Nadi, Fiji – 11 February 2026

The Papua New Guinea Centre for Judicial Excellence (PNGCJE) participated in the Regional Coordination Meeting 2026, held on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, at the Marriott Resort Momi Bay, Nadi, Fiji. The meeting brought together senior judicial leaders and development partners from across the Pacific region to strengthen coordination and alignment in judicial capacity-building initiatives.

The PNGCJE delegation was led by The Hon. Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika, Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea and Chair of the PNGCJE Board. He was accompanied by The Hon. Justice John Carey, Judge Administrator of PNGCJE; Mr Ian Augera, Registrar; Ms Stacey Levakia-Wali, Assistant Director, PNGCJE; and Mr Paul Kelly, Advisor to the Chief Justice.

The Regional Coordination Meeting provided a strategic forum for discussion of priorities emerging from the Chief Justices’ Leadership Forum (CJLF), with a focus on strengthening judicial independence, enhancing institutional capacity, and reinforcing democratic resilience and the rule of law across Pacific jurisdictions.

Participants discussed how regional programmes, including the Pacific Justice Sector Programme (PJSP), the Federal Court of Australia (FCA) international cooperation initiatives, and the work of PNGCJE, can better align and adapt their activities to respond to the priorities identified by Chief Justices and local courts. The meeting also explored opportunities for enhanced coordination with development partners, including the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).

Discussions emphasised the importance of improved programme coherence, shared strategic frameworks, and strengthened information-sharing mechanisms to maximise the effectiveness and sustainability of judicial support across the region. In his remarks, Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika underscored the importance of coordinated regional approaches to judicial education and institutional strengthening, highlighting PNGCJE’s pivotal role in supporting judicial professionalism, leadership, and capacity development in Papua New Guinea and the wider Pacific.

Justice John Carey, as Judge Administrator, reaffirmed PNGCJE’s commitment to working collaboratively with regional partners, including PJSP, to ensure judicial education and training programmes remain responsive to evolving regional priorities and local judicial needs.

The meeting concluded with agreement on key action points and a shared commitment to continued regional cooperation and regular coordination, reinforcing collective efforts to strengthen judicial institutions and uphold the rule of law throughout the Pacific.