NEWSPAGE 21 December
2009

(Photos: Embassy of the United States of America)

NEW ZEALAND: New Ambassador’s first event features Samoan talent

(Photos: Ofusina Ieremia)

SAMOA: SUNGO’s AGM elects a new Executive Council
Source: Samoa Umbrella for Non Governmental Organisations Press Release

The Samoa Umbrella for Non Governmental Organisations (SUNGO) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday 17th December 2009 at the Fetuolemoana Hall, Mulivai where its Audited Financial Accounts for the year 2008-2009 including the annual Budget and Work Plan for the year 2009-2010 were tabled and approved by its members.

More than 50 member organisations with two to three representatives per organisation attended the AGM. Members came from the urban and rural areas in both Upolu and Savaii. They assessed the progress to date of SUNGO members’ developments and made decisions in the future direction of SUNGO in relation to achieving its Vision and Mission in its Strategic Plan 2006-2011.

The SUNGO members elected a new Executive Council to govern the organisation for the next two year period. It is evident that the members were satisfied with the performance of its previous Executive and except for one who was off island; the rest of the previous SUNGO Executive was re elected for another term.

Office Bearers:
National President: Vaasiliifiti Moelagi Jackson (Faasao Savaii Society)
Vice President: Ioane Iosefo Vui (Fiaola Crisis Centre)
National Secretary: Seumanuula Moana Clarke (Animal Protection Society - APS)
National Treasurer: Raymond Voigt (Beekeepers Associations of Samoa Incorporation - BASI)

Board Members:
Papalii Viopapa Annandale (Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women Association - PPSEAWA)
Rev. Ieriko Sopoaga (Alamagoto Youth Group)
Rev. Reupena Leau (Piu Community Development)
Namulauulu Dr Nuualofa Tuuau Potoi (Gataula Primary Health Care - GPHC)
Nynette Sass (Samoa Hotel Association - SHA)
Mailo Sio Pesamino (Vaiusu Catholic Youth Group)
Fuimaono Naoia Oli Schuster (Pasefika Mana Social Services)

Reserve Board Members:
Ainsof So’o (Rotaract Club of Apia)
Leiataua Katifa Bryce (Komiti Tumama)
Falanaipupu Dan Aiafi (Faataua Le Ola)

A unique feature of SUNGO’s AGM this year is the utilisation of the opportunity of having so many NGO leaders and representatives available at any one time and place to further develop and action the partnership between the Ministry of Health and its partners in the NGO setting through the Health Sector Wide Approach (SWAp). During the breaks and at the completion of the AGM, there were two focus group discussion sessions on “Prevention of Non Communicable Diseases through promoting and advocating for Healthy Living - Lifestyles” based on a Primary Health Care - Healthy Island - Healthy Samoa - whole system approach. Hence, the leadership and resource support of the Ministry of Health through the SWAp Program is hereby gratefully acknowledged.

For more details, please do not hesitate to contact our office on 22804.

Photo Caption: SUNGO members after the AGM 2009.

AMERICAN SAMOA: American Samoa to receive nearly $30 million from jobs bill
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release

Congressman Faleomavaega announced recently that on December 16, 2009, the House passed, by a vote of 217-212, legislation to boost employment and provide fiscal relief to local governments. The “Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010” would cost $154 billion to be paid for with money redirected from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) that would have otherwise been used to bail out Wall Street firms.

“I want to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic House leadership for this bill to provide additional aid to help struggling families make ends meet. In these tough economic times, it is important to recognize the challenges facing many families across the nation,” Faleomavaega said.

“I also want to commend my fellow delegates for their joint effort and hard work to ensure that the residents of the Territories are covered. More than 4 million Americans reside in the Territories and they face the same economic challenges experienced by many across the United States,” Faleomavaega added.

American Samoa stands to receive close to $30 million under several provisions of the new jobs bill. Some of the programs and amounts that would benefit American Samoa are as follows:

• $4.5 million for highway infrastructure restoration, repair, construction and other activities under the Territorial Highway program
• $ 411,917 for activities to improve public transportation
• $ 863,500 under the Clean Water State Revolving Funds
• $247,500 under the Safe Drinking Water program
• $19 million under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund for school improvements and other eligible projects
• $1.9 million additional cap on Medicaid spending

“I am grateful that Congress recognizes the challenges facing families and communities in American Samoa. Especially in light of the current economic downturn this bill continues the road to recovery already in place under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA),” Faleomavaega added.

“With the House now in recess for the Holidays, the Senate is expected to take up the jobs bill sometimes early next year. I will continue to follow this issue closely,” Faleomavaega concluded.
 

