Legislative and policy reforms are expected to follow the work of a newly convened Combined Law Enforcement and Social Crisis Agency Taskforce aimed at strengthening national responses to drug harm, youth vulnerability and emerging crime trends.
Its inaugural meeting, chaired by permanent secretary for Justice Selena Kuruleca, brought together multiple agencies as part of a coordinated push to improve community wellbeing and align government priorities for 2026, particularly in relation to the drug crisis and HIV.
Ms Kuruleca said the meeting was initiated by the Minister for Justice and Acting Attorney-General Siromi Turaga to ensure agencies have a shared understanding of their respective roles, priorities and planned actions.
“The initiative was to call all the stakeholders together and get a better understanding of where each agency was at and what were some major priorities and actions for 2026 in relation to the drug crisis and HIV,” she said.
She confirmed that a list of agreed priorities has already been developed and will be discussed and actioned by lead agencies in the coming days.
These priorities are aligned with the Counter Narcotics National Strategy, the National Security Strategy and the HIV National Action Plan, which collectively support the National Development Plan.
Ms Kuruleca said the taskforce’s work is expected to result in legislative or policy changes, with key reforms already identified across participating ministries.
Funding for the initiatives, she said, would follow standard budget processes, with each ministry working within its allocated budget lines.
“Any request for additional funding will come through the budget process,” she said.
“We have also received verbal commitments from some of our technical and donor partners in the area of capacity building and legislation modernisation.”
Progress updates from the taskforce will be shared with the public through mainstream media and the Ministry of Justice and government’s social media platforms.
