Strategic and International Partnerships
The University of the South Pacific (USP) is the premier dual sector university serving the Pacific region and only one of three regional universities of its kind in the world. USP endeavours to ‘Shape Pacific Futures’ by shaping Pacific minds to overcome the development challenges that we face, through research, innovation and future-proof thinking. Uniquely governed by its twelve member countries, USP is not only a higher education and research institution, but also a regional integration organisation that provides services within the communally agreed structured regional mechanisms geared towards benefiting the lives of the Pacific People.
In its role as an organisation for regional integration and cooperation, USP serves all 18 Forum Member Countries. Led by Manager Strategic and International Partnerships, this Unit directly supports the Vice-Chancellor and President by providing high-level strategic advice and analysis on donor relations, regionalism/strategic and International Partnerships.
The Unit also manages and provides oversight on the delivery of partnership agreements with the University’s biggest donors/strategic partners and the only two non-member countries that contribute towards the University’ s core funding- Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. USP currently maintains a 10 year partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand and a 5 year partnership with Australia. These partnership agreements are valued at approx US$160m. The Unit organises regular high-level consultations, mid-term reviews, bilateral, multilateral and trilateral meetings with respective development partners such as Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia and other donor agencies.
The Unit is also responsible for managing USP’s relationship with agencies of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) and supports USP’s strategic engagement with the region, international agencies, and development partners via the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy. This includes providing high-level support to the Vice-Chancellor and President, participation and representation in regional and international meetings, (including Pacific Islands Forum Leaders, Ministerial and officials meetings organised by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and other CROP agencies), and providing feedback on relevant reports and policy documents. The Unit provides support to Vice-Chancellor and President with analytical briefs and reports on issues concerning the region, in particular the Framework for Pacific Regionalism, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and SAMOA Pathway and other global initiatives such as Oceans and Climate Change. The Unit is also the secretariat to the CROP ICT Working Group (WG) and coordinates University’s participation in other CROP WGs.
The University plays a key role in regional engagement through the CROP mechanism. It leads the ICT Working Group and Human Resource Development (HRD) Working Group. It also participates in other Working Groups such as Sustainable Development Working Group, Marine Sector Working Group, Working Arm on Resilience Development (WARD), Pacific Energy Oversight Group (PEOG), and Gender Working Group amongst others. These also underpins USP’s commitment to the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ vision for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. The Blue Pacific strategy has 7 thematic areas at its core, in which USP has strong technical expertise to support and USP is currently fully engaged in the implementation of the strategy together with all other CROP agencies.
Widely acknowledged to be one of the best examples for regional cooperation, the University continues to grow from strength to strength.
USP has, with the help of its development partners, invested heavily in enhancing and expanding its campuses, its membership, and its operations. USP’s research is as good as that carried out overseas, and more valuable to the Pacific Islands as it focuses on the Pacific and is designed to help the Pacific Islands, incorporating the most modern research tools and traditional knowledge and experience.
USP helps hold the Pacific people and nations together, is a true example of an institution for the Pacific, by the Pacific, and demonstrates that the Pacific can excel in whatever it chooses to excel.