NEWSPAGE 23 July
2010

(Photos: Department of Labour)

SAMOA: Funding now available for disability groups
Source: Australian High Commission Press Release

Disability groups in Samoa can now apply for funding under the AusAID supported Disability Rights Fund (DRF) for activities which promote or contribute to the human rights of persons with disabilities.

The DRF is calling for proposals from Disabled Peoples Organisations across four regions (Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific) in 20 countries. Samoa is one of the countries eligible for funding in the Pacific (along with the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu).

Organisations can apply for either a grant ranging from US$30,000-US$50,000 per year for two years and/or a small grant valued between US$5,000-US$20,000.

Head of AusAID in Samoa, Ian Bignall said the DRF supports projects that demonstrate a clear ability and commitment to contribute to the advancement of the human rights of people with disability.

“Australia is a major contributor to the DRF because we feel it is an important and effective way to support disability inclusive development, as well as providing assistance to civil society groups to promote the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities” Mr Bignall said.

The DRF was launched in March 2008 and empowers disability groups in developing countries to participate in ratification, implementation and monitoring of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Last year, the DRF made 82 grants to organisations in 14 countries, totalling US$1.9 million.

The DRF is a grant making collaborative between donors and the global disability community which supports the human rights of persons with disabilities. Australia’s aid agency, AusAID contributes to the DRF. Further Information is available from the DRF website: www.disabilityrightsfund.org/grant.html.

Information and details on how to apply for grants are available from AusAID at the Australian High Commission, Beach Road, Apia or contact Valma Galuvao on 23411 or [email protected].

All applications should be received by AusAID Samoa by 17 August 2010.
 

(Photo: Australian High Commission)

AUSTRALIA: Australian specialist Ear, Nose and Throat medical team visit Samoa
Source: Australian High Commission Press Release

An expert team of volunteer Australian ear, nose and throat (ENT) medical specialists arrive in Samoa on Sunday for a two week visit at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital.

The volunteer medical team, who all come from Australia’s island state of Tasmania, will be in Apia from 25 July - 5 August 2010. The team includes surgeon Dr Magdi Ghali, anaesthetist Dr Bob Stolk and nurses Bill Kerr and Danielle Donegan. The visit is funded by AusAID and managed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

During the two week stay, the team will provide free specialised ENT medical services to patients. They will also work closely with local doctors and medical staff to develop their skills so they can continue to provide specialist medical treatment in the future.

Australian High Commissioner to Samoa, Matt Anderson said the same group of ENT specialist volunteers travelled to Samoa last year, performing more than 200 consultations and 60 operations.

“Last year’s trip was the first ENT surgical team to visit Samoa for many years, so there were many patients to treat. I expect that the team will also have a very busy two weeks this time around as well.”

Mr Anderson said the visits by Australian specialist medical teams are a key part of Australia’s ongoing support to Samoa.

“Australia’s support to bringing medical teams to Samoa helps ensure that all Samoans have access to specialist medical treatment that is not available locally.”

The ENT team is the second Australian medical team to visit Samoa this year, following the week-long visit by the ophthalmology experts in May. Two more specialist medical teams will visit Samoa this year to perform free medical consultations and treatment in the areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery (16-24 August) and orthopaedics (October).

The visit to Samoa is funded under the AusAID-funded Pacific Islands Project which arranges short term visits of one or two weeks in different medical specialties to 11 Pacific island countries. The medical specialities include cardiac surgery, ear, nose and throat, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, paediatric surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, psychiatry, urology, radiology and a diabetes training program.

Mr Anderson also noted the growing links between Tasmania and Samoa. Justice Pierre Slicer hails from Tasmania, Samoa’s Parliament has a twinning relationship with the Parliament of Tasmania and it was Tasmanian surf live savers who were at Lalomanu last month running a ‘Skills for Life’ program.

Photo Caption: Senior theatre nurse Lupeautino Luamaiuvae assists Australian surgeon Dr Magdi Ghali during last year's visit by the ENT team.
 

FIJI: Fiji to host the PIC Network meeting on ozone-depleting substances
Source: Fiji Ministry of Information

Fiji Government will be hosting the 2nd Meeting of the Pacific Island Countries Network for Ozone (ODS) Environment Officers.

By hosting this meeting Fiji will be able to generate awareness among other Governments and its partners and the public on the ozone issues and the national phase-out policy and strategy. This initiative is fully supported by Government and is co-shared financially with United Nations Environment Programme.

Fiji has been a member of the South East Asian Pacific Network but will also be invited to this meeting as a resource country to share its experiences as it is more advanced in terms of implementing the Montreal Protocol and ODS Legislations for more than 10 years now.

The meeting is to enable ODS Officers from developing countries to learn and share experiences on the phase-out of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS). This meeting will be held from the 28th - 30th July 2010 at Shangri La’s Resort & Spa.

The objective and foremost important issue that will be discussed is the successful and effective phase-out of Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) which is commonly used in the air- conditions, chillers etc, in the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector.

