Jan 23 2015

Bougainville Women’s News: USA and Japan Support Bougainville’s Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency….

“We are so grateful to the U.S. Embassy for linking us up with the Japanese Embassy to make this possible,This grant will allow us to rebuild our center and redouble our efforts to support the women of Bougainville.”

Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency Director, Helen Hakena,

Picture: Helen Hakena shakes hands with Japanese Ambassador Morio Matsumoto and U.S Ambassador Walter North following the grant singing

On January 21, 2015, U.S. Ambassador Walter North attended a signing ceremony to celebrate the Japanese government’s awarding of a grant worth USD $81,252 (approximately PGK202,000) to build a new Human Resource Center for Bougainville-based NGO Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency.

Awarded through the Japanese government’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), the grant contract was si…gned by Japanese Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Morio Matsumoto, and by Mrs. Helena Hakena from the Laitana Nehan Women’s Development Center.

“Today’s signing ceremony will not only strengthen the friendship between the people of Japan and Papua New Guinea,” said Japanese Ambassador Morio Matsumoto, “but will also help foster future strategic partnership on gender equality and women’s empowerment between Papua New Guinea, the United States, and Japan.”

“We are so grateful to the U.S. Embassy for linking us up with the Japanese Embassy to make this possible,” said Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency Director, Helen Hakena, “This grant will allow us to rebuild our center and redouble our efforts to support the women of Bougainville.”

Since its office was burned down in 2010, Leitana Women has been doing amazing work out of temporary quarters, and has had to improvise to find space to hold counseling and workshops funded by the United States and other donors. The new center will provide critically needed office and training space for the organization.

U.S. Ambassador North said “The United States and Japan are deeply committed to empowering women in Papua New Guinea and eliminating violence against women. I applaud the Government of Japan for its leadership on these issues. We look forward to future joint initiatives, including collaborating on the PNG Women’s Forum in March.”

The U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have supported work by Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency to carry out training workshops and activities on gender and human rights awareness, peace building engagements, and good governance capacity.

Jan 21 2015

Tourism News: Bougainville and PNG continues to attract International cruise ships boosting tourism, economic and cultural opportunities

Bougainville continues to attract International cruise ships boosting tourism, economic and cultural opportunities throughout island according to Bougainville tourism operator Zhon Bosco Miriona .

“One of the potential benefits of cruising is that it brings visitors to remote areas that cannot otherwise to reached, providing a boost to village economies through the provision of shore excursions, cultural experiences and handicrafts”

As the PNGTIA points out cruising allows a new source of economic income and development which can provide associated benefits in areas such as health, employment and education,”

Zhon Bosco Miriona Managing Director (pictured below left recently promoting to international market): Bougainville Experience Tours and regional member for the PNG Tourism Industry Association , manages cruise ship tours from Kieta and Arawa

Picture at top: Passengers of a cruise ship arriving at the Kuri Resort :130 visited with 24 of them going diving.

UPDATE from Lawrence Belleh ABG Tourism CEO : In March 2015 a cruise ship will visit the Queen Karoola Harbour Bougainville .This is the first trip to the old Kesa Plantation that is being considered to be turned into a tourism hub on the Northern tip of Buka Island. The hub would benefit Haku, Halia, Hagogohe, Peit and Tons constituencies and their people. There will be also a visit to Pororan Island to experience the sand, beach, cultural displays (photo above) and the opportunity buy Bougainville souvenirs.

Media coverage

**Shipping companies are taking an increasing interest in PNG, with passenger arrivals surging and even big ships now heading to PNG’s and Bougainville shores, Brian Johnston reports.**

A P&O cruise liner arrives in Milne Bay. Credit: David Conn

The cruise news looks good. According to a report by the Pacific Islands Forum in mid-2013, the cruise industry has grown 125 per cent since 2005 and 143 new ships have been launched.

Particularly strong growth has been recorded in the Asian and Australian markets; a record 834,000 Australians took a cruise holiday in 2013. That puts Papua New Guinea in a geographically advantageous position.

