British High Commissioner and the UK Scoping Mission Team visit MSG Secretariat

On behalf of the MSG Secretariat Director General Ambassador Amena Yauvoli, Mr. Ilan Kiloe, Program Manager Political and Security Affairs and Mr. Epineri Seibouma, Peacekeeping and Security Officer met with the British High Commissioner Her Excellency Karen Bell and her team comprising of Mr. Graham Teskey, Principal Technical Lead – Governance of ABT Associates and Dr. Priya Chattier on Tuesday 29th October 2019.

“The visit is essentially a “Scoping Mission” coordinated through the Office of British High Commissioner to Vanuatu aiming to assist Pacific Island Countries and seeking ways to effectively address emerging challenges and drivers of instability and insecurity” explained by Mr. Teskey.

The Secretariat team provided briefs on the various important security initiatives of the MSG including the Regional Police Academy (RPA), Formed Police Unit (FPU), Humanitarian and Emergency Response Coordination Centre (HERCC) and the MSG Sub-Regional Security Strategy (RSS). In providing the brief, Mr. Kiloe emphasized more on the RSS as an overarching document for security coordination in the MSG sub-region.

“The MSG Security Strategy recognizes aims to address the issues of safe and secure borders, well-managed cyber-crime, strengthening of institutions and agencies to combat all forms of transnational crime including human trafficking and include strategies for managing risks posed by Climate Change” Mr. Kiloe emphasized.

“The Humanitarian and Emergency Response Coordination Centre (HERCC) aims to provide a platform for members to efficiently coordinated humanitarian and relief efforts to members during events of disasters” added Mr. Seibouma.

The meeting ended on a high note with the team expressing the significance of addressing security challenges in the Pacific region and willingness to provide assistance to ensure Pacific Island countries address the emerging challenges in the region. The Secretariat thanked H.E Karen Bell and team for availing time to meet with the Secretariat.