Yet, this restricted capacity could be astounded by increasing the revenue of departments focusing on environmental policymaking such as implementing environmental regulation and enforcing measures. The Environment Unit could use a market-based mechanism to reduce levels of land degradation and raise finance. Perhaps, due to lots of international assistance for climate change, Vanuatu’s Government has now a body for climate change, the NACC. As the chairman of NACC noticed, combining the inputs from all relevant departments to coordinate activities with government and donors are still the challenges. He added that there is a need of strengthening the infrastructure projects to integrate renewable energy and developing a policy base or a legislation to mainstream climate change adaptation. However, engaging and mobilizing civil society, the private sector and the community is also required for mainstreaming green growth. VANGO is a potential coalition for pressuring the government to improve environmental management but yet, the private sector is not an active player in green growth in Vanuatu and the Government should build a more close relationship with it such as making it pay for the ecosystem services used and the pollution resulting from their consumption and production. Notwithstanding, a strong government relationship with communities is also important for mainstreaming green growth because the subsistence agriculture and fisheries sector is the main employer in Vanuatu and this sector could be the best way to broad based poverty reduction. Last but not least, the CBNRM needs to be strengthen and given more formal power to regulate the natural assets. In brief, to mainstream green economy, Vanuatu needs to build capacities and effective ministries and departments into a whole of government approach.

I have chosen the section of this report which outlines the local mechanisms required to mainstream green growth opportunities into national policy and implementation processes.

Firstly, it said that the Vanuatu Government has been making documents on its priorities and its plan for the future, and future economy but none of a document has been made in order to coordinate and plan approach between all relevant sectors and government departments to achieve environmental protection and mainstreaming green growth.

I partially agree with this point. A Ministry for Environment and Conservation should be established in order to focus more on environmental issues since the United Nations recognized Vanuatu as the country the most defenseless to the impact of climate change and since environmental issues are and will always be the cross cutting for Vanuatu’s sustainable growth, but this will cost the government.

Secondly, it said that this incapacity of setting up a new Ministry is a financial matter that could be overcome by implementing environmental regulation and enforcing measures.

I totally agree with this point, since Vanuatu Government could set up taxes such as the tax on “polluter-pay principle” to increase the revenue of the Ministries. 

Thirdly, it said that engaging and mobilizing civil society, the private sector and the community is required to mainstream green growth.

I totally agree with this point, it is a teamwork and it is for the good of Vanuatu’s nation since they will be facing natural disasters such as the latest Tropical Cyclone Pam that was category 5. So Vanuatu people should start working together in the same path with the Government.

To conclude, Government of Vanuatu should and must always have a strong relationship with the civil society/communities in order to improve environmental management and sustainable development. Government should also encourage the private sector to become an active player in green growth. 

In his introduction discour, the Minister of Finance justified the reasons why the 2020 budget will increment. Important events will occur and most importantly, the fact that Vanuatu will emerge from the Least Developed Countries by the end of this year.

By implementing the priorities such as enterprise opportunities and many more, the proposed budget will raise up and enhance the nation’s living, continued Mr Pikioune.

He then clarifies that this budget is for Vanuatu’s population, from the farmhand to the employees and from the Northern part to the Southern part of the country.

Minister Pikioune was then saluted by the Leader of Opposition and the Tanna PM for his fair-mindedness of 2020 budget’ speech since this budget is coherent and displays the past years increase of earnings.

The 2020 budget will then be made available at the end of the year by the Government’s public funds.

The author’s intention is to give an educated opinion on the Vanuatu’s public administration performance by shedding light on its weaknesses and commending its improvement on its management of the country’s budget.

The author emphasizes throughout the whole article on the vulnerability of the country’s finance and suggests to approach the management with cautious and to evaluate the risks.

As we are in 2020, it is a fact that the state of Vanuatu’s finance has significantly been better than what it was in 2014. This may be due to the aid received for the aftermath of TC Pam or to the administration of Mr Salwai. However, whatever the case, it shows that the management is improving.

Furthermore, there is of course still a lot to be done, yet a lot has not been done in the area of infrastructure, in education and in health services. It is also clear that we cannot fix everything at once but we must and correct definitely some major faults.

The article states clearly that Vanuatu’s weakness lies in its incapacity to effectively implement policies and planning. It would be logical and affordable for the management to articulate this major weakness.

