The Pacific Infrastructure Advisory Centre (PIAC) is an interim mechanism established by the PRIF partners to immediately enable the PRIF to offer ongoing engagement and practical support through technical assistance to Pacific island countries around the six key infrastructure sub-sectors - energy, telecommunications, transport, waste management, and water and sanitation.

PIAC is also intended to help establish, from the outset, the credibility of the PRIF as a new way of doing business. As such, PIAC will be able to offer a range of services depending on demand, but will focus on performing the following functions:

• Engagement and communication with countries about their infrastructure priorities;

• Identification of country level needs across sectors;

• Responses to country requests and provision of monthly updates to the Infrastructure Working Group on how these requests have been handled;

• Provision of input into the development and review of PRIF pipeline projects;

• Provision of on-call technical expertise, including a help-desk role, around key sub-sectors;

• Development of a network of the various PRIF partner resources that can be tapped; and

• Support for activities that will prepare the roll out of PRIF through improved sectoral planning and budgeting.

PIAC will work closely with Pacific island countries and the PRIF partner agencies as well as regional organisations, non-government organisations, community-based organisations, power sector associations, and private sector bodies.

Wherever possible, PIAC will use existing mechanisms/resources/capacity to address issues as they arise.