| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
(Photo:
Pacific Islands Applied GeoScience Commission) |
|
| |
|
|
| |
NEW ZEALAND: Reducing disaster risks in the
Pacific Islands
Source:
Pacific
Islands Applied GeoScience Commission Press
Release
Dr. Russell Howorth told delegates that to
reduce risk and vulnerability from disasters
confronting Pacific Island countries and
territories, a number of important issues must
be addressed “in an integrated manner at a
national level and supported by regional and
international partners.”
Dr. Howorth, who is the Director of SOPAC, a
Division of SPC, was speaking to more than 200
delegates at the 3rd Session of the Pacific
Platform for Disaster Risk Management. The
meeting is being held from August 1 thru 5 at
the Holiday Inn in Auckland.
He said a critical issue is no matter how
climate patterns may change; the impact of
hazards must still be managed on a day-to-day
basis.
But the key to do so, he said, is to understand
the vulnerability and risks before an event
happens. “It means to build that knowledge into
the decision making process at all levels.”
Dr. Howorth said another key issue is that it is
essential that the island countries secure and
maintain their natural environments in as
healthy and resilient state as possible.
This is to ensure that they can cope not only
with the natural hazards of today but also
ensure effective protection against potential
future hazards including the negative impacts of
changes in climate.
Increasing populations and the desire for
development has escalated negative impacts in
the region. Dr. Howorth said it was essential
that land, coastal and ocean resources,
(including infrastructure, development and
management strategies) can handle further
development pressures and impacts.
To achieve this, the latest in information
systems (including satellite images) should be
introduced into all levels of Government,
supported by regional mechanisms.
Finally, Pacific Island countries and
territories are faced with increasing
infrastructure, responding to globalisation and
international trade, including tourism, as part
of development in the Pacific.
“They are naturally vulnerable to all of this
because of their geographic isolation and small
size amidst a vast ocean world forced to contend
with these impacts in addition to the everyday
day-to-day land, coastal and ocean resource use
management problems.
All the impact of these issues can be
significantly reduced by an integrated approach.
Dr. Howorth cited examples of some events in the
region that have seriously affected development,
illustrated the urgency in addressing island
vulnerability and risks. All except the 2010
earthquake in the Solomon Islands, included loss
of lives.
• In April 2007 an earthquake and tsunami in the
Solomon Islands cost the country an estimated
US$90 million, equivalent to 90% of their year’s
operating budget.
• In January 2009, flooding in Nadi and Ba,
Fiji, cost the country as estimated US$160
million (7% of GDP);
• In September 2009, an earthquake and tsunami
in American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga, with Samoa
estimated its losses at US$104 million (more
than 5% GDP);
• In January 2010 an earthquake and tsunami in
the Solomon Islands with costs still to be
assessed.
• In recently released 2011 SOPAC/Cook Islands
report the costs attributed to 24 cyclones since
1955 is estimated at US$47 million. In February
2010 Cyclone Pat impacted on Aitutaki damaging
78% of the buildings and devastating local
agriculture. The recovery and reconstruction
programme is estimated at NZ$9.5 million and
this figure does not include estimates for items
such as loss of employment or tax revenue.
But a recent SOPAC/Vanuatu report illustrated
the importance of planning for a risk or hazard.
Vanuatu created a contingency plan that was
costed at VT450 million for the possible
eruption of an active volcanic island in the
north that has been showing increased activity
recently.
The plan includes the relocation of all the
2,700 people living on the island and
“emphasizes not so much the cost of the
disaster, , but the need for easy access to
funds should they be required.”
Dr. Howorth said that this was an example of
reducing risk and vulnerability from a possible
disaster.
Photo Caption: Dr. Russell Howorth during
his address.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
(Photo:
Savali News) |
|
| |
|
|
| |
SAMOA:
American Samoa requests
Samoan doctors
Source:
Savali News
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has
received a request from American Samoa for
several medical doctors to alleviate a shortage
of doctors in the Territory.
The request was made by Senator Galea’i Tu’ufuli
in a meeting with the Prime Minister yesterday
at his office.The Senator told the Prime
Minister that the shorage has come about as
several doctors in the territory have completed
their contracts and have returned to the United
States.
