Rarotonga, Cook Islands | 14 October 2026
The Cook Islands and the Pacific Community (SPC) will hold national consultations tomorrow, Thursday, 15 October 2026, to help shape a five-year Cook Islands-SPC Country Programme. The programme will guide how SPC’s assistance is directed towards national development priorities.
The consultations follow a bilateral meeting between the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Ms Elizabeth Wright-Koteka, and SPC Director-General, Dr Paula Vivili, on Tuesday, 13 October, as part of SPC's official mission to the Cook Islands. They discussed the Cook Islands long standing cooperation with SPC in areas such as health, education, water and resilience, fisheries and food systems, statistics and planning, and how SPC’s expertise and resources can better respond to the country’s needs.
The meeting provided an opportunity to review the Cook Islands' longstanding cooperation with SPC and discuss how the organisation's technical expertise and resources can better respond to the country's development needs.
Representatives from government agencies, civil society organisations and SPC representatives will take part in the consultations to assess existing cooperation, identify emerging priorities and consider opportunities for more targeted resourcing and technical assistance.
Secretary Wright-Koteka said that the partnership is valuable and getting the most from it depends on national ownership.
“Our partnership with SPC gives us access to expertise and resources that are important to our development. The responsibility is also on us to identify where support is most needed, ensure our agencies are working towards the same priorities, and be realistic about what we can deliver and sustain.”
The Country Programme will set out the agreed priorities and measurable outcomes for SPC support over the next five years. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration will continue working with SPC and national stakeholders to finalise it in the coming months.
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