Aug 24 2015

Bougainville Communications : New Investment connects 300 + Bougainville public servants

Helping Bougainville public servants get connected

Two years ago, a pair of Bougainville public servants sat under a shady tree in Buka, working on a plan that would transform the autonomous region’s developing bureaucracy.

The men represented the Autonomous Region of Bougainville’s information and communications technology division.

Picture above : Kakarouts and Rapula Jnr putting up a downlink at the Division of Commerce and Trade Industry office, Buka

Their task was to design a computer network that would enable the region’s bureaucracy to more efficiently communicate with itself, and the outside world.

Now, more than 300 Autonomous Bougainville Government users in 18 buildings have access to email and the internet for the first time at work.

The project is supported by the Governance Implementation Fund (GIF), a joint initiative of the Governments of PNG, Bougainville, Australia and New Zealand.

It gives Bougainville’s public servants from a range of departments the ability to communicate with each other, and access information on issues like agriculture and finance.

“Once it was setup, there was an influx of people wanting to connect to the ABG network – everyone saw the need to have and use email,” network engineer Jamaine Kakarouts said.

He said public servants had taken rapidly to the new system, and the ABG was now moving from paper-based to digital records keeping.

The GIF supported the Information Communications Technology division with equipment, transportation and infrastructure.

The ICT division provides a range of services including maintenance, network setup and hardware and software installation.

“The power outage is a major issue which frequently disrupts the network’s services,” engineer Justus Rapula Jnr said.

Enhancing the capacity of the ICT division is cost-efficient and effective, according to the ICT team.

“The Education Department have come to us to use our network because it is reliable,” Kakarouts said.

“Our next priorities are to focus on maintenance, staff training, and expanding the team to support ICT in Arawa and South Bougainville,” Rapula Jnr said.

Jun 16 2015

Bougainville 2015 Elections : Chief Momis ABG President full inauguration speech

“The third ABG will increase the speed of transfer. Priority areas include: land; environment; mining health and safety; fisheries; incorporation of associations; police; and the ABG’s foreign affairs powers – proposing names on the PNG visa warning list, work permit applications for Bougainville, and so on.

With autonomy, significant new powers were fully transferred through development of many new laws passed, including physical planning, Public Finance Management, Mining, and a separate Bougainville Public Service.

How did the ABG perform in relation to these matters between 2010 and 2015?

great unity,
a tremendous sense of purpose,
intense energy, and

an unwavering commitment to the course we intend to follow.On behalf of all the newly elected members of the third ABG, I commit all of us to work on behalf of all Bougainvilleans to ensure that our common dreams and aspirations are achieved.

Thank you all for joining me in marking this beginning of what I believe will be the most exciting, but also challenging, five years in the history of Bougainville.

DOWNLOAD FULL SPEECH HERE

Chief Momis -Bougainville President Inauguration statement – June 2015

PHOTO above : The current elected ABG President Hon Chief Dr John Momis and Acting Prime Minister for PNG Hon Leo Dion

Introductory Report from by Aloysius Laukai: Managing Editor Bougainville News

The ABG President, Chief DR.John Momis yesterday said Panguna may never Open although Bougainville’s financial woes can be resolved immediately if it opens.

Speaking at the Inauguration ceremony, DR. MOMIS said that under the Bougainville’s law on Mining, the landowners have the power to decide what’s on their land and no one can push them around.

President Momis said that options are if the landowners want or if BCL wants to re-invest in Panguna it’s up to them to decide as the ABG can just facilitate the process.

He said that if PANGUNA is allowed to open it can take up to seven years for reconstruction to commence before actually getting Copper ore from the ground.

For a complete new mine it would take over fifteen years for exploration to take place and to get the first ore from the ground.

He said some options are already available for the Government to consider if PANGUNA does not open.

INAUGURATION OF THE 3^RD AUTONOMOUS BOUGAINVILLE GOVERNMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MONDAY 15 JUNE 2015

SPEECH BY CHIEF JOHN L. MOMIS PRESIDENT

Fellow Bougainvilleans, and Guests from elsewhere in PNG and from other parts of the world: I welcome you all to the Inauguration of the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s 3^rd House of Representatives.

There are 2 major reasons why this day, 15 June 2015, is important to all Bougainvilleans.

First, it marks 10 years since we began our journey to self-determination under the Bougainville Peace Agreement.

Second this day starts the 5 year period during which we are guaranteed the right to participate in a referendum on our independence.

The Bougainville Peace Agreement is the real basis for us all being here today. It provides us with an exclusive right to self-determination. We can choose and shape our future, a right unique in PNG, and rare internationally. We should celebrate this right, as we do by being here today.

We also celebrate and are grateful for the support we receive from our many partners, especially the two most important, PNG and Australia. We rely mainly on PNG grants and donor funding – especially that from Australia.

The Peace Agreement is a political and constitutional contract between the National Government and Bougainville. It must be honoured in full.

The Agreement is not a gift without any strings attached. Instead it will deliver real benefits only if we work hard to make use of the opportunities provided to us. We cannot just sit back and wait for the National Government and donors to deliver us to a promised land.

Only we Bougainvilleans can build the new Bougainville we want. We must grasp our opportunities. We cannot ignore the requirements of the Agreement. Without it, we would have no legitimate basis for what we do.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I must acknowledge the vital contributions of those that have helped us to achieve the things that have got us here today.

First, I congratulate the people of Bougainville, for participating actively and peacefully in the process to select Bougainville’s leaders.

Next I acknowledge those who led the peace process. Some are no longer with us. But their contributions are not forgotten.

The first ABG Presidents provided the solid foundations for the ABG. I acknowledge the presence here today of not only Rose Kabui, widow of the 1^st President, the late Joseph Kabui, but also the 2^nd President, James Tanis.

I thank members of the 2^nd House for their contributions to Bougainville, from 2010 to 2015. The 3^rd House will be standing on their shoulders.

I thank the Bougainville Electoral Commission, the electoral officials, their advisers, and the donors, whose efforts delivered the general elections.

To the other 8 presidential candidates, I offer my congratulations. You contributed to debate about how to meet the needs of Bougainvilleans. Presidential candidates were invited today. I aim to work closely with them. I also thank all the candidates in other seats, as well as their committees, scrutineers, and supporters. Voters had real choices of leadership and policies.

I acknowledge the presence of senior National Government representatives. In the absence of the Prime Minister (who is overseas) acting Prime Minister Hon. Leo Dion is with us. Others include Governor of East Sepik, Hon. Sir Michael Somare; Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Mr. Rimbink Pato; and Minister for State Enterprises, Hon. Ben Micah. The Peace Agreement was a joint creation with PNG, and ongoing partnership is needed for it to bear fruit.

I acknowledge the Chief Justice. All ABG members deeply appreciate the recognition of the ABG by the participation of PNG’s highest judicial officer.

We are honoured too by the presence of three senior colleagues, all who played major roles in empowering the PNG people.They have been friends of Bougainville, playing major roles in peace-building. I refer to Sir John Kaputin, Sir Rabbie Namaliu and Sir Moi Avei. We salute you all and welcome you

Finally, I acknowledge the presence of international community partner representatives – the UN, Solomon Islands, Australia, New Zealand, China and the United States of America, whose support is of critical importance to us.

I also offer my humble thanks to my people, for the honour of returning me to the leadership of Bougainville

I turn now to consider the work of the ABG. On this same date in 2010, I outlined five major tasks then facing the newly elected 2^nd ABG.

I want to share here my honest assessment of both successes and failures of the ABG in its efforts to carry out those tasks in the last 5 years, and indicate priorities (some of them new) in what the 3^rd ABG will do.

The first task was unification. Progress in the past 5 years has included:

Many reconciliations;
The 2011 ceasefire ending the 5 year Konnou conflict;
Increasing engagement with Me’ekamui groups;
Progress towards ending the Morgan Junction roadblock. But although Bougainville is more unified than in 2010, much still needs to be done. Unification continues to be essential as we prepare for the referendum.

The ABG’s 2^nd task was improving the welfare of all Bougainvilleans, by promoting appropriate economic development.

There’s been progress. Cocoa production is better than expected when the cocoa pod borer arrived. Small-scale gold production has increased. The ABG has 2 new ships. A partnership with a Chinese consortium is doing metal fabrication at Toniva, producing bricks and aggregate using Jaba tailings material, opening a wholesale store in Buka, and creating over 100 jobs.

The K300 million in National Government SIF funds since 2011 has contributed infrastructure, contracts and jobs. Our POGE partnership delivers basic goods at lower prices, starting with rice.We need more broad-based development to bring improvements in people’s lives.

We face obstacles. Attracting credible investors is hard due to the risks of our post-conflict situation, made worse by ongoing law and order problems.Another factor is limited ABG funds. Because of PNG’s fiscal crisis when negotiating the Peace Agreement, the main National Government grants cover only basic costs of delivering services.

