Convene of the First Solar Head of States Annual Board Meeting

Convene of the First Solar Head of States Annual Board Meeting

12 August 2020, Suva: The first Annual Board Meeting of the Solarisation Head of State (SHOS) Residences in PIDF members project was held on Wednesday 12 August 2020 at the PIDF Secretariat. The Project Board meeting was attended by representatives from the Republic of Fiji, Republic of Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office. The Project board had unanimously appointed Tuvalu as the Chair.

Through the ‘Solarization of Head of State Residences in PIDF Member Countries,” the PIDF and the non-profit organization Solar Head of State (SHOS) aimed to raise the profile of the installation and usage of solar energy in PICs with the Heads of State championing the technology.

This initiative brings together a regional organization (PIDF, SHOS), a Global-South Development partner (the Government of India through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund managed by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation [UNOSSC]), and an executing agency (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP]). It also brings in Solaria, a private sector partner based in the United States of America, which is donating the solar panels.

This multi-country project is an example of a whole-of-society approach, specifically a multi stakeholder partnership, with partners from the public and private sectors, as well as civil society for which the PIDF continuously strive to promote as an organization.

The purpose of this meeting was to provide an update to the Project Board on the Annual Work Plan (AWP) for the period June 2020 – July 2021 and simultaneously seek the Project Board’s endorsement of the AWP. The meeting also showcased the overview of the project and look at how partners are engaged in the project and indicate the progress made in the last few months such as the signing of the project documents and the identification on the way forward to roll out the project.

The Board is an important mechanism in the UN system to ensure that lessons learnt and risks are identified from the project. The Board is the highest level of decision making in the project and makes endorsement on significant changes to project documents among other roles.

The PIDF acknowledged and thanked the Government of India for this incredible support and commended UNDP’s genuine partnership as it is the very first one and look forward to working in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders toward the effective implementation of this very important project

Fig 1.1 – Members of the Annual Board Meeting
Fig 1.2
Fig 1.3
Fig 1.4

Fig 1.2-1.4 : Project Board Members deliberating on the way forward for the project.

 

-Ends-