“At the moment we have an acute doctor shortage
at the LBJ Medical Center,’ said Senator Galea’i.“
If we can get two three doctors serving short
stints - say three to four months - until we get
doctors from the U.S , that’ll be great.”
The senator is here for a church and another
meeting with the Prime Minister is scheduled
before Friday, when he returns to the Territory.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa told the senator that he
will have to seek advice on the matter first
from the Health ministry.The Prime Minister then
gave a briefing on the state of the Oceania
University of Medicine at Moto’otua and the
purpose of the teaching hospital there,
currently under construction.
“It is an accredited long-distance university
now affiliated with all the top universities in
the world - including Harvard.
The training hospital is to provide both
practical and residency qualifications for med
students. So you can have your lessons in the
classrooms and then, get hands-on experience at
the training hospital, which will make them much
better doctors.”
The Prime Minister added that since OUM
scholarships have now been extended to other
Pacific Islands, perhaps American Samoa can also
take advantage of it by sending its medical
students to study here.Apart from health, the
two leaders - who met for 30 minutes - also
spoke in general on education and tourism.
The senator also asked the Prime Minister on his
views of American Samoa’s political status with
the United States. Senator Galea’i chairs the
Territory’s Senate House Committee. It is the
first time the two leaders have met.
Photo Caption: Prime Minister Tuilaepa
Sailele Malielegaoi meets with Senator Galea’i
Tu’ufuli from American Samoa.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
(Photos:
National Institute of Health) |
|
| |
|
|
| |
AMERICAN SAMOA: Students present STEP-UP program
research results
Source:
American
Samoa Community College Press Release
This past Saturday, six local high school
students and graduated seniors presented the
results of their summer science research
projects to an audience of family, friends, and
scientists in the conference room at Community &
Natural Resources (CNR)/Land Grant, a division
of the American Samoa Community College. The
students conducted their research as part of the
U.S. National Institutes of Health’s Short Term
Education Program for Underrepresented Persons,
or “STEP-UP” program. STEP-UP seeks to increase
the numbers of young Samoans and other
underrepresented groups entering careers in the
biomedical sciences. Students in the program
have an opportunity in the summer to do
independent research under the mentorship of
their high school science teachers. Saturday’s
event was the third annual STEP-UP Symposium for
American Samoa.
The projects that local students worked on this
year ranged from testing new ways to control
termites to evaluating the effect of an invasive
weed on vegetable crops. Pilivesburg Salanoa, a
Tafuna High School graduate, tested whether a
couple of different plant extracts might help
kill pesky termites by destroying the microbes
that inhabit the termites’ guts. Tafuna High
student Talimeli Taufete’e studied the effects
of mile-a-minute weed (fue saina) on the
germination and growth of vegetable plants like
cucumber and eggplant. Both Salanoa and
Taufete’e were mentored by Dr. Joserose
Jyothibhavan, science teacher at Tafuna High
School.
Lefagaoalii Amosa, a student at Samoana High,
evaluated the effect of extracts from candlebush
(la’au vai lafa) on Candida albicans, a cause of
yeast infections, mentored by Samoana science
teacher Faaumatialagipuapua Batta Siatu’u. The
effect of the extracts of two herbs known to
inhibit fungal growth on fermentation by baker’s
yeast was the topic investigated by South
Pacific Academy student Mata’uitafa Faiai,
mentored by SPA science teacher Cecilia
Tuionoula. Leone High’s Ioana Vala worked with
her mentor, Samoana High science teacher Talosia
Uperesa, on a project comparing the effects of
aloe vera to commercially available treatments
on skin health. The sixth student, Grape Tuifatu,
also from Leone High School, worked with her
mentor, Tafuna High science teacher Aitulagi
Tuiasosopo along with Josephine Regis and
Daystar Parker of the American Samoa EPA to
compare the qualities of different sources of
drinking water, including ASPA water, commercial
bottled water, and “Kangen” water.