What’s more, there’s plenty of room for expansion: currently only one in a hundred international cruisers (about 200,000 passengers) visit any Pacific island. In PNG, only five per cent of holiday arrivals are cruise passengers.

‘Cruise tourism in Papua New Guinea is facing a bright future with increased international interest in cruising and increasing willingness from cruise shipping companies to include Papua New Guinea on Pacific itineraries,’ concluded a recent report from the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA).

The World ( pictured above) arriving last June at Pokpok Island ( pictured above from Simon Pentanu ) , Central Bougainville.

Significant markets

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The US, New Zealand, Japan and the UK are significant markets, but half of all cruise visitors to PNG are Australians. That sector is also significant because many cruises are one way, with Australian visitors often extending with land-based holidays.

The PNG Government is taking notice. In 2010 it launched its first comprehensive cruise strategy which looked to improving port facilities and opportunities for shore excursions, waiving visa fees for cruise passengers, and reducing pilot fees by half. With expedition cruising already established, the aim was to entice luxury mid-size ships and even big operators.

‘Cruise tourism in Papua New Guinea is facing a bright future with increased international interest.’

In October 2014, the TPA launched a trade website to educate and inform travel agents. It has also emphasised PNG as a cruise destination in international trade shows and tourism events in Europe, the US and Australia.

While new jetties have been built in Kitava and Kaibola, among others, Milne Bay became the focus of efforts, since Alotau already had a good port and is well positioned on potential cruise routes from Australia. Wharfs were extended and new public facilities added.

In 2013, the arrival of P&O Cruises’ 2050-passenger Pacific Dawn in Milne Bay showed the strategy delivering results.

‘Pacific Dawn’s entry into the region allowed a new wave of low-cost travellers to see the beauty and thriving culture of PNG at a much lower price point than travel to PNG previously allowed,’ says Stuart Thompson, TPA’s Australia and New Zealand representative.

‘It’s a game changer. Mass cruising provides greater consumer awareness, growth in demand and increased repeat visitation. As we’ve witnessed with Vanuatu, cruising has the potential to attract a percentage of past passengers back to the destination for an extended holiday.’

Growing presence

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Currently P&O Cruises visits five PNG ports and will add Kavieng and Madang early this year. It has already announced a significant increase in its cruise presence, with its 2015-16 program including its first back-to-back PNG cruises from Cairns, and its first dedicated PNG cruises from Brisbane and Sydney.

‘The addition of two more ships has given us the flexibility to increase our PNG itineraries and open up new destinations. P&O’s return to PNG was possible because of the strong support of the national government and local authorities, particularly in relation to the provision of infrastructure to accommodate cruise ship visits,’ explains P&O Cruises’ CEO Ann Sherry.

In 2014, Pacific Dawn wasn’t alone in visiting PNG waters. Other visits were made by Japan’s NYK Cruises, Holland-America Line’s Amsterdam, the British ships Black Watch and Caledonian Sky, French Polynesia-based Paul Gauguin, ultra-luxe residential cruise ship The World and three ships from both Hapag-Lloyd and Silversea. Princess Cruises now features PNG across 14 different cruises; it has also added PNG to its 2016 world cruise.

‘Mass cruising provides greater consumer awareness, growth in demand and increased repeat visitation.’

Small-size expedition ships continue to have a strong presence, among them Coral Princess Cruises’ Oceanic Discoverer and North Star Cruises’ True North, which carries a helicopter and Zodiac landing boats for access to remote areas. One of its three itineraries focuses on diving the remote Louisiade Archipelago. Aurora Expeditions has a 12-night cruise from Cairns that includes the Trobriand Islands and Tufi fjords.

Cruising benefits

One of the potential benefits of cruising is that it brings visitors to remote areas that cannot otherwise to reached, providing a boost to village economies through the provision of shore excursions, cultural experiences and handicrafts.

The TPA says 90 per cent of revenue from coastal tourism operators comes from cruising in some destinations. “Cruising allows a new source of economic income and development which can provide associated benefits in areas such as health, employment and education,” says Stuart Thompson.

With the big surge in PNG cruising barely two years old, that remains to be seen, but certainly these are exciting times for cruise tourism in PNG and Bougainville. Watch this space.

