PIANGO’s OUTLOOK FOR 2017

Date: 20 January 2017

SUVA – Civil societies’ capacities, next generation leadership, community resilience and development effectiveness are expected to be the key priorities of work for the Pacific Islands Association of NGOs (PIANGO) in 2017.                

These areas, says PIANGO executive director, Emele Duituturaga may even continue into the next three years.

“Strengthening civil societies and their platforms and capacities with a specific focus this year on next generation leadership to continue. In light of shrinking spaces,  CSOs accountability and enabling environment for CSO development effectiveness is urgent.

“We are also seeing the emergence of the need for more action research to inform on policy advocacy as we begin 2017,” Duituturaga said.

Duituturaga said these issues are ones deemed relevant by their national liaison units (NLUs) around the Pacific and have been mainstreamed into our priorities. One other issue that has been highlighted is humanitarian assistance.

“With our engagement in responding TC Pam and TC Winston in the past two years, we have realised that with changing weather patterns and advent of natural disasters increasing, PIANGO as a regional organisation has to increase the capacities of its members work with it NLUs to discuss and work on areas of Humanitarians assistance post a natural disaster,” Duituturaga said.

“In our discussion as PIANGO, we also have flagged COP 23 as a major international event that could also see us getting engaged as Fiji has the presidency for COP 23, which is being held in Bonn , in November 2017.”

“In this light, PIANGO will collaborate and mobilise with other partner CSOs to ensure a strong civil society engagement in the lead up preparation and in Bonn,” she said.

 

ENDS