An ambitious Pacific Fund for New Caledonia

the Committee chaired by Édouard Fritch, President of French Polynesia, set the list of projects which will benefit from support from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs as part of the Pacific Fund,the total envelop amounts to 298 million francs, a record ( 173 million francs in 2019, 164,7 millions in 2018). It is "a strong message from France" which was welcomed by Yoann Lecourieux at the start of the meeting. "For many years, this fund has largely proven its usefulness in supporting our regional policies in our territories", declared the Minister.

The increase in the size of the allocated envelop will allow to fund priority sectors such as health and food security, the economy and the environment before the  One Planet Summit and the 5th France-Oceania summit which will take place mid-April in French Polynesia.

78 million for 14 New Caledonian Projects

This year, around 78 million francs were allolcated to support New Caledonia's regional integration . This amount will enable the funding of 14 of the 23 projects  submitted by New Caledonia.  A total of 93 projects were submitted (see box).

Moreover, an extra 12 million francs were allocated from New Caledonia's budget  to co-finance projects submitted to the Pacific Fund. The project "Pasifika Français langue étrangère"  from the Aliance Française in Suva  which enables five students from the University of New Caledonia to teach  French in Fiji. The project "living on a volcano" from the Institut for Research and Development (IRD), which aims to organize a scientific exploration mission on the island of Ambae. Finally, the 3rd Roundtable on Waste organized by the Secretariat of the South Pacific Environment Program (SPREP) in partnership with the Cluster Acotred and the Government of New Caledonia , which will take place in Noumea in October, also benefited from this envelop. 

The Minister for the Budget and Finance, Yoann Lecourieux (left), represented President Thierry Santa at the Executive Committee of the Pacific Fund.

Projects selected by the Pacific Fund's Executive Committee

• an investigation into hemolytic fever in bats by the Gaston Bourret Territorial Hospital (CHT) and the Government
• a medical awarenes campaign and an environmental investigation into parasitic meningitis by the CHT and the Government
• a project on the benefits of papaya leaves as a treatment for dengue fever by the  CHT
• preparation to the management of natural disaster risk by the High-Commission of the French Republic in New Caledonia and the Government
• Project to train Ni-Vanuatu police officers by the National Police Academy
• 10th Pacific Islands Conference on Conservation and Marine Protected Area by SPREP and the Government
• Tropical orchards in agri-ecological transition by the Agronomic Institute of New Caledonia
• The creation of an innovative network on education and research by the University of New Caledonia  (UNC), the University of French Polynesia, and the University of the South-Pacific
•  Mecaflavo Project (evaluation of the anti-inflamatory potential of flavonoid equivalents) by the UNC with the Pasteur Institute of New Caledonia
• Waste Roundtable by Acotred and the Government and SPREP
• International First People Film Festival  Ânûû-Rû Âboro, by the North Province, the Government and the High-Commission
• Investigation of negative cases of dengue fever in direct, early and biological diagnoses of dengue fever via genomic detection of the virus with RT-PCR by the Government and Wallis and Futuna Health Services
• Promoting New Caledonian know-how by the Maritime Cluster  and the Maritime Construction and Activity Industries Group