Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

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The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is the chief executive officer of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).^[1] The Secretariat is based in Suva, Fiji.

The Secretary General of the Secretariat is appointed to a three-year term in office by the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum member states.^[2] The Secretary General reports directly to the leaders of the member states and the Forum Officials' Committee (FOC).^[2] He or she automatically serves as the permanent chairman or chairwoman of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP).^[2]

Responsibilities

The Secretary General is responsible for a variety of roles and responsibilities within the Pacific Islands Forum and the Secretariat. The responsibilities to PIF member states and observers include the following:

Providing "high quality" leadership to the member states.^[1]
Effectively bring executive management to the office of the Forum Secretariat, as well as its staff and assets.^[1]
Deliver advice and service to member nations of the Pacific Islands Forum.^[1]
Advocate the interests of the Pacific Islands Forum to other international organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations.
Leading and managing the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), a meeting of the member states' national leaders, as well as the Forum Officials Committee (FOC). This role includes attending and leading the Pacific Islands Forum ministerial meetings, committees, councils and working groups which may be established by either the PIF or the FOC.^[1]
The Secretary General is chair of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP).^[1]
Oversee the implementation of any mandates or directives of the Pacific Islands Forum and the Forum Officials Committee.^[1]
Effectively implement the Secretariat's work programme.^[1]

List of secretaries general

Please note: Dates may not be correct.

No.	Name	Country	Took office	Left office
Directors of the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation
1	Mahe Tupouniua	Tonga	November 1972	1980
2	Gabriel Gris	Papua New Guinea	1980	1982 (died in office)
–	John Sheppard (acting)	Australia	1982	January 1983
3	Mahe Tupouniua	Tonga	January 1983	January 1986
4	Henry Naisali	Tuvalu	January 1986	September 1988
Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum
–	Henry Naisali	Tuvalu	September 1988	January 1992
5	Ieremia Tabai	Kiribati	January 1992	January 1998
6	Noel Levi	Papua New Guinea	February 1998	16 May 2004
7	Greg Urwin	Australia	16 May 2004	2 May 2008 (resigned)
–	Feleti Teo (acting)	Tuvalu	2 May 2008	13 October 2008
8	Tuiloma Neroni Slade	Samoa ^[3]	13 October 2008	4 December 2014
9	Meg Taylor	Papua New Guinea	4 December 2014	24 May 2021
10	Henry Puna^[4]	Cook Islands	24 May 2021	Incumbent

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Urwin's stand-in wants the helm". Fiji Times. 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
^ ^a ^b ^c Vula, Timoci (2011-09-09). "Slade back at the helm". Fiji Times. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
^ Fisher, Mue (2011-09-09). "Forum Leaders endorse Slade's second term as SG". PRESS STATEMENT (83/11). Forum Secretariat. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
^ "Pacific countries select new chief diplomat after fractious vote". msn.com. Reuters. February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.