To address the problem of incapacity to integrate planning, the management may need to enforce the control measures and create more control bodies whose task would be to ensure the responsible agencies to carry out their responsibilities.

The management may also want to dissect the phases of processing policies into smaller and simpler tasks to ensure its completion.

The sanctions of penalties may also need to be strengthened and be more severe, for it will set the importance of the task and plays and excellent guarantee for its completion. 

There are undoubtedly many more corrections available to improve our ability to integrate our policies and planning as well as many more factors that contribute to the vulnerability of our economy such as corruption and instability in the arena political, but it is worse to be able to create sophisticated planning that meets real needs and cannot integrate them into reality.

 2.1 Economic Growth 

Like other South Pacific countries, Vanuatu has few economic base sectors, which are tourism and agriculture which are both of them sensible towards climate change and natural disaster. Improving resilient infrastructure is then compulsory for Vanuatu if the country wants to reach a green growth.

Since its self-governing, Vanuatu has had unstable economic growth. From 2003 to 2014, with advantageous means, Vanuatu experienced its sustained economic growth until 2009, where its economy started to stagnate because of several reasons such as the TC Pam. 

Yet the economy abide dualistic with a wealthy townified economy with public service and construction sectors and a relaxed countryside economy with an agriculture and fisheries of subsistence.

Vanuatu should be out of the Least Developed Countries status in December 2017 but it has been delayed until December 2020.

 2.2 Environmental Sustainability 

Vanuatu’s environment is fine, since there is plenty of greenery and the pollution is very low although the data are rare. Moreover Vanuatu’s CO2e emission, in which agriculture represented a big part of it, is very minor compared to the global emission of CO2e. However, Vanuatu is going through severe climate defenselessness, it has then been recognized by the United Nations as the country most defenseless to the impacts of climate change. 

Natural hazards is predicted to contrarily affect all key divisions and may surely be a threat to future economic growth.

2.3 Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion

Since 1980, Vanuatu has made significant advance on diminishing absolute destitution and enhancing other human development markers. One of the targets priorities of Vanuatu is to get rid of poverty by 2030.  Vanuatu’s current solid growth has hence not reduce much more poverty and a huge extent of the population continues to stay near to the destitution line.

From 2006 to 2010, the national income conveyance made strides with more people getting employed in the urban areas than in the rural areas, since a large fraction of the population is engaged in subsistence cultivating and informal economy. Notwithstanding, Vanuatu is mainly a rural country.

The rural population of Vanuatu has little access to energy, water infrastructure, health services and education. Yet, the Vanuatu Millenium Development Goals Report stipulated that there has been improvement on the accessibility of water in urban areas in 2006 opposed with a decline of access to rural areas.

In Vanuatu, gender equality has enhanced over the last 20 years but there is still a significant necessity for intervention in that domain.

The text which I worked on, is a country planning framework by the Global Green Growth Institute in partnership with the Vanuatu’s Government. This planning framework as a foundation has been made in order to accomplish or to pursue Vanuatu’s pathway of green growth. 

I have chosen the second part of the text which talks about Vanuatu’s Green Growth Context. This part of the text is divided in three parts which we can notice that they are the three pillars of a sustainable development. These pillars are: economic growth, environmental sustainability and social and cultural inclusion.

Firstly, we can see that in order to achieve green growth, Vanuatu must first achieve an economic growth. The Reserve Bank of Vanuatu have had estimated an economic growth of 3.3% for the year 2020 thanks to the industrial, agriculture/fishing/forestry and services sectors. Somehow, Vanuatu’s fundamental economic sectors are services which tourism is included and agriculture which are both of them sensible to climate change and natural disasters. That it is why improving resilient infrastructure is highly required and must be Vanuatu’s first priority in order to accomplish green growth.

Secondly, in order to reach green growth, the country must have an environmental sustainability. We can see several actions done such as the recent banishment of plastic but also the use of wind turbines by Unelco and the solar panel that has been set up in the Parliament backyard. Nevertheless, even with the fact that the country is not a major polluting country, it has been recognized by the United Nations as the most vulnerable country to the impact of climate change.