For More Information on Bougainville Tourism

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 20 2015

Bougainville Foreign Aid News: Is aid to Bougainville under threat?

Today, as leaders from business and politics gather in Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum, our new figures reveal that the wealthiest continue to get wealthier:

80 billionaires have amassed the same wealth as half of humanity – down from 85 one year ago
By next year, just 1% of people will have the same wealth as the other 99%
It would take almost 68 million years for one of the 500 million people who barely survive on USD $1.25 a day across Asia to earn as much money as the region’s richest person

So what’s Australia doing to address this? The answer is we’re turning our backs on those left in poverty.

Oxfam CEO, Helen Szoke said yesterday: “It is hard to believe that the Abbott Government are cutting aid to the poorest given the shocking rise in inequality in our own backyard, which we know is not just bad news for those at the bottom but also damages economic growth.

“The scale of the aid cuts – the biggest in Australia’s history – will take Australia’s aid effort to its lowest level since aid records began, in 1960.”

Australian aid is a vital part of our contribution to supporting people to overcome poverty and address extreme inequality.

So it’s more important than ever that we stand up for it.

We have some exciting plans for 2015 and we’d love to work with you as we campaign for Australian Aid. Join us now.

From Grant Hill, International Development Campaign Lead, Oxfam Australia

Background: Australian assistance to Bougainville

Australia has made an important contribution to the Bougainville peace process, particularly through its leadership of the Peace Monitoring Group (PMG). The PMG remained on Bougainville from May 1998 to 30 June 2003, and involved unarmed military and civilian personnel from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu. It helped build confidence in the peace process, including by facilitating meetings and distributing peace-related information. At its peak the PMG comprised around 300 personnel. In total, around 3,800 Australian Defence Force personnel and 300 Australian civilians served at various times in the PMG. Australia also led the civilian Bougainville Transition Team (BTT) that replaced the PMG from 30 June 2003 until 31 December 2003. The BTT continued the peace-related activities of the PMG, but on a reduced scale.

Australia has complemented its support for peacekeeping with substantial reconstruction aid. Since 1997, Australia has provided over A$250 million to support Bougainville’s peace process and post-conflict reconstruction. Current Australian aid in Bougainville is focused on assisting implementation of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, improving service delivery in the four Partnership for Development priority Sectors, and fostering employment-focused economic development.

Jan 19 2015

Bougainville Economic News: What is the future for the Torokina oil palm project ?

“Even though PNG is considered one of the smaller palm oil producers by world standards, palm oil represents one of the country’s most important cash crops, accounting for around 40% of agricultural export earnings over the last decade.

Furthermore, research by ITS Global Consultants shows that incomes associated with palm oil cultivation and processing have risen steadily over the last 10 years, with smallholder returns from palm oil being almost 10 times those from cocoa.”

While the palm oil industry in Bougainville has great potential to foster economic growth, environmental and social concerns have come to the fore.

See below a response to this report :An Open Letter about Scientific Credibility and the Conservation of Tropical Forests

Download report here The Economic Benefits of Palm Oil in PNG(2011)

Torokina oil palm disputed by Bougainville landowners

On the 15th of January the Post-Courier reported it is full steam ahead for the controversial Torokina Oil Palm plantation on Bougainville. But now evidence has emerged that the necessary landowner permissions have not been obtained and local people are not happy.

In a letter to the Department of Lands locals people accuse the Bougainville government of fast-tracking the Incorporated Land Group process and not dealing with the their concerns. The letter demands that ILG certificates not be issued.

Is this another case of President Momis pushing through large-scale resource projects to enrich big corporations?

The beneficiary of this project is Hakau Investment Limited owned by Henry Chow and run by his son Fabian. The Chow dynasty have been awarded a range of government grants for projects on Bougainville. To conduct a feasibility study into oil palm at Torokina, they were awarded K10 million in 2010-11.

But landowners remained concerned. Palm Oil has a global reputation for harming the environment, damaging land, and enriching big business interests, at the cost of landowning communities.

