NEWSPAGE 01 March
2010

(Photo: The Arts Foundation)

NEW ZEALAND: Michael Parekowhai invited to 2011 Venice Biennale

SAMOA: Tourism Tsunami (Beach Fale) Rebuilding Programme implemented
Source: Samoa Tourism Authority Press Release

The TTRP implementation began last week with a meeting between the TTRP Facilitation Group and the owners/representatives of the tsunami affected beach fale & budget accommodation businesses.

The open forum took place at the Fetu o le Moana Building in town on Wednesday 24th February 2010. The TTRP Facilitation Group was on hand to explain the steps and processes of the TTRP applications, as well as respond to any queries and uncertainties raised by those present.

The owners of these Tsunami affected Beach Fale properties have been given a week to go through the forms and documents pertaining to the TTRP that were made available and to contact the Samoa Tourism Authority and Samoa Hotel Association if they have any further queries.

From there, the owners are then asked to contact the STA/SHA representatives starting this week to arrange interview times and dates to work through, complete and submit the necessary application forms.

About the TTRP Programme:

TTRP targets the reconstruction of small tourist beach fale & budget accommodation businesses that were directly damaged/destroyed by the recent tsunami. TTRP won’t provide any monetary or financial compensation for the cost of any damaged/destroyed business assets or any financial losses suffered by these operations as a direct result of the September 2009 tsunami.

*TTRP is being channelled through the Private Sector Support Facility (PSSF). The PSSF Steering Group is responsible for making final decisions on all applications for grants under the TTRP. The PSSF Steering Group will be guided by the recommendations from the PSSF Secretariat based on detailed assessments undertaken for each application by the TTRP Facilitation Group set up specifically to assist with the completion of applications by eligible businesses/operators.

*TTRP isn’t intended to provide any assistance toward the establishment/construction of new beach fale or budget accommodation businesses that didn’t exist prior to the tsunami.

*TTRP will operate over a period of two (2) years. Any extension beyond this period, where warranted, will be subject to negotiations between the Samoa and New Zealand Governments.

*A total of $3.5 million Samoan Tala is being made available under the TTRP to provide grants to eligible small tourist beach fale & budget accommodation businesses that were operating immediately prior to the tsunami and which are included in the 3 tier listings in the Cabinet Approved F.K. (09) Faapitoa dated 23rd December 2009.
 

(Photos: J. Kneubuhl)

AMERICAN SAMOA: ASCC/YANA continues crisis training
Source: American Samoa Community College Press Release

A group of concerned administrators, faculty and students at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) initially formed the You Are Not Alone (YANA) Coalition in 2004 following an unprecedented rise that year in the rate of suicide among young adults. Its creators envisioned YANA as a source which troubled individuals could reach out to in times of personal problems, and also as an ongoing program to train students in proven crisis management skills with which they can assist their peers.

Since its inception, the YANA Coalition has continued to organize workshops and other activities at ASCC geared towards making students aware of the best approaches to helping others cope with personal challenges. The most recent YANA activity took place this past Saturday (February 20, 2010), when staff from the DHSS Social Services Division and guests from Teen Challenge participated in a Suicide Prevention Training for the College’s Student Government Association (SGA), Peer Mentors, Phi Theta Kappa honours society and officers from various student clubs. “While the suicide rate has thankfully gone down from the level it reached in 2004, the issues and pressures young adults face remain the same,” said YANA chairman Mark Mageo. “We feel this sensitive subject needs to be discussed, and that the recognized techniques for helping others who feel suicidal need to be shared on an ongoing basis.”

The training opened with an engaging interactive presentation by Peteli Tunoa, Lloyd Foster and Margaret Lafaele from the Prevention Unit of the DHSS Social Services Division. Using a combination of discussion and team activities, the Prevention Unit visitors first drew out the students’ own understanding of the social and personal issues that can lead to suicide, and then expanded upon this awareness by offering a thorough overview of sources on island which troubled individuals can turn to for help, along with the risk factors, signs and signals which can indicate a suicide risk. To round off the training, five young adults from local youth support organization Teen Challenge each offered personal testimony on how discovering and developing their spirituality had made a big difference in helping them cope with personal issues and challenges.

Mageo said that YANA will offer several more activities this semester, such as a presentation this week on drug and alcohol abuse open to SGA, the Peer Mentors and the overall student body. YANA will also hold a Crisis Counseling Training in March. Kolumane Meredith, 19, a Peer Mentor and honorary member of SGA, said he looks forward to similar activities. “I thought the Suicide Prevention Workshop really opened people’s eyes about the presence of suicide in our society,” he said. “It helps to know what to do and what to say, and how to just listen when we try to help other students with problems.”
 

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - ASCC YANA (You Are Not Alone) Coalition chairman Mark Mageo (back, center) and Student Government Association advisor Maxine Tuiolemotu (second right) welcome a group from Teen Challenge who participated in a Suicide Prevention Training this past Saturday (February 20, 2010) at the College.

Photo 2 - The ASCC YANA (You Are Not Alone) Coalition presented a Suicide Prevention Training this past Saturday at the College for members of the Student Government Association, the Peer Mentors, the Phi Theta Kappa honours society, and officers from various student clubs.
 