We have little internal revenue. The Agreement does provide a Restoration and Development grant, with a formula intended to increase when National budget development expenditure rises.With rising commodity prices, PNG development expenditure increased rapidly from 2005-06.

The grant should now be over K75 million a year, but we’ve got only K15 million most years. Arrears are now well over K400 million. The National Government SIF funds since 2011 are helpful. But as conditional grants, they are no substitute for the Restoration and Development Grant.

The ABG has been trying for three years to get the Peace Agreement provisions on this grant honoured. We must pursue this matter vigorously.Although finding appropriate foreign investors is an important goal, we also recognise that Bougainvilleans are hard-working people. We can expand our economy by building on things our people are already familiar with, such as:

Moving from copra to virgin coconut oil;
Serious efforts on downstream cocoa processing;
Increased seaweed production;
More small-scale gold production, and assisting producers to invest in appropriate machinery for more safe and efficient production
Producing house bricks, as is already happening using Jaba River tailings.

The ABG’s third major task is securing Bougainville’s future by full implementation of the Peace Agreement, which means:

The radical new Bougainville Mining Act means any new mining will be on totally different terms from under the Bougainville Copper Agreement. The biggest protection is that no development will be possible unless both landowners and the ABG are satisfied with all the conditions for mining.

It is certainly possible Panguna will not re-open, if landowners oppose it, or if BCL don’t return and alternative developers can’t be found. But other communities want mining exploration and those possibilities will be evaluated.

Under our March 2015 Bougainville Mining Act, customary land owners also own minerals. They can reject mining exploration and development. So Panguna will not re-open without landowner agreement. That means clear agreement by a clear majority of landowners, with no manipulation of consent.

Our only realistic option for rapid fiscal self reliance and improved levels of services is large-scale mining. Re-opening the Panguna mine would provide the best chance of early revenue, as it could open in 6 or 7 years. Alternative new mining projects would take from 15 to 30 years from exploration to production.

The referendum timetable places pressure on us to achieve fiscal self reliance rapidly. Our annual budget is over K300 million, but internally derived revenue is only about K30 million. Gradual economic expansion will not deliver self-reliance (covering costs of current services) as well as providing the much improved levels of services Bougainvilleans both expect and deserve.

Cheap and reliable power will be vital for such projects, as well as for improving the lives of people by village electrification. So the 3^rd ABG will work towards a hydro-electric grid. Two hydro projects are already in progress, one at Togerau, and one on the Ramazon River, funded by the ADB.

Our Chinese joint venture plans one at Toniva. These projects must progress as soon as possible. I will discuss support for the Togerau project with its main organiser, Sam Akoitai. I will seek funding for a scoping study for developing the hydro-electric grid.

Promoting these and similar activities will be a key priority of a new Ministry of Economic Development that my Government will establish.

Achieving full autonomy,

and Preparing for the referendum, and

Achieving complete weapons disposal.

Several options have been discussed for setting the date. Although I’ve suggested considering 2019, I’m open to all possibilities. I will consult widely on the issue, with both the new ABG and the Bougainville community.I have strong views on the process to be used to set the referendum date.

The Peace Agreement clearly states that maximum period for delay of the referendum is 15 years after the ABG is established, which is mid-2020.

That maximum delay cannot be extended except on a decision by the ABG. Weapons and governance can be considered when deciding the date between 2015 and 2020, but they cannot be used to delay the referendum beyond 2020.

Suggestions at the National level that the referendum could be delayed beyond 2020 on the grounds of weapons or governance are a matter of grave concern for the ABG. Any such attempt would breach the Peace Agreement. However, I remain optimistic that good sense will prevail, and that the clear meaning of the Peace Agreement and the PNG Constitution will be honoured.

We are on the threshold of perhaps the most important, and portentous, five years in our history. To achieve all that is necessary in that period will require:

MY FRIENDS, THERE IS MUCH MORE THAT COULD BE SAID. BUT I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY GAINED A SENSE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT FACE US IN BOUGAINVILLE.

At the same time I must point to the need for more coordinated planning of the use of fiscal resources of the ABG, the National Government, the donors, and the Bougainville MPs. Limited coordination causes confused objectives, overlap, and even waste. I propose developing a new mechanism for consulting the National Government, MPs and donors so as to agree both development goals under a rolling plan, and what aspects of the plan each will fund.

There could be considerable pressure on the new ABG to be very restrained in our spending. We will face the major challenge of trying to achieve more while using less funds. I ask all ABG members as well as all other Bougainvilleans to understand these financial difficulties that we face.

The financial resources available to us will of course have a huge impact on what the 3^rd ABG can achieve. And although what I have just outlined might suggest that the ABG has plenty of funds available, the truth is otherwise. That’s not only because of the limited funds guaranteed by the Peace Agreement, but also because of the current fiscal problems of the National Government. Those problems are mainly caused by falling natural resource prices. As a result 2015 SIF funds for the ABG expected from Port Moresby may be under threat.

We will explore partnerships with high quality hospitals in other countries. We must aim high, towards our own university, high quality technical colleges, a computer literate population. During the next five years, I will be seeking a massive expansion in Technical and Vocational Education and Training, beginning with development of at least one high quality Technical School.

Development also depends on our population being both healthy and well-educated. So our development plans must seek the highest possible health standards and the best education facilities in the Pacific.

Economic opportunities and good education are also critically important to law and order. For example, semi-educated young men with no employment or business opportunities have been a major factor in our ongoing law and order problems since the early 1980s.

So we must pursue real improvements in health and education, and basic infrastructure too. Economic opportunities, good health and good education all go together. They contribute to our economic development. That then generates the tax revenue needed for fiscal self-reliance.

The ABG also has a sixth major task – to improve basic services.

Since the late 1990 we have made progress in restoring health and education services destroyed during the conflict. But service standards are worse than before the conflict. The ABG must solve the problems faced by our people. Our other efforts mean little if the basic condition of people’s lives don’t improve.

Awareness will need to be a major priority as the referendum approaches. So we will explore options for cost-effective and widely accessed awareness methods.

In the process we learned about the practical difficulties and high expense of conducting awareness and consultation campaigns. The basic truth is that with unlimited funds and personnel, we could do far more. But funds are limited.

The fifth ABG task is public awareness. The 2^nd ABG put much effort into awareness and consultation on mining policies, both Panguna, and the Bougainville Mining Act. With awareness of the Peace Agreement, there was much training of staff, but little awareness was actually conducted.

Under the 2^nd ABG proposals for reform of the Council of Elders, COEs will be re-named as ‘Community Governments’. Together with custom-based village assemblies, they will have more responsibility for law and order, working more closely with police, administering small-scale mining licences and so on.

Bougainville’s the rule of law situation is generally better than many other parts of PNG. But much more is needed. We need progress on weapons. Our Police Service needs to be more respected and integrated into rural communities, and responsive to local leadership.

In terms of corruption I fear we’ve made little progress. The situation MUST change under the new House. So reform of the Public Service will continue. I will resume efforts to establish an office of the PNG Ombudsman to work with us to establish the highest standards of conduct for leaders and Public Servants.

The fourth task for the ABG is promoting good governance and the rule of law, and ending corruption. In terms of good governance, in general, the processes of the ABG were strengthened, and worked well in the last 5 years. But good governance involves much more than that.

So clearly weapons disposal must be a major priority for the 3^rd ABG. So I propose holding a summit of former combatant leaders, including Me’ekamui groups, as well as other sectors of the community, to consider the ways ahead.

Fourth, international community support may be required to encourage implementation of the referendum outcome. We must make sure weapons disposal issues do not undermine international community support.

Third, the National Parliament has the final decision on the outcome of the referendum, and could use weapons issues to decide against independence.

Second, weapons availability could result in referendum observers determining the referendum is not “free and fair”, as required by the Peace Agreement.

First, disagreement between the governments on weapons could push the date back towards mid-2020.

Without much more complete weapons disposal our law and order situation will only get worse, and we risk major problems over implementation of the referendum result. There are four main issues here.

On achieving complete weapons disposal, despite progress on reconciliation there’s been almost no progress since 2005. Weapons not destroyed during the UN supervised disposal process from 2002 to 2005 include those: held by Me’ekamui groups; captured at Kangu Beach in 1996; secretly retained by some BRA and BRF elements; or held by criminals. Since then, some additional weapons have been added, including some WWII and modern weapons

On preparing for the referendum, the 2nd ABG achieved some progress by proposing establishment of a joint government working group, which reported to the JSB. But the real preparatory work begins now, with the election of the 3^rd ABG. Key issues remain to be negotiated, including the referendum date, and the question to be asked in the referendum.

