NEWSROOM 02 March
2009

(Photos: MAU Forum)

NEW ZEALAND: NZ Premiere - TEMPEST: Without a Body
Source: MAU Forum Press Release
 

(Photos: SamoaTel / International Rugby Board)

SAMOA: Final Toa Samoa squad to face PNG Kumuls announced
Source: SamoaTel International Rugby League Press Release

After further testing and trials last week, Rugby League Samoa announces its final squad to face the PNG Kumuls this Saturday 7 March at Apia Park.

The final team of 20 players moved into the SRU High Performance Unit for camp yesterday evening.

NAME                                  CLUB                                       VILLAGE

01. Maugaloto Palu               Village (Vice Captain)                Saina, Falevao

02. Tile Poutoa                     Barracudas                              Matautu, Vaitele

03. Falesalafai Taulapapa      Parramatta Eels                        Fogapoa, Leone

04. Anesi Seiuli                    Steelers                                   Spapalii, Samauga. Sinamoga

05. Alesana Iosefa               Steelers                                   Saleimoa, Salelologa

06. Pesamino Alauni             Giants                                      Vaimoso

07. Laa Tematau                  West Tigers                              Asau, Samauga

08. Ponifasio Vasa                Saints                                      Sili, Lufilufi

09. Tutasi Masoe                  Saints                                      Lefagaolaii, Asau

10. Lepupa Taualagi             Saints                                      Falevao, Falefa

11. Vaiaga Taiulu                 West Tigers                              Saasaai, Vaitele

12. Afa Lesa                        Saints                                      Avao, Saanapu, Lalovaea

13. Ki Anufe                         Saints                                     Lepea

14. Paul Chan Tung              Saints (Captain)                       Leauvaa, Nuku’alofa, Fugalei

15. Chris Lei Sam                Saints                                      Talimatau, Vaisala

16. Meki Magele                   Saints                                      Iva, Asau

17. Gasolo Salima                Saints                                      Patamea

18. Saina Tiseni                   Saints                                       Lepea, Lefagaoalii

19. Tanielu Pasene               Lions                                        Laulii, Manono

20. Tupu Ulufale                   Saints                                      Salailua, Aopo

Management:

21. Head Coach                    Lauaki Fred Tuilagi                    Fogapoa Fatausi Safotulafai

22. AC-Backs                       Darren Kellet                            Salelologa, Vaivase

23. AC-Conditioning              Leapai Richard Brown                Vaimoso, Tiavea

24. Manager                         Taulealeausum Laavasa Malua   Vaiala,Faletagaloa Safune

25. Physiotherapist               Melanie                                     Eade Siusega

26. Ast. Manager                  Tofilau Henry                            Sataua, Lalomalava, Saleimoa

27. Masseur                         Vaelua Gata                              Sataua, Apia, Vaitele
 

(Photo: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega)

AMERICAN SAMOA: Togiola, Fitial, Faleomavaega send unified message to Congress
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release
 

Congressman Faleomavaega recently announced that he called for an emergency meeting to be held in his Washington office on Monday, February 23, 2009 for purposes of drafting and sending a unified message to Congress and the Administration regarding minimum wage in American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Faleomavaega extended invitations to Governor Togiola and Governor Fitial of CNMI, and also to CNMI’s Delegate Gregorio Sablan.

“I want to thank Governor Togiola and Governor Fitial for making time in their schedules to meet with me on Monday prior to our scheduled Interagency Group on Insular Affairs (IGIA) discussions with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on Tuesday, February 24, 2009,” Faleomavaega said. “Given the urgency and seriousness of the situation, the Governors and I agreed at our emergency meeting that it was important to present Secretary Salazar with a unified message when it comes to resolving minimum wage in American Samoa and CNMI.”

“This is why we spent time drafting, reviewing, and putting a plan in place to present to Secretary Salazar in hopes that he will seriously consider what we have to say. We also prepared similar letters to Chairman Daniel K. Inouye of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Chairman George Miller of the House Education and Labor Committee, Chairman Edward Kennedy Committee of the Senate HELP Committee, and Chairman Jeff Bingaman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. At the IGIA meeting, Secretary Salazar assured us he will carefully review this matter.”

The Governors and Faleomavaega concluded their letter by stating, “Without the Administration’s support, American Samoa and CNMI could become welfare wardens of the federal government. But, because our people want and deserve better, I am hopeful that the Administration will stand with us by supporting the inclusion of language in the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill which is respectful of the intent of P.L. 110-28 but which also protects our local economies.”

Photo Caption: Congressman Faleomavaega, Governor Fitial, and Governor Togiola.
 

(Photo: SportingPulse)

COOK ISLANDS: Mac Mokoroa new Pacific Mini Games CEO
Source: Cook Islands News

Mac Mokoroa has confirmed that he will take up the position of 2009 Pacific Mini Games chief executive officer.

While retaining his current job as the Office of the Prime Minister chief of staff, Mokoroa says that his main role as the games CEO is to make sure that the Cook Islands delivers a high quality mini games.

Cabinet endorsed Mokoroa as the games CEO on February 16 while he was in Tonga and since arriving back home, Mokoroa has begun to immerse himself in all aspects of the games.

But before Mokoroa can make any real decisions on the organising of the games, he says he must first meet with the nine games directors.

