Letter from the Secretariat

Sep 12, 2023 | Blog, Cook Islands, Events, Pacific, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu

Frank Yourn, Executive Director

Dear Members,

We’ve been having a busy few months at the Business Councils’ secretariat office, with two major back-to-back events in the space of less than a month. The 27th Australia Fiji Business Forum, which took place two weeks ago in Sydney, has received many favourable comments by those who attended. To catch a glimpse of their feedback, I encourage you to watch the video that we have included in this newsletter. This event stood as one of the Australia Fiji Business Councill’s most successful events in Australia, with an impressive attendance of over 175 delegates from both Australia and Fiji.

Amongst our attendees were two Deputy Prime Ministers and a senior minister from Fiji, and a multitude of senior government and business representatives from both countries. Their informative presentations truly embodied the forum’s theme – ‘The New Fiji: Reopen for Business.’ I am delighted to announce that these insightful presentations are now available online for the benefit of all attendees.

We are now in the throes of feverish preparations for the forthcoming flagship event, the Pacific Infrastructure Conference titled ‘Developing Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure in the Blue Pacific Conference and Trade Expo,’ scheduled to take place in Brisbane from the 25th to the 27th of September. I am confident that most of our members have already received information about this event and have registered to be part of what promises to be the most significant conference of its kind.

We anticipate stakeholders from sixteen Pacific Island Forum countries and donor nations such as Australia, New Zealand, France, and the United States to grace this occasion, alongside global and regional donor agencies. The breakout sessions have been meticulously designed to allow individual country leaderships to elucidate their infrastructure pipelines, presenting a unique opportunity for donors, project managers, construction contractors, and the private sector to potentially engage in transformative initiatives.

If you are yet to register, I urge you to do so promptly, for this is an event that should not be missed. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you in Brisbane.

In the spirit of collaboration, I kindly request your invaluable feedback regarding our newsletter. Your inputs will enable us to continually improve our communications. Furthermore, I would like to extend an invitation to support us through advertising in our newsletter. Your participation will contribute significantly to raising awareness within the business community and governments about your companies and the impactful work you are engaged in throughout the region.

Once again, I extend my deepest gratitude to each of you for your support and commitment to our shared vision. Together, we are forging a brighter future for businesses in our region. Should you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Thank you for your dedication, and I look forward to our continued success.

Warm regards,

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