Sitiveni Halapua, convener from the Pacific, is the Director of the Pacific Islands Development Program in the East-West Center, Hawaii, USA, and the Secretary-General of the Secretariat for the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders. He has also held positions as research associate in the Institute of Marine Resources and senior lecturer in monetary economics at the regional University of the South Pacific, Suva campus, Fiji (1981-1988).

He is the author of Fishermen of Tonga (University of the South Pacific, 1982); ‘The Role of Government in Providing Adequate Food Supply: Tariffs, Quotas, Subsidies and Other Approaches’ in R. Thaman and W.C. Clarke (eds), Food and National Development in the South Pacific (University of the South Pacific, 1984); ‘Harmonising Resources for Sustainable Economic Development in the Pacific Islands Context’ in Ben Burt and Christian Clerk (eds), Environment and Development in The Pacific Islands (The Australian National University and University of Papua New Guinea Press, 1997); co-author of Private Sector Development: Policies and Programs for the Pacific Islands (East West Center, 1993); principle co-editor of Regional Cooperation with Emphasis on Private Sector Development, Proceedings of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders (East West Center 1992); Sustainable Development and Population, Proceedings of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders (East West Center, 1995).

His search for an interdisciplinary framework of sustainable development inclusive of the conflicting claims of different rights and obligations has led to his developing the dialogic process of Talanoa. He has led practical applications of Talanoa in the Cook Islands (1996), Fiji (Talanoa: 2000-2004), Solomon Islands (Tok Stori: 2005) and the Kingdom of Tonga (Public Civil Servant Strike [Talanoa: 2005] and the National Committee for Political Reform [Talanoa: 2006]).

When asked why he joined the Building Global Democracy Programme and what his aspirations for the programme were, Sitiveni replied:

"Having achieved political independence from their former colonial masters, all Pacific countries, with the exception of Australia and New Zealand, are in processes of ‘transition’ from traditional authoritarian systems to more democratic forms of government. In addition, through the impact of processes of globalization, our Pacific island countries have become active members of international institutions and organizations, and participant in the global rules of the ‘game’ to which we are all bound. I hope to better understand ‘who sets these rules’ on behalf of whose ‘names’ for the sake of ‘whom’, and how we can effectively play our roles, if any, as small island nations within these international institutions and processes.

I believe that my involvement in this exciting project will provide me access to theoretical and practical thinkers and intellectual resources, and enable me to interact and make some contribution to their thinking, as well to benefit from their input into my own ways of thinking about the kinds of democracy most appropriate to building stable peace in our world today.

I believe that this programme will throw some light on how we can best factor our collective identities, locally, regionally, and internationally, into the principal of ‘rule by and for the people’ as we try to move away from traditional authoritarian systems towards democratic systems of governance.

I look forward to meeting and listening to scholars of different ethnic traditions, histories and religious origins from around the globe sharing their ideas and experiences in a space of peace."