With these and other serious problem areas, the key leaders and officers involved are often not aware what the Agreement requires. So the ABG will seek a better understanding so that the Agreement is implemented in full.

Other aspects of the autonomy arrangements have not been fully implemented. The Restoration and Development Grant arrears is one example. Another is failure to appoint the ABG choice of head of the Police in Bougainville (the Agreement requires appointment of the ABG nominee as ACP – something that the Police Commissioner has not ever done).

I will seek the earliest possible National Government agreement on an agreed approach to timely negotiation of the necessary funding to accompany every transferred power.

The key issue is not just transfer. The ABG must also get PNG agreement to funds in the main Recurrent Grant for salaries and operational costs for transferred powers. Without such funds, we have no capacity to use newly transferred powers. Subject to negotiations between the governments, the Peace Agreement guarantees this funding for any newly transferred power.

The 3^rd ABG will increase the speed of transfer. Priority areas include: land; environment; mining health and safety; fisheries; incorporation of associations; police; and the ABG’s foreign affairs powers – proposing names on the PNG visa warning list, work permit applications for Bougainville, and so on.

With autonomy, significant new powers were fully transferred through development of many new laws passed, including physical planning, Public Finance Management, Mining, and a separate Bougainville Public Service.

How did the ABG perform in relation to these matters between 2010 and 2015?

great unity,
a tremendous sense of purpose,
intense energy, and

an unwavering commitment to the course we intend to follow.On behalf of all the newly elected members of the 3^rd ABG, I commit all of us to work on behalf of all Bougainvilleans to ensure that our common dreams and aspirations are achieved.

Thank you all for joining me in marking this beginning of what I believe will be the most exciting, but also challenging, five years in the history of Bougainville

Apr 29 2015

Bougainville 2015 elections : United Nations kicks off training and media support

“These elections are of fundamental importance to Bougainville. OBEC welcomes the UN´s support in these key components of a democratic election.”

OBEC´s acting Commissioner, George Manu

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is starting a comprehensive training programme focusing on election Scrutineers, Returning Officers, and Media in Bougainville.

The polling period will fall between May 11 and May 25. Counting will commence immediately after the polling period from May 26 to June 7 and the writs will be returned the next day, June 8, 2015

The trainings are part of UNDP´s effort to enhance the understanding of the 2015 Bougainville general elections process, due to start from 11 May. UNDP will also be supporting the coordination of election observation groups, providing training support to women candidates, and facilitating a post-elections lessons-learnt exercise.

The scrutineer training is expected to reach as many as 720 people and aims to provide scrutineers with an overview of the electoral process and their role in it so that any complaints raised during polling and counting are based on an understanding of those processes.

UNDP will also facilitate small group and one-on-one training discussions with Bougainville’s 19 Returning Officers, focusing on the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commission´s (OBEC) process for handling complaints during the polling and counting periods. The training aims to ensure that complaints about elections are resolved in a consistent, transparent, and timely manner.

The media training will target local media houses. The main objective of the training is to equip journalists with the basic knowledge and professional skills that will enable them to cover election processes in a fair, balanced, and non-partisan way and through them enable citizens to become well-informed and active participants in the political decision processes.

“Election stakeholders, such as Scrutineers, Returning Officers, and Media, are a key component of the wider election process. By ensuring their understanding of their role and the electoral procedures, we are promoting credible elections,” said Ray Kennedy, UNDP´s electoral support team leader.

OBEC´s acting Commissioner, George Manu, stated that “These elections are of fundamental importance to Bougainville. OBEC welcomes the UN´s support in these key components of a democratic election.”

Roy Trivedy, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative, said that “The UN is working closely with OBEC. This training will assist to ensure free and transparent elections.”

UNDP has tailored its election support following a request of the Government of PNG and the Autonomous Bougainville Government for a UN electoral assistance project to strengthen local capacity in the lead up to the 2015 elections.

For further requests, please contact: bougainville.elections.2015@undp.org

Media accreditation to start for 2015 general elections in Bougainville

28 Apr 2015The Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner (OBEC) has today announced the start of a media accreditation process for the coverage of the 2015 elections.The accreditation process will start on 27 April and will continue through the elections to allow the media easier access to election officials, locations, and information.OBEC invites all interested media houses to request further details on the accreditation process from the election commission´s Media Relations unit.

Together with their accreditation badge, journalists will receive an election handbook containing useful information on the election process.

According to OBEC´s Acting Commissioner, George Manu, “OBEC, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, has developed a simple media accreditation process that will enable journalists to gain access to relevant electoral events”.

“This new process of media accreditation is one further step to pave the way for credible and transparent elections, according to international election standards”, Manu added.

OBEC is the entity responsible for the administration and conduct of the Bougainville 2015 general elections, to be held from 11 May.

UNDP is providing support to the OBEC’s media accreditation process as part of its wider work on supporting the Autonomous Bougainville Government in upholding general elections scheduled to take place in May-June 2015.

Specific assistance will be provided to the areas including: the development of step-by-step prioritized electoral support plan; provision of technical guidance on implementing the support plan; coordinating the deployment of international observers; training of election scrutineers; developing training materials and providing hands-on training for female candidates and more. Project is implemented by UNDP in partnership with its sister agencies and will run from March to July 2015.

Mar 3 2015

Bougainville Education News : Bougainville schools can win Laptop and Kindle in essay competition

Bougainville Education News :Essay competition is an opportunity for students to have their say about the Bougainville’s future

Please share with your schools and networks

A new essay competition for secondary and high school students in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville will provide youth with an opportunity to have their say about the future of the region.

Revised Closing date Friday 13 March 2015

The topic

“Is having a vote enough? What are citizens’ responsibilities in promoting and upholding democracy?”

aims to engage youth in discussion and what they see for their own future as Bougainvilleans.

Sponsored by the Australian High Commission in Papua New Guinea, the competition offers a laptop computer as a first prize.

The secondary and high school that the winning student attends will receive a Kindle (Can hold up to 1,400 books) from the Arawa based Bougainville E-reader Education Revolution Project that currently has 55 Kindles being distributed to 11 schools throughout Bougainville. SEE WEBSITE

Entries are open now and close on Friday 13 March 2015

The essay competition is open to all high school and secondary school students in Bougainville. Essays are to be 600 – 1000 words.

Entries can be mailed or submitted in person to the Australian High Commission Buka Office, Tsirin Motors Building, Haku Street, Buka or emailed to Public-Affairs-PortMoresby@dfat.gov.au

Feb 26 2015

Bougainville News: Radio Ples Lain’s (mobile community radio station) first broadcast.

Radio for a referendum

By Jeremy Miller, Australian Civilian Corps (ACC) Communications Specialist, Bureau Media and Communications, Department of the President and BEC Autonomous Bougainville Government*

Turning up to any small community in a vehicle that can send a telescopic radio mast 20 metres into the sky is a pretty good way to advertise your arrival. If that community is in Bougainville and hasn’t had radio for more than 15 years since a decade-long conflict destroyed all infrastructure, nor had access to newspapers or TV – then you begin to understand the excitement of the growing crowd, observing our preparations for Radio Ples Lain’s (mobile community radio station) first broadcast.

We’re in Halia, the constituency of Patrick Nisira, Vice-President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, and I’m training a small and enthusiastic team of young Papua New Guinean media professionals recruited and equipped with the assistance of Australia’s aid program.

Officially launched by Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop in Arawa in December 2014, the Radio Ples Lain communication project aims to enable the government to provide its people with information about the Bougainville Peace Agreement, and preparations for the upcoming referendum – a referendum that will determine the region’s political status. It’s heavy material, but in the Bougainville way, a school choir arrives unannounced and we welcome them onto the show to sing a few songs they’ve been practicing since they heard we were coming. As the broadband-like grapevine spins into overdrive, the local magistrate and then the district police officer turn up and deliver crime prevention messages aimed at a growing youth population succumbing to dangerously powerful local homebrew and marijuana.

Later into the five-hour program, we open the lines for SMS and talk back. I’m astounded at the positive response. People far beyond our anticipated 30kms radio footprint are texting in with messages of goodwill for the project, and more importantly calling in with questions for the Vice-President which he’s even more delighted to finally get the opportunity respond to live on air.

Before the show ends, with our temporary village studio feeling more like a crowded Turkish sauna, two former combatants from the Bougainville Revolutionary Army arrive. They want to go on air and tell their story. It’s a good one. The Bougainville war from 1989 to 1998 drew many into armed conflict and many others lost their lives. But in the subsequent peace, some ex-combatants, like these two, are leading grassroot reconciliation processes critical if Bougainville is to have a chance at a peaceful and fair referendum. Their story will hopefully spread peace amongst tonight’s listeners and maybe motivate more to play a cooperative role in continuing peace and stability in Bougainville.

