Pacific Update 2018 - Regional Programme Australia and the Pacific
Event Reports
The Pacific Update is the premier platform for the discussion of current public policy issues in the South Pacific. As a multidisciplinary conference, it brings together policymakers, academics and development practitioners, along with members of the general public, to discuss economic, social, political and environmental developments in the region.
Over the course of the two day conference, delegates participated in discussions across three parallel sessions, covering the following topics: Economic development and poverty alleviation, Climate change, Resilience and the blue economy, Gender equality, Regionalism, Labour mobility, migration and international trade, Tourism, Resource management, fisheries, and agriculture, Social policy, health and education, Financial inclusion, Economic management and public sector reform, Infrastructure management and development, Foreign aid and climate financing and the political economy of development.
A plenary session on Fiji’s economy marked the highlight of this years’ Pacific Update. Mr Ariff Ali, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji, and other experts shared their expertise and their views on an outlook on Fiji’s economy.
More than 300 people attended the conference in Suva; in addition, a digital livestream of the conference, which was also made available on YouTube, went out to all regional campuses of the University of the South Pacific.
The Pacific Update 2018 was well received by attendees. The thought-provoking discussions during the conference sessions highlighted the interest in, and demand for, debate on public policy affairs affecting the South Pacific.
