NEWSPAGE 10 September
2010

(Photos: Didien Malifa)

SAMOA: Toa Samoa Train-On Squad announced
Source: Rugby League Samoa Press Release

A thrilling clash is expected when Samoa take on the Kiwis in their first ever league test against New Zealand on October 16 at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.

Rugby League Samoa has selected their strongest team to date for their two test campaign - against the World Champions then traditional rivals Tonga on October 24 in Sydney. The squad includes nine players from the UK Super League competition and the remainder from the NRL. Patrick Ah Van is the only Warriors entry to the team.

Coach Steve Price, currently assistant coach of NRL minor premiers St George Illawarra Dragons, is satisfied with the selection.

“We’re confident we’ve put together a squad from players in the UK and the NRL competition that is a mixture of youth and experience,” Price says. “It’s great for Samoa especially to be playing a test match in New Zealand, and to show that we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“It is encouraging for us to have a train on squad that currently has 20 players still involved in the NRL and UK final series, which can only be beneficial and significant to our squad of 30 players.”

The final squad to face the Kiwis will be announced a few days after the NRL final on October 3.


Samoa 2010 Train-On Squad

Tony Puletua -St Helens
Francis Meli - St Helens
Ali Lauitiiti - Leeds Rhinos
Kylie Leulua’i -Leeds Rhinos
George Carmont- Wigan Warriors
Harrison Hansen- Wigan Warriors
David Solomona -Warrington Wolves
Setemata Sa- Catalans Dragons
David Faiumu -Huddersfield Giants
Frank Puletua- Penrith Panthers
Masada Iosefa- Penrith Panthers
Joseph Paulo - Penrith Panthers
Joe Galuvao - Manly Sea Eagles
Terence Seuseu - Manly Sea Eagles
Joe Tomane - Gold Coast Titans
Junior Vaivai - South Sydney Rabbitohs
Patrick Ah Van - NZ Warriors
Mark Taufua - Newcastle Knights
Constantine Mika - Newcastle Knights
Peter Matautia - Newcastle Knights
Ben Roberts - Canterbury Bulldogs
Martin Taupau - Canterbury Bulldogs
Lagi Setu - Brisbane Broncos
Josh Mcguire - Brisbane Broncos
Mose Masoe - Sydney Roosters
Kyle Stanley - St George Dragons
Daniel Vidot - Canberra Raiders
William Isa - Melbourne Storm
Taulima Tautai - Cronulla Sharks
Matthew Wright - Cronulla Sharks
 

(Photo: Australian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade)

AUSTRALIA: Diplomatic appointment - High Commissioner to Nauru
Source: Australian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Stephen Smith recently announced the appointment of Mr Bruce Cowled as Australia's High Commissioner to Nauru.

Mr Cowled replaces Mr George Fraser who has been High Commissioner since January 2010 and previously Consul-General and Special Representative to Nauru from November 2007.

Mr Cowled is expected to take up his appointment in November 2010.

Australia enjoys warm and cooperative relations with Nauru and is its key trade, investment and development assistance partner. There are close people to people links. Reflecting this, the Australian Government upgraded its representation in Nauru to that of a High Commission in August 2009.

Nauru is an active partner with Australia in the Pacific Islands Forum and other regional organisations.

The Australia-Nauru Partnership for Development was signed at the Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns on 7 August 2009. The Partnership is a shared basis for close cooperation to improve the lives of the people of Nauru and to make progress towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Mr Cowled is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and was most recently Director, Consular Information Assistance Project, a position he has held since 2009.

Mr Cowled has extensive experience within DFAT and has previously served overseas as Consul-General and Head of Post, Bali. He has also served in Brunei Darussalam, Chicago, Chile, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, and San Francisco.

Mr Cowled holds the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Advanced Diploma from Deakin University. He is married with three children.

Photo Caption: New appointed Australian High Commissioner to Nauru, Mr Bruce Cowled.
 

USA: US awards Diplomacy Grants to NGO in Samoa
Source: Embassy of the United States of America Press Release

During a ceremony held at the US Embassy office in Apia on Tuesday (September 7, 2010), Ambassador Huebner officially handed over grants to NGO in Samoa who were successful in regional State Department Grant schemes and Embassy funded public diplomacy schemes.

U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asia Pacific - Public Diplomacy Funds Grant Scheme

1. Pasefika Mana Samoa Social Services Incorporated- USD $19,900 (approx WST $47,760)
Project: Voter Education Program and Women Candidate Training

The grant will fund the Pasefika Mana Samoa Social Service Incorporated project “Voter Education Program and Women Candidate Training” in preparation for the Samoa General Election in March 2011. The non partisan project will partner with government ministries and other NGO’s (such as Pan Pacific South East Asian Women Association and Samoa National Council of Women) with the aim of conducting community workshops to increase understanding of voter rights and responsibilities and voting processes as Samoa gears up for the 2011 elections. The workshop will be open to all in the community but mainly targeted at women; through women political understanding women political participation (participation in all levels of politics). The organization will also be conducting outreach through media-tv and radio. The second aspect of the project is encouraging and supporting at least 15 women candidates who will consider running for the national elections irrespective of the candidates’ political party.