As they do, it will be Radio Ples Lain’s job to travel around the region to capture and broadcast these stories, and assist an important dialogue among people, communities and government in the lead up to the referendum which is to be held within the next five years.

*Jeremy Miller, is an ACC Communications Specialist, who was on assignment with the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s Bureau of Media and Communications. The Radio Ples Lain project and other communication initiatives with the Bureau of Media and Communications were funded through the Governance and Implementation Fund, a partnership between the governments of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was part of Radio Ples Lain’s broadcast in the former capital of Arawa during her recent visit to the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

Jan 21 2015

Australia-PNG Emerging Leaders Dialogue identifies Bougainville referendum as an issue

At the second annual Australia-Papua New Guinea Emerging Leaders Dialogue in Sydney participants discussed issues surrounding Bougainville, its peace building experience and its upcoming referendum on independence between 2015 and 2020.

Bougainville faced many of the same challenges as the rest of Papua New Guinea in terms of sustainable development but the history surrounding the Panguna mine and the conflict made the issue of how natural resources are used more controversial.

Reconciliation between groups within Bougainville and with Papua New Guinea was crucial for social cohesion and peacebuilding. Some of the Papua New Guinean participants were sorry that there was a desire for independence in Bougainville.

They noted that few young people in Papua New Guinea were aware of the history of the Bougainville conflict and had not engaged in discussions about the implications of independence.

The Australian participants, for their part, noted that there was very little awareness of Bougainville amongst young people in Australia. Participants believed that Australian organisations could play a constructive role in helping to provide platforms for more conversations and awareness about Bougainville within Papua New Guinea.

Originally published 2014 AUSTRALIA-PAPUA NEW GUINEA EMERGING LEADERS DIALOGUE: OUTCOMES REPORT

20 January 2015 | Speeches and Conferences | By Jenny Hayward-Jones, Mark Tamsitt and Anna Kirk

The Lowy Institute for International Policy convened the second annual Australia-Papua New Guinea Emerging Leaders Dialogue in Sydney under the auspices of the Australia-Papua New Guinea Network from 1 to 4 December 2014. In this Report, the Lowy Institute’s Melanesia team summarises the outcomes of the Dialogue, which set a new standard for frank and broad-ranging discussion. This outstanding group of young leaders came from diverse fields in both countries and the variety of their expertise added great value to the conversation. Food security, access to services and justice, the growing importance of social enterprises, and the prospects for Bougainville were key focus areas for the discussion.

The Australian participants developed a strong appreciation of the challenges and opportunities facing our nearest neighbour. The Papua New Guinean participants gained new insights into domestic debates in Australia on issues such as health, education, environment, and Indigenous inclusion. A number of the participants are already discussing professional and community projects they can collaborate on to leverage expertise for more effective results.

They were enthusiastic about continuing engagement and building professional relationships, particularly in the fields of small business, agriculture and health.

Key Findings

The agriculture sector struggles to attract young talent and government attention in both Australia and PNG. This has flow-on effects for national food security and health in PNG and limits diversity and innovation in Australia.
The growing popularity of entrepreneurship as a tool to create positive social change creates opportunities for greater collaboration between young Australians and Papua New Guineans. This could be enabled by better utilising the social media tools already available in both countries.
The consequences of Bougainville’s upcoming referendum are not well understood among the younger generation of Papua New Guineans. Given the significance for our region of a vote for independence in Bougainville, greater discussion and education about Bougainville’s future is warranted

The Dialogue brought together twenty leaders from both countries to discuss common challenges and build lasting professional connections. The young leaders came from diverse backgrounds working in sectors such as youth work, law and justice, agriculture, health, education, the military, finance and tourism. Their discussion focused around the central themes of sustainability, entrepreneurship and international engagement. Participants also had a constructive and informed discussion on contemporary challenges — including the future of Bougainville, Indigenous Australians’ access to services and justice, Australian aid, and asylum seekers in Manus.

The Dialogue was chaired by Jenny Hayward-Jones, Program Director, Melanesia at the Lowy Institute and Serena Sumanop, Executive Director, The Voice Inc., Papua New Guinea.

Key recommendations from the participants were:

1. Developing an online teaching resource for primary and high school students in Australia and Papua New Guinea focused on the 40th anniversary of independence to assist in understanding our joint history. This could be coordinated by the Australia-PNG Network and made available via its website.

2. The introduction of an annual Emerging Leaders Award for an Australian or Papua New Guinean who has made an outstanding contribution to deepening ties between our two countries. This award could be presented on behalf of the Australian and Papua New Guinean Foreign Ministers at the Emerging Leaders Dialogue and involve opportunities for high-level meetings and public presentations.

3. Tour operators on the Kokoda Track could work together to integrate PNG and Australian groups doing the track. This could be an opportunity to encourage Australian Indigenous youth organisations to work with counterparts in Papua New Guinea.

4. The Australian Government could contribute to constructive discussions on the future of Bougainville by facilitating opportunities for young people from all over Papua New Guinea to debate issues around the referendum on independence.

5. Communities in Australia and Papua New Guinea face similar challenges with the prevalence of lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Organisations and individuals in Australia with expertise in successful public health awareness campaigns, dietary advice and service delivery in rural and remote areas could pursue partnerships with community and government organisations in Papua New Guinea.

6. Papua New Guinea’s rapidly growing urban areas are putting a strain on existing infrastructure. Papua New Guinea’s towns could benefit from Australian experience in town planning. Partnership and interaction through mechanisms such as sister-city relationships would help develop appropriate and practical town plans improving sustainability and quality of life.

7. Australian assistance in the agriculture sector should aim to attract investment in initiatives relating to smallholder agriculture, with particular attention to promoting a more balanced diet, crucial for the health and economic productivity of Papua New Guinea. Some examples of specific focal points include preserving local foods of nutritional benefit, maintaining general crop diversity, encouraging inland fisheries as a source of protein for rural communities, and creating business models that support better downstream processing of agricultural produce.

8. A professional exchange program that enabled Australians to take up work placements in Papua New Guinea and Papua New Guineans to take up work placements in Australia at a mid-career level for up to 12 months. This has the potential to deliver immediate results by boosting the business acumen of individuals and deepening professional and people-to-people links. Some multinational companies such as banks and resources companies already do this well. Expansion to other sectors including agriculture, tourism, higher education, journalism and state-owned enterprises would need some government backing to encourage commitment from the private sector and enable appropriate visa arrangements. This initiative would be consistent with the rationale behind the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan and the Australia Awards scheme.

9. A private sector-backed business incubation initiative that brings together high-level mentoring, access to seed funding, and shared information to case studies on relevant successful start-up companies in both countries. This should be targeted at young Papua New Guineans and Indigenous Australian youth, particularly women, without access to tertiary education to encourage them to take on the risk of starting a small business.

INTRODUCTION

The Dialogue set a new standard for frank and broad-ranging discussions between young leaders from both countries. The Australian participants developed a strong appreciation of the challenges and opportunities facing our nearest neighbour. The Papua New Guinean participants gained new insights into domestic debates in Australia on issues such as health, education, environment, and Indigenous inclusion. A number of the participants are already discussing professional and community projects they can collaborate on to leverage expertise for more effective results. They were enthusiastic about continuing engagement and building professional relationships, particularly in the fields of small business, agriculture and health.

The following provides a summary of the discussion at the Dialogue. The report is written on a non-attributable basis. A list of the participants and observers involved in the event is attached as an annex.

SUSTAINABILITY

FOOD SECURITY

Food security was an increasingly important issue for both Papua New Guinea and Australia. While rural Papua New Guineans could live off subsistence farming, in the long term there was a risk that Papua New Guineans may not have the capacity to feed themselves. Subsistence farmers produced only enough crops to sell in local markets. The majority of the urban population of Papua New Guinea is already reliant on imported processed foods. High population growth meant the nation would be dependent on imported foods. Like many developing countries, Papua New Guinea lacks the negotiating power to ensure poor quality foods are not dumped in its market.

In Papua New Guinea there is the added challenge of a popular perception of traditional foods being inferior to processed and imported Western-style foods. Imported foods were associated with a middle-class lifestyle. The change in diet had a devastating effect on the health of the Papua New Guinea population; large numbers were suffering from non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Efforts should be focused on increasing the prestige of locally produced foods and preserving traditional food systems knowledge. The rising cost of non-communicable diseases makes this an economic as well as a health issue. The Papua New Guinea government appeared to be changing its approach and had launched a National Strategy for Responsible Sustainable Development in 2014.

