|
By early 2003, Solomon
Islands was a failing state
as a result of ethnic tensions, a breakdown in law and order,
and near economic collapse. On 22
April 2003 the then Solomon
Islands prime minister requested
Australian assistance. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon
Islands (RAMSI) was deployed in July 2003 after being endorsed
by the Pacific Islands Forum and the Solomon Islands Parliament.
Five countries contributed police and/or
military personnel at the time of initial deployment. By 2006,
the number of contributing countries was 15. As at 23 July 2007, Australia
was contributing 215 staff to the policing component of the
Participating Police Force (PPF), with the Pacific
Island police services
providing 93 staff. Australia
leads the mission, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade (DFAT) is responsible for coordinating Australia’s
whole-of-government input. A senior DFAT officer is the Special
Coordinator responsible for the coordination and strategic direction
of all elements of RAMSI’s assistance program in Solomon
Islands, and a senior Australian
Federal Police officer commands the police-led security aspect
of the mission, the PPF.
Capacity development is a fundamental part
of RAMSI. As the Australian
National Audit Office has observed:
1.6 RAMSI’s early priorities were to restore
law and order and stabilise Solomon Islands Government finances.
As this was being achieved, RAMSI increasingly focused on
longer term issues such as governance and economic reforms,
rebuilding the police force, judicial institutions, correctional
institutions and the machinery of government.
1.7 A critical aspect of this assistance involves
building the capacity of Solomon
Islands individuals and institutions
to help make improvements sustainable. This is expected to
be the long term focus of RAMSI.
Apart from its bilateral country assistance
program, AusAID has supported various development projects through
RAMSI. These include the Financial Management Strengthening
Program, the Solomon Islands Road Improvement Program, the Solomon
Islands Parliamentary Strengthening Program, and the Solomon
Islands Accountability of Government Institutions Program. Other
agencies involved in capacity building programs include the
Department of Finance and Administration, the Treasury, the
Australian Customs Service and the Australian Electoral Commission.
AusAID committed $326.2 million to RAMSI between 2003–04
and 2007–08 while Australia’s
total Official Development Assistance to RAMSI between 2003–04
and 2007–08 is $800.4 million.
Documentation
RAMSI Performance Assessment Advisory
Team (John Winter and Kaye
Schofield), Annual
Performance Report 2006/2007: A report on the performance
of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon
Islands, RAMSI, October 2007.
Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
Committee, Inquiry into Australia's
involvement in peacekeeping operations. Answers to Questions
on Notice at a public hearing on 25 July 2007: AusAID
and Australian
Federal Police. |
