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No blame or shame game, let’s make a meaningful deal: Samoa PM
Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi did not mince his words when he addressed the UN General Assembly.
He told the leaders that countries cannot afford to play “blame or shame” games or wait for other nations to take the lead if they are to strike a meaningful deal on reducing greenhouse gas emissions when they gather in Copenhagen in December.
Tuila’epa used his address to the assembly’s high-level debate to warn that reaching a climate change agreement at the global talks in the Danish capital will be a “test of multilateral solidarity.”
Although acknowledging the historical responsibility for the causes of climate change was legitimate, he said that “allowing it to get in the way of making decisions…would be a grave mistake”.
Tuilaepa said time was already running out, especially for small islands nations such as his own.
“Playing the ‘blame and shame’ tactics, or ‘waiting to be led but not willing to lead,’ are no longer options.
“For no single nation, no single group of nations, and no single organisation on its own can win the war against climate change,” he said.
“The divergent yet inextricably linked interests of member states demands that we ‘seal a deal’ in Copenhagen”
Tonga’s Prime Minister, Dr Feleti Sevele urged countries to seize the opportunity to “change the wasteful energy habits of a lifetime into the productive energy habits of the future.”
Sevele stressed the pledges and rhetoric made by presidents and prime ministers at the summit were not enough—they have to be matched by actions.
Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia was hopeful the Copenhagen negotiations would prove to be a watershed in the fight against climate change.
“I hold great faith in this conference. But my faith will be diminished if key milestones are not achieved,” he said, citing—among others— an agreement to reduce overall emissions by 2015, strong commitments from wealthy nations to finance and support poor countries become more resilient to climate change, and a focus on reducing emissions from deforestation, albeit in a coherent manner. (PACNEWS).
Historic alliance for marine protected areas
Two of the world’s largest marine protected areas announced a historic alliance to enhance the management and of almost 300,000 square miles of marine habitat in the Pacific Ocean. President Anote Tong of Kiribati witnessed the signing of an agreement with the United States that establishes a “sister site” relationship between the Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument, located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the Phoenix Islands Protected Area near the equator in Kiribati. Managers of both sites will meet in November in French Polynesia to formalise the agreement. Combined, the two sites encompass 25 percent of all marine protected areas on Earth. The partnership links the sites and is designed to enhance management knowledge and practices for these tropical and subtropical marine and terrestrial island ecosystems.
When it was established in 2006, Papah?naumoku?kea was the largest marine protected area in the world, protecting natural, cultural and historic resources within an area of approximately 140,000 square miles (362,075 square kilometres). The monument’s extensive coral reefs are home to over 7,000 marine species, one quarter of which are found only in the Hawaiian Archipelago. In 2008, the Phoenix Island Protected Area was founded to protect the archipelago’s terrestrial and marine resources, becoming the largest marine protected area in the world today at approximately 158,500 square miles (410,500 square kilometers). The coral reefs and bird populations of the islands are highly unique and virtually untouched by humans. The protected area also includes underwater seamounts and other deep-sea habitat.
“Our sites are part of a growing trend globally in ocean protection—the establishment of large-scale marine protected areas,” said `Aulani Wilhelm, NOAA’s superintendent for Papah?naumoku?kea. “By partnering, we hope to collaborate on innovative initiatives highlighting not only the ecological connections we share, but also Pacific heritage and cultural connections we have as island people across Oceania.”
Both sites were nominated this year by their respective governments as World Heritage Sites, a designation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
‘The Bee’ goes to the Solomons
Solomon Islands will be the first in the Asia Pacific region to pilot test “The Bee” and launch the Digital Doorway.
This new cutting edge information and communication technology (ICT) will contribute significantly to getting people connected by providing women, men, boys and girls in remote communities free access to information and build computer literacy through unassisted learning in emergency and programming settings.
Seth Herr, from the Division of Communications UNICEF New York, said The ‘Bee, “works like a computer networking system that can provide free quick and easy access for information exchange, ensure business continuity, provide entertainment and give people, especially children a voice during emergencies.”
The ‘Bee’ can also support the learning environment of children in post-emergency response and expand the opportunities for access to information of communities.
The Digital Doorway, which is a very robust 3-terminal computer system built to withstand harsh conditions, acts as a “doorway” through which children and communities in rural and disadvantaged areas can freely access computer equipment and open source software that will help with the development of important life skills and enhance computer literacy through unassisted learning.
Samoa Lotto for sports
The Samoa government’s Totalisator Agency Board or TAB, will soon launch a new lottery called Samoa National Lotto aimed at funding sports development and charitable organisations.
It will be the second local lottery to be run and operated in Samoa.
But TAB secretary, Oloipola Terrence Betham, says the first Lotto Samoa game, owned by a prominent business family, will cease to operate in two years time.
According to the secretary, the government, through the TAB board, has decided not to have an individual or company run a lottery in the future.
He says the government is concerned the amount of commission or money paid by the current lottery business, since it started more than a decade ago, is not enough to help fund sporting events and charity works.
Oloipola says the government is also concerned that running a lottery by a company would only benefit a few people and not the public.
The license for the Lotto Samoa Company which is owned by the family of a government MP will be finished in December 2011.
Tulafono’s cannery plan
American Samoa Governor Togiola Tulafono wants the territory to buy the assets of Samoa Packing after learning negotiations with other interested buyers of the cannery had failed.
The governor says they’ve offered US$4. million for the plant, plus permits and licences, and half a million for staff to maintain it, pending the takeover by a company to operate it for the government.
The cannery would process and can albacore and wahoo and the intention is to have a co-packing contract with Star Kist, Tri Marine or other interested canneries.
The proposed cannery will not have a label and the products could be sold to any buyer. Also proposed is loin processing and the sale of fresh frozen fish.
The cannery would employ up to 700 people.
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