Honiara, Solomon Islands – The United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Director for Asia and the Pacific, Ms. Kanni Wignaraja, participated in a national policy dialogue on provincial governance and decentralization in Solomon Islands. 

Together with the Minister of Provincial Governments and Institutional Strengthening, Hon. Rollen Seleso, and the Hon. premiers of the nine provincial governments, the Mayor of Honiara City Council and development partners, representatives of academia and civil society organizations, the dialogue provided an avenue for analysis of the diverse development priorities of the country’s nine provinces and the capital region.

The dialogue, titled “Decentralization in Solomon Islands: Realities and Prospects”, also reflected on the country’s potential and obstacles for decentralization as a development pathway to address the needs of the most marginalized and disadvantaged groups at the provincial level, envisioning a more prosperous and equitable Solomon Islands for future generations.

Service delivery, infrastructure, power sharing, climate threats, local innovation for adaptation and digital connectivity have been some of the main issues discussed during the intense panel discussions and the following question-answers.

Ms. Wignaraja commended the Solomon Islands Government for prioritizing decentralization and emphasizing the development of a unified provincial administration through reforms recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Ms. Wignaraja had the opportunity to listen to the premiers' real-life challenges of effective service delivery on the ground. She noted that “subnational governments, with their service delivery mandate, play a significant role in ensuring effective governance and are widely recognized as catalysts of change and peace – driving local development, introducing innovation for service delivery, and promoting basic services.”

ASG considered that given the sprawling geography of the country, with 992 islands out of which 147 are inhabited, provincial institutions are an absolute necessity for adequate and efficient provision of essential public services to people, particularly marginalized groups who often live far from Honiara and provincial capitals where services are concentrated.

In her remarks, Ms. Wignaraja also mentioned that in the context of Solomon Islands, well-functioning provincial governments’ can directly impact citizens' economic and social well-being, more so in the lives of the remote islanders. Despite numerous challenges, the provincial governments should provide space and resources for community-led development, building on local strengths and financing local capability development.

Ms. Wignaraja offered to share UNDP’s global experience in decentralization and Area-Based Development and how these experiences can be useful to the unique context of the Pacific Island Countries. She extended UNDP’s continued support through the new Multi-country Programme Cycle 2023-2027, and the EU funded UNDP’s Provincial Governance and Service Delivery Project. 

For more information or media enquiries please contact:

Daniel C. Gonzalez, Communications Specialist, UNDP Solomon Islands Office, daniel.calderon.gonzalez@undp.org +677 7740 740 / +34 656 565 270