Solomon Islands

THE SOLOMON ISLANDS is a nation of more than 900 islands in the south Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea, with some of the most severe poverty in the world. The islands are a former protectorate of the United Kingdom, but obtained independence on July 7, 1978. The country remains part of the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of independent nations, most of which are former British colonies that cooperate to promote democracy and human rights.

In addition to extreme poverty, the Solomon Islands suffer from ethnic violence, political corruption, and endemic crime that have undermined the country's stability and civility. Conditions were sufficiently bad in June 2003 that country leaders requested assistance in reestablishing law and order.

A multinational force of 2,200 troops and police officers, primarily from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga, arrived on July 24, 2003 and subsequently restored peace and disarmed ethnic militias. This Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) was reduced to 320 police officers and 120 military troops by the end of 2004. It subsequently has helped maintain civil and political order, reinforced regional security, and assisted in the rebuilding of government institutions.

Economic and social conditions in the Solomon Islands are harsh by world standards. Its Human Poverty Index in 1999 was higher than for all the least developed countries in south and southeast Asia. Income per person has declined significantly since then. The Solomon Islands’ Gross Domestic Product per capita was $2,650 in 1999. It fell to $1,700 in 2002.

Prior to the arrival of RAMSI, the country suffered an economic collapse caused by the severe ethnic violence, the closure of key businesses, and a lack of government funds. The continued presence of RAMSI has allowed a return of law and order, economic stability, and modest economic growth.

Contributing factors to the poverty in the Solomon Islands include the wide dispersal of the islands, the smallness of the economy, rapid population growth, illiteracy, poor education, and a lack of funds. The extremely high dispersal of landmasses over a wide area of the ocean make the development of large markets difficult. The smallness of its economy makes it difficult to achieve economies of scale in production. Combined with the country's geographic fragmentation, this implies that the cost of public administration, utilities, education, and health services is significantly higher than in larger, more developed economies. The small population also implies that it is difficult for the Solomon Islands to have experts in specialized areas of modern technology. The nation is forced to rely on foreign expertise.

Poverty in the Solomon Islands is exacerbated by its extremely high rate of illiteracy (70 percent in 1998) and low levels of enrollment in school (39 percent of 5-to-14-year-olds in 1998). Education is hampered by the multiplicity of local languages and dialects. The rapid growth of the population, about 3.5 percent per year, makes it difficult to build schools and medical facilities to keep pace. Consequently, the availability of education and healthcare is actually decreasing on a per capita basis.

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