NEWSPAGE 19 September
2011

(Photo: RIANZ Vodaphone New Zealand Music Awards)

(Photo: Savali News)

SAMOA: Government ponders a women-friendly legislature
Source: Savali News
 
Government is in the process of draughting legislation that will encourage more women to run for office.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi revealed this morning that the Attorney General’s office has been instructed by Cabinet to draught amendments to the Electoral Act to get more women into Parliament.

“Samoa, like other Pacific Island countries, is lagging behind on women representation in Parliament. Though there is a balance of women who are well-represented in the top echelons of the public service, there just two - down from four - in Parliament.

“Samoa is well ahead in its MDGs (United Nations-stated Millennium Development Goals) but lags behind in this particular measure - a disproportionate number of women in Parliament as opposed to men.”

The Prime Minister did not reveal what the proposed amendments would be, but the practice in other countries is to institute a Parliamentary quota for women.

Though the issue of a gender quota in Parliament has never been publicly debated, there appears to be two opposing arguments. There are those who support it to improve women representation in the Legislature and those who are adamantly against it, in that, seats should be occupied on merit - through general elections - and not solely on gender.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa said that Samoan culture also has a lot of influence in this tradition of having few women in the House.

“Women - meaning mothers - are generally perceived as having a subordinate role to men. They are there to look after the household, to raise the children, making sure that the family genealogy is secure for another generation.

“Today, some women are finding the time to raise families and holding down a full-time job. Some also have political ambitions. Thus the law should be flexible to encourage these women to run for office.

“More women in parliament is always good for legislature and democracy. There are too many men there and the place needs a woman’s touch, a woman’s views on issues.

“I also want Samoa to be the role model for other Pacific Islands in creating some form of representative balance for both men and women in Parliament. I would anticipate that if we make the necessary amendments now, that balance - or a semblance of balance - can be achieved by 2015, the target date for the MDGs.”

Photo Caption: Justice minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa, one of only two women in Samoa’s 49-member Parliament.

(Photo: Solomon Islands Government)

AUSTRALIA: MOU on seasonal workers submitted to Solomon Islands Government

The Australian High Commission has submitted a draft Memorandum of Understanding to the Solomon Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs a week after Australia's recent announcement of including Solomon Islands in it's Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme.

Solomon Islands Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Trade in Honiara, Robert Sisilo says the draft MOU submitted last week sets out arrangements for Solomon Islanders to take up seasonal work in horticulture, particularly fruit picking and other industries.

He says such arrangements fall under Australia's Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme which is carried out over a three year period to see if the programme contributes to development objectives of pacific island countries.

The scheme is expected to contribute to economic development in Solomon Islands through employment experience, remittances and training gained under the scheme.

Mr Sisilo says the draft MOU is an expression of intent and is the first step towards realising this goal.

He says once adopted, both sides will work out details for facilitating the movement of workers from Solomon Islands to Australia and back.

Photo Caption: Solomon Islands Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Robert Sisilo.

KIRIBATI: World Bank approves approves 3rd phase of Kiribati Adaptation Program
Source: World Bank Press Release

Last Thursday (September 15, 2011), The World Bank board approved the third phase of the Kiribati Adaptation Program, KAP III. The Kiribati Adaptation Program - Phase III Project aims to improve the resilience of Kiribati to the climate change impacts on freshwater supply and coastal infrastructure.

Kiribati is a small island country extremely vulnerable to climate change effects such as sea-level rise; and climate-related hazards, such as drought. Most of Kiribati’s population and infrastructure is located along coastal areas, directly exposed to storm surges, coastal erosion and inundation. Increasing saline intrusion in groundwater and prolonged droughts reduce freshwater supply and impact the health of the population, exacerbating the already extreme fragility of the country due to accelerated coastal development and environmental degradation.

Kiribati faces potential economic damages due to climate change and sea level rise of up to one third of its gross domestic product. In addition, due to ongoing droughts and contamination, fresh water supply is very low. Infant mortality rate due to diarrheal diseases in the country is the highest in the Pacific.

“The challenge posed by climate change is nowhere more evident and immediate than in Kiribati,” said Ferid Belhaj, World Bank Country Director for the Pacific, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. “Loss of land and fresh water supplies undermines the basic rights of survival and development of this small island nation”.

