Context
Setting
1. The
14 countries covered by the UNFPA in the Pacific are located within
the largest single geographical feature on earth—the Pacific Ocean.
The countries that make up the region can be divided into three
broad classifications of Melanesia,
Polynesia
and Micronesia. The unique geographical configuration and the
cultural complexity of the region pose unique challenges for the
delivery of UNFPA assistance. The diseconomies of scale complicate
the delivery of high quality RH services to small and widely
dispersed population. However, the provision of such services is
essential if UNFPA is to successfully address equity concerns and
the poverty of access dimension UNFPA has active programmes of
assistance in ten countries; in Nauru, Niue, Palau and Tokelau, it
responds to ad hoc requests for contraceptives and technical
assistance. In terms of the UNFPA classification, there are five
“A” countries, one “C” country, and eight “O”countries.
Economic
Situation
2. Most
Pacific countries are still recovering from the Asian economic
crisis of 1997-98. The events of September 11, 2001 resulted in
sharply reduced tourism flows to some countries. While Solomon
Islands and Fiji are beginning to recover from their political
crises of 2000, many aspects of the social, economic and political
situation remain tenuous. Absolute poverty, in the sense of severe
malnutrition and deprivation, is rare in the Pacific because access
to agricultural land is virtually universal in rural areas.
Nevertheless, economic and political setbacks and the effects of
globalization have raised unemployment, poverty rates and increased
vulnerability of some groups, particularly women. There is a growing
concern about increasing inequality and relative poverty,
particularly in urban areas. The scarcity of survey data on
household incomes and expenditure remains an impediment to assessing
accurately the levels of relative poverty and inhibits the design of
poverty-reduction programmes.
3. Several
Pacific Island Countries (PICs) have initiated public sector reform
programmes during the second half of the 1990s. The implementation
has proceeded relatively slowly—particularly the privatization of
government commercial enterprises—and few major advances were
evident in 2001. Accountability and transparency remain weak. The
existence of “tax havens” in several Pacific countries has led to
international pressure on the countries to tighten controls against
money-laundering. Many reform programmes include efforts to
decentralize responsibility for the delivery of basic social
services to the local level. Decentralization approaches have not
always lived up to expectations because of the lack of qualified
personnel and poor infrastructure in more remote areas. In some
countries (e.g., Cook Islands) responsibilities within the health
sector are being bought back to the central level. The
decentralization of service delivery has important implications for
UNFPA programmes and projects and it is essential for the Field
Office and CST to monitor the impact of the reform process.
Population
Trends
4. Results
of the 2000 round of censuses became available during 2001. The
population of the 14 countries covered by UNFPA is approximately 2.1
million. Population growth has dropped to 1.1 percent per annum in
Polynesia and 1.9 percent in Micronesia. Several Polynesian
countries have growth rates below 1 percent as a result of high
out-migration although the rates of natural increase are generally
high. High population growth rates (above 2 percent annual growth)
persist only in the Melanesian sub-region. Vanuatu and Solomon
Islands are now below 3 percent annual growth after two decades of
rapid growth. Fertility has been following a long secular decline
throughout the region. The highest TFRs, namely 5.7 children per
woman, are found in Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Tokelau.
5. High
rates of population growth in the past have resulted in age
structures that have serious implications for development. The
proportion of the population under 15 years remains quite high and
this will ensure continued population growth, even with a further
decline in individual fertility. There are more young people in the
Pacific than ever before. Increasing access of this group to
reproductive health information and services, improved education and
job creation are essential. Projected rates of labour force growth
will exceed the overall rate of population growth in most countries
and the absorption of young workers will remain a formidable
challenge, a challenge that is further exacerbated by the impact of
globalization on small countries.
Migration
6. Migration
from rural areas and outer-islands, stimulated by rising levels of
education and increased job expectations combined with a slow pace
of rural development, continues throughout the region. “Urban drift”
is widely recognized by policy makers and was frequently cited
during MTR discussions as a major problem. The absorption of rural
migrants in urban centres is constrained by: the difficulties of
obtaining new land for housing; slow growth in the formal labour
force; inability of urban authorities to maintain a reasonable
quality of basic social services, and poor enforcement of
environmental regulations. Squatter settlements are growing in many
Pacific towns. Efforts to retain population in outer islands have
generally been expensive and have met with little success.
7. Most
Polynesian countries and Fiji are experiencing high levels of
emigration. Migrants’ remittances to Polynesian countries has
increased, thus contributing to higher economic growth and better
living standards, especially in remote areas. On the other hand,
“brain drain” is an impediment to the development of national
capacity, since usually the most qualified emigrate. The education
and health sectors are particularly hard hit by overseas migration.
Gender
8. Genders
equality and women’s empowerment remain culturally sensitive issues
in the Pacific. The concept of “equity” is understood and accepted
but the concept of “empowerment” is still viewed with skepticism. In
the Pacific, “empowerment” often suggests that women are seeking to
gain power over men in areas of traditional male authority rather
than sharing power. The shift of focus from “female roles” to gender
relations should help to resolve this problem. UNFPA can play a
critical in this area through advocacy and dialogue, which can aim
to adapt the principles of the ICPD Programme of Action
(particularly Chapter 4) into a Pacific setting.
Download the full report (Word,
139K; Zip, 45K)
