Report on the ODN Activities 11-13April, 2011
The Inaugural ODN Affiliates meeting held on April 11th at the University of the South Pacific was attended by 80 people including members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives of Regional and International organisations, academics from around the Oceania region, ODN funded researchers and postgraduate students.
The ODN Secretariat's concerted effort to broaden the network and be inclusive of as many Universities and Institutes in Oceania has led to a dramatic increase in the number of affiliates. The new affiliates of ODN are the University of Guam, University of French Polynesia, University of New Caledonia, Pacific Institutes of Public Policy (PIPP) in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands College for Higher Education (SICHE), the National Research Institute of PNG, the University of Fiji, and the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG).
ODN Chairperson, Professor Biman Prasad, who is also the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, thanked everyone for attending the opening of the inaugural ODN affiliates meeting and most especially to the representatives for their special effort to be there to participate in the meeting and added that “this will expand the network in a significant way.”
Professor Prasad also welcomed the researchers who were there to attend the Workshop on policy writing: “Bridging research and policy” in the next two days. He highlighted the vision of the ODN which is to enable “a Pacific Island research community with the capacity to fulfill the development research needs of their region.”
The keynote address was delivered by Professor Rajesh Chandra, Vice Chancellor and President of the University of the South Pacific. Professor Chandra captivated his audience by reminding them of USP’s role in the region and its latest Research and Public Policy Initiatives and linking it to ODN and GDN. He further inspired the new and emerging researchers by reiterating the importance of rigorous research training and its pivotal role in the research needs of the Pacific region leading to effective policy dialogues.
It was also encouraging to note that the Vice Chancellor and President of the University of the South Pacific confirmed that he has given his personal assurance to the ODN Chairperson, Professor Prasad that USP will support the hosting of ODN at the University and is pleased to be associated with GDN in building research and policy capacity in the region.
The meeting proper convened after a photo session and a morning tea. This brief break gave the members of the Diplomatic Corps, Heads of Regional and International institutions, USP staff and researchers to meet, exchange formalities and congratulate each other for their support of GDN and ODN. It was a time of realization of the impact of what ODN was having here at its host institution, even the Vice Chancellor alluded to that in his keynote address.
The meeting got underway soon after the break. With the ODN Chairperson at its helm, he greeted and welcomed the affiliates once again and reminded everyone of the aim of the inaugural meeting and he set the tone to what he hoped to achieve by the end of the day.
This was followed by a presentation from Professor Vijay Naidu who is the Oceania region representative at the GDN Board relating the role of GDN and ODN. The new affiliates were appreciative of this session as it helped them better understand the role and link between GDN and ODN. Professor Prasad gave a brief history of the ODN and he acknowledged the work of the past Chairpersons and a special mention of the planning session held in Samoa which produced the ODN Strategic Plan and Constitution.
Dr Yvonne Underhill-Sem, in her capacity as team leader, discussed the 2012 ODN Biennial Conference. She shed some light into the plans that her team has initiated soon after the ODN Executive meeting in Bogota early in January this year and the announcement of the 2012 GDN Conference theme. The Inaugural ODN affiliates meeting concluded after a series of roundtable discussions led by the ODN Chairperson, Professor Prasad on strategies to enhance the role of ODN and ways and means to strengthen the network by active participation.
The final session of discussions and planning allowed the affiliates to share their concluding remarks. Comments from each of the affiliates were reassuring and uplifting. The President of the University of Guam, Dr Robert Underwood said “I had always had the vision of going Regional; ODN has provided that for us”. Professor Catherine Ris from the University of New Caledonia stated “It’s great to know more of ODN and GDN; we plan to be more involved and not see language as a barrier”. The Executive Director and Co-Founder of PIPP, Mr Derek Brien shared “The beauty of ODN is that it is a platform on which the network of Pacific Institutes can come together to air our Pacific voices”. Mr John Ipo from SICHE reiterated “The objectives of the ODN appeals to us and we are here to strengthen our participation with ODN activities”. The Director of the National Research Institute of PNG, Dr Thomas Webster said “There is a need to expose the NRI of PNG in a regional forum and ODN is an excellent platform for that, we need to build on each other’s work and we have a common set of aspirations for our researchers”. Dr Webster further added “I am committed to be a country convener”.
Professor Prasad was convinced that the day was a huge success. He shared with the affiliates that GDN is pleased with the expansion and this in itself is confirmation to the strengthening of the network. The ODN Chairperson hopes that since the affiliates have a better understanding of ODN, together we will be able to remove barriers and we will work towards a common future to ensure a Pacific Island research community with the capacity to fulfill the development research needs of their countries and region; and hopefully ODN will be able to stand on its own in the next 10 to 15 years from now.
The 2 day workshop on Policy Writing that followed after the Inaugural meeting of the ODN affiliates was a first for the Oceania development Network. The workshop was an achievement in itself and a fulfillment of the objectives in the ODN Strategic Plan. This workshop focused specifically in “Bridging Research and Policy” and 50 new and emerging researchers attended the workshop.
The overwhelming support from the Regional and International organisations to the Secretariat truly reflected their support of the vision and mission of GDN and ODN. Presenters at the workshop were from the Fiji Government, UNESCAP, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Forum Secretariat (Forum Sec.), the Pacific Institute of Public Policy (PIPP) and the University of the South Pacific.
Representatives from the 2008 and 2009 Regional Research Competition winners presented the findings of their researches. These were Tuiloma Susana Tauaa,
Dr Asenati Chan Tung, Tolu Muliaina and Dr Tamarisi Yabaki; Freddie Malakor Joe and Peter Kanaparo and their research topics were:
- Tuiloma Susana Tauaa - Management Problems of Vaisigano and Fuluasou Catchment Areas.
- Dr Asenati Chan Tung, Tolu Muliaina and Dr Tamarisi Yabaki - Women’s knowledge and sustainable land use practices: Case studies from Fiji and Samoa
- Freddy Malakor Joe - Impacts on Climate Change [El Nino] on Fisheries (Tuna species) stock in Solomon and Bismarck seas of PNG and Solomon Islands.
- Peter Kanaparo - How are Pacific Island Countries reforming their labour markets to stimulate economic development, good governance and security through regionalism? The Case of Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
After the presentations of research findings and the intricacies of policy papers on Day 1, Day 2 consisted of a more practical approach by policy practitioners beginning with strategies in national development planning and managing regional policy from two local experts. Following from this, emerging policy practitioners from the Forum Sec. and SPC in the area of Trade, Water use, and Agriculture and Forestry shared their work experience in “aligning research to policy”. The common message reiterated by the three budding practitioners were thorough consultation of stakeholders in a participatory manner, research data/results must be clearly stated as evidence to support why a particular policy is needed and a realistic and clear plan of how the policy will be implemented, enforced and reviewed. The intrigued audience had a few in-depth questions that spurred lively discussion.
Both days concluded with group work. The emerging researchers were given an opportunity to put into practice some lessons learn from the presentations. It was exciting watching the researchers so engrossed in their brainstorming sessions. The whole workshop and group exercise was rewarding when the presenters of each group were able to articulate their possible research topic, the formulation of their research objectives identifying the stakeholders they would have to consult and what strategies they would have to take to make their research policy relevant.
At the end of the 2 days workshop, the researchers connected, shared ideas and had a sense of accomplishment. All the researchers stated that the workshop had successfully achieved its goal by exposing them to the landscapes of policy, and gaining ideas and better practice in making research policy relevant. Suggestions for future Policy writing workshops were to have more group work time over 3 days. The Oceania Development Network is indeed grateful and acknowledges the unwavering support of the Global Development Network and AusAID.
