a few staff with all the usual amenities. ladies and gentlemen, within this new building we have also provided for the reserve bank of fiji ’ s first fully fledged archives. we are grateful to the national archives for their assistance in making this a reality and we look forward to continued cooperation and assistance in maintaining sound record management practices and the managing of our documents for national posterity. our first fully fledged archives will meet our needs well into the future. this site is linked by fibre leased line to our primary site at the reserve bank building in suva, allowing for a fast and reliable flow of data. there are added features to this link to enhance security of data. in addition to the usual utilities, we have stored water and there are two generators that will back up any loss of power to the building. the building is also well secured with the use of cctv cameras which are linked to the main control room located at the reserve bank building. in terms of building design standards, the building is designed to withstand most severe cyclones and earthquakes. the design incorporates an appropriate level of augmentation of normal loading levels allowed by the respective design codes and fully complies with the provisions of the national building code of fiji. it is also in line with recognized overseas standards. i am proud to say, in summary, that the building has been designed to provide maximum resilience to disasters and has been equipped with very high level security controls. finally, ladies and gentlemen, i would like to acknowledge and thank the numerous persons who have contributed to the successful completion of this project. these include : – the reserve bank of fiji board, for their foresight and continued support ; our in - house project team ; larsen, holtom, maybin, in particular colin radford, the project architect and manager ; engineered designs limited, the structural engineers ; irwin alsop, the building services engineers ; raghwan construction, the main contractor ; and to all sub - contractors, i extend the sincere gratitude of the bank and thank you for your efforts. with these words i am proud to declare the reserve bank of fiji business resumption site operational! thank you.

sada reddy : opening of the business resumption site as part of the overall risk management strategy opening speech by mr sada reddy, governor of the reserve bank of fiji, at the commissioning of the business resumption site, suva, 26 august 2010. * * * distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and fellow colleagues of the reserve bank of fiji. let me warmly welcome you to the opening of the bank ’ s business resumption site. this is indeed a significant milestone in the on - going development of our institution. this building is set to play a critical role in the reserve bank ’ s overall risk management strategies. it will ensure our ability to sustain critical business and it functions, should access to our building in downtown suva be lost due to any form of disaster or disruption of essential infrastructure. in view of the rise in the frequency and magnitude of disasters, both natural and man - made, occurring worldwide, robust business continuity plans are not only invaluable but increasingly essential. let me touch briefly on the reasons why we saw it fit to invest resources in the construction and outfitting of such a building. one of our key roles is to ensure the stability and soundness of the financial system. like any other organisation, the reserve bank, in performing its roles, faces a number of risks. these include operational, strategic, and reputational risks. like most responsible organisations, we currently have in place, business continuity plans, to address any likely risks. we need to ensure critical operations can continue unabated under worst case scenarios. any failure on our part could seriously jeopardise the functioning of the whole financial system. since 2004, the reserve bank of fiji has invested a lot of time and resources in establishing a risk management structure, indentifying critical processes and documenting contingency plans. we clearly understand that a central bank has a unique position within a country and consequences of business continuity failure are unacceptable. the completion of this site, therefore, brings us further relief and confidence in our efforts to ensure business continuity will be maintained at a high level of resilience. we commenced planning the construction of this site in october 2006, following approval of the reserve bank of fiji board. the land was purchased back in march 1999 from the fiji red cross society. in 2007, a visit was made to the reserve bank of australia ’ s business resumption site, to gather vital information on their experiences in this area. at this point, i would