TOROKINA OIL PALM NOT A FAILED PROJECT
BY JENNIFER NKUI

The Torokina Oil Palm Project according to the chairman of Beko Incorporated Land Group Peter Tsuremai is not a failed project as assumed by some leaders as well as Bougainvilleans.
In an interview with New Dawn Fm yesterday, the chairman pointed out strongly that the first stage of the Torokina Oil palm project which is feasibility studies on the project site is completed by Hakau Investment who won the contract …through the tender process.
He said all this talk that the Torokina Oil Palm project is a failed project is not true because the process on the project is still continuing.

He added that the project is now into its second stage and work on the second stage of the project will progress after the presentation of ILG certificates to the remaining 6 ILG’s in Torokina. Mr. Tsuremai stressed that Torokina is the first district in Bougainville to have this opportunity with the presentation of ILG certificates under the Incorporated Land Group Rights.

He explained that there are a total of 8 clans who are involved in this oil palm project because these 8 clans own the large landmass in Torokina.

He said all these clans want the project to progress and there is no reason to say that there is no support for this project.
According to Mr. Tsuremai, the project is a multi-million kina project and with it sure to come big developments and change to the district.

Therefore, he is of the firm believe that Torokina will be well off and the people in Torokina are happy especially in terms of infrastructure development, wharf, airport and other developments must take place in Torokina District.

Background

Papua New Guinea may be one of the smaller palm oil producers, however it is unique in that it only has two producing companies, both of which are 100% certified to the RSPO standard

Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the world’s second largest island just 140 kilometers north of Australia. The island is rich in natural resources with 80% of its population living in rural areas and relying on agriculture as its main source of livelihood.

Even though PNG is considered one of the smaller palm oil producers by world standards, palm oil represents one of the country’s most important cash crops, accounting for around 40% of agricultural export earnings over the last decade. Furthermore, research by ITS Global Consultants shows that incomes associated with palm oil cultivation and processing have risen steadily over the last 10 years, with smallholder returns from palm oil being almost 10 times those from cocoa.

The oil palm was first introduced to Papua New Guinea at the end of the 19th century. However, it wasn’t until the 1960’s that oil palm plantations were converted into large commercial developments.

According to the Index Mundi’s 2013 figures, PNG ranks sixth in global palm oil production, after Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Columbia and Nigeria. Its palm oil production is estimated at 630 000 tones for the current year, representing less than 1% of global production. While its entire industry presently rests on 150,000 hectares of land, some 5.1 million ha have been identified for development.

The palm oil industry in Papua New Guinea is structured around a small number of large companies that cultivate and process oil palm fruit on estate developments. Their palm oil industry is unique in that the two major producing companies – New Britain Palm Oil and Hargy Oil Palm- as well as all associated mills, are environmentally accredited through the RSPO.

While the palm oil industry in Papua New Guinea has great potential to foster economic growth, environmental and social concerns have come to the fore.

In recent years some companies – particularly logging firms – have been exploiting a loophole in national law in order to fast track supposed agricultural development as a means to obtain timber. According to a report by Greenpeace, these companies use palm oil licenses as a cover to apply for Special Agricultural Business Leases (SABLs) which would allow them to bypass established laws and restrictions on industrial logging designed to reduce the unsustainable harvest of timber.

As a result, the government has placed a moratorium on such developments whilst a commission of enquiry takes place. In the mean time, Papua New Guinea palm oil producers continue to compete on the global market by competing on quality rather than quantity.

An Open Letter about Scientific Credibility and the Conservation of Tropical Forests

See link version for all corrections

To whom it may concern:

As professional scientists employed by leading academic and research institutions, we are writing to alert the general public about some of the claims and practices being used by the World Growth Institute (WGI) and International Trade Strategies Global (ITS), and their affiliated leadership. WGI and ITS operate in close association. ITS is owned by Alan Oxley, an Australian industrial lobbyist, former trade representative, and former Ambassador who also heads WGI. According to its website

ITS also has “close associations” with several politically conservative US think tanks, including the American Enterprise Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and the Heritage Foundation. In our personal view, WGI and ITS—which are frequently involved in promoting industrial logging and oil palm and wood pulp plantations internationally—have at times treaded a thin line between reality and a significant distortion of facts. Specifically, we assert that:

ITS is closely allied with, and frequently funded by, multinational logging, wood-pulp, and oil palm corporations. The financial supporters of ITS include parent corporations producing paper and wood products under the aegis of ‘Asian Pulp &Paper’, among others.

