NEWSROOM 06 June
2008
 
 
 
     
 

(Photos: MPIA)

  
 
 
  NEW ZEALAND: Pacific sporting achievement celebrated
 Source: MPIA Press Release
 
Pacific Island Affairs Minister Luamanuvao Winnie Laban said she was extremely proud to see that our Pacific sports stars were finalists at last night's Dominion Post Wellington Sportsperson of the Year Awards.

"The awards are an opportunity to celebrate and recognise excellence andachievements in sport in the Wellington region, acknowledging the contribution of athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and administrators from all levels of sport," Laban said.

Victor Vito was a finalist for the Emerging Sportsperson of the Year, and both Ma'a Nonu and Frances Solia were finalists for the Personality of the Year award.

"Who could forget Victor's winning try at the Wellington 2008 NZI Sevens.  While he destroyed Samoa supporters' hopes of victory, he gave all of us Kiwis much to celebrate.

"Both Ma'a and Frances are known for their big smiles, supporting their communities and their enthusiasm and leadership," said Laban.

"It is fantastic that these three top sportspeople who are role models and ambassadors for our Pacific communities were recognised for their enormous contribution to both the Wellington region and our nation," Laban said.

Photo Captions: Sports Awards Pacific nominees.
 		  
 
 
     
 

(Photos: SICA)

  
 
 
  SAMOA: Sunshine and Tornados will battle it out in this week’s final
 Source: SICA Press Release
 
The Senior Men’s Cricket Competition hosted its semi finals on Saturday, with the two winning teams moving through to the final on Independence Day weekend.

Sunshine proved too strong for the Wanderers in the first semi as they cruised on into next weeks final. Experienced opening bowler and father of two of his team mates, Konelio demolished the Wanderers line up, finishing with 3/5 from 8 overs. Not one player from the Wanderers could manage to score double figures. After 24 overs, the Wanderers were all out for a miserable 31 runs.

The second innings went exceptionally quick; Sunshine was obviously in a hurry to finish the game. Skipper and opening batter Peni Oka hit the winning runs and top scored, finishing with 12 not out including one 6. The innings was over after 5.3 overs and Sunshine will play off in the
final this Saturday.

On the other side of the Garden Cricket Ovals, the Tornados battled it out against the Phantoms. The Tornados won the toss and elected to bat. Opening batter Chris Derrick led the way, finishing with 26 runs. Phantoms bowler Asi was pick of the bunch, dismissing 3/18 from 8 overs. The
Tornados finished with a total of 77 runs.

The Phantoms didn’t get off to a very good start, losing 5 wickets in the first 6 overs. Captain of the Phantoms Tau, steadied the ship and hit a strong 27 runs after being dismissed for LBW. Batters coming in at number 8 and 9 for the Phantoms, Matautia and Misi began to hit out and really put the Phantoms back in the game; they both finished with 12 runs a piece. With no wickets in hand and 20 runs to win the game, spectators watched on as the two teams fought it out for a spot in the final. The Tornados were starting to feel the pressure as they missed opportunities in the field to claim the last wicket. The Phantoms were sitting on 74 runs, only 4 runs away from victory. Tornados all rounder Ed Langham took the ball in the 23rd over. The first delivery was hit by the batsmen who sky rocketed the ball straight into the air. Tornados wicket keeper Mika took the catch, securing a place in the final for the Tornados.

This Saturday 31st May, Sunshine will compete against the Tornados in the final of the Senior Men’s Cricket Competition. These two teams battled it out earlier this year during the Inaugural Lightning Cup Twenty20, where Sunshine finished victorious. The Tornados will be looking to turn the tables this Independence Day weekend, as Sunshine will aim to continue their good form and take home the first prize.

Results:
Semi-Final 1 - Sunshine 2/32 defeated Wanderers 31
Best Player - Konelio 3/5 off 8 overs (Sunhine)

Semi-Final 2 - Tornados 77 defeated Phantoms 73
Best Players - Chris Derrick 6/25 & 26 runs (Tornados)

Photo Caption: Tornados captian Frank Griffin ready to hit another boundary; Wanderers
captain Sone Taisala attacks the batters with his pace.
 		  
 
 
  AUSTRALIA: Australia Supports Women Leaders in the Pacific
 Source: eGov Monitor
 
Australia will work with Pacific Governments and the UN to strengthen women's leadership in the region.

Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, said women are significantly under-represented in decision-making positions in the Pacific.

'An average 2.5 per cent of members of parliaments in the Pacific region are women, compared with a world average of 17.7 per cent,' said Mr McMullan.

'In addition, of the 25 countries with the lowest percentage of women in parliament, 10 are in the Pacific region. This program is an important step in addressing this significant challenge in the Pacific.'

