People-to-people connections and capacity building
Pacific Island Centre for Development Policy and Research’s news and events are intended to enhance and strengthen the Australia-PICs people-to-people connections. The intention also is to develop overall capacity of the region, leading eventually to more independent thinking, research and policymaking as well greater global visibility of the region’s endeavours.
Upcoming events
5th Annual Pacific Research Conference and Leaders' Forum
TBA 2025
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Past events
4th Annual Pacific Research Conference
The Business of Finance in PICs: Balancing Profitability and Access to Finance
26-27 June 2024
Sponsored by the Central Bank of Solomon Islands, the event brought together over seventy Pacific policymakers, academics, regulators, multilateral organisations, business leaders, and civil society from the wider Asia-Pacific region.
News
Griffith experts guide Marshall Islands towards a new Monetary Authority
Regulatory framework, innovation, sandbox and licensing: Insights from experts
4th Annual Pacific Research Conference and Leaders’ Forum: A focus on finance in the Pacific
Monetary policy frameworks in Australia and New Zealand: Insights from experts
Pacific conversations
Conversations with Pacific leaders, stakeholders and experts, to better understand their experiences and challenges in the region.
Dr Peter Dirou, Pacific Expert
Dr Parmendra Sharma, Pacific Island Centre for Development Policy and Research (PICDPR) in conversation with Dr Peter Dirou, Pacific Expert and Adjunct Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute (Former ADB Consultant) on 28 July 2022, Suva.
Dr Peter Dirou is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, working closely with the Pacific Islands Centre for Development Policy and Research. Over the last 25 years Peter has consulted for a number of multilateral and bilateral organisations advising on financial sector policy, primarily in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. He was formerly on the executive staff of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and has also worked for the Economist Intelligence Unit. Prior to joining Griffith, he led the finance focus area of the ADB’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative. Peter earned his PhD at the University of Melbourne Law School, and his research interests lie at the intersection of public law and institutional economics. Through his work with PICDPR he is aiming to advance thinking on conceptual frameworks suited to dealing with the economic and financial problems confronting Pacific Island countries.
Esala Masitabua, Reserve Bank of Fiji
Dr Parmendra Sharma, Pacific Island Centre for Development Policy and Research (PICDPR) in conversation with Mr Esala Masitabua, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) on 28 July 2022, Suva.
Mr Esala Masitabua was appointed Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji on 1 January 2018. Mr Masitabua is a career central banker who joined the Reserve Bank of Fiji in 1997. In 2005, he was appointed to his first executive role as head of Currency operations and Bank’s Corporate Services. Later in 2010, he headed Prudential Supervision and Financial Stability as Chief Manager Financial Institutions. Prior to being appointed Deputy Governor, he was head of foreign reserves management and monetary policy implementation.
Photo gallery
Highlights of past events
