Page 32 - IB FEB 2020

InDepth InDepth

SPC Director Dr Stuart Minchin and SPC Deputy Director Dr Audrey Aumua in Suva. Photo: SPC

MEETING THE NEW GUARD

SPC’S NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL STUART MINCHIN

Australian Stuart Minchin was appointed as Director General across water, across oceans and all of the SDG goals when
of the Pacific Community (SPC) last year. He took up the you look at them are addressed in some way by the work that
reins in January and spoke to Islands Business about his early SPC does. And at a time when the biggest challenges in the
impressions and priorities. world, existential challenges in the region—climate change,
disasters and diseases as well—we’ve got real opportunities
Islands Business: you’ve been in the role for just a few to make a difference here. And a lot of the politics is aligning
weeks, but you had the opportunity to visit Fiji last year in that countries are stepping up their interest in helping the
for [former SPC Director General] Dr Colin Tukuitonga’s region deal with these challenges. So for me this is a perfect
farewell. First impressions? opportunity to make a difference.
Stuart Minchin: It was wonderful to meet people from
across the organisation. I was a bit daunted by the reverence IB: Your predecessor noted the more crowded
that the role is somewhat held in I guess, but also excited development space; more partners and potential partners
that I saw so much opportunity across the organisation, interested in the region, sometimes with their own
meeting with people, hearing the work that they do. The agendas. Sometimes they align with what the member
organisation has a lot of depth and is producing a lot of states are articulating as well, but not always. And
wonderful work that probably isn’t as obvious, and made as for SPC there is also the difficulty of balancing project
obvious as it could be in the future. funding with the need for core funding as well. How will
I’m very excited by having the opportunity to serve you approach that dynamic and tension between what
countries and the organisation to help guide them over the member states want and agendas from outside?
next few years and very enthusiastic about the opportunities Minchin: I think it is very important and a clear advantage
in front of SPC. that SPC has that we are member-owned and driven, so it is
the countries that define what our strategic directions are.
IB: You’ve said you want to make a difference and have And that gives us a great advantage in talking with donors
a chance to serve. What about SPC’s work feels like an because we are not interested in being funded to do just
opportunity to do that? anything. It is about being funded to do the things that our
Minchin: If you look globally back in 2015, the UN agreed countries want us to do. That can be a real positive in having
on the 2030 agenda—which is an articulation of the world conversations with donors, because you’re not just looking for
we want to live in and an agreement between the member whatever they can give, you’re actually saying if you invest
countries of the UN about the 17 sustainable development with us in alignment with the priorities that the countries
goals—which is great. But what I find really interesting is that have set you can be very confident that you are delivering
apart from the UN, the SPC is the only organisation that I what the countries want in a regional organisation like SPC.
know that can address every one of those goals in some way. And that puts us I think in a unique position. There’s growing
We have capabilities across education, across food security,

32 Islands Business, February 2020