Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office

The Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office

The Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office (PLCO) is ADBs representative office in Sydney, Australia; it also acts as a focal point to liaise with New Zealand government agencies, think tanks, and civil society. In keeping with its liaison role, PLCO hosts joint activities and holds consultations with academic and research institutions, and civil society. PLCO opened on 3 August 2005 and is ADBs focal point for programming, processing, and administration of assistance in Nauru, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. It also facilitates country reporting and updating, aid coordination, external relations, and information dissemination. It allows ADB to be more responsive to the development needs of the Pacific and further strengthens its relations with governments, the private sector, and nongovernment organizations in the region. ADB promotes private sector development across all 14 of ADBs Pacific developing member countries (DMCs). PLCO manages the Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI), a regional technical assistance program established by ADB in 2006 with cofinancing by the Australian Agency for International Development. PSDI supports the efforts of Pacific DMCs to encourage private sectorled, sustainable economic growth. PSDI focuses on key reform areas including state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform and publicprivate partnerships, finance sector reform to promote access to financial services, and reform of the legal and business regulatory environments in the region. PLCOs rolealong with offices in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste, and field presence in Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu, and upcoming development coordination offices in the Cook Islands and the Federated States of Micronesiais to support and align ADB operations with the evolving needs of the Pacific DMCs, and to strengthen ADBs delivery of high-quality, basic social services in the region. The office also hosts the Pacific Infrastructure Advisory Center, which supports donor assistance to develop and maintain critical economic infrastructure in the Pacific.
New high level bridge on Makira, Solomon Islands

Nauru

Joined ADB: 1991

Solomon Islands

Joined ADB: 1973

Vanuatu

Joined ADB: 1981

Focus: ADBs assistance to Nauru is focused on the areas of public financial management and private sector development. Loans and Technical Assistance: Has received one loan for $5 million, one grant for $4 million, and eight technical assistance grants totaling $2.1 million Current Loans/Project and Program Grants: ADB approved the $4 million Public Financial Management Reform Program in August 2012 under which the first $2 million tranche is being released. Current Technical Assistance Grants: The Regulatory and Governance Reform for Improving Electricity and Water Supply in Nauru technical assistance is being implemented in 20112013. Nauru also benefits from a number of regional technical assistance projects.

Focus: ADB has aligned its sovereign operations with the governments National Development Strategy. Operations focus on (i) infrastructure development including transport and information and communication technology, (ii) public sector management, and (iii) renewable energy. Recently, ADB is helping boost students access to higher education through its loan to the University of the South Pacific for a new campus in the capital Honiara. Proposed assistance for the Submarine Cable project will promote economic efficiency in the public and private sectors and create opportunities including the improved delivery of social services. Joint field presence: ADB and the World Bank Group established a joint field presence in Honiara in 2008. An ADB infrastructure specialist is also based there. Office co-location provides strengthened aid coordination. Technical Assistance and Project/Program Grants: Has received 16 loans totaling $79.3 million, 7 Asian Development Fund grants ($56.3 million), and 62 technical assistance projects ($20 million) Current Loans/Project and Program Grants: In March 2010 and August 2011, ADB approved Solomon Islands Economic Recovery Support Program grants totaling $10 million, to assist the adjustment from economic deterioration aggravated by the global economic crisis. The first and second Solomon Islands Road Improvement Projects have a combined value of $53.8 million and are cofinanced by Australia, the European Union, and New Zealand. The projects include rehabilitation work in three provinces and labor-based road maintenance targeting rural communities and women. The Domestic Maritime Support Project aims to provide safe, reliable shipping services to rural communities. The Transport Sector Development Project aims to strengthen transport connectivity linking rural and urban populations. Current Technical Assistance Grants: ADBs private sector reform activities in Solomon Islands include SOE reforms and improving the business environment through secured transactions reforms. These activities are funded under PSDI.