Alan Oxley and ITS have often lobbied in favour of Rimbunan Hijau one of the world’s largest industrial logging corporations. Rimbunan Hijau has been repeatedly criticized for its environmental and human-rights impacts in Papua New Guinea

WGI frequently lobbies public opinion on the behalf of Sinar Mas holdings, a conglomerate of mostly Indonesian logging, wood-pulp, and oil palm companies that includes Golden Agri Resources, a Singapore-based firm. One of these companies, known as ‘SMART’, could face expulsion by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, an industry-led trade group, for “serious non-compliance with the RSPO Code of Conduct” with respect to its environmental and social sustainability guidelines

In an interview with Malaysia’s The Star newspaper, in which he strongly advocated further oil palm expansion in that country, Mr Oxley refused to answer a direct question as to whether he or WGI was supported by the Malaysian palm oil industry. He dismissed this question as being “immaterial”

We believe that WGI’s financial supporters include many of the same industrial sectors for which WGI regularly advocates.

While routinely accusing several environmental organizations and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of bias and scientific misrepresentation, WGI and ITS have, in our opinion, advanced a range of biased or distorted arguments themselves. For example, consider an ostensibly “independent” audit

from ITS that sought to exonerate Asian Pulp & Paper from claims of illegal and damaging logging practices in Sumatra, Indonesia.

This audit appears to be far from objective in scope, especially given the clear financial links between these two entities, which brings into question its claims to be “independent”. Among other claims, the ITS audit broadly understates the scope and gravity of forest loss anddegradation in Indonesia, despite that nation having among the world’s highestabsolute rates of deforestation and being ranked 7 th worst out of 200 nations in termsof net environmental damage, according to a recent analysis

It also suggests that the palm oil and pulp and paper industries are not important drivers of deforestation andgreenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia. Yet recent research has demonstrated thatmuch of the oil palm expansion in Indonesia between 1990 and 2005 came at theexpense of native forests (many plantation owners favor clearing native forests overalready-degraded lands as they use revenues from logging to offset the costs of plantation establishment

Moreover, the rapid expansion of pulp plantations is aserious driver of native-forest loss in both Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia.

A recent technical report by ITS concluded that “There is no evidence of substantialdeforestation” in Papua New Guinea a conclusion strongly at variance with quantitative, remote-sensing studies of forest conversion published in the refereed scientific literature

Reports from WGI and ITS routinely claim that newly established oil palm plantations sequester carbon more rapidly than do old-growth rainforests. This claim,while technically correct, is a distraction from the reality that mature oil palm plantations store much less carbon than do old-growth rainforests (plantations store just 40-80 tons of biomass aboveground, half of which is carbon, compared to 200-400 tons of aboveground biomass in old-growth rainforests

WGI and ITS reports have also in our view dismissed or downplayed other important environmental concerns, including the serious impact of tropical peat-land destruction on greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of forest disruption on threatened species such asorangutans and Sumatran tigers

Furthermore, WGI and ITS, we believe, havefailed adequately to recognize that many forests of high conservation value are beingdestroyed and fragmented by plantation development —a process that is mostlydriven by corporations, not small holders.

WGI, ITS, and Alan Oxley frequently invoke “poverty alleviation” as a key justification for their advocacy of oil palm expansion and forest exploitation indeveloping nations, and it is true that these sectors do offer significant loca lemployment. Yet forest loss and degradation also have important societal costs.There are many examples in which local or indigenous communities in the tropicshave suffered from large-scale forest loss and disruption, have had their traditional land rights compromised, or have gained minimal economic benefits from theexploitation of their land and timber resources. Such costs are frequently ignored in the arguments by WGI, ITS, and Alan Oxley.

