The Prime Minister will visit Papua New Guinea on 22 May.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will co-chair the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit) jointly with Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea next week.
The Prime Minister will visit Papua New Guinea on 22 May, which will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Modi is all set for his three-nation tour, which will begin with attending the G7 summit in Japan, then he will go to Papua New Guinea and finally, he will visit Australia.
The last summit of FIPIC was held in Jaipur, India on 21 August 2015 with all 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs).
During the two FIPIC summits, India announced initiatives in a wide range of areas to assist the PIC in meeting the challenges and achieving the aspirations for the well-being and development of its people.
FIPIC is a landmark initiative launched under the title of Act East Policy for PIC.
PM Modi hosted the first FIPIC summit in Suva during his historic visit to Fiji on 19 November 2014, in which all 14 PICs – Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Samoa, Vanuatu, Niue, Federated States of Micronesia was involved. , Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, Palau, Nauru and Solomon Islands.
A major part of India’s engagement with the PIC is through development assistance under South-South Cooperation mainly in the form of capacity building (training, scholarships, grants-in-aid and loan assistance) and community development projects.
Development partnership to PIC for socio-economic progress through community development projects such as solar electrification, supply of farm equipment, computers and LED bulbs for schools, sewing machines, dialysis machines, portable saw machines, boats and pick-up trucks has been extended. vehicle, construction of sea wall, and coral farm etc. PIC has been appreciative of developmental cooperation with India.
Initiatives in this area include setting up of Information Technology laboratories in PICs. Centers of Excellence in IT (CEITs) have been set up in various PICs.
All PIC countries are vulnerable to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. Initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) complement our relationship with the PIC. Under the CDRI framework, India along with Australia, UK and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) launched the ‘Infrastructure for Resilient Island States’ (IRIS) during COP26 in Glasgow on 2 November 2021, to support SIDS . To mobilize technology, finance and necessary information for disasters and for the Pacific Islands and CARICOM countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
Steps have been taken to address the challenges of climate change that threaten all PICs. A project for solar electrification of 2,800 households has been initiated in 14 PICs, under which 70 women solar engineers (known as Solar Maa) have been trained and the process of electrification is underway. The project also aims to provide livelihood to women while addressing the goals of climate change and sustainable development
The development partnership with PIC includes support for infrastructure development with a focus on the areas of education, health and culture.
Other community development projects include renovation of libraries and school buildings, renovation of colleges and provision of IT infrastructure for educational institutions, besides setting up of digital libraries.
India has also supplied indelible ink to Fiji and Papua New Guinea for use in their general elections. The Jaipur Foot Camp, fully funded by the Government of India, organized in Fiji in collaboration with the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services, has been a landmark event in the health sector. About 600 Fijians were provided with adapted artificial limbs during the camp.
India has been providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) to PICs from time to time. India has assisted various PICs with the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and medical supplies during the pandemic.
In addition to bilateral agreements, the India-UN Development Partnership Fund was created in 2017. Its objective is to support demand-driven sustainable development projects in developing countries with a focus on LDCs and Small Island Developing States. PICs have been beneficiaries of this fund.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)