COOK ISLANDS: Direct flight from Australia to start next year
Source: Cook Islands News

The first direct Sydney-Rarotonga Air New Zealand flight will be trialed from July next year.

Tourism minister Robert Wigmore announced the exciting new initiative, along with the ongoing commitment to the 2010-2011 direct Air NZ Los Angeles-Rarotonga flight yesterday.

The idea of a weekly, direct Sydney-Rarotonga-Sydney flight has been on CI Tourism’s agenda for quite some time and it is now going to happen, said the minister.

Cabinet has approved a financial guarantee to be put in place to enable an Air NZ B767 direct flight to operate for a trial period of four months between July and October 2010 along with an additional advertising and marketing budget to ensure the direct flight is a success.

It is understood cabinet approved an extra $1 million for marketing, around $400,000 of which will be used to promote the new flight.

The minister said he is confident the direct Sydney flight will generate visitor growth from the Australian market which will ensure an ongoing direct flight is commercially viable and can be extended over time.

It will also open up the possibility of Cook Islands agricultural products including fresh fish to be freighted to the huge Australian consumer market on a weekly basis with potential growth opportunities for our local farmers.

CI Tourism chief executive officer John Dean has praised government for supporting the proposal to grow the economy through increased visitor arrivals, particularly from a market the size of Australia.

Dean said that since taking on his position with CI Tourism in April last year, it has been his personal commitment to make this direct flight a reality and it will establish Australia as a core short haul market over the years ahead.

“It is exciting and wonderful news for the Cook Islands, as Australians visitors have good length of stay, spend is high and approximately 80 percent visit one of the outer islands, mainly Aitutaki.”

CI Tourism in conjunction with the tourism industry and the major wholesalers in Australia and Air NZ are now in the process of planning the advertising and marketing campaign which will start early in the New Year to put the thought of a Cook Islands holiday on the radar very early in the holiday destination decision-making process.
 

(Photos: Fiji Times)

FIJI: Kwadjo new UBO Intercontinental super middle-weight champion
Source: Fiji Times

Joseph Kwadjo is the new Universal Boxing Organisation Intercontinental super middle-weight champion after he defeated Zulfikar Joy Ali on points at the Vodafone Arena last night.

Kwadjo came out strongly from the opening bell and never allowed Ali time to settle by using his strong jabs to pile up his points.

The win for the Ghanaian also settles the score of the best local in the super middleweight division.

Kwadjo said after the fight that he was now looking forward to his UBO Super Middleweight title fight against Vanuatu's Kali Jacob.

"I'm happy that I've managed to win this fight and now I want to bring the world title fight to Fiji," Kwadjo said after the fight.

"This win is special for me. It's for the people of Fiji who have always been behind me."

Ali said he was ready for a return match.

"I was not happy with my fight today but I'm willing to take him in another fight next year," Ali said.

"But I'm not out. I will return with a better performance next time."

Kwadjo's trainer Gyan Singh said his boxer had proven himself against the best in Fiji and now they were ready for the big time.

"I'm happy with the win but Kwadjo could have finished the fight much earlier," Singh said.

"He has shown the boxing fans that he is the best in Fiji at the mom-ent and we're ready for whatever comes up next."

When asked if Kwadjo was ready to take on Vanuatu's Jacobs, Singh they would take up the offer if it came their way.

"Jacobs is the Vanuatu champion and now Kwadjo is the Fiji champ but if he is willing to fight Kwadjo then bring it on," Singh said.

Referee Reginald Leca said the fight was one of the best he had officiated in the country.

Leca said Ali used a lot of his time covering up and didn't throw as many punches as Kwadjo.

The three judges Jeremaia Ledua, Laurie Glozier and Steve Miles from New Zealand gave the fight to Kwadjo on unanimous points.

Photo Caption: On top of the world ... Joseph Kwadjo is carried by his support group after beating Zulfikar Joy Ali to win the Universal Boxing super middleweight intercontinental title at the Vodafone Arena in Suva on Saturday night.
 

(Photos: Shobhna Decloitre / United Nations Development Programme)

KIRIBATI: The rising sea, the changing tides in Kiribati
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

Boobu Tioram has dismantled and moved his house three times in the past nine years. It was either this, or watch his home get washed away by the Pacific Ocean. The two room home is made from a mismatched collection of pieces of corrugated iron and old wooden boards nailed together. Some walls have empty sacks pinned to them on the outside to cover the holes.

