SOLOMON ISLANDS continues to benefit significantly from the British government’s contributions to multilateral organisations and at the bilateral level, the country has received support from the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

This was highlighted by the British Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Nauru, Paul Turner at a Press Conference on Tuesday.

WFD has been active in Solomon Islands since November 2022, working to strengthen accountability and transparency with a particular focus on parliamentary practices.

High Commissioner Turner said much of the UK’s engagement in this region comes through multilateral channels.

“For example, we are the largest contributor to GAVI, the global vaccine organization linked to the United Nations. We contribute approximately 2.6 billion US dollars,” he said. GAVI stands for Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.

“To put this into perspective, China contributes 120 million dollars, while we provide 2.6 billion. That’s a significant difference. The challenge is that we can’t put a label on it. But it’s important to recognise this support,” he added.

High Commissioner Turner also highlighted the UK’s substantial funding for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)—a multibillion-dollar multilateral initiative.

“Much of UNICEF’s good work in the Solomon Islands is funded through this initiative,” he said.

“In the past five years, we have contributed 430 million pounds (approximately 600 million US dollars) to GPE, ensuring continued support for education in countries like the Solomon Islands.”

These multilateral contributions, he emphasised, are vital to many of the ongoing development efforts in the country.

In addition to multilateral support, High Commissioner Turner said the UK’s bilateral assistance, whilst smaller in scale, remains significant.

By EDDIE OSIFELO

Solomon Star, Honiara