Country environmental analysis: mainstreaming environmental considerations in economic and development planning processes : Republic of the Fiji islands - final draft

The Republic of the Fiji Islands (Fiji) has generally returned to normalcy after a period of political unrest and uncertainty. Instability over a period of nearly two decades, highlighted by the military coups that occurred in 1987 and again in 2000, has brought into focus the urgent need to achieve peace and security, in order to restore private sector confidence, and to accelerate various proposed public sector reforms needed to promote sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. In 2001, the Government pledged to build a better Fiji. Eleven task forces, representing a wide cross-section of the island community, were formed to discuss and submit recommendations on key economic and social issues. The Strategic Development Plan (SDP)1 for 2003-2005 emerged from this work with a vision for a “peaceful and prosperous Fiji” and a mission to develop and implement the best political, social and economic policies to realize this vision for the nation.