Member countries include (Developing countries members) Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu; (Developed Countries member) Australia and New Zealand will be attending this meeting.

Along with member countries are representatives from the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol, Ozone Secretariat, SPREP, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and other resource persons.
 

(Photo: New Caledonia Government)

NEW CALEDONIA: Second flag adopted in compromise over French rule
Source: Telegraph

Francois Fillon, the French prime minister, visited the South Pacific over the weekend to raise the indigenous Kanak flag and the French Tricolour above the high commission in the capital Noumea.

The symbolic move comes after the New Caledonian Congress overwhelmingly voted to adopt the emblem of the indigenous movement, which features red, blue and green stripes with a yellow sun and black totem, as the nation's second official flag.

However, there was opposition to the move, with some residents arguing that using two flags underlined the ethnic divisions within the country, which remain more than 20 years after violent unrest in the mid-1980s forced France to declare a state of emergency and send paratroopers to restore order.

Nic Maclellan, an author and researcher on New Caledonia, said that some people wanted a new flag for New Caledonia, incorporating elements of the Tricolor and the Kanak flags, that would promote the idea of a "common destiny".

"There is a contentious debate over whether a new flag would symbolise that people of different political and ethnic groups had come together as a nation, rather than having two flags that indicate the country is still divided."

The unusual move makes New Caledonia one of only a handful of countries, including Canada, that have two official national flags.

The island nation's population of 240,000 is deeply divided between Kanaks, a Melanesian ethnic group, who make up about 44 per cent of the population, and ethnic Europeans, who make up 34 per cent.

While Kanaks are in the majority, the islands, which were named by Captain James Cook in 1774 for their resemblance to the coast of Scotland, retain a distinctly Gallic flavour. All inhabitants of New Caledonia are French citizens, carry French passports and take part in the legislative and presidential French elections. Nicolas Sarkozy is head of state, French is the official language and French patisseries selling croissants and baguettes dot the palm-fringed islands. The towns are laid out to a traditional French design, complete with Marie and Hotel de Ville and the cars driving past the island's pristine white beaches and turquoise lagoons all bear French number plates.

However, moves are afoot to sever ties with France and for New Caledonia to become fully independent. Under the Noumea Accord, which was signed by both loyalists and independents after the 1980s unrest, a working party was set up to devise new bank notes, a new national anthem and a new motto. However, negotiations over a new name for the islands, which the pro-independence groups want to call Kanaky, have faltered.

Residents are due to vote on taking further steps towards autonomy in 2014.

Photo Caption: New Caledonia, one of France's most exotic colonial outposts, has adopted a second flag as part of a compromise between pro-independence activists and those who loyally support ongoing French rule.
 

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

WORLDWIDE: Pacific the first region to embrace new anti-corruption technology
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

“UNCAC provides a clear legal framework for countries on what should be done in terms of criminalization of corruption and law enforcement, and also on prevention measures such as strengthening codes of conducts for the civil service.”

Those were the sentiments of Mr. Russel Nari, Director General of the Vanuatu Ministry of Justice, on the Day 3 of the Pacific Regional Meeting on the Ratification and Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

“I will proceed to consult with Cabinet on a decision to accede to UNCAC, and will demonstrate how the Convention provides a comprehensive framework for national efforts in fighting corruption,” Mr Nari went on to state.

While some participants expressed early reservations about the possible financial and human resource burdens associated with ratification and implementation of UNCAC, over the course of the workshop many participating delegations have indicated a strong interest in progressing efforts at home to promote UNCAC ratification. The meeting has highlighted how the Convention can strengthen and add value to existing domestic anti-corruption efforts.

Pacific participants were particularly impressed following the Pacific launch of the new UNCAC Self-Assessment Checklist Tool released only three weeks previously at the Implementation Review Group of the Conference of States Parties. The Pacific region is the first in the world to receive training on the Checklist following that meeting.

“The UNCAC Review Mechanism has the most simple and user-friendly system of reporting compared to other United Nations treaties. I would strongly recommend that the UN consider reviewing other treaty reporting mechanisms to make them as easy for States as this one. We need reporting and review mechanisms that are less burdensome on over-worked officials,” said Russel Nari.

The Self-Assessment Checklist software developed by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) supports States to initiate a thorough evaluation of their existing anti-corruption legislation and programmes, to identify gaps, and to identify technical assistance needs.

“The process of self-assessment is intended to enable States to reflect on their own situation and identify both their successes, but also areas where they would like to implement reforms. The self-assessment is
a locally driven process that fosters buy-in from all stakeholders,” said Giovanni Gallo, Crime Prevention Expert from the UNODC in Vienna.

The four-day regional meeting, which began on Monday 19 July in Apia is being attended by senior government officials from fourteen Pacific Island countries, and officials from the World Bank Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, European Union, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country offices and regional centre, and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Photo Caption: Director General of the Vanuatu Ministry of Justice, Russel Nari.