One of the most serious misconceptions being promulgated by WGI and ITS in ourview is that “two-thirds of forest clearance is driven by low-income people in poor countries”

In fact, the importance of industrial drivers of deforestation—whichincludes large-scale palm oil and wood-pulp plantations, industrial logging, large-scale cattle ranching, large-scale farming of soy, sugarcane, and other crops, and oil and gas exploration an decades

Jan 19 2015

Bougainville News: Air Niugini fulfils its cultural obligation to Kieta landowners

Papua New Guinea flag carrier Air Niugini has fulfilled its cultural obligation with landowners from Kieta, Bougainville last weekend when it exchanged two pigs with store and garden foods as a token of appreciation to the landowners for allowing the airline to have one of its aircraft christened –Kieta.

The cultural ceremony took place at Toborol village in Kieta and was attended by representatives from six major landowner groups- Barapang, Kurabang, Batuang, Baiang, Mantaa and Bakoringku whose land on which Aropa airport was built.

SEE Full coverage of December airport opening here

On behalf of Air Niugini, the airline’s General Manager- Customers and Markets, Dominic Kaumu attended the ceremony and presented the pigs and food items to the landowners.

Mr Kaumu said traditional obligations are an important part of our society and Air Niugini as the national airline was grateful to be able to fulfill its commitment with the landowners.

“ Air Niugini is supporting the government’s initiative to bring back the airline service to this part of Bougainville after 25 years and we are grateful for the fact that you have allowed us not only to resume services but also name one of our aircraft after your airport, Kieta.” Mr Kaumu said.

He added that such a ceremony further strengthens the partnership and co-operation between Air Niugini and the local communities to ensure that the airline services which have just resumed must continue.

“ As you all know, we have just resumed airline services here and we need support from everyone, landowners, communities and the government here to ensure these services continue for the benefit of our people in South and Central Bougainville” Kaumu said.

A Spokesperson representing the six landowner groups, Gabriel Sala acknowledged Air Niugini for fulfilling its traditional obligation and assured the airline of the landowners’ support.

“ Thank you Air Niugini for bringing back services to our people. We are grateful that you have fulfilled your traditional obligations. We assure you that you have our support and we can only hope for more business opportunities to open up in this part of Bougainville.” Sala said

Similar sentiments were echoed by Chief of Pateking clan-Elijah Tavau and Woman leader, Bernadine Naviung.

Mrs Naviung whilst assuring the airline of their support, she also appealed for participation and employment of landowners especially women and youths for spin off activities at the airport area.

Landowner representatives from the six major landowners received the two pigs and other foods which they later distributed to their sub-clans.

Air Niugini’s Q400 aircraft, Papa Xray was christened Kieta following its maiden flight to Kieta, carrying Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill and his delegation for Aropa airport opening on 12th December last year.

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Air Niugini resumed services to Aropa airport after 25 years. The airline operates three weekly flights to Kieta every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The direct Port Moresby/Kieta flight is on Tuesday whilst the Thursday flight goes via Rabaul. The flight on Saturday goes from Port Moresby to Rabaul then Kieta, Rabaul and back to Port Moresby.

Meanwhile, Air Niugini services to Buka are continuing with daily flights, except Sunday.

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 18 2015

Bougainville Business News: Encouraging Bougainvilleans to work together in families and communities

The society’s secretary Paul Hatera believes “that when this micro concept is promoted, everyone at the village level will have money in their pockets and he is therefore encouraging Bougainvilleans to work together in families and communities to create their own small to medium businesses “

Torbuil Cooperative Society is a small to medium sized enterprise which was established last November to bring to life the fishing industry in Bougainville.

See previous Bougainville Fishing industry article BN

Story by : JENNIFER NKUI

Pictured are carved models of fish and a boat that will work with the members of TORBUIL Society

According to the society’s secretary Paul Hatera, it is currently involved only in administrative services.

He told Bougainville News in an interview last week that they are also waiting for an expert from the National Fisheries Authority to come and assemble their Fish Aggregating Device or FAD before they can go out and put the FAD in the sea and start to attract fish.

Then the fish sector for the cooperative society can start its operations.