“Through this project and together with four development partners we are committed to scaling up our level of engagement to address the most pressing effects of climate change and sea level rise. Improved management of water resources and coastal infrastructure will increase the capacity of Kiribati’s communities to adapt to the unavoidable consequences of climate change,” he said.

The KAP III Project will help improve climate resilience by both strengthening the Government and community’s capacity to manage climate change effects and improving the management and governance of water resources and infrastructure. The project will also focus on increasing community fresh water quality and storage capacity and better protecting targeted coastal areas from storm waves and flooding.

The project will build on the results of the KAP II project, which piloted climate adaptation measures including: the planting of 37,000 mangroves, construction of seawalls to increase coastal protection against the effects of storms and flooding, rain water harvesting and improvements in water supply in selected priority areas.

The $10.8 million KAP III Project will be financed by AusAID, the Global Environment Facility - Least Developed Country Fund, Japan Policy and Human Resources Development Fund, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, and the Government of Kiribati.

(Photo: Joe Gurina / Papua New Guinea Post-Courier)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Arua is Miss Hiri Hanenamo
Source: The National
 

The 2011 Hiri Moale Festival in NCD ended on a high note with the crowning of the Hiri Hanenamo Queen yesterday at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium at Konedobu.

Elevala Lahara contestant Vagi Arua outclassed her 13 rivals by scooping the 2011 crown.

Other awards were given to Alice Daure of Taurama (first runner-up), Kaia Shirley Sam from Poreporena Laurabada (Miss Friendship) and Ranu Veari from Poreporena Laurabada (Miss Fashion).

The 2010 Miss Hanenamo Kaia Hila was among the judges and witnessed the crowning.

The contestants were introduced to the judges and the public last Friday during the opening ceremony.

Dressed in traditional regalia, the ladies had a go at impressing judges with their elegant swaying moves and traditional bilas and tattoo that recall the pride of women in their roles during the Hiri trade between the Motu-Koita and Gulf people.

The festival included the Hanenamo quest and canoe race which was held at Ela Beach last Friday. It was sponsored by the NCDC and the business community.

Photo Caption: Miss Hiri Hanenamo 2011, Vagi Arua.
 

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Community)

WORLDWIDE: SPC organises Pacific regional forestry technical meeting
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Community Press Release

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Land Resource Division (LRD) is organising a three-day technical meeting for senior forestry officials and partners in the region to raise the profile of forestry in the Pacific, and discuss emerging issues, opportunities and possible ways forward.

The Pacific Regional Forestry Technical Meeting, which will be held 21-23 September at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi, will also be the highlight of the Pacific celebration of the International Year of Forests.

In 2006 the UN General Assembly declared 2011 the International Year of Forests as a way of celebrating the important contribution forests make to our well-being and to support efforts towards the promotion of sustainable management, conservation and development of forests worldwide.

During the 2009 Heads of Forestry Meeting and the 2010 Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Services, it was recommended that SPC, through its Land Resources Division, organise regional activities to celebrate the International Year of Forests.

The regional meeting in September is expected to cover the Pacific International Year of Forests celebration and lessons learnt from organising the competition and other events, the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)+ Pacific regional framework, international phytosanitary standards for forestry, sharing and exchange of tree germplasm in the region, and other emerging regional issues, challenges and opportunities.

Two preliminary meetings will be held in the same venue on 19 and 20 September: the inception meeting of the AusAID Project on Strengthening Capacities in Tree Seed Technologies in Pacific Island Countries and a SPC/GIZ, JICA and UN REDD collaborative workshop on REDD+ readiness in the Pacific.

The main objective of the inception meeting is to discuss and plan the project training, research directions, identify key species, develop a work plan and discuss progress on the preparation of the material transfer agreement to improve capabilities in the regional tree seed centre.

The main objectives of the REDD+ workshop are to raise awareness about REDD+, provide updates on REDD+ readiness initiatives in the Pacific, and discuss findings and recommendations of a UN-REDD mission in the Pacific earlier this year.

The outcomes of these preliminary meetings will be taken up in the Pacific Regional Forestry Technical meeting that follows.

These meetings are being organised with funding and technical support from the regional SPC\GIZ Climate Protection through Forest Conservation Project, the United Nations REDD Programme, Japan International Cooperation Agency and AusAID.