An undergraduate student from the University of the South Pacific has won a regional essay competition aimed at promoting greater cooperation among Pacific Island Countries under the Pacific PlanAlwyn Danitofea of the Solomon Islands wrote on the theme “Benefits of Working Together Regionally’’ in the Youth Essay Competition organised by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to promote the Pacific Plan.
The winner was announced by Forum Secretary General Greg Urwin who said that Alwyn’s entry described the diversity of the region and suggested how some of the challenges facing island countries might be overcome by working together more closely.
In his essay Alwyn pointed out that working together regionally was vital for Pacific Island countries by assisting the weakest sovereign states protect their rights and political status and embellishing their economic rationale with a perception of its security, political, social and legal advantages.
“Moreover, regional cooperation has assisted Pacific Island countries in raising western sensitivity to the uniqueness of the group with matters of land and population, size, gross domestic product, isolation and dispersion, resource endowments and the relative size of the public sector,’’ Alwyn pointed out.
“Another principal benefit of regional co-operation is that it provides political security, technical and educational services to member countries through shared infrastructures to achieve economies of scale and to increase national capacity to manage natural resources. A regional organisation such as the University of the South Pacific, for example, is a system that operates through regional cooperation and as a result it has benefited most Pacific Island countries by providing educational training and research.’’
He added that working together regionally was beneficial since it had the potential to attract donor support through a regionally coordinated aid agenda-setting mechanism for development assistance.
According to Alwyn, working together also provided positive encouragement and solution to problems within the region without criticising or interfering in the internal affairs of states. He used the example of the restoration of law and order, and the economy stabilisation process in the Solomon Islands through the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
“This is evidence that Pacific Island nations can work together regionally to tackle security, political, or economic problems without requesting further assistance from international organisations such as the UN.’’
Alwyn received $5000 which he will share with USP. Although there was to have been one winner, the judges of the Pacific Plan Youth Competition recommended that the entry by the runner-up, Lisa Linga from Papua New Guinea, deserved a prize as well. Ms Linga will now share a FJD2,500 prize with her school, Grace Memorial Secondary School in Bulolo, Morobe province, Papua New Guinea.
As part of their win, both the winners will travel to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea next month where they will meet Pacific Island Forum Leaders as they gather foe their This meeting will be part of an effort to promote public awareness of the value of regional cooperation.
