The successful introduction of the Yellow Ribbon Project in Fiji and the interest it has generated among the community has attracted interest from donor agencies with the possibility of going regional in the near future. 

Representatives of the UN’s Crime and Drugs Agency and the Forum Secretariat called on the Fiji Prisons and Corrections Service to learn more about the Yellow Ribbon Project with a view of taking the programme to other countries in the Pacific region. 

“It is very exciting that the Fiji prisons and corrections community could become a source of safety and security of life and the community which could be replicated by other countries in the Pacific region,” says Commissioner of Prisons Ioane Naivalurua. 

Mr Ajit Koy of the UN’s Crimes and Drugs Agency and Mr Steve Francis of the Forum Secretariat in Suva called on Brig.General Naivalurua to hold preliminary discussions. A presentation on the Yellow Ribbon Project and other developments in the Fiji Prisons and Corrections Service was made to them by the Deputy Commissioner Auta Moceisuva. 

The Yellow Ribbon is now entering its second year after the inaugural launch in Suva last October and is creating a lot of interest in Fiji because of the possibilities in reducing prison population, crime rate and fostering a safer and more secure society. 

The European Union has also expressed interest in supporting the Yellow Ribbon Project. 

At the meeting of the Heads of Pacific Islands Correctional Conference(HOPICC) in Suva last year, heads of delegations from 12 Pacific Island countries had expressed interest in having the YRP introduced in their respective countries. 

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