NEWSPAGE 08 February
2010

(Photo: Media Design School)

NEW ZEALAND: Five scholarships available for creative youth

(Photo: Asian and Pacific Coconut Community)

SAMOA: Coconut plays key role, meeting hears
Source: Samoa Observer

A regional conference about coconuts ended yesterday with participants eager to return home to put what they learnt into action.

Sixteen countries discussed the status of coconut development in the region at Hotel Millennia, Sogi.

Asuao Kirifi Pouono, CEO of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries said the coconut plays a vital part in the lives of many Pacific people.

“The coconut tree has various significance in terms of contribution to the GDP for countries and as well as its many uses in subsistent levels,” he said.
The conference was an opportunity for counties to share their experiences on how to improve the industry.

Dr Sivapragasam Annamalai, a representative from Malaysia, said there is great potential for Samoa to benefit from coconuts.
“The Malaysian government is pushing the development of this industry for our country,” she said.

“I see enormous opportunities here if the coconut industry is developed.

“The industry is very small but many of the population depend on this industry.”
For countries with very little knowledge on how to improve the industry such as the Federated States of Micronesia, Kadalino Loreus said the conference was an eye opener.

“Our government is trying to put the industry back into production, and that is why I came, to listen and gain some knowledge,” he said
“One of the main things I learnt is, we (FSM) need to set up coconut projects like the other countries are doing “
Sekope Bula, of Fiji, said the industry in his country is big.

“The coconut is one of the Pacific region’s greatest exports but we are limited to only copra and coconut oil,” he said.

Photo Caption: CEO of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Asuao Kirifi Pouono.
 

AUSTRALIA: A partnership for Pacific Islands cricket development
Source: Australian High Commission Press Release

The Australian Government, Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council have signed up to a cricket partnership for capacity building and strengthening of cricket development programs in the Pacific.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed the agreement in Canberra at the Prime Minister's XI cricket match along with Cricket Australia (CA) Chief Executive James Sutherland and the International Cricket Council (ICC) President David Morgan.

Sport is widely recognised as a vital tool in building stronger communities, not least through providing opportunities for youth leadership and achievement, and the partnership will give players, leaders, administrators, coaches and officials opportunities to progress to levels beyond community competitions, as well as strengthening the sport at the grassroots.

The cricket partnership includes Government support of up to $1.6 million over four years, and will initially focus on Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Solomon Islands.

The partnership is an agreement between the ICC's East Asia-Pacific development program, CA and the Australian Government's Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Australian Sports Commission.

The Prime Minister announced $26 million in sports-related assistance to the Pacific island countries at the Pacific Islands Forum in August 2009. This includes $15 million over five years to establish and support sport partnerships between Australian and regional sporting federations in the Pacific region.

The Pacific Sports Partnerships program works with the Australian Sports Outreach Program. The Australian Sports Outreach Program works in partnership with local authorities and communities in developing countries to increase their capacity to deliver inclusive, sports based programs that contribute to strengthening communities.

The Prime Minister signed the first Pacific Sports Partnership last year at the Pacific Islands Forum with Football Federation Australia and the Oceania Football Confederation. Partnership agreements with netball, rugby league and rugby union are expected to be completed early this year.
 

(Photo: The National)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Coke backs bid big time
Source: The National

The PNGNRL Bid got a massive boost for its work in securing a National Rugby League (NRL) licence with a sponsorship from popular soft drink brand Coca-Cola Amatil recently to the tune of K1.5 million.

This is by far the single largest Coca-Cola sponsorship ever provided in PNG, with the bid team firmly set to push through with its programme of preparing Port Moresby and indeed PNG to meet the conditions for a successful bid.

Coca-Cola Amatil national marketing manager, Louise Maher, said Coke was thrilled to be on board the bid.

She said the major sponsorship of the PNGNRL Bid was the most lucrative it had ventured into in PNG.

“Papua New Guineans have a passion for rugby league with 800 tribes and one heart. It means capturing the hearts and minds of over six million Papua New Guineans and PNG’s number one beverage Coca-Cola will be there,” Maher said.

Minister for Sports Philemon Embel, who is also a member of the bid team, and the bid’s board directors, Paul Broughton, NCD Governor, Powes Parkop and Bev Broughton, were on hand to receive the sponsorship. The massive sponsorship from Coke follows on the heels of Airlines PNG, who made available K900,000 worth of travel fares for bid officials to carry out their work.

Embel described the sponsorship from Coke as an exciting and truly exhilarating day for the PNG NRL Bid which is currently working on completing a strong case before the National Rugby League board showing that PNG’s corporate sector was firmly behind the drive.

