Griffith academic Dr Parmendra Sharma will attend a high-level dialogue on capacity development and growth for the South Pacific’s communities in Fiji this December, highlighting the University’s growing influence in the region.
Dr Sharma, the program convenor for Griffith’s South Pacific Centre for Central Banking, has been invited by the International Monetary Fund to attend the two-day conference in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Center (PFTAC), the IMF’s technical assistance centre for the region, established in 1993.
“I am honoured to have been invited to attend this high-level event in Nadi alongside some of the region’s foremost Ministers, Central Bank Governors, senior officials and policy-makers,” Dr Sharma said.
“The invitation signals acknowledgment of Griffith’s growing influence in the region, and provides a great opportunity to further promote and strengthen our own relationships — and indeed, the University’s profile and reputation — in the South Pacific.”
Dr Sharma is no stranger to financial industry communities across the South Pacific, having spearheaded a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU)with several central banks in the region, including the Reserve Bank of Fiji, the Bank of PNG, the Central Bank of Solomon Islands and the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu.
He has also collaborated on working papers produced with central bankers in the region — attendees of a three-week Pacific Banking Fellowship convened by Dr Sharma and sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade — and is a previous attendee of the annual Meeting of the South Pacific Central Bank Governors.
His work in developing capacity and policy with the banks’ representatives highlights Griffith’s commitment to its role as one of Australia’s most Asian-engaged universities, and has been described by Griffith Business School Dean (Academic) Professor Fabrizio Carmignani as “a great example of what we can achieve when we engage with policy institutions”.
As a delegate at the event, Dr Sharma will take part in an agenda canvassing a range of opportunities and challenges for the South Pacific, including pathways for growth, public finances, capacity development, financial stability and new technologies.
The PFTAC’s 25th anniversary will be celebrated from December 6-7 at the Sofitel Denarau Resort in Nadi, Fiji.
The conference will involve more than 200 participants, and also entails a photo competition aimed at engaging aspiring young photographers aged 16-24 from 16 member countries of the centre.
For more information, see the PFTAC’s website.