The Australian Government will provide $6.2 million for the women's leadership program in the Pacific over five years in partnership with the UN Development Fund for Women, which seeks to achieve gender equality in developing countries.

'We will train women at a local level in governance and leadership issues, undertake research on the barriers and successful pathways to women's leadership and develop communication and training materials for use in the region,' said Mr McMullan.

The capacity of governments in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to develop their own programs and work with civil society organisations to undertake research and training will also be strengthened.

'The partnership recognises the importance of gender equality to good development outcomes and to achieving the Millennium Development Goals,' said Mr McMullan.

The World Bank says there is strong evidence that gender equality and women's empowerment lead to the fulfilment of other Millennium Development Goals such as universal primary education, lower under-five mortality, improved maternal health, and lower likelihood of contracting HIV.

Improved gender equality reduces poverty and directly stimulates growth by helping more women become productive paid workers. It also has beneficial effects on child well-being.
 		  
 
 
     
 

(Photos: UNDP)

  
 
 
  AROUND THE WORLD: Polynesian Countries Introduced to MDG Costing Tools
 Source: UNDP Press Release
 
The presentation of tools to assist in improving the planning, costing and budgeting for policy initiatives and interventions towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were amongst the highlights of a workshop for Polynesian countries that ended in Rarotonga today.

The Sub-Regional workshop on MDG-based Planning, Costing and Budgeting for Polynesian Countries, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre brought together 50 government officials from departments of finance, planning, education, gender and environment as well as civil society representatives from five Polynesian countries - Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga.

The workshop addressed how local and national plans can be linked to the MDGs. Workshop participants were also introduced to the sectoral costing tools that have been jointly developed by the UNDP Bureau of Development Policy and the UNDP Regional Centres in Colombo and Bangkok, and which are presently used in over 22 countries globally.

"The MDG costing tools support governments to estimate expenditure in education, health, gender, energy, environment, and infrastructure and other sectors and also support prioritisation of interventions and policy options," said the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Samoa, Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue, Naheed Haque.

The sectoral tools allow governments to plan and cost the outcomes they wish to achieve in the areas of education, health, energy, water and sanitation and other sectors. The tools allow governments to test a variety of scenarios to determine what might be both achievable and affordable with the available funding and capacity constraints that they face. The use of such
planning methodologies and costing tools should enable governments to improve both efficiency and effectiveness in the use of its domestic and external resources.

Ms Haque emphasized to all participants that the workshop was not a one-off event; rather it was intended to further increase awareness and develop national capacities in policy, planning and budgeting at the national and sector levels.

The final day of the workshop saw participants from the five countries sharing their planning and budgeting processes and ideas on how the costing tools could be of assistance to them. The civil society representatives who attended the workshop also discussed how they could work with their
governments to better plan, cost, budget and monitor the achievement of development goals.

The workshop was the third in a series which started last year; the first targeted countries in the North Pacific and was held in June in Pohnpei; the second for countries in the Western Pacific was held in Honiara in November. The sub regional workshops are built upon a foundation established during a regional MDG-based workshop organized in October 2006 for the 15 Pacific countries covered by the three UNDP Country Offices and the UNDP Pacific Centre.

Following the MDG sub regional training in the Pacific region many governments have expressed great interest in using the MDG costing tools to better address their development priorities. UNDP Pacific Centre in co-operation with UNDP country offices and other United Nations and partner agencies will be developing a programme to provide capacity development and technical assistance in the use of MDG costing tools to improve national policy, planning and budgeting practices.

Photo Caption: Tupou Vere. Remmy Rikken.
 		  
 
 
     
     
 

(Photos: MAJ Tauapa'i Mika Laupola)

  
 
 
  USA: FT Bragg hosts “Dawn of the Youth 2008” Fellowship
 Source: MAJ Tauapa'i Mika Laupola
 
“When the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12).

The Samoans at Ft Bragg, NC fulfilled a dream on 23-25 May 2008. “Dawn of the Youth 2008” was the theme fashioned by the Youth Leaders of the Ft Bragg Samoan Community to enhance the spiritual life of service members and their families and to promote the Samoan culture and language during this time of war.

Those who were able to attend included Pastor Filipo Sualevai and the Samoan Christian Fellowship of Salvation of God of Augusta, Georgia; Pastor Fatu Hugo and the Samoan Christian Fellowship of Jacksonville, North Carolina; a delegation of Samoan families and friends from
Washington DC led by Dr Tapaautasi Erika Puni and Honorable Congressman Faleomavaega E F Hunkin; and a group of Samoan families and friends from Norfolk, Virginia led by Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Iakopo Poyer.

