PILON Executive Committee Meeting April 2019
29-30 April Nadi, Fiji
The PILON Executive Committee met at the Nalagi Hotel in Nadi, Fiji on the 29-30 April 2019.
In attendance were Committee members, Chair, Mr Stuart Baker, Solicitor General, Cook Islands, Incoming Chair, Mr Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, Attorney General, Samoa, Ms Karen Moore, Assistant Secretary, Australia, Mr Joses Gallen, Secretary for Justice, FSM, Mr Graham Leung, Secretary for Justice and Border Control, Nauru, Ms Jo Mildenhall, Senior Crown Counsel, New Zealand, and Mr Johnathan Kawakami, A/g Attorney General, RMI.
The Executive Committee welcomed presentations from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat including the Pacific Legislative Drafters Technical Forum, the United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Programme (UN-PRAC), the Pacific Community’s Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) and Oceania Customs Organisation. The Committee embraced the opportunity to engage with these regional organisations and investigated options for further strengthening PILON’s working relationship with fellow Pacific agencies and coordination of activities across the region.
Following the successful and well received workshop on special measures for victims of Sexual and Gender Based Violence, funded jointly by RRRT and PILON, the Committee encouraged further collaboration as the forward work plans of the two organisations continue to complement one another. The workshop, held in Samoa in March 2019, demonstrated the value of partnership and regional teamwork on these important issues facing the Pacific law and justice community.
The Committee took advantage of the opportunity to explore continued and increased collaboration with UN-PRAC on Corruption issues into the forward years of PILON’s Strategic Plan and discussions will be ongoing with this key regional stakeholder to ensure that efforts are joined up and coordinated.
The Executive Committee reviewed PILON’s progress in the key areas of Cybercrime, Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Corruption, as well as broader governance matters and preparations for the 2019 Annual Meeting. Updates on progress towards PILON’s key strategic priorities will be provided at the 38th PILON Annual Meeting to be hosted by the Samoan Office of the Attorney General, at the Taumeasina Island Resort, in Apia from the 4th – 7th November 2019.