“The project is a pilot project and it is the first of its kind in the region but without government and the cooperative society’s expertise, the society is struggling to get this fish project in place,” he explained.

“With the little knowledge that we have put together, I hope that in the near future, the society will be making money and achieving its goals and vision statements,” he said.

Mr. Hatera revealed that the member for Hagogohe constituency Peter Sohia has pumped in K20, 000 for the project and the national member for North Bougainville Louta Atoi also gave some money and they are still waiting for the member’s second input into the project.

“The main aim of this project is to ensure that the people in the village can earn an income and be able to have money in their pockets,” he said.

“Right now we are talking independence and referendum but the people in the village are very poor,” he said.

“Because there is no recognition from the ABG government on SME’s, the progress is really very slow,” he stressed.

Mr. Hatera revealed also that a lot of Bougainvilleans had shown interest to work in partnership with Torbuil Cooperative Society and take part in the economic recovery of the region.

The society’s secretary believes that when this micro concept is promoted, everyone at the village level will have money in their pockets and he is therefore encouraging Bougainvilleans to work together in families and communities to create their own SME’s.

Background May 2014

TORBUIL CO-OPERATIVE TO SUPPORT MEMBERS

By Aloysius Laukai

More than two thousand people of HAGOGOHE constituency are proud members of the TORBUIL Co-operative Society that was launched at Pepes village last Saturday.

The launching was attended by the Member for North Bougainville, LAUTA ATOI, Regional member, JOE LERA and members of the Autonomous Bougainville Government.

Chairman of the Board of Directors and founder, PIO BISIA said that he had to start the Co-operative society to address poverty creeping into the area.

He said that the Co-operative will teach the members to learn how to save their hard earned cash so that they can grow it for later use.

MR BISIA said that over the years he has seen his people just spending money and go begging to members for funds to meet their family needs.

He said the Co-operative society will link with the Cocoa Project initiated by the North Bougainville member, LAUTA ATOI and the Fishing project initiated by the Regional member JOE LERA.

MR. BISIA said that the co-operative society was the way forward for Bougainville and will unite families to work together for bigger goals.

– See more at: http://www.pngloop.com/2015/01/16/co-op-waits-fisheries-expert-kick-start/#sthash.odRzGu86.dpuf

Jan 16 2015

Bougainville Women’s News: Strengthening the participation of women in Bougainville’s development

The Challenge: Prior to the conflict, Bougainville women played vital roles in community-level decision-making and were key agents of development. Overall, women held important positions in the family and community. Since the conflict this role has been weakened, resulting in women being marginalised from community decision-making processes. Further, during the conflict, women suffered violence as victims of torture, rape, and forced labour. The weakened capacity of women as agents of development within their communities and the low capacity of government departments working at the local level are widely viewed as significant challenges to development efforts

View the World Bank Website for more

Overview

Located at the eastern-most point of the New Guinea islands, Bougainville comprises two large and many smaller islands. It has a population of approximately 200,000 and over a dozen different languages. A province of Papua New Guinea since 1975, Bougainville is now an autonomous region within the country — the result of a nine-year revolt that left tens of thousands killed, a divided and traumatised population, degraded infrastructure, and a shattered economy brought on by the collapse of its main industry, mining.

Solution

The Inclusive Development in Post-Conflict Bougainville project will benefit women and women’s organisations across the autonomous region as well as communities where projects are implemented and the individuals and agencies who are trained under the project.

The project consists of three components:

Building Capacity for Inclusive Community Development; training women’s organisations and civil society organisations to support the involvement of women in community development. Training is provided for staff in the government, district and sub-district levels.
Small Grants for Inclusive Community Development; women’s groups are invited to apply the concepts and skills they have learned from training directly to the design and implementation of community-based projects through the availability of small grants.
Project Management and Knowledge Sharing.

Results

Through component 1, training has been delivered to 450 participants, exceeding the goal of 400 in the implementation plan. Over two thirds of the participants have been women, exceeding the target of about 40%. There were 51 participants from the Public Service which exceeds the goal of 46 as well as 190 participants from CSOs which exceeded the goal of 152.

