MEMBER OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, HON. DAVID MCALLISTER VISITS MSG SECRETARIAT

PORT VILA, VANUATU (12 August 2024): The Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat, Leonard Louma, received a courtesy visit from the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the European Parliament, Hon. David McAllister on Thursday 8 August 2024.

The Chairman was keen to know more about the MSG, its specific role and focus activities in pursuit of its Members’ interests, and how it fits in the regional landscape with the different regional organisations, especially in relation to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

A background brief was provided by DG Louma on MSG and its activities, especially its focus areas on youth and gender empowerment within the geographical confines of its five members of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia through the FLNKS.

DG Louma took the opportunity to emphasise the importance that MSG countries place in their relations with the European Union members and thanked the Chairman for the assistance that the European Union has provided to the MSG Secretariat, through the PIF, in particular the IMPACT Project and SPIRIT Project under the EDF 11 Pacific Regional Integration Support Program.

DG Louma indicated that the MSG Secretariat was now examining the Samoa Agreement (successor to the Cotonou Agreement) to see where and how MSG can access development assistance for its activities directly from Brussels.