SUPPORTING SMALL-SCALE AGRICULTURE

Papua New Guinea had the capacity to develop smallholder farms and sustain its population with traditional foods. A region like the Markham Valley in Papua New Guinea could feed the nation. But there was insufficient investment in the agriculture sector. Government attention was focused primarily on the resources sector. Young Papua New Guineans were encouraged to move from rural to urban areas to obtain low-paid jobs rather than work in agriculture where they could earn much more from crops such as coffee beans. Similarly in Australia, careers in agriculture were not appealing to young people. More investment in diversified farming and in downstream processing would help increase the value of agriculture in both countries.

In Australia there has been a growing trend towards macro agriculture. But experience in developing countries showed that investment in micro agriculture was more productive for them. For example, India was the biggest producer of dairy and 80 per cent of dairy products were consumed within one kilometre of the cow that produced them. Access to finance and insurance was important for smallholders. This was challenging in rural areas but mobile phone technology could be harnessed to offer access to capital and insurance in remote and rural areas.

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

Another important issue for both countries was youth engagement. For Australia this was central to tackling law and justice problems, particularly in Indigenous communities. An economic argument could be used to put pressure on government to re-evaluate their approach. The costs associated with incarcerating people were much higher than the costs of early intervention or programs to support young Indigenous people through school. Participants highlighted the effectiveness of the arts in this process. Through the use of mediums such as theatre, Indigenous youths were able to communicate their experiences of the justice system with the wider community and with law enforcement agencies. This highlighted the sometimes unfair prejudices Indigenous people faced and was able to spark a dialogue between the police and Indigenous communities on the issues in their relationship.

Sport could also be a very effective tool to engage young people and in the process impart important values, increase self-esteem and provide good role models and an alternative support network. In Indigenous communities in Australia sporting programs helped to inject pride back into the young people’s lives. By focusing on what they can do, rather than using the language of victimhood, programs like these saw huge successes in lowering the rates of crime in some Indigenous communities. The challenge was to scale these programs to achieve positive effects in other communities.

The Papua New Guinea participants greatly valued the input of the Indigenous participants, recognising the many shared challenges their communities faced. They also saw success with programs that used sport as a means of attracting young people’s attention to broader issues, for example environmental damage to coastlines from household rubbish. In Papua New Guinea there were not the same opportunities for young athletes to reach professional levels of sport and participants expressed their desire to see this change.

Participants from both countries acknowledged the importance of clear communication and cooperation between all of the parties working with young people. Schools were recognised to be vitally important but they must work with service providers and parents. There were many NGOs doing important work in this space, however participants were aware that there could be duplication of work between some.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

HEALTH

The use of technology was viewed as central to innovation and entrepreneurship in the health sector. It transformed administration processes making health systems more cost-effective in Australia. Moving from paper systems to electronic systems made collecting and using health information far easier. An individual’s health records could be quickly accessed across Australia and many parts of the world. There were also many health applications for mobile devices that could be easily accessed, for example calorie and exercise trackers to assist in weight loss. Creative online approaches to mental health also had a big impact for young Australians. Online platforms that gave them access to medical information and professionals were a powerful way for young people to take ownership of their health, particularly with the sensitive issue of mental health.

Technology was not as advanced in Papua New Guinea’s health sector. Mobile technologies had improved data collection methods in the field. There were also technologies in the pilot phase for surveillance of infectious disease outbreaks. The responsibility for health service delivery was gradually shifting from government to the private sector and non-government organisations. Large mining companies like Oil Search had become big players in health services because they had better financial systems and capacity to roll out large-scale programs targeting HIV and malaria. The Papua New Guinea government could replicate these kinds of public-private partnerships with other health service delivery initiatives and in this way capitalise on technological advancements.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Participants discussed new social entrepreneurship as a means of tackling problems, such as those in Papua New Guinea’s health sector, with creative business approaches that were economically viable. This required looking for gaps in markets and creating projects to fill those gaps in ways that would bring profit and social returns. For example in South Africa, an innovative insurance scheme which offered life insurance to people living with HIV contingent on them adhering to medical treatment was resulting in these people being fitter and living longer and thus making a positive contribution to society. Innovation is not just about finding new solutions; it is about improving on what already works and making current systems more sustainable. It requires collaboration across different sectors. However, there was a cautionary note from participants during this discussion; in the attempt to find the solution to problems of inequality and poverty people can overlook the fact that diverse contexts require diverse solutions.

It is difficult to involve all sectors of society in programs that aim to promote entrepreneurship. In Australia, there were targeted programs that supported Indigenous small business owners in the first three years of running their businesses. In Papua New Guinea there were programs developed specifically for women and young people in business. Only one per cent of the Papua New Guinea population was actively involved in formal business. There are significant strains on the Papua New Guinea economy and the population is quite risk-averse, so it was difficult to inspire people to become entrepreneurs.

There were other emerging economies that had successfully built a culture of enterprise from which Papua New Guinea could draw lessons. In Kenya the ihub is an enabling and support mechanism for entrepreneurs in IT (http://www.ihub.co.ke/). There were also programs like Endeavour (http://www.endeavor.org/), a global incubator program for start-ups. In Australia, entrepreneurs could get support for their projects through formal programs with universities and the government but there were also avenues to find informal support, like co-working spaces and technology innovation groups accessible through Meetup platforms.

ENCOURAGING YOUNG PEOPLE TO ENTER BUSINESS

In Papua New Guinea there were also new programs being launched to foster entrepreneurship amongst young people. This was an essential project because of the lack of opportunities for young people in Papua New Guinea to continue to higher education or gain formal employment after high school. There were 24 000 students graduating from high school and only 4 000 places at universities in Papua New Guinea. However, it was difficult to inspire young people to start their own businesses because of the risks that came with that. Most Papua New Guineans had an obligation to help support their extended family and wantok networks, which made them more inclined to take on low-paid but secure jobs.

Participants proposed building on the business incubation programs that were already in existence by creating a business exchange program between PNG and Australia. The program would seek to promote small business as an alternative form of employment for young people by providing them with educational resources to see how other small businesses have been successful and selecting participants to travel to each other’s countries to experience how business works there. Another element of this program would be high-level mentoring from key figures of large corporate companies. It could also be replicated for people in middle management positions in state-owned enterprises who would learn a lot from the experience and are already in decision-making positions so could begin to implement what they had learned immediately. Participants noted that Papua New Guinea’s state-owned enterprises, because of their important national role in service provision and their own particular challenges merited this kind of assistance. This would require the support of the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments and the private sector.

INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA FOR AUSTRALIA

In the session on International Engagement participants discussed the varied nature of the Australia-Papua New Guinea relationship as well as the two countries’ relations with their neighbours. The participants recognised the immense strategic importance of Papua New Guinea to Australia. The strategic geography of the region placed Papua New Guinea on the air and maritime approaches to Australia. This made the continued stability and territorial integrity of Papua New Guinea a vital interest of Australia’s. The Australian Government continued to provide extensive support to Papua New Guinea’s security through over AUD 11 million of funding a year to the Defence Cooperation Program and extensive assistance to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary through the Australian Federal Police. These programs were essential to increasing the professionalism and capacity of these organisations. However, there needed to be more accountability and transparency regarding the appointments of senior commanders and greater commitment to political impartiality within the security forces.

TOURISM

The participants identified shared history as a key element in relations between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The Kokoda Track continued to attract immense interest from Australians and thousands walked the track every year. This had important benefits for rural communities in the area as visitors, tour operators and non-government organisations such as the Kokoda Track Foundation delivered income and social programs. However, the way tourism around the track operated does not fully recognise the Papua New Guinea story of Kokoda or Papua New Guinea culture. More and more Papua New Guineans were walking the track and they could be integrated with the Australian groups. The expansion of the National Museum of Papua New Guinea and the Papua New Guinea in WWII Oral History project (http://ips.cap.anu.edu.au/cap-events/2014-10-14/recalling-war-png-wwii-o…) would also deepen the experience. Other new tourism developments, such as Carnival Australia’s cruises, were giving Australians an experience of Papua New Guinea and providing some training and infrastructure for communities involved. Papua New Guinea entrepreneurs, with support and access to capital could take advantage of this growing market to increase the economic benefits of tourism to communities.

MANUS ISLAND – REGIONAL PROCESSING CENTRE

Participants also reflected on some contentious areas of the Australia-Papua New Guinea relationship. Papua New Guinea participants raised the damage they considered the Regional Processing Centre on Manus had done to Papua New Guinea’s image on the world stage and in Australia. The Australian media had portrayed Manus as a “hell hole” which was completely at odds with the lives of the people of Manus. Tensions between residents and asylum seekers in Manus had been exacerbated by a lack of understanding and communication. There was also a perception among some Papua New Guineans that the services and assistance were being directed at the asylum seekers and contractors rather than the people of Manus province. Evidence on the ground showed that this was not necessarily the case and that the assistance from Australia was delivering a number of direct benefits to the residents of Manus. Companies based in Morobe province were also benefiting from contracts related to the Refugee Resettlement Arrangement.