In his introductory remarks, Land Grant Dean and
Director Tapa’au Dr. Daniel Mageo Aga cited the
great need for more Samoan professionals in the
biomedical sciences and noted the opportunities
provided to the students by the STEP-UP program,
especially with the establishment of the ASCC-STEP-UP
molecular biology training facility at Land
Grant. Dr. Lawrence Agodoa, Director of the
Office of Minority Health Research Coordination
of the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Disease, traveled all the
way from Bethesda, Maryland for the symposium.
In his special remarks, Dr. Agodoa talked of the
program’s goal to reduce health disparities in
underserved parts of the country such as
American Samoa. One of the ways to do this, he
said, is to increase the numbers of Samoans and
other underrepresented groups in the biomedical
sciences, which is STEP-UP’s aim. Dr. George Hui,
Director of STEP-UP’s Pacific programs and
Professor at the University of Hawaii John A.
Burns School of Medicine, and Kae Pusic, STEP-UP
Program Coordinator, traveled from Hawaii to
attend the symposium. Dr. Hui gave introductory
remarks describing the progress of the STEP-UP
program in the Pacific and in American Samoa and
his hopes for the expansion of the program in
the future.
At the end of the program Dr. Hui announced the
two students selected to represent American
Samoa at the STEP-UP High School Scientific
Session and Summer Research Presentations at the
NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. The two selected,
Lefagaoalii Amosa and Talimeli Taufete’e, will
present their research results at the meeting
which runs August 10-14.
Anybody wishing to learn more about the STEP-UP
program can visit its web site at http://stepup.niddk.nih.gov.
Applications for next year’s program will be
posted at the site during the school year.
Photo Captions:
Photo 1 - Dr. Lawrence Agodoa, Director
of the Office of Minority Health Research
Coordination of the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
presents a certificate of completion to
Mata’uitafa Faiai, a student at South Pacific
Academy, as Dr. George Hui of the UH John A.
Burns School of Medicine and Tapa’au Dr. Daniel
Mageo Aga, Dean and Director of ASCC/CNR, look
on. Faiai and five other high school students
completed science research projects this summer
as participants in the Short-Term Education
Program for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP).
Photo 2 - Lefagaoalii Amosa (right), a
student at Samoana High School, assisted by
mentor and Samoana science teacher
Faaumatialagipuapua Batta Siatu’u, measure out
solutions in the ASCC-STEP-UP molecular biology
research training laboratory at ASCC Land Grant.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
FIJI: Meeting to discuss disability inclusive
development
Source:
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press
Release
Strengthening the partnership between
governments and organisations for people with
disabilities in the Pacific region will be one
of the issues to be discussed at the 2nd
Government Focal Points for Disability meeting
to be held in Nadi, Fiji 10 - 12 August 2011.
“Pacific Islands Forum Leaders strongly support
the promotion of an inclusive, barrier-free, and
rights-based society for people with
disabilities in the region and at their Meeting
in Vanuatu last year affirmed the need for
disability inclusive development in all
government programmes,” says Tuiloma Neroni
Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands
Forum Secretariat
“The 800,000 people living with disabilities in
the region are among some of the poorest and
most vulnerable and face many barriers to full
participation in society and it is imperative
that their plight is taken into consideration in
whatever development initiative is undertaken in
the region by governments, development partners
and the civil society.”
The Government Focal Points for Disability
meeting, which will also be attended by
government representatives from Forum Island
countries, organizations working for people with
disabilities in the region, development partners
and CROP agencies, will also raise awareness of
the Pacific Regional Strategy on Disability (PRSD),
its action plan, and monitoring and evaluation
frameworks.
The meeting will also discuss capacity building
in policy development with regard to the
implementation of the PRSD and the Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Participants will consider how to strengthen the
partnership between governments in Forum island
countries and Disabled Peoples Organisations at
the national level in their work on signing,
ratifying and implementing the Convention.
They will also discuss the various initiatives
undertaken by Pacific Island Countries at the
national level in the recent past and share
ideas on good practices and challenges.
The meeting is coordinated by the Pacific
Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji and
funded by the Government of Australia through
AusAID.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
(Photos:
New Caledonia Tourism) |
|
| |
|
|
| |
NEW CALEDONIA: New Caledonia hosts the XIV
Pacific Games
Source:
New Caledonia Tourism via etbMICE
Over 5000 athletes and officials from the 22
Oceania islands will meet in New Caledonia for
this year’s XIV Pacific Games (August 27th to
September 10th). This year’s major international
event is more special than ever as it is being
held during the Année des Outre-Mer (Year of the
French Overseas Regions).