U.S. Embassy Apia-Public Diplomacy Grants

1. Pasifika Media Association (PasiMA) - USD $10,000 (approx WST $24,000)
Project: Establishment of the PasiMA Website


The grant will fund the establishment of the Pasifika Media Association’s (PasiMA) website -through equipment and web design. The website will contain details of membership, aims, constitution and events of the organization. The website will also host seven day 24 hour news and archive service available to members from around the Pacific region and subscribers.


2. Women in Business Development Incorporated -USD $10,000 (approx WST $24,000)
Project: Support for WIBDI projects-Enhancing Public Awareness

The award will fund the purchase or digital cameras and camcorders to document the work of Women In Business Development Incorporated (WIBDI). Furthermore funds will also be used to upgrade the organization website, advertisement of WIBDI activities and purchase six months’ rent of a tent for their Organic Farmers Market. The aims of the project enhance public awareness and support for the current organic, micro-finance and weaving projects currently undertaken.


3. National University of Samoa: Media and Journalism Department—USD $6,000 (approx WST $14,400)
Project: Media Editing Suite

The grant will be used to fund purchase an editing suite for the National University of Samoa’s Department of Media and Journalism. The editing suite with its software will allow for media students at the University to practice radio, newspaper and television editing. The University is the sole media education provider in the country however students are disadvantaged for the technology in the media workplace as they have no access to put into practice the theories and techniques they are taught. The funds for the editing suite will help fill this current gap for aspiring and future journalists of Samoa.


4. National University of Samoa: Centre for Samoan Studies -USD $1,500 (approx WST $3,600)
Project: Samoa Measina Conference 2010

The grant will be used to fund some of the administrative costs for the 2010 National University of Samoa’ Centre for Samoa Studies annual Samoa Measina Conference “The Samoan Approach to Protecting Indigenous Environmental and Health Knowledge”. The conference took place August 29-31, 2010.


5. U.S. Veterans Samoa Association—USD $1,500 (approx WST $3,600)
Project: Samoa Perimeter Relay 2010

Funds will be used to provide publicity and advertisement for the second annual “Samoa Perimeter Relay” coordinated by the U.S. Veterans Samoa Incorporated. The 104 kilometre relay run goes through half of the island of Upolu; is an initiative by U.S. Veterans in Samoa to promote both healthy living and engender support for charity. Teams have to nominate a charity they wish to support and a major portion of winnings will go in that their charity. The Samoa Perimeter Run took place on August 28, 2010.


6. Samoa United Nations Association—USD $500 (WST $1,200)
Project: Inaugural Samoa UN Association Conference

The grant of $500 will be used to fund some administrative support for the Samoa United Nations Association (SUNA) Conference “Promote World Peace-Eliminate Poverty-A Fresh Approach”. The Conference dates will be October 24-29, 2010, and are set around to coincide with the celebration of 50 years of the signing of the Constitution of (the then Western) Samoa as well as the 65th Anniversary of the establishment of the UN in 1945. The national SUNA conference aims to consider fresh and original ideas, approaches and solutions towards the promotion of world peace through concerted efforts to eliminate poverty and end the use of all weapons, nuclear and otherwise.
 

(Photos: United Nations Development Programme)

VANUATU: Communities must be first to react to a disaster
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

By Mari Moertvedt

“Normally after a cyclone there is more rain, so if a person gets hurt or sick during the cyclone this person have to wait inside for maybe one or two weeks. When the rain stops he or she has to go to our closest hospital in Lolovai, which is two hours walk away,” Mr. Edison Tari from Tagui village on Ambae island in Vanuatu explains.

Every year the Tagui village experience cyclones and problems of getting enough safe drinking water. Their population is 170 people divided on 30 households and their only way of transportation is by foot or by paying to use the one driver in the area. He is not always available and the bumpy road to the village gets too damaged to use when there is heavy rain.


Vulnerable position

“Vanuatu has many communities and villages in very remote areas. If a disaster hits these places, it is impossible for national and international aid to reach them fast enough. Lives may be lost, which is why a tailored disaster risk management plan is important to highlight the issues of each specific village,” Mr. Sunil Gurung, United Nations Volunteer and Disaster Risk Management specialist, says.

Tagui village is one of two villages on Ambae which is part of a project called Building Resilient Communities towards Effective Governance (BRCTG). It is funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the government of Vanuatu. Technical assistance is delivered by United Nations Volunteers (UNV). The two villages, Tagui in the North and Lolovoli in the South, will be given assistance to develop their own disaster risk management plan.

“This plan will help the community to be better prepared to meet a disaster. We hear a lot about recovery after an earthquake, a tsunami or a cyclone, but little about prevention and mitigation. These two villages are part of this pilot project, but my opinion is that every village should have a similar plan to be able to cope with disasters”, Mr. Gurung says.