Every night as Boobu prepares to sleep, he listens to the waves crash into the sea wall he built to protect his house and wonders how soon he will have to move again.

Fifty year old Boobu, a retired carpentry and joinery teacher, lives with his wife and two teenage sons in Temaiku, minutes way from the international airport in South Tarawa, Kiribati.

Rising sea levels that claim land on which houses are build and invade fresh water wells and plantations pose a threat to the very existence of many people living on low lying atolls in countries like Kiribati and Tuvalu. The highest point in Kiribati is only two meters above the sea level.

If the sea keeps moving in, where will people relocate to? That is the main question the minds of Boobu and his family, as well as others who are seeing their backyards eroded away daily. Close to half of Kiribati’s population, currently estimated at 110,000, lives on South Tarawa, leaving very little space available to relocate to.

“I have had to move my house three times since 2000 and I will have to move again when the sea claims this land. But apart from moving the house inland and building seas walls to protect it, what else can I do? This is my ancestral lands and I have nowhere else to go,” says Boobu.

The sea has already claimed a public road in Temaiku. Yet, people from the outer islands keep flocking to this area to stay.

Tiiroi, a mother of two is a new to the settlement. She moved to Temaiku, where her family’s ancestral land is, at the beginning of this year. The biggest difference she finds from the time she grew up a little girl is Tarawa is the scarcity of water.

“There are wells in this settlement that only have salty water. Neighbours who live a little bit away from the sea allow us to get drinking water from their well,” the 27 year-old said, speaking through an interpreter, adding that she has also been troubled to see trees dying.

“Headless” coconut palms are a sad sight to see in parts of Kiribati. Denuded of their splendid fronds, these dying coconut palms look like sticks stuck in the earth. This has been brought about by the tides coming in daily and partly submerging the palms. Unable to keep up with this changing climate, the coconut palms are dying a slow death.

The President of Kiribati, Anton Tong is well aware of the challenges posed by beach erosion, sea level rise and contamination of fresh water sources to his country.

“A lot of people are asking the government to do something. What we are saying that we cannot do all of this because we do not have the resources. What government will do is provide protection for the public infrastructure but for private property, I am afraid we really do not have the resources to be able to do that.”

He has told Kiribati’s stories at the United Nations and on the world stage at different meetings. President Tong expects the Copenhagen Climate talks, currently underway, to have specific provisions for dealing with the “victims of climate change”.

“We never wish to be refugees. And we would be refugees if we do not do anything now,” said President Tong. He is encouraging the I Kiribati to get good education so that if they want to migrate to leave Kiribati for other countries, they can “migrate with dignity”.

Climate change has made the people of Kiribati very vulnerable. Adding to this vulnerability is the impact of the global economic crisis on Kiribati. The Asian Development Bank noted in December 2008 that Kiribati was among the most vulnerable Pacific Island countries. This is due to country specific factors like a weak export outlook, high inflation rates as well as fragile fiscal and current account positions. Remittance from the I Kiribati working on foreign fishing vessels is one of Kiribati’s main sources of income earners. However, fallen due to the decrease in value of the US dollar, this income has decreased significantly.

Kiribati is also highly dependent on food imports. Food imports make up 36% of total food expenditure in Kiribati, the report “Protecting Pacific Island Children and Women During Economic and Food Crises,” states, and it clarifies that in South Tarawa food import dependency is around 61%. This further adds to the vulnerability of the I Kiribati.

The report, does point out that the tide can change for the vulnerable in Kiribati as well as other countries of the region. It recommends that social protection measures be put in place to protect the most vulnerable, and build resilience in the region to face other changing economic tides.

Pacific leaders will meet and discuss various aspects of the global economic and financial crisis in their countries in a regional meeting in Vanuatu next year. The Pacific conference on the Human Face of the Global Economic Crisis will be held in Port Vila from February 10 - 12 and will be attended by Pacific governments, NGOs/CSOs, parliamentarians, women and youth groups and development partners.

Climate change and green growth will feature at this conference. It is not just Kiribati, but the Pacific region as a whole that faces the risk of further erosion of its people’s livelihoods brought about by climate change. The climate change and green growth session of the conference, which will be held on the second day, will discuss strategies of environmentally sustainable development in the Pacific.

Meanwhile, Boobu and his family carry on with their daily lives, keeping a worried eye on the sea and wondering when the tide will turn against them.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Boobu’s house, which he has been forced to dismantle and move three times in the past nine years due to rising sea levels.

Photo 2 - Boobu reinforces the seawall protecting his house.

Photo 3 - Denuded coconut palms on Abaiang island.