Last but not least, poverty reduction and social and cultural inclusion are in need to be promoted in order to enhance well-being and happiness in Vanuatu which will contribute to its sustainable growth. We can see actions such as the reserved seat for women in parliament that has been set up to promote gender equality, the little increase of the SMIC to reduce poverty and the free education for kindergardens children but yet the country stays near the destitution line, the population has small access to education which it is the same for the health services and energy and water infrastructure. There is then a significant necessity for intervention in these domains.

To put it in a nutshell, in order to accomplish green growth, Vanuatu must first succeed economically by implementing its infrastructure in priority then must maintain its environmental sustainability and reduce the most its poverty and encourage the most gender equality.

He assured the public and the MP’s that the loan of the national airline, Air Vanuatu Ltd is a legitimate establishment under the Public Finance and Economic Management Act CAP 244.

He then sketch the steps of expending the public fund by lending to a national carrier that it is completely legitimate.  

In June 2018, the parliament ratify a total supplementary budget of VT5 billion which VT3 billion of it was assigned to the Government Projects more precisely for the infrastructure development.

However, there were a misuse that were sanctioned because of a specified activity which is part of the government projects for development projects. 

Then the practice of transferring appropriate fund for efficient and effective use without respecting the appropriate amount. But the spendings remain within the appropriate ceiling of the financial year.

He then makes it clear that the Act empowers the Minister to lend money by the section 58 and that the amendment Act allows the release of an extra public money for an amount of VT10 million instructed by the Council of Ministers.

Yet, COM decisions were very clear that funding could come from the Government Projects fund and are reimbursable.

He then aligns that, the Act allows the Minister from time to time to lend money to any organization within or outside Vanuatu on commercial terms and conditions if necessary. 

The Government has then negotiated the terms and conditions of lending with the National Airline.

To finish, he clarifies that lending to Air Vanuatu Ltd were advanced and had to be repaid under the Act.

In term of analysis, I have chosen this text to demonstrate that every actions made must comply with the regulations, the laws and the Constitution. 

The Public Finance and Economic Management is there to frame every action made by the Ministry of Finance such as the implementation of the budget and this means the revenues and expenditures of the country.

We can ask ourselves: is the 2020 proposed budget is undertaking government priorities?

In a first place we will see the priorities and in a second place we will talk about the undertaking of these priorities by the budget.

To begin with, when the Minister of Finance said that Vanuatu will be achieving the Least Developed Countries Status by December 2020 this means that Vanuatu will have a positive economic growth in 2020 and this is part of its development plan and its own framework policy which is the Vanuatu 2030: The People’s Plan that provides an inclusive, holistic and comprehensive vision of a stable, sustainable and prosperous Vanuatu. Since a Government is established to conduct the politic of the nation and for the nation then I agree with the Minister of Finance when he said that this budget is for Vanuatu’s nation and acknowledge his fair-mindedness. Vanuatu like many other countries in the world, has targets priorities. Stated in the Priorities & Action Agenda, Vanuatu priorities are: improved business opportunities and investment environment, improve resilient infrastructure, improve education quality/accessibility and training outcomes for children and young people, improve quality health care, improve service delivery, improve resilience and nature resource management and finally social inclusion/security/peace and justice.

However, Mr Pikioune announced clearly that the budget will build and enhance the nation’s living by executing the priorities which he had stated but also which go along with the national priorities. In my opinion, the budget is well undertaking the priorities since the government cannot work without complying with the National Sustainable Development Plan and the target priorities. 

To conclude, I could say that the 2020 budget is well undertaking the targets priorities settled by the government since it would enrich and upgrade Vanuatu people’s life.

Infrastructures projects need to be approached with cautious because it can’t be undone once the results are here.

The Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank are to be commended for methodically managed the country’s finance. Efforts of DSPPAC are also noticed.

But the PMO and the Treasury failed to ensure implementation of such management into department levels because of limited resources.

The lack of qualified human resources and mediocre management processes to implement policies and planning are Vanuatu’s greatest weakness.

Processes of Government’s policy, planning and budgeting are partially integrated because ministers priorities their visions to be realized which indicates their confusion of the nature of a policy.

With such limited resource and such gigantic task yet to be carried out, the completion of the projects is going to be quite difficult. And with a weak health and education service, the odds are against us.

We must not add more projects on top of the amount of current ones and it is necessary to evaluate its cost.