Traditional ways

“The girls in the family have some responsibility that we normally do in the village. We have to prepare food and make sure that we have enough drinking water. The men are doing the heavier job like getting firewood and strengthen the house”, Ms. Clerah Tari says.

The community are used to prepare for cyclones. They know that the season start in November and they prepare with and without a cyclone warning, as they have experienced how much damage this natural hazard can create.

“We were hit very badly by the Nigel hurricane in 1985. Many of our houses fell and all our kitchens were damaged. Our gardens got destroyed and we lost many animals. The threes were left with no leaves, which also showed the strength of the hurricane,” Gloria Tari adds.

The village has learned from this experience and they are now trying to make their houses stronger and more capable of coping with future cyclones, but they need help from the outside to build a better road for potential evacuation and enough water to make it through isolation.

“The disaster risk management plan will identify what their needs are and it will also include how they can approach local authorities and international donors to get assistance,” Mr. Godfrey Darubi, planner in the Penama province, says.


Young girl in nurse training

“The project has helped us create a disaster risk management committee of nine people and they will be in charge of making our disaster plan. We think it is good that someone will be responsible for this in the village,” Mr. Edison Tari says.

He explains that the village needs an aid post closer to their home, because the hospital is very far away. Through this project they were given the idea to send a girl from the village for training, so she can assist if the villagers have health issues.

“We are happy, because one girl from this village is in nurse training in Port Vila. This might save several villages around here and it will cut the cost of walking, time and money we have to spend to go to Lolovai hospital”, Mr. Tari adds.

“In this project we are not able to give direct aid to build stronger houses or provide water tanks, but through workshops and conversations we are able to educate the communities and give them ideas on how they themselves can cope with their natural hazards. This is a way of ensuring sustainable development and we hope that other villages will look to Tagui and Lolovoli and develop their own community disaster risk plan,” Mr. Gurung ends.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Village life in Tagui.

Photo 2 - Group picture from Tagui village.

Photo 3 - An umbrella to protect against rain, but are the community protected against natural hazards.

Photo 4 - The Disaster Risk Management plan include prevention towards disasters by building secure and strong houses.
 

(Photos: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

WORLDWIDE: Call for entries to 2010 Vision Pasifika Media Award
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

A call is being made to all Pacific reporters and journalism students to submit entries to the 2010 Vision Pasifika Media Award launched by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

This year the theme for the award is “Value Island Biodiversity - It’s Our Life” as part of the International Year of Biodiversity celebration. The Vision Pasifika Media Award is an opportunity for Pacific media to showcase their role in helping to raise awareness on our Pacific biodiversity.

“SPREP understands the important role of the Pacific media in helping to protect and preserve our natural surroundings which provide so many Pacific communities with their livelihoods,” said Easter Galuvao the Biodiversity Adviser at SPREP.

“Pacific biodiversity has global significance, but it is also in danger of extinction and for our region, this is a concern. It is our environment that has helped shaped our culture, Pacific identity and provided us with incomes, as our slogan says - ‘It’s our Life’. We congratulate the media within the region for producing the news stories to raise the awareness about our biodiversity and this award is just one way that we can express our appreciation.”

The Vision Pasifika Media Award has five categories; Print, Radio, Television, Journalism Student and Best Overall. Entries are open to journalists residing in any of SPREP’s island member countries or territories and must have been published or broadcast over the period of 1 January to 31 December 2010. Prize money of 500 USD is awarded to the winning entries under each category.

All entries must reach SPREP by 14 January 2011.

Stories could showcase community projects, highlight how people are benefitting from biodiversity, promote good environment practices or even be more investigative in style however they do not need to be limited to these suggestions. Any story that encompasses the need to protect or value our island biodiversity should be submitted.

The Pacific Islands News Association and PACNEWS endorse the Vision Pasifika Media Award and encourage all Pacific reporters to submit entries.

“We are honored to be part of this regional media award that recognises the contribution of journalists toward environment reporting. This award is an incentive for journalists to pursue their interests in covering environmental issues and how they are impacting on the livelihoods of Pacific peoples.”

This is the second year for the Vision Pasifika Media Award, in 2009 the award was a partnership with WWF and focused on the theme “Climate Change”, for which over 30 entries were received. Mr. Anish Chand of Fiji Television was awarded the best overall and Television News category, Mr. Moffat Mamu of the Solomon Star News won the print category and Ms. Rachna Lal and Ms. Kalpana Prasad were awarded the student category for their story in USP Student publication, Wansolwara.

The Vision Pasifika Media Award is also supported by the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme as part of an African, Caribbean and Pacific countries project to help countries implement Multilateral Environment Agreements.


For further details on this award please contact SPREP’s Associate Media and Publications officer Ms. Nanette Woonton at E: [email protected]

To download the Vision Pasifika Media Award entry form please visit: http://www.sprep.org/biodiversity/ybd/documents/SPREPMediaAwardFinal2.pdf