The United Nations Development Group (UNDG) Executive Committee agencies have agreed to jointly expand the presence of the UN in the Pacific.

According to Thursday's UN press release, this expansion is in the spirit of promoting the United Nations reform in the Pacific and has been done in consultation with the Pacific Island Forum, the regional political inter-governmental body.

The joint plan has been endorsed by the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Dr Hafiz Pasha is now in the region to address the matter.

Pasha said that a full time Country Development Manager will be stationed in these countries to support the implementation of national sustainable development strategies Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and support the liaison with UN agencies, funds and programs.

The UNDG agencies have also recognized that priority consideration should be given to all the Pacific LDCs (Least Developed Countries) without a UN in-country presence in which Kiribati, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu were included.

Pasha said that operational details needed to be worked out.

"We plan to be able to start putting people on the ground for the first phase in the first half of 2007," said Pasha.

Source: Xinhua