The focus according to members of the biding team will be on junior development programmes and to ensure that PNG will have a system that will develop the talent in the country and prepare them for the NRL.

Embel reiterated that it was an initiative of the National Government to have a team in the NRL within the next five yeasr and they had already made a commitment of K20.5 million for this purpose.

Bev Broughton, called on Papua New Guineans to embrace the efforts of the PNGNRL Bid because it was going to be tough, but with the support from business houses and fans the country would see a PNG franchise team compete in the NRL.

Papua New Guinea has the talent and can play on par with the rugby league super powers of the world. But all it needs is to put in place an effective junior development programmes to build a nursery for youngsters to learn the game.

The PNGNRL Bid has been designated as a major national impact project aimed at taking sports development and administration as well as integral human development to a whole new level, and with Coca-Cola getting onboard it further strengthens the bid process in gaining mileage and momentum.
 

(Photo: United Nations Development Programme)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Young Solomon Islander to receive UNDP prize
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

University of the South Pacific student, Miss June Atomea is the winner of the Human Face story competition. Twenty-two year old, Ms Atomea, who is from Northern Malaita in the Solomon Islands submitted her essay titled ‘Silent cry of John, a village boy’.

Organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the essay competition was open to young people in the Pacific, aged 18-25 years, who were asked to write about how they feel the global economic crisis is affecting them or those around them.

June will receive her prize in Port Vila, from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, Helen Clark on the evening of Wednesday, February 10th. Ms Clark will be in Vila to attend the Pacific Conference on The Human Face of the Global Economic Crisis from February 10-12th.

UNICEF Social Policy Officer, Ms Mereia Carling said that, “June's story was chosen because it was clearly time-bound to the impacts of the economic crisis and it highlighted a number of impacts and the compounding nature of these. She describes the 'human face' of the crisis and the struggles made to survive. Her point is made clear - those who are currently on the brink of survival are the ones who will not survive the crisis.”

The essay competition links to the Conference on The Human Face of the Global Economic Crisis where heads of international and regional agencies, heads of Pacific Island states, non-governmental organisations, academics and young people will discuss the impacts of the crisis in their countries, learn from experiences shared and prepare for any future crises.

A pre-conference for Pacific children and youth coordinated by UNICEF, will be held in Port Vila from February 8-9, to prepare delegates for their participation in the main Conference. Young people will have the opportunity to raise their concerns and issues related to the impact of the crisis.

Photo Caption: United Nations Development Programme Administrator, Helen Clark.
 

WORLDWIDE: High-level UN meetings put spotlight on development in the Pacific
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

Three high-level United Nations meetings will take place in Vanuatu next week, bringing together top UN officials, other development partners and leaders from the Pacific to assess the challenges faced by the region and to map out strategies to spur development amid the current global economic crisis.

Helen Clark, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and chairperson of the UN Development Group, and Noeleen Heyzer, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), will be keynote speakers.

“I am delighted to be coming to the Pacific to discuss development advances and challenges in the region,” said Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator. "Prior to coming to UNDP, I was closely involved with Pacific leaders and development issues. I am privileged to be able to contribute to development in the Pacific in my new capacity.”

The busy week kicks off on Monday and Tuesday, February 8-9, with a High Level Dialogue to review the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy - the United Nations Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 2005-2015.

Ministers and senior officials from the 14 Pacific SIDS will take part in the two-day meeting, which is expected to be opened by Prime Minister Edward Natapei of Vanuatu. President Anote Tong of Kiribati is scheduled to address the closing session.

“The Mauritius Strategy, adopted by 129 countries in 2005, is the only global blueprint that addresses the unique development challenges of SIDS associated with their vulnerabilities. Outcomes from this meeting will feed directly into the discussions at the Pacific Conference on the Human Face of the Global Economic Crisis,” said Dr. Heyzer of ESCAP.

The three-day Conference on The Human Face of the Global Economic Crisis, starting on Wednesday, 10 February, will gather over 220 delegates from the Pacific region to discuss the impact of the crisis and national responses. Delegates - from government ministries, parliaments, development partners, UN agencies, youth and women’s groups, and civil society organizations - will also look at ways to mitigate future crises.

Taking place in parallel with the Mauritius Strategy meeting on Monday and Tuesday will be the Decent Work for Sustainable Development in the Pacific - the Tripartite High Level Meeting organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The meeting will concentrate on the issues and challenges Pacific Island countries face tackling the jobs crisis. It will also look for solutions through the promotion of economic growth and an increased commitment to decent, productive and sustainable work for all women and men in the Pacific. Outcomes from this meeting will also be discussed at the global economic crisis conference.