WEST PAPUA

The regional processing centre had also pushed the Papua New Guinea government and people to re-examine the status of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea. This was most relevant to the thousands of West Papuans residing in Papua New Guinea who now had the opportunity to apply for refugee status. There was a general lack of awareness about the plight of West Papuans in Australia. The ability of the Papua New Guinea and Australian governments to engage on the issue was complicated by important bilateral relations with Indonesia.

BOUGAINVILLE

The participants discussed issues surrounding Bougainville, its peacebuilding experience and its upcoming referendum on independence between 2015 and 2020. Bougainville faced many of the same challenges as the rest of Papua New Guinea in terms of sustainable development but the history surrounding the Panguna mine and the conflict made the issue of how natural resources are used more controversial. Reconciliation between groups within Bougainville and with Papua New Guinea was crucial for social cohesion and peacebuilding. Some of the Papua New Guinean participants were sorry that there was a desire for independence in Bougainville. They noted that few young people in Papua New Guinea were aware of the history of the Bougainville conflict and had not engaged in discussions about the implications of independence.

You can help the emerging Bougainville leaders of tomorrow by donating books and Kindles here

Jan 18 2015

Bougainville News: One of PNG’s pioneer media personality from Bougainville Justin Kili has passed away

The late Kili was a popular radio personality who has earned the name the “Voice of PNG.”

One of the country’s highly decorated and celebrated media personality and industry managers, Justin Kili MBE passed away early this morning at the Vunapope hospital in East New Britain.

Family members and close family friends confirmed with that the late Kili was sick and taken to the hospital. Details of the actual caused of his death could not be confirmed at this stage.

The late Kili was heading the National Broadcasting Corporation’s (NBC) East New Britain Branch before his passing.

Popularly known as JK, he has served in the different mediums of media including television, radio and newspaper and has held senior positions in the industry.

His career goes back to the late 1970s where he started in radio.

Among many colorful achievements, Kili, created the first ever radio music program, CHM SUPERSOUND in 1986, which was recorded in PNG and broadcast in PNG and aboard. That year, he also created the first ever radio music countdown in the country, The Weekly PNG Top 20, on Kalang FM.

Kili was also host of PEPSI FIZZ, a national TV show of PNG and Pacific Music that was produced and broadcast by EMTV, weekly.

He also created the first ever Music Awards in the country, the Yumi FM PNG Annual Music Awards in 2004.

The late JK started as a reporter studying radio journalism in Sydney, Australia in the 1970s. He then trained with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London and traveled to the United States as a journalism fellow, cosponsored by the PNG and the United States governments.

The late Kili was a popular radio personality who has earned the name the “Voice of PNG.”

Ten years ago, Kili’s career centered on chasing the latest buzz. He says, “I was hooked, as everyone else is, on the daily consumption of news.” But in 2001, after a meeting with Patty Debenham, SeaWeb’s coral program director, Kili began reporting on the many threats facing his nation’s ocean, including coral bleaching.

Then, Kili was the executive officer of the Secretariat of the Media Council of Papua New Guinea and manager of the Media for Development Initiative (MDI), an AusAID project the Media Council manages on behalf of the PNG government.

Thanks to Kili’s efforts, the PNG Media Council partnered with SeaWeb to develop media fellowships and training workshops.

In an interview that was published on Seaweb Online, the late Kili said of his interest in the protection of marine life.

Because I come from a coastal community, Bougainville, I’ve always had a keen interest in the ocean. I always read articles and government information on the reefs and coral bleaching as well as dynamite fishing, but I really didn’t understand how they related to our oceans in PNG until I started working with SeaWeb. My interest wasn’t piqued until later in life, but it’s something I’m strengthening by speaking with our local scientists and ocean experts.”

The late Kili went on to arrange with former UPNG Journalism head Leo Wafiwa to introduce the Environmental Journalism program. They promoted the concept in one PINA meeting in Honiara and universities in the region are now training student journalists how to continuously and effectively engage in environmental journalism in the region.

The late Kili leaves behind 8 children, 6 boys and two girls.

BACKGROUND

Justin Kili, a veteran journalist in Papua New Guinea (PNG), has travelled the world chasing stories. He began his 35 years as a reporter studying radio journalism in Sydney, Australia. He then trained with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London and traveled to the United States as a journalism fellow, cosponsored by the PNG and U.S. governments. Today Kili is a radio personality who has earned the name the “Voice of PNG.”

Six years ago, Kili’s career centred on chasing the latest buzz. He says, “I was hooked, as everyone else is, on the daily consumption of news.” But in 2001, after a meeting with Patty Debenham, SeaWeb’s coral program director, Kili began reporting on the many threats facing his nations ocean, including coral bleaching.

Kili is currently the executive officer of the Secretariat of the Media Council of Papua New Guinea and manager of the Media for Development Initiative (MDI), an AusAID project the Media Council manages on behalf of the PNG government. Thanks to Kili’s efforts, the PNG Media Council has partnered with SeaWeb to develop media fellowships and training workshops. About 20 journalists attended the latest of these, which was held Oct. 22 to 26 in Alotau, Milne Bay Province, PNG.

Justin Kili (far right) joins other journalists from the Asia-Pacific region on SeaWeb’s media fellowship that focuses on ocean science and marine issues in their region and around the world. (Photo: Dawn Martin)

Q & A with Justin Kili

What got you interested in ocean issues?
Because I come from a coastal community, Bougainville, I’ve always had a keen interest in the ocean. I always read articles and government information on the reefs and coral bleaching as well as dynamite fishing, but I really didn’t understand how they related to our oceans in PNG until I started working with SeaWeb. My interest wasn’t piqued until later in life, but it’s something I’m strengthening by speaking with our local scientists and ocean experts.

Can you tell us what your community perceives to be the biggest threats facing your ocean environment?

The problem is that members of my country do not understand the bigger picture. The multitude of threats facing our ocean planet is not easily conveyed to my community. We live miles away from any urban setting and our waters are pristine and unpolluted. We have not yet experienced overfishing on a massive scale. In PNG, we have developed a sustainable ethic and we have never taken too much from our oceans. It’s very difficult for my people to comprehend the fact that our tuna fishery is crashing because our fishing traditions have been passed down through generations and when we go to the sea, we only take what we need to feed ourselves and our families. We try very hard not to abuse our oceans, but that doesn’t mean our resources are safe from international commercial fisheries that target tuna and other species.

The Pacific region has been said to be decades ahead of other nations in managing their ocean resources. How do you share your environmental successes with the rest of the world?

Sea Star - Papua New Guinea. SeaWeb Ocean Voices One of the things the Media Council has been working on for the past five years is providing further training to journalists in this country. In doing this, our journalists will eventually understand environmental issues. The big problem that we in the media in this country have is that we tend to shy away from environmental stories, often because they are not clear or the information is too scientific. To date, we have cultivated relationships with non-governmental organizations to train our journalists in environmental issues. In addition, our journalists are training our scientists on how to write and speak to the media.

What do you see as your role in ocean conservation?

I would like to be the champion of ocean conservation in this country. I would like to be the first one to succeed at this. But this depends on our ability to get the media to see bigger environmental issues. Right now, most of us are just worried about what we can provide for our families, and in doing so we are overlooking the impacts that international fisheries are having on our environment. In the future, I would like to see more in-depth coverage of these issues and a clearer understanding of ocean conservation.

Have you noticed a change in your islands resources in the past decade? Please explain.

Overfishing of our oceans is becoming more obvious—much more evident in that fishermen are not catching enough of certain species of fish, and if they are, they are having to travel miles farther out into the ocean to find the fish. On Bougainville, villagers are catching younger tuna fish and this is dangerous for the future of tuna fishing in PNG.

We know the PNG Media Council will participate in the climate change workshop to be held in Manus and has already hosted a visit to Bougainville Island, a Province of PNG, by CNN to film the sinking atolls. Can you explain why these conservation-related events are important and how the PNG Media Council got involved in them?

Mangrove shoot - SeaWeb Ocean Voices The Media Council is a very important hub for information distribution in the country and to the Pacific, and we have built quite a reputation of being very effective in this area. Overseas organizations now come to us to organize or facilitate for them. For example, I was contacted by ITN–Television in London, which wanted to film the Carteret Islands on Bougainville that are sinking. After the worldwide broadcast of the report, I got another call from CNN, which came over early this year to film on Carteret Island, giving more international exposure to the plight of the people who are losing their homes and livelihoods by the day because their islands are sinking under rising seas.

