A regional capacity building workshop was convened in Samoa from 27 November to 1 December 2023, aimed to strengthen public investment planning and management in Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The need for efficient and effective public investment policies and legislation has been long recognized, and most recently at the 2023 Pacific Forum Leaders meeting through the endorsement of the Implementation Plan for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
However, as most Pacific SIDS lack institutional and technical capacities required for improved infrastructure outcomes, the workshop focused on project identification and planning, appraisal and selection, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
The workshop offered a platform for participants to share country experiences and lessons, and to identify actions at national level which could strengthen public investment outcomes. Workshop participants also utilized a guidance note on public investment and project planning in Pacific SIDS developed by ESCAP using country-level work and practical recommendations for capacity building purposes.
Around 50 participants attended the workshop, including representatives from Ministries of Finance and Planning from Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The regional capacity building workshop was convened by ESCAP in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, Government of Samoa, the International Monetary Fund and the Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Centre.