The Pacific Games have taken place every 4 years
since 1963 and are seen as a major sporting
event for the area: all the countries around the
South Pacific (excluding New Zealand and
Australia) take part in the event, i.e. 22
islands including the Samoan Islands, which
hosted the last Games in 2007, and Papua New
Guinea which will host the next Games in 2015.
This is the third time in the history of the
Pacific Games that New Caledonia has hosted the
major international event. This year the French
President will open the Pacific Games to
celebrate the Année des Outre-Mer. The NC 2011
committee will organise the events with
meticulous attention to the rules of the charter
inspired by the famous Olympic Charter.
Almost 3500 volunteers are taking part to ensure
the events run smoothly. Events are spread over
37 sites in a dozen parts of the archipelago.
New Caledonians have team spirit in their blood
and they strive to associate the organisation of
this event with values that are close to their
heart: warmth, generosity and community. For the
first time the Games are hosting 4 disabled
sports events (men’s ambulant 100 m, men’s
javelin, men’s and women’s wheelchair shot put)
as well as the twelve usual events: athletics,
weight lifting, swimming, basketball, tennis,
volleyball, table tennis, football, beach volley
ball, golf, va’a (canoeing) and rugby sevens.
The Games will also host fifteen optional
events: bodybuilding, squash, shooting, sailing,
cricket, baseball, powerlifting, boxing, karate,
taekwondo, triathlon, surfing, badminton, judo
and archery.
Oceania’s cultural identity will come to the
fore during these Games with sports such as the
Va’a, an ancient discipline named after the
Polynesian pirogue. This event will take place
in the waters of Anse-Vata and Poindimié on the
East coast. Some of the beach volleyball and
open water swimming events, with the competitors
surrounded by magnificent scenery, will take
place on the famous Ouvéa Island. Just days from
the Rugby World Cup in Auckland (September 9th
to October 23rd 2011), the rugby sevens players
will certainly be feeling the pressure. This is
a great chance for you to watch some of the
world’s best teams in action: Fiji, Tonga and
Samoa.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
(Photo:
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme) |
|
| |
|
|
| |
WORLDWIDE: Vanuatu host of Pacific adaptation to
climate change meeting
Source:
Secretariat
of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press
Release
13 Pacific island countries under the Pacific
adaption to climate change (PACC) project will
meet to review and discuss progress of the
regional project which coordinates ‘on the
ground’ adaptation activities.
Its’ three years since the countries first met
to begin the PACC which provides funds and
support for national climate change adaptation
projects in the different areas of coastal
management, food production and security and
water resources management.
Port Vila, Vanuatu is host of the second multi
partite review, which brings together
participating countries and all supporting
partners from 8 to 12 August.
“We look forward to this stock take which will
help us gauge how we can provide further support
to our member countries,” said Taito Nakalevu,
the Project Manager of PACC.
“We plan for this meeting to be one to help the
project be successful in terms of the work
carried out in the different countries as well
as the policy, technical and operational
processes that must be adhered to.”
The PACC is implemented by the Secretariat of
the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
in partnership with the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), it is a 13 million
dollar project funded by the Global Environment
Facility (GEF).
The Marshall Islands, Niue, Tuvalu and Tonga are
carrying out projects to address water resources
management. Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea and
the Solomon Islands are working towards helping
ensure food production and food security in the
face of climate change and; the Cook Islands,
Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa and
Vanuatu have embarked on projects that
strengthen coastal zone management.
Over the duration of the week countries will be
making presentations to share experiences and
lessons learnt. Sessions during the week will
also look at knowledge management, adaptation
implementation and climate change economics.
Countries will also have individual meetings
with the project partners to assess where
further specialised assistance is required to
help strengthen this project.
“This project is a first in that it is actually
doing work on the ground to address the impacts
caused by climate change. We want to ensure its’
success, as ultimately any activity that helps
Pacific people to adapt to the effects of
climate change will contribute to the survival
of our region,” said Nakalevu.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
