SPC hosts Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team

NOUMEA, New Caledonia—On July 1 2008, the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team, better known as RRRT, will join the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

RRRT is at the forefront in advocating for human rights, social justice and good governance throughout the Pacific region and its role in providing training and technical assistance in these areas fits well with SPC’s integrated approach to regional development based on capacity building.

RRRT was established in 1995 in Suva, Fiji, as a DFID (UK Department for International Development) project for women’s legal literacy but was expanded to take on more general human rights work in 1998. In 2001, when DFID left the region, RRRT looked for another home and became a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with the PRAJA project – Poverty Reduction with Access to Justice for All.

The decision to move to SPC follows a change of direction for UNDP that made it difficult for RRRT to retain its current form. After consultations between the agency, UNDP, SPC and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in 2007, it was decided that locating RRRT within SPC for an initial period of three years would provide the best option for sustaining its technical work in the region, while looking at more permanent long-term solutions. RRRT’s advocacy role will be carried out under the Forum Secretariat, and its technical training, research, technical assistance and capacity development functions under SPC.

Sandra Bernklau, project manager for RRRT says, “Our strategic planning for 2008–2012 sets a new goal of working toward the establishment of a Regional Human Rights Commission and we’re very excited to be embarking on this 10-year goal under the SPC umbrella.”

RRRT currently works in eight countries in the region – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

“With SPC hosting us, we’ll be able to expand our focus to embrace the whole of SPC’s membership—all 22 Pacific Island countries and territorie,” said Bernklau.’

Commenting on the move, SPC Director-General Dr Jimmie Rodgers said, “We’re very pleased to welcome the RRRT team on board and assure them of our full support. I’d personally like to commend this agency for its commitment to protecting human rights in the region and for the changes it has already initiated. Protection of human rights is fundamental to development and it’s a privilege for SPC to be able to assist this cause by hosting RRRT.” [B][I](SPC)[/I][/B]