Focus: ADB has aligned its strategy with the governments poverty reduction strategy by assisting the government to address constraints in (i) transportby providing support for improved connectivity to markets and social services; (ii) urban developmentby improving access to sanitation and drainage facilities and improving urban infrastructure with a particular focus on Port Vila/Efate and potentially in a second phase Luganville/Espiritu Santo; and (iii) energyby supporting greater energy efficiency, rural electrification, and renewable energy sources. ADB also aims to improve the enabling environment for private sector development. Joint field presence: ADB and the World Bank Group established a joint field presence in the capital Port Vila in 2010. The ADB/World Bank Joint Vanuatu Liaison Office provides opportunities for strengthened aid coordination and effectiveness. Loans and Technical Assistance and Project/Program Grants: Since 1981, ADB has approved 11 loans for an amount of $67.0 million and 59 technical assistance projects for $21.0 million. Current Loans/Project and Program Grants: ADB has resumed operations in Vanuatu with two strategic investment loans approved by the ADB Board in 2011. These are the Vanuatu Interisland Shipping Support Project and the Port Vila Urban Development Project, cofinanced with the governments of New Zealand and Australia respectively. Current Technical Assistance Grants: There are four active technical assistance projects amounting to $4.7 million. ADBs private sector reform activities aim to improve the business environment through corporate law and SOE reforms. ADB also supports financial inclusion activities and has supported the National Bank of Vanuatu to pilot new branchless banking technologies. In the transport sector, ADB in cooperation with the Government of New Zealand, provides technical assistance to support the development of the domestic maritime sector.

Vendor at Honiara Central Market, Solomon Islands

o

This map was produced by the cartography unit of the Asian Development Bank. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and any other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of the Asian Development Bank, any judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries, colors, denominations, or information.

150 00'E

180 00

150 00'W

Marshall Islands

PACIFIC REGION
NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
10 00N
o

International Dateline

Melekeok

Palikir

Majuro

Palau
0
o

Federated States of Micronesia NAURU

Tarawa

I n d o n e s i a Timor-Leste
Dili

Papua New Guinea

K i r i b a t i
Port Moresby

SOLOMON ISLANDS
Honiara

Tuvalu

Funafuti

Tokelau

Coral Sea
20 00S
o

VANUATU
Port Vila

Wallis and Samoa American Samoa Futuna

Apia Suva

Cook Islands
Avarua

French Polynesia
20 00S 150 00'W
o o

AUSTRALIA

150 00'E

New Caledonia

Fiji

Tonga

Niue

Nuku'alofa 180 00
o

The Pacific Approach 20102014

The Pacific Approach 20102014 sets out the overall strategic direction for ADBs partnership with and operations in its 14 Pacific DMCs. It is designed to give broad direction to tackling common development challenges affecting the region. It recognizes that ADBs Pacific DMCs operate in a fragile and complex environment, characterized by geographic isolation, small populations, and high vulnerability to natural disasters, climate change, and economic shocks. ADBs approach aligns with the Pacific Plan for Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Integration, and ADBs long-term strategic framework for 20082020 (Strategy 2020). Priority areas of focus of the Pacific Approach include infrastructure, private sector development, public resource management, and economic and sector policy analyses.

Women from Makira, Solomon Islands earn extra income by making gabion baskets that provide support for the new roads

Floriculture specialists and farmers participating in ADB company law workshop

About the Asian Development Bank

ADBs vision is an Asia and Pacific region free of poverty. Its mission is to help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people. Despite the regions many successes, it remains home to two-thirds of the worlds poor: 1.8 billion people who live on less than $2 a day, with 903 million struggling on less than $1.25 a day. ADB is committed to reducing poverty through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Based in Manila, ADB is owned by 67 members, including 48 from the region. Its main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance.

For more on the PLCO, contact

Andrea C. Iffland Regional Director Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office Level 18, One Margaret Street (corner of Clarence and Margaret streets) Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia Tel +612 8270 9444 Fax +612 8270 9445 adbplco@adb.org Or visit our website at www.adb.org/plco
All photos are from the PLCO Photo Gallery. Asian Development Bank Publication Stock No. ARM124817 July 2012 Printed on recycled paper