New plan geared towards development in rural areas

By PETER ESILA
THE Department for Community Development and Religion has launched its 2018 annual operational plan with emphasis on driving development to rural areas.
The department’s integrated community development policy (ICDP) will be the main vehicle to deliver services to rural areas, Minister for Youth, Religion and Community Development Soroi Eoe said yesterday.
“I am also happy to announce the department’s 2017 annual report highlighting our achievements, challenges together with our financial reports has been completed and ready to be tabled in parliament,” he said.
“All programmes should run in child protection, gender equality, removal of barriers of oppression dealing with disabilities, elderly care, human rights, informal economy and Church-State partnership.”
Eoe said the department aimed to improve corporate governance, enhance community livelihood, further human rights and promote and strengthen the Church-State partnership for service delivery.
“With a mammoth task ahead of us, it is my wish to see these policies and legislations reach the majority of our population in the activities that we are trying to achieve,” Eoe said.
Secretary Anna Solomon said 2018 was marked as the year of implementation, with a major focus on protecting and empowering people.
“This is in line with the roll-out of the reviewed integrated community development policy. The policy recognises the family and clan as the basic social units of Melanesian communities, with a focus on protecting and empowering family and community to achieve self-reliance and sustainable development.”
A number of selected districts have being identified to set up community protection and empowerment centres.
“These centres will ground programmes for children, youth, women and men, elderly and persons living with disability in the districts and we will need all partners to support in realising this direction,” Solomon said.
Minister for Planning and Monitoring Richard Maru said he supported the department’s community protection and empowerment centres.