World exposure has now brought about interest and worldwide attention. Now our own government, with help from Australia and other countries, is taking positive steps to assist the Autonomous Government of Bougainville to resettle the people of Carteret Islands to the mainland. The workshop will be crucial to the Media Council’s efforts to continue making environmental issues more relevant for reporters, enabling them to effectively report on the issues of climate change and global warming.

If you could tell the international press one thing about the environment in PNG,
what would it be?

Our environment is still pretty much intact. But we need to communicate better to the world so they assist us in carrying out effective campaigns. We need to focus on preventing damage to our natural world rather than waiting to fix the wrongs.

The Media Council is working with regional university students to establish environmental journalism programs. Why is this important?

Ocean Scene Papua New Guinea - SeaWeb Ocean Voice To effectively report and write about environment issues, one needs to appreciate and understand the magnitude of the dangers and the damage being caused to the environment. I strongly believe that education on the imminent issues must start at the university level, where my aim is to have environmental science students take up journalism as a minor subject, and journalism students also take environmental journalism as a minor. The University of PNG has already shown interest in introducing this type of curricula. This is very good news and a winning effort by the Council to publicize and create awareness for environmental issues.

By:
Corinne Knutson, Coral Program, SeaWeb

Photo Credits:
Justin Kili, Sea Star, Mangrove Shoots, Coastline, Motupore Island, Papua New Guinea – Liz Neeley, Coral Program, SeaWeb.

Jan 14 2015

Bougainville Education News : Can Innovative SMS stories improve English literacy in Bougainville ?

With Bougainville leading the way in the use of digital technology to improve literacy though the use of Bookgainville Kindles currently being introduced to 15 Bougainville schools in 2015 by James Tanis and Simon Pentanu, its time we investigated other cost efficient technologies such as daily mobile phone text message stories that could improve English teaching and ultimately, children’s reading.

Given the many great challenges facing Bougainville’s education sector, its low current capacity to meet these challenges,
and the fact that ‘business as usual’ is not working, while at the same time Kindle and mobile phone use has been growing rapidly across society, might ICTs, and specifically kindles and mobile phones, offer new opportunities to help meet many long-standing, ‘conventional’ education needs

We welcome your comments and support

SEE Bougainville leads the way Previous article

Picture above leaders of the education revolution promoting Bookgainville Internationally to attract donations

From 500ways Education News

The majority of primary school children in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are unable to read English, a fact that’s exacerbated by limited access to literacy resources in schools across the country. In partnership with the PNG Department of Education, VSO successfully trialled a programme to see if daily mobile phone text message stories could improve English teaching and ultimately, children’s reading. Read about the programme’s success below.

Tackling literacy levels with technology

Like many schools in Papua New Guinea, Bunamgl School has virtually no access to reading materials, making teaching and learning English an enormous challenge. It is among several rural primary schools in the coastal region of Madang which took part in a research project to see whether sending daily stories to teachers via daily text messages could help improve children’s reading. Over a period of 100 days, a daily lesson plan and short story was sent to teachers by text message. The teacher would then write the story on the board, and teach that story to the children. While books and teaching materials are scarce in Papua New Guinea, nearly every teacher has a mobile phone.

“We were really finding it difficult to teach English to our children,” said one teacher, “but these SMS stories encouraged students to come to school every day expecting a new story. They help us teach and make it more enjoyable for us teachers as well as the children.”

SMS Story was designed by VSO’s education programme manager Richard Jones in collaboration with VSO volunteers and local education specialists to support children in reading English, incorporating phonics and keywords. There was no formal training involved so teachers were given a cartoon poster that explained how to use the text messages. For 20 weeks, 50% of teachers received a daily SMS story and a lesson plan via mobile phone, while the other half did not and the children’s reading was assessed before and after the trial. The research was led by a VSO volunteer Nasiib Kaleebu with a team of young Papua New Guinean researchers.

“SMS Stories cut down on our work-load especially for drawing up the lesson plans” explains a teacher at another participating school. “During the few weeks of the SMS Stories, students were reading and also learning to write their own stories” adds a teacher from Kunabau.

Success of SMS stories

After two academic terms, classes which received the daily SMS stories recorded a significant improvement in children’s reading skills compared to other schools. There were also major differences in the teaching and learning strategies used by the teachers. SMS stories recorded a 50% increase in the number of children who could read English. VSO volunteer Alison Gee helped coordinate the project,

“It was a humbling experience and I was fortunate to be part of a team that made such a significant difference to those teachers and children. When we visited the participating schools, the children, parents and teachers were all determined to show us how well their children could read. Parents came to the schools to thank us, some had never learnt to read themselves but wanted their children to do well at school and saw the importance of the initiative.”

Following the trial, some teachers said they would like this approach built into the curriculum and the stories and lesson plans are being included in the new national PNG curriculum.

“Schoolteachers here are very hard working but they get very little training, so this is a way of structuring their lessons for them” adds Richard Jones, VSO education programme manager.

In the absence of reading materials and materials to help plan lessons, SMS Stories provides a simple and low-cost way to raise literacy levels. The cost was K2.01 per child (50p) and it is estimated this cost would drop further if the project is scaled up, as Richard Jones explains, “It’s a very cheap way of getting reading materials to schools – we found that no one has ever done this anywhere else in the world.”

Bougainville should be promoting literacy with mobile phones ?

Submitted by Michael Trucano On Mon, 03/10/2014

FROM World Bank

Last year I spent some time in Papua New Guinea (or PNG, as it is often called), where the World Bank is supporting a number of development projects, and has activities in both the ICT and education sectors. For reasons historical (PNG became an independent nation only in 1975, breaking off from Australia), economic (Australia’s is by far PNG’s largest export market) and geographical (the PNG capital, Port Moresby, lies about 500 miles from Cairns, across the Coral Sea), Australia provides a large amount of support to the education sector in Papua New Guinea, and I was particularly interested in learning lessons from the experiences of AusAid, the (now former) Australian donor agency.

For those who haven’t been there: PNG is a truly fascinating place. It is technically a middle income country because of its great mineral wealth but, according to the Australian government, “Despite positive economic growth rates in recent years, PNG’s social indicators are among the worst in the Asia Pacific. Approximately 85 per cent of PNG’s mainly rural population is poor and an estimated 18 per cent of people are extremely poor. Many lack access to basic services or transport. Poverty, unemployment and poor governance contribute to serious law and order problems.”

Among other things, PNG faces vexing (and in some instances, rather unique) circumstances related to remoteness (overland travel is often difficult and communities can be very isolated from each other as a result; air travel is often the only way to get form one place to another: with a landmass approximately that of California, PNG has 562 airports — more, for example, than China, India or the Philippines!) and language (PNG is considered the most linguistically diverse country in the world, with over 800 (!) languages spoken). The PNG education system faces a wide range of challenges as a result. PNG ranks only 156th on the Human Development Index and has a literacy rate of less than 60%. As an overview from the Australian government notes,

“These include poor access to schools, low student retention rates and issues in the quality of education. It is often hard for children to go to school, particularly in the rural areas, because of distance from villages to schools, lack of transport, and cost of school fees. There are not enough schools or classrooms to take in all school-aged children, and often the standard of school buildings is very poor. For those children who do go to school, retention rates are low. Teacher quality and lack of required teaching and educational materials are ongoing issues.”

[For those who are interested, here is some general background on PNG from the World Bank, and from the part of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that used to be known as AusAid, a short report about World Bank activities to support education in PNG from last year and an overview of the World Bank education project called READ PNG.]

If you believe that innovation often comes about in response to tackling great challenges, sometimes in response to scarcities of various sorts, Papua New Guinea is perhaps one place to put that belief to the test.

Given the many great challenges facing PNG’s education sector, its low current capacity to meet these challenges,
and the fact that ‘business as usual’ is not working, while at the same time mobile phone use has been growing rapidly across society,
might ICTs, and specifically mobile phones, offer new opportunities to help meet many long-standing, ‘conventional’ needs

in perhaps ‘unconventional’ ways?

A small research project called SMS Story has been exploring answers to this question.

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Project overview

In the words of a very interesting impact assessment report [pdf] that was recently released (those pressed for time may just wish to make due with the executive summary [pdf]),

“The aim of the SMS Story research project was to determine if daily mobile phone text message stories and lesson plans would improve children’s reading in Papua New Guinea (PNG) elementary schools. […] The stories and lesson plans were designed to introduce children to reading English and followed an underlying phonics and key word based methodology. Teachers in the trial received a cartoon poster explaining how to use the daily text messages and received a total of 100 text message stories and 100 related text message lessons for two academic terms. They did not receive any in-service training. Research was conducted in rural elementary schools in two provinces, Madang and Simbu, and has involved a baseline reading assessment, mid-point lesson and classroom observations and an end-point reading assessment.”

