Fiji’s civil society was represented in numbers at the 52nd Asian Development Bank’s Annual Board of Governors meeting today.

Under the umbrella Fiji Council of Social Services, representatives had a week of deliberations to be able to voice their concerns as well as discuss a path forward.

FCOSS President, Sitiveni Turaganibure says their main concern was with how much of the development funding reaches those at the community level.

 “We look inside while talking to ADB on civil society perspectives, there is a big gap that need to close.  There are so many issues that are been raised by each and every one of the CSOs, it’s a clear indication that there is a gap and we need to bridge the gap.”

He says collectively CSOs are well structured to be able to work effectively within communities and help those most in need.

The ADB recently launched a policy on safeguards for its funding support which CSOs have contributed to through various streams of consultations.

Meanwhile, the ADB board of governors have agreed to Fiji’s new country partnership funding assistance package of $1.3 billion over the next five years.