Through component 2, small grants have been awarded to 41 women’s groups, including at least one project in each of Bougainville’s 13 districts. People benefitting from completed grant projects are estimated at over 48,000, nearly 25% of the population.

An Independent Monitoring Group concluded that public goods from the project are reaching communities with overall sound management of funds and that women’s roles are being strengthened through their direct management, ownership and leadership in the whole process.

Bank contribution

The World Bank (State and Peace-building Fund) has contributed US$2.5 million for this project

Moving forward

With the project currently set to close in March 2015, plans are underway to secure additional financing to extend the project to March 2018. Additional financing would support the provision of two more rounds of small grants to women’s groups, one per round for each of the 41 Community Governments. Training would continue to build the capacity of women’s groups while also engaging District officials and Community Government leaders more actively in development planning monitoring and implementation support.

Promotion/Advertising : Donate here to support www.bookgainville.com educating young girls throughout Bougainville

Jan 15 2015

Bougainville Fishing Industry News : Major USA prize opportunities for Bougainville business

Do you work in the Bougainville fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood supply business or are you interested in investing in it? The U.S. Department of State is proud to announce a competition that connects investors with businesses which will have a special focus on the Pacific Islands in 2015.

The U.S. Department of State’s partnership with Fish 2.0 will foster the growth of businesses and investment in the Pacific Islands, facilitate diaspora mentoring connections, and support the development of sustainable fisheries, technologies, and supply chains to protect the global ocean. Workshops in Pohnpei, Micronesia in February and in Nadi, Fiji in March will provide hands on training and support for businesses and investors.

The U.S. Department of State’s support to Fish 2.0 builds on ongoing initiatives and new commitments announced at the June 2014 Our Ocean Conference, and reinforces the Department’s commitment to working with diaspora communities to power development through partnership.

For more information about this partnership, please email partnerships@state.gov or visit http://www.fish20.org/events/pacific

Fish 2.0 in the Pacific Islands

Fish 2.0 has unique opportunities for Pacific Island businesses in the 2015 competition. All seafood related businesses as well as mariculture businesses from the Pacific Islands are eligible to compete in Fish 2.0 this year.

Unique benefits for Pacific Island businesses.

Pacific Islanders (defined here as Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands (RMI), Micronesia (FSM), Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) who compete in Fish 2.0 can win the following regional prizes. For the top Pacific Island businesses in the competition, we will be awarding:

$45,000 in professional service contracts aimed at helping businesses to advance towards investment
Travel awards covering air, food and lodging, for the six top Pacific Island competitors to attend the Fish 2.0 Finals

These prizes will be awarded in addition to the $180,000 in prizes offered to Fish 2.0 competitors globally. Travel awards will be announced in September and professional service contract awards will be announced in January 2016.

Educational workshops to be held In Micronesia and Fiji.

We are holding two workshops in the region on Fish 2.0 providing hands on training around investor presentations and support for interested business to apply for the competition.

The first workshop will be held from February 2-4, 2015 in Pohnpei, Micronesia, in partnership with the Micronesia Conservation Trust.

The second workshop will be held in Nadi, Fiji in partnership with WWF-Pacific from March 10-12, 2015.

Please contact us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have an interest in participating in these workshops or know of businesses or investors in the region that might like to get involved.

Investors and Experts with Pacific Island interests: Join us as advisors and judges

Individuals with experience living and working in the Pacific Islands have unique insights and expertise to offer business leaders in their home countries, drawing upon their own work as business or technical experts, as well as their experiences crossing into new business environments and cultures. Click here to learn more about serving as an advisor.

How can we offer this support for the Pacific Islands?

The Pacific Island effort is supported by IdEA, the International diaspora Engagement Alliance, a public/private partnership managed by Calvert Foundation, the U.S. Department of State, and USAID. The goal is to leverage the power of Pacific Islands diaspora as entrepreneurs, advisors, investors, and advocates for the sustainable fishing, mariculture, and aquaculture industries that are critical to Pacific Island economies and environments. The generous support of IdEA and their interest in advancing business development and investment in the region makes these additions for the region possible.

Additional support for Pacific Island workshops has been made available by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s Pacific program.