“My main role as the games CEO is to make sure we deliver a quality and successful mini games,” says Mokoroa.

He says that being the games CEO will mean making a lot of important decisions and in order for him to make effective decisions he wants to maintain the ‘linkages’ between government, the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee and the 22 regional countries preparing for the games.

Mokoroa says that he will set up his new office in the old cabinet room at the back of the OPM and will be boosting support staff numbers to help deliver the games.

“I will be seconding staff from other government departments so we have a unit to deliver these games,” says Mokoroa.

Mokoroa, a keen golden oldies rugby player, says that since the word spread on his new position, he has received a lot of support from people offering their services in support.

He will begin meeting with the nine directors today and says that he hopes to take plans that are currently in draft form and put them into action in order to deliver a great competition.
 

(Photo: Fiji Times)

FIJI: Fiji health officials start third dose of anti-cervical cancer drug
Source: Radio New Zealand International

Fiji health officials are rushing to vaccinate girls with the last dose of the anti-cervical cancer drug, Gardasil, before it expires in June.

The International drug manufacturer, Merck, has donated the vaccine against the human papillomarvirus.

It was initially targeted at 30,000 nine to twelve year old girls, but was extended to up to twenty year olds due to a low uptake.

The adviser on family health at Fiji’s Health Ministry Dr Josiah Samuela says they have now vaccinated about 23,000 girls with the first two doses.

Dr Samuela says health teams are now in the final stage of the vaccination campaign.

“The school health team nurses have started to give the third and final dose of Gardasil. Our focus now is to give the third dose to girls who have had the first and second doses.”

Dr Josiah Samuela expects there’ll be between 2 and 5 thousand doses left over when the vaccine expires in four months.

Photo Caption: So far, about 23,000 girls have been vaccinated with the first two doses of Gardasil says adviser on family health at Fiji’s Health Ministry, Dr Josiah Samuela.
 

WORLDWIDE: Strong Pacific NGO contingent at United Nations CSW
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

The 53rd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) opens today in New York and runs until Friday 13 March 2009 with the theme “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men including care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS.”

In attendance will be a strong NGO contingent from the Pacific, eight of whom were chosen for support from the UNDP Pacific Centre following an open merit based process.

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, Veena Singh Bryar (both of femLINKPACIFIC), Angeline Chand (Pacific Disability Forum), Edward Yamai (Anglicare STOPAIDS PNG), Peone Fuimaono (Samoa AIDS Foundation), Kairangi Samuela (Cook Islands Women’s Counseling Centre), Ofa ki-Levuka-Guttenbeil-Likiliki (Tonga National Centre for Women and Children) and Imelda Nakamura (VOICES Palau) have already begun working in New York to raise the profile of Pacific diversities and complexities, highlighting issues relating to the status of women in the 3 sub regions of the Pacific, and addressing the issue of care giving between women and men in the context of HIV and AIDS, keeping with the priority theme for CSW 53.

The eight Pacific NGOs are guided by key regional, sub-regional and national priorities identified at the Pacific Regional NGO/CSO training and Strategy Session for CSW 53, convened by the UNDP Pacific Centre in September 2008, and attended by more than 35 participants representing NGOs/CSO from 12 Pacific island Countries (Cook Islands, Fiji, FSM, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu ), as well as by local and national level preparations to ensure input and participation by all stakeholders, especially from rural communities and minority groups.

"It has already been an intense three days of preparation and collaboration for our input to the Pacific Forum statement and I am excited and looking forward to participating in the sessions during the next two weeks,” said Imelda Nakamura of VOICES in Palau.

For VOICES which focuses on the human rights and empowerment of women in Palau, Nakamura is looking forward to bringing back the experiences and lessons learnt from the regional and global level to assist in making change at the local and national level.

"This is an opportunity for VOICES to be part of an international policy event such as CSW and to network with Pacific sisters and expand our horizons with international counterparts,” she added.

Angie Chand of the Pacific Disability Forum says that coming to the UN for the first time and in particular to the CSW is an opportunity to be able to highlight the issues faced by women and girls with disabilities.

“It is also an opportunity to establish networks with other organizations and seek support for the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities especially by Pacific Governments, following the lead of Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand,” she added.

For femLINKPACIFIC this is an opportunity to make the Pacific more visible in the international agenda.

"This is a valuable opportunity to work alongside our government counterparts in the Pacific missions and create greater visibility of Pacific women's ongoing efforts to implement policy commitments such as the Beijing Platform for Action, as well as UN Security Council resolution 1325, which is critical for the women we work with in Fiji, Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Tonga," says Coordinator, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls.

Suki Beavers, Human Rights Specialist with the UNDP Pacific Centre who is coordinating training and mentoring for the Pacific NGOs throughout CSW 53, noted that the NGOs have already begum making courtesy calls to their respective Missions to outline priority issues and perspectives for Pacific NGOs, and to offer their individual and collective support to Pacific Missions and delegations participating at CSW 53.

Background:
The Commission on the Status of Women (hereafter referred to as “CSW” or “the Commission”) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.

CSW 53 will focus on three themes. The priority theme is; ‘The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including care giving in the context of HIV/AIDS.’ The review theme for this year is; ‘Equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels,’ and the emerging issue is; ‘The gender perspectives of the financial crisis.’