The incoming chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum wants to improve the ability of the regional body's administrative arm to undertake research.
Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi in Wellington. Photo: RNZ/ Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor
The annual Forum leaders summit is to be held in Apia next month at which point Samoa Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, will assume the chairmanship.
He said the Forum is not as effective as it could be.
The Samoa leader, who also chaired the Forum back in 2003, said the leaders have long wanted the organisation to be more focussed.
"We tend to deal with too many things," Tuilaepa said.
"The problem that we continually face is that we have the Secretariat that needs to strengthened as well.
"And if we want to become more effective we have to do something about our Secretariat."
Samoan dancers welcome Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi Wellington. Photo: RNZ/ Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor
Tuilaepa said one area in which he wanted to see improvements was funding for the Forum's Secretariat so it could do more research into key issues such as climate change.
