The Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) [1] (http://www.spc.int/piocean/CROP/spocc.htm) is an inter-organisational consultative process which aims to prevent either overlaps, or gaps, appearing between the work-programmes of its various members.

Membership includes the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the South Pacific Tourism Organisation, the University of the South Pacific (USP), the Pacific Islands Development Programme, the Fiji School of Medicine and the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment.

CROP heads of organisations meet once each year, but the main consultative work is done by a series of sectoral working groups, including Marine Resources [2] (http://www.spc.int/piocean), Health and Population, Land Resources, Education etc. These working groups are responsible for collaboratively working on various regional projects and policy initiatives. For example, the CROP Marine Sector Working Group has shepherded the intergovernmental agreement and promotion of the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy.

The CROP interagency working groups also provide technical advice to Pacific Islands Forum intergovernmental working groups taking part in United Nations and other international negotiations and processes, on request.