The guest speaker for this special event was Dr Tapaautasi Erika Puni who is the Director of the Stewardship Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Dr Puni is the first Samoan to be elected to this post. His ministry began as a pastor in Samoa and New Zealand. He received his MA in Religion from Loma Linda University, and a MA in Missiology and PhD in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is married to the lovely Maxine Simeti and they have a beautiful 2-year-old daughter Janae-Grace.

Honorary guest was Honorable Congressman Faleomavaega E F Hunkin who was also the guest speaker for the 18th Airborne Corps Asian Pacific Celebration in Ft Bragg, NC on 27 May 2008.

The Fellowship started with a worship service on Friday evening to welcome guests followed with a lavish dinner provided by the Ft Bragg Youth Group. SFC Taisi Steffany-Alosu’esu’emanogi, Ft Bragg Youth Minister took this opportunity to discuss the schedule for the fellowship.

Saturday began with breakfast at 8:00am at the Watters Center, Ft Bragg and was immediately followed by the Youth service led by SFC Steffany-Alosu’esu’emanogi. SFC Isaako Lefotu Milo, Youth minister for the Samoan Christian Fellowship of Salvation of God Augusta, Georgia
delivered the message for the service emphasizing the importance of holding steadfast in preparation for life whether in church, family or government. Spiritual skits and items by various youth groups concluded the service. Perhaps the most memorable of all these spiritual items was
the one performed by the small children from Augusta, Georgia. A little girl led the group of small children asking questions about the importance of the use of nails in every-day life. The message was in reference to our Savior Jesus Christ who was nailed to the cross to cleanse the world
of sin. The children gave emphasis to how something bad can be turned into something good.

The Ft Bragg Youth Group opened the cultural Night with an ava ceremony. Traditional ceremonial steps where taken to ensure the validity of this sacred Samoan ceremony. The process of pulsing the audience (fa’atau) as to who will address the gathering was conducted and a consensus was given to MAJ Tauapai Laupola. Georgina Laupola was chosen to prepare the ava
(ceremonial drink), with SSG Taumua Faasiusiuga and SFC Faamausili Tausala as her attendants. CW1 Tausose Tupua gave a beautiful biblical poetry (solo ava) while SGT Lavea Haseni, who has a “tatau” distributed the ava to the dignitaries.

Honorable Congressman Faleomavaega paid tribute to SSG (P) Sualauvi Tuimalealiifano II before he drank his ava. This Toa o Samoa has two tours to Iraq and a third one to Afghanistan in which he was paralyzed from injuries sustained in the summer of 2007. He was hospitalized until
recently when he returned home to Ft Bragg.

Special acknowledgment was given to the five Toa o Samoa who made the All-Army Volleyball team. They are SFC Tausala Faamausili, coach/player (Ft Lewis. WA), John Quinn (Hawaii), SGT Doreen Fiaui (Ft Bragg, North Carolina), SGT Yorhena Panama (Ft Hood, Texas), SPC Losi Le’iato (Ft Leavenworth, Kansas).

Cultural night ended with beautiful performances by each youth group that attended. The youth group from Jacksonville, North Carolina kicked off the night with various Polynesian dances led by Pastor Fatu Hugo. Washington DC youth entertained the audience with a special mime dance
performed by Luteru Te’o with the supporting cast of Isapela Coggins, Niko Mageo, Tupa’i & Aliki Lavea Sina Solomona and Luane Te’o. Augusta, Georgia youth groups’ performance was the equivalent of those variety shows in Samoa and Hawaii. The passion and enthusiasm behind the
performance by Augusta, Georgia’s youth group was felt throughout the audience. Not to be outdone by the incoming youth groups, Ft Bragg’s performance made up of soldiers and family members captured the attention of the audience with the young ladies beautiful traditional wear of fine mats complimented by the sei fulumoa (feather headdress) while the young men wore a colorful ie lavalava with a fusi siapo. The choreography of the Samoan dances and spiritual items for Ft Bragg were taught by SGT Doreen Fiaui, Georgina Laupola, Emerald and SPC Rapi Leota, Alexandria Ponafala, Desi Bartley and SFC Taisi Steffany-Alosu’esu’emanogi.

Pastor Filipo Sualevai conducted the church service on Sunday. The reading of the scripture was by Pastor Fatu Hugo while Reverend Sani Taetuli said the prayer. Dr Tapaau Erika Puni gave the sermon entitled “Samoan Dreamers”. He accentuated the fact that God plants dreams in
leaders hearts; dreams and visions are gifts from God to everybody (men & women); these gifts are given as part of a spiritual restoration of the faith community; and God will raise visionary leaders for the church and nation. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18
(KJV). He concluded by providing five key points to dreaming for success: Set a goal today (James 4:13), Work hard (Ecclesiastes 9:10), Stay focused (Philippians 3:13-14), Persevere always (Matthew 24:13), and Trust God (Proverbs 3:5-6). Dr Puni concluded his sermon by paying tribute on memorial Sunday to Toa o Samoa who paid the ultimate sacrifice as well as
those standing guard in the name of freedom by quoting President John F Kennedy (1961), “And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. “Toa Samoa and Samoan youth, ask not what your country and God can do for you, ask what you can do for your country and God” and Dr Martin Luther King Jr, “I had a dream”. The church service was followed by the to’ana’i and fa'aaloaloga for those who attended the fellowship.