Results and impact

The project, which was funded by the Australian Government and designed and managed by Voluntary Services Overseas, in partnership with the PNG Department of Education, was implemented as a small controlled experiment utlizing the popular Frontline SMS tool.

Some key results observed include (I am quoting directly from the evaluation report):

[-] Children who did not receive the SMS Story were approximately twice as likely to be unable to read a single word of three sub-tests (decodable words, sight words and oral reading). In other words the intervention almost halved the number of children who could not read anything compared with the control schools.

[-] The research did not find a statistically significant improvement in reading comprehension and generally children showed low reading comprehension skills in both grades and little progression between grade 1 and 2.

[-] All participating schools had very few reading books, if any, available in the classroom.

[-] In the absence of reading materials and scripted lessons in elementary schools SMS Story provides a simple and cheap strategy for raising reading standards.

The evaluation also notes that:

[-] There remained a worryingly large number of children who scored zero on the tests, particularly in grade 1, even after the intervention.

As Amanda Watson, one of the researchers, commented in a recent interview about the project with Radio Australia, “I think the content was really important, because no one involved in this trial would suggest that schools shouldn’t have books. We all would like to see more books in schools, but the reality is that in these schools there are very few books and so the content created a lot of enjoyment for both teachers and students.”

In addition to whatever value the content itself offered, Watson noted another benefit: “the teachers were actually receiving materials and ideas and suggestions daily. So rather than perhaps being given a training manual a couple of years ago or having been given a guide at the start of the school year or something. The teachers actually received almost like a reminder to teach, a bit of a motivator to keep teaching and they received that every single day and we think that really helped them to realise that they’re supposed to be teaching reading every single day, five days a week.”

While most of the attention of developers and researchers excited by potential uses of mobile phones in education focus on the creation and usage of various ‘mobile apps’ on smartphones, lessons from SMS Story project remind us that, in some of the most challenging environments in the world — especially rural ones — the existing infrastructure of low end phones offers opportunities for creative and innovative groups who wish to engage with teachers and learners in these communities. The results may not be ‘transformational’ on their own, and doing this sort of thing may not win any style points among the ‘cool kids’ in technology-saturated capital cities in much of the ‘developed world’ interested in the ‘latest and greatest’. That said, the best technology is often the one you already have, know how to use, and can afford. In a rural school in Papua New Guinea today, that technology is usually a mobile phone. In many other similar communities around the world, it may be well.

Those who would like more information about the SMS Story project may wish to read the full report on the VSO web site and/or a related paper [pdf] published by the researchers involved.

You may also be interested in the following post from the EduTech blog, which draws on experiences and lessons from places like Papua New Guinea:
[-] 10 principles to consider when introducing ICTs into remote, low-income educational environments

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Jan 13 2015

Bougainville International News: USA Pacific fleet partnership to benefit Bougainville

BY JENNIFER NKUI

A site survey team from the United States Pacific Fleet will be arriving in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville this week.
According to a statement from the US embassy in Port Moresby, the team hopes to survey potential areas for U.S assistance in Arawa, Central Bougainville under a programme called the Pacific Partnership.

Pacific Partnership was founded to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster resilience to the pacific nations following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Its potential activities range from medical, dental, veterinarian care to construction projects and crisis response training. Papua New Guinea benefited most recently in Wewak and Vanimo in 2013 and this year’s engagement is planned for Bougainville and Rabaul.

The programme as revealed by the statement is a great opportunity to expand people to people ties with the United States and deliver benefits for the people of Bougainville.

Jan 8 2015

Bougainville Development News: Why does Bougainville constantly have “systems down” and blackouts ?

“The public using the services like the bank, air services providers etc established recently in Arawa are complaining that it is time that these essential services must get into full swing.

We are tired of hearing “system down, system down” every time we go to such offices like the bank; Air Niugini office plus others like MVIL etc stated many of the public.

Ishmael Palipal Intro article

While most of the government services have been restored in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, one of the state-owned entities in charge of electricity power supply have been bombarded with critics for failing to address constant blackouts.

By Fabian Hakalits – EM TV (second article below) VIEW TV REPORT

People using these services urged the service providers to step up their offices in Arawa so that they can serve the purpose for which they are set up.

People are becoming frustrated about how these services are being provided as most people who travel long distances are told to go to Buka or else told to come back tomorrow, and so on but when they come again they will be told to come some time later.

“It’s really frustrating,” said one father from the coast line of Bana District in South Bougainville.

“We have to spend so much money to and from our places,” said one mother from Buin.

She stated that travelling from Buin to Arawa costs about K60 both ways and if sent to Buka when services in Arawa are not serviced will cost another K100 and if travelling with family is very costly. She said this while at the Airlines PNG agent office in Arawa when trying to check the air lines services schedule for Aropa.

Speaking to Ben Madaku at the office of Bougainville Tours who are the agents of Airlines PNG, she questioned why are the air services providers not putting out their schedule for Aropa but Buka only.

She stated that by this time, 3 airlines supposed to start service at the newly opened Aropa Airport and should be in full service because these are the peak times when our children (students) will be travelling out.

Ben Madaku told this reporter that other people also expressed the same frustrations about these essential services in Arawa.

“Most of them said that they want to farewell their children at the Aropa Airport because for long they have been travelling to Buka which is very costly and also a proper farewell of their children is not made before leaving their homes for some of them leave their homes early in the morning but since now the airport is opened, they want the airlines to start their services early so that they can farewell their children as they depart for schooling out of the region,” Madaku told this reporter.

Mr Madaku said that many people are commenting that offices are here but services are not felt, even BSP bank is not fully servicing the people as it mostly goes ‘system down’ or ‘cash out’.

“The worst thing that our clients,” said Madaku “are expressing is the air service. They really want other airlines to start their schedule by next week and so on; also they are frustrated about the Air Niugini office in Arawa which is always ‘system down’ or ‘blackout’ because of PNG power.

“People are saying that these essential services must start servicing the people now especially the Aropa Airport which many said it was a relief to their long bumpy ride to Buka when it was re-opened.”

The people are asking for these air service providers to put out their schedules for Aropa so that they can farewell their children right at their home atra, said Mr Madaku.

by Fabian Hakalits – EM TV,

While power-users have appreciated the restoration of electricity supply by PNG Power Limited, on the other hand, it is criticised for the constant power blackouts in Arawa, Central Bougainville that has irked power users.

Kieta district office executive manager Lucy Travertz, said with the growth of business and economic activities, this is disgraceful for a state-owned entity.

Daily operations have been affected by this occurrence from administration, business houses, homes and health facilities.

Business houses are worried about the freezer goods accommodated in shops and guest houses that are unhealthy for consumers.

PNG Power Limited management has been called on to at least explain the reasons for the outages rather than keeping its power users in the dark.

Meanwhile locals have also raised concerns on the lack of regular inspections despite connection fees being paid for. comments from PNG Power management was unsuccessful.

Bougainville News

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Category Communications

Bougainville Communications : New Investment connects 300 + Bougainville public servants

Helping Bougainville public servants get connected

Bougainville 2015 Elections : Chief Momis ABG President full inauguration speech

Bougainville 2015 elections : United Nations kicks off training and media support

Media accreditation to start for 2015 general elections in Bougainville

Bougainville Education News : Bougainville schools can win Laptop and Kindle in essay competition

The topic

“Is having a vote enough? What are citizens’ responsibilities in promoting and upholding democracy?”

aims to engage youth in discussion and what they see for their own future as Bougainvilleans.

Bougainville News: Radio Ples Lain’s (mobile community radio station) first broadcast.

Australia-PNG Emerging Leaders Dialogue identifies Bougainville referendum as an issue

Originally published 2014 AUSTRALIA-PAPUA NEW GUINEA EMERGING LEADERS DIALOGUE: OUTCOMES REPORT

Bougainville News: One of PNG’s pioneer media personality from Bougainville Justin Kili has passed away

The late Kili was a popular radio personality who has earned the name the “Voice of PNG.”

Bougainville Education News : Can Innovative SMS stories improve English literacy in Bougainville ?

Bougainville should be promoting literacy with mobile phones ?

Bougainville International News: USA Pacific fleet partnership to benefit Bougainville

Bougainville Development News: Why does Bougainville constantly have “systems down” and blackouts ?

Helping Bougainville public servants get connected

Media accreditation to start for 2015 general elections in Bougainville

The topic

“Is having a vote enough? What are citizens’ responsibilities in promoting and upholding democracy?”

aims to engage youth in discussion and what they see for their own future as Bougainvilleans.

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Originally published 2014 AUSTRALIA-PAPUA NEW GUINEA EMERGING LEADERS DIALOGUE: OUTCOMES REPORT

The late Kili was a popular radio personality who has earned the name the “Voice of PNG.”

Bougainville should be promoting literacy with mobile phones ?