(Photo: Cook Islands News)

COOK ISLANDS: Mitchell up for diplomatic post
Source: Cook Islands News

Foreign Affairs secretary Mike Mitchell is set to become the new Cook Islands high commissioner to New Zealand after being nominated by cabinet this month.

Now the ‘receiving State’ (NZ) must agree to the nomination before an appointment can be finalised.

Prime minister Jim Marurai says that if all goes to plan, Mitchell will take up the position, based in Wellington, early next month.

Marurai’s office says Mitchell’s appointment would be for one year in order to allow the next government to look at a longer term replacement for current high commissioner Tepure Tapaitau.

The high commissioner is usually appointed for a term of three years.

Late last year it was revealed that Democratic Party president Makiuti Tongia had been nominated by cabinet for the job. His nomination was soon pulled but government has offered no explanation for the turnaround.

Mitchell, 65, has been in his current position for almost two years after leaving a temporary post as solicitor general from 2007. He was the first solicitor-general of the Cook Islands in 1979-86.

Born in Gisborne, New Zealand, Mitchell has been a permanent resident of the Cooks since 1986.

He completed his law degree at Victoria University in Wellington in 1969 and went on to practice law in London, Uganda and New Zealand before coming to the Cook Islands.

Mitchell did not wish to comment on the nomination when contacted yesterday. Meanwhile, Marurai said he believed an acting foreign affairs secretary would be appointed before the newly appointed Jim Gosselin takes over the position later this year.
 

Photo Caption: Foreign Affairs secretary Mike Mitchell.

FIJI: Partnerships at work to build a Pacific Peace Community
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

Like the strands of a spider’s web, peace builders need to link together and be strong enough to hold the web together, even when pushed or strained, a meeting of Pacific peace builders heard.

The meeting, held last week in Nadi, discussed ways to strengthen peace and development in the Pacific through a peace building project supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre.

The project, Strengthening Capacities for Peace and Development in the Pacific aims to bring together regional organizations, government and civil society actors to share experiences, discuss the difficult issues and begin to strengthen leadership and capacities for Peace in the Pacific.

Participants at the meeting included representatives from regional organizations, governments, non government organizations, as well as the private sector from selected Pacific island countries.

Manager of the UNDP Pacific Centre, Garry Wiseman said the meeting was an opportunity to reflect on peace and security and the actions that could be taken to promote and sustain peace in the Pacific.

“Development is perceived as separate from peace building, even though many of the underlying causes of potential violence and tensions lie in poor and/or unequal governance and development practices,” said Mr Wiseman.

He said that there were a number of issues relating to peace building that needed to be addressed in the Pacific. These included the connection between development and peace building, the disconnect between regional and national discourse on security, gender inequality and distortions of traditions, the linkages between development processes and risk as well as weak relationship between governments and civil society.

The project, in partnership with peace builders in the region hopes to address these issues. Overall the project aims to strengthen the cadre of peace practitioners from the Pacific whose work and approach will hopefully be strengthened through skills building, up-scaled policy interventions, the regional sharing of good practices and effective peace building mechanisms suited to the Pacific - and through improved access to resources and experts made available through a peace-net portal supported by the project. The project also has a small grants mechanism to fund peace projects of those participating in the initiative. One of the key issues is not to duplicate work being done at the regional level or the national level, but rather to complement and add resources to current initiatives.
 

(Photo: Consultative Group to Assist the Poor)

WORLDWIDE: Mobile money gets coverage in Vanuatu
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

Mobile phones offer huge potential to change the way we send and save money. The provision of financial services, often referred to as “mobile money” has leapt on to the world stage in the past few years. In just three years since it was launched by Safari.com, over eight million Kenyans are transferring money and making payments from their mobile wallets. Similar systems in the Philippines, Cambodia, India and elsewhere are already reaching millions in Asia.

Over 30 representatives from a broad range of organizations meet last night in Port Vila to learn more about mobile money solutions and share ideas on how it could be set up in Vanuatu. This information exchange was organized by the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP) in partnership with the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu. The meeting was attended by the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Mr Odo Tedi, as well as representatives from commercial banks, microfinance institutions, telecos, civil society organizations, government officials and donor agencies all of whom can play a role on setting up mobile money solutions.

Tillman Bruett, PFIP Project Advisor, presented on the prospects for mobile money in Vanuatu.
“From our exchanges with stakeholders, it is clear that a mobile money system has great potential in Vanuatu and could help the estimated 70% of ni-Vanuatu that have no access to the formal financial system. There is also great interest among the necessary partners to get mobile money started.” said Mr. Bruett.

Mobile money systems around the world were originally developed to provide people with a convenient and affordable way to transfer money, particularly from urban to areas. The products have quickly developed to allow people to pay merchants and bills, save, and even send and receive international remittances. One of the key ingredients to successful mobile money system is finding or developing or partnering with an agent network that reaches into the rural areas. Typical partners are post offices, rural banks, village stores and air-time sellers, all of which are currently present in Vanuatu.

PFIP has provided funding to the National Bank of Vanuatu to support improved communications between its rural branches to allow for transactions to take place in rural areas in real time. PFIP is supporting a number of new developments in microfinance throughout the Pacific. PFIP is a Pacific-wide programme helping provide sustainable financial services to low income households. It is funded by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), European Union, AusAID and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and operates from the UNDP Pacific Centre.

Photo Caption: Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme Project Advisor, Tillman Bruett.