisdiction in Metro Manila.

In announcing the appointment, Mr Marsters explained that, at no cost to the ap-pointing governments, Honorary Consuls fulfil important roles in promoting social, economic, trade and investment relations with local governments, private sector inter-ests and non-governmental organisations where they live.    Government is confident that the appointment of Mr Tiangco will further the interests of developing relations between the Cook Islands and the Philippines.  The Cook Islands is a member of the Asian Development Bank, headquartered in Manila, and the World Health Organisa-tion, the regional headquarters also in Manila.  Mr Tiangco will also be able to sup¬port our representatives attending ADB and WHO activities in the Philippines. 

Opening Statements by Mrs Myra Patai, Acting Secretary of MFAI during the Pacific Immigration Director's Conference, 2012

 

• Pacific Islanders have long been world famous for their movements from island to island across great expanses of ocean, as highlighted by Sir Peter Buck in his classic work, Vikings of the Sunrise.

• Centuries later, European explorers started to enter our oceanic continent

• Today, the movement of people has reached unprecedented levels

• Anyone familiar with the transboundary movement of persons will have direct experience of the many different reasons why travellers visit our countries.  Some come for purely innocent purposes, as legitimate tourists.  Others come on business, promoting in their own way international commerce.  Others come to promote international cooperation in various forms (e.g., as representatives of regional and international organisations).  And, of course, under cover of innocent movement, others come for more sinister motifs, participating in transnational crime in its various forms.

• This situation presents unprecedented challenges to our Immigration services.

The 16th Pacific Immigration Directors’ Conference (PIDC) was convened in Rarotonga, Cook Islands on 21st – 23rd November 2012. The theme of the conference was “Securing Pacific Oceanic Gateways through Effective Use of Information”. Forty delegates from 21 Pacific Island countries attended including the Cook Islands (Chair), Australia, CNMI/Guam/USA, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau, Niue, Norfolk Islands, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and Tuvalu.  

The conference also welcomed representatives of Observer organisations from the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP), Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Intra-Migration Facility.

10 - 12 October 2012, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

“This is the first targeted training for Government Officials to undergo training on gender awareness and analysis to support them in their role to mainstream gender into public policy and programmes in Cook Islands”, says Ruth Pokura, Director for Gender and Development Division, Ministry of Internal Affairs Cook Islands. The training was an opportunity for policy makers to reflect on their own areas of work and to explore the gender issues and impacts in their respective Ministerial policies. The training was attended by twenty three senior Government Officials from the Ministries of Health, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Economic & Management - Aid Management Unit & Statistics, Justice, Education, Internal Affairs, OPSC, OPM, and Cultural Development. 

Building on the gender equality momentum of the recent Pacific Forum Leaders’ meeting held in Rarotonga, the Cook Islands Government initiated this training for policy makers. “Gender responsive Government programmes and policies is the first outcome of the National Policy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, of the Cook Islands and we recognize there is a strong need to first support our policy makers appreciate there are gender issues in Cook Islands and realise all aspects of our work either in policy making or in implementing projects has potential gender impacts,” says Bredina Drollet, Head of Ministry, Internal Affairs.