The Samoan community in Ft Bragg worked hard to make their dream of a Fellowship with fellow Samoans within the U.S. a reality. The journey to make it a success was not an easy one, but Ft Bragg persevered. “When the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12).

Ft Bragg Samoan Dancers: SFC Taisi Steffany-Alosu’esu’emanogi (Youth Minister) and family, CSM Tuileama Nua (Chairman) and family, CW5 Totolua Yandall and family, CW1 Tauasose Tupua (Secretary) and family, Lucia Bartley (Youth President) and family, SSG Fa’asi’usi’uga Taumua (Youth VP), SGT Doreen Fiaui (Youth Leader), SPC Rapi Leota & Mrs Emerald Leota
(Youth Leader) and family, SGT Michael Pless and Mrs Brenda Pless (Treasurer) and family, Gafatasi Fuimaono Ponafala and Mrs Anna Ponafala and family, SFC Tausala Faamausili, SGT Lavea Haseni, SPC Jeremiah Vaioletama, PFC Nephi Isumu, PFC Meaalofa Tiatia, PFC Justin Talalotu, SPC Angel Fofoa, SGT Yorhena Panama, SPC Losi Le’iato, SPC Tulua Alefosio, Fiti Matu’u and family, Taima Tupua and family, Tiara Buckingham and family, Reverend Sani Taetuli and Mrs Mele Taetuli, SGM John Letuli, MAJ Tauapai Laupola and family.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1: Jonnsie Sualevai performing the Taualuga while Faleni Mageo led the finale for Augusta Georgia's performance during the Ft Bragg's Fellowship.

 Photo 2: Aliki Lavea, Pela Enesi, Aoteroa Sualevai, Lucia Bartley, Dr Erika Puni Sa Noble after Ft Bragg's Fellowship church service.

 Photo 3: Shannon and SSG Tuimalealiifano II, Dr Erika Puni. Back Row; SSG Taumua Lucia Bartley, SFC Steffany Alo, Congressman SFC Faamausili at the church service during Ft Bragg's Fellowship.

 Photo 3: Ft Bragg's Youth Group Performing during its Fellowship.
 		  
 
 
     
     
 

(Photos: SPREP)

  
 
 
  VANUATU: Vanuatu’s voice at CBD COP9
 Source: SPREP Press Relase

The first week of the 9th Conference of the Parties on the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD COP9) has come to an end in Bonn, Germany. For Vanuatu, one of the Pacific islands countries attending the international event, the conference has been a combination of a learning experience as well as a positive step toward preserving Vanuatu’s biodiversity.

“We’ve had good discussions, for a lot of these issues we see Vanuatu as being able to move on,” said Touasi Tiwok, the Senior Biodiversity Officer of the Vanuatu Environment Unit. “We’ve made contact with people that we can talk to in order to raise our issues with them and see if they would like to work with us in helping to address them.”

For Vanuatu, their concerns at the CBD COP9 are islands biodiversity, forest biodiversity, agricultural biodiversity, marine and coastal conservation and access and benefits sharing. Vanuatu were unable to join with their colleagues from the Pacific in the preparatory meeting held in April in Samoa, however have been working hard to maintain and strengthen their contacts and networks while in Bonn, Germany.

“Vanuatu has made contact with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Our links are now close that we can work in common with each other for a programme on agricultural biodiversity because for us, that is one of our bigger issues.”

Tiwok encourages all Pacific islands countries and territories to attend future CBD COP meetings in order for the Pacific voice to be seen as stronger and more persuasive.

“I think it is important for all Pacific islands countries that are a party to this to send a representative, so as a whole our Pacific positions and concerns are raised in terms of biodiversity. Most of the economies of our Pacific countries rely on biodiversity. We must raise
this issue together, to be heard.”

Photo Caption: SPREPs Kate Brown Vitolio, Vanuatu's Touasi Tiwok, SPC's Dr Mary Taylor;   Nelson Bako, James Graham, Kate Brown Vitolio, Benny Gowen; SPC's Dr Mary Taylor, Vanuatu's Touasi Tiwok, SPREPs Kate Brown Vitolio.
 		  
 
 
     

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