1-15 April 2008, Vanuatu Budget Policies for 2009, Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Pacific Disability Forum, Women with Disabilities Forum and Regional Training Workshop, 21-25 April 2008, Apia, Samoa.

The Regional Advisor on Social Development and Planning facilitated sessions at the above meeting on ' The Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities,' the 'Biwako Millennium Framework for Action Towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free, Rights-based Society for All People with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific' and 'developing a national policy on disability in Pacific island countries,' in collaboration with the Disability Officer of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

Special Body on Pacific Island Developing Countries, tenth session, 22-23 April 2008, Bangkok, Thailand.

The meeting, of the Special Body on Pacific Island Developing Countries of ESCAP, is held every two years in the run-up to ESCAP’s annual high-level Commission session. It provides inputs on how ESCAP can better serve its member States in the Pacific and strengthen links between the Pacific and Asia. Speaking in Bangkok at the meeting on Pacific island developing countries, Noeleen Heyzer, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific noted that “there are continuing employment challenges, especially for youth and women, in Pacific communities.” Special Body Pre-session documents - tenth session; Viable Economy and Human Investment Key to Create Jobs in Pacific Islands; Addressing High Unemployment Focus of UN Meeting on the Pacific Islands; Closing statement; Documents from sessions on Special Bodies.

Vanuatu Budget Policies for 2009, 1-15 April 2008, Port Vila, Vanuatu.

The Regional Adviser on Development Policy recently completed a mission to Vanuatu working with Ministry of Finance and Economic Management officials to develop a “Budget Policy Statement”. The Statement is required to be published well in advance of annual budget preparation under Vanuatu’s Public Finance and Economic Management Act. The Statement, together with other economic and fiscal reports produced during each year, were introduced as part of Vanuatu’s Comprehensive Reform Programme in the late 1990s.  In recent years the value of the Statement had not been fully realized. The Regional Advisor assisted Vanuatu Government officials to prepare a Statement that clearly states the priorities for the 2009 budget and links these to the expected economic and fiscal situation.