Learn the drill: Sounding the alarm on Fiji's tsunami sirens

Fiji's Tsunami Early Warning System is clear: sirens will be activated for WARNING only.

Fiji's National Tsunami Response Plan is not well understood among the general public, or even among UN officials, following confusion over the lack of sirens during the tsunami alert last Wednesday. 

While the news of the earthquake and potential for tsunami got out quickly through social media, the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has been criticized as being slow to react, and that Fiji's tsunami early warning system (EWS) had failed because sirens were not sounded.

"I have not heard anyone telling me that they heard a siren yesterday, and we didn't hear any and we are based very close to the coastline," said Mr Sune Gudnitz, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Fiji. "The sirens really have to work. There has got to be sirens because sirens are accessible to everyone," Mr Gudnitz told the ABC. 

However these sentiments were strongly refuted yesterday by one of the country's key emergency response specialists. Mr Anthony Blake, Commanding Officer of Fiji's Volunteer Emergency Response Team (VERT), says sirens were not sounded because the official level of threat from tsunami did not reach the required level. 

"The tsunami EWS ...is clear that sirens will be activated for WARNING only. In this instance, we had an ALERT, so there was no need for the Siren Activation," said Mr Blake.  

"This was an ALERT, people were advised to take precautionary actions, and I feel that is exactly what they did. 

Mr Blake said social media played a role initially but then gave rise to panic.

The Pacific Way (Ep.4, 2016)

Published on 30 Nov 2016

1. Pacific Community (SPC) and FNU's collaboration on Disaster Risk Management course at the Fiji National University
2. A Hawaiian fan weaving demonstration at the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam
3. Fiji's singing sensation Laisa Vulakoro and the Hope Fiji Band at the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam.

 Copyright 2016 Pacific Community

How can the SDGs help Pacific Islands countries combat non-communicable diseases?

Extract from TRANSITIONING FROM THE MDGs TO THE SDGs, joint report from UNDP and the World Bank. This chapter addresses action required to combat the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Pacific Islands Countries (PICs).

"The top 7 most overweight countries in the world are PICs. Eight PICs are amongst the top ten for highest diabetes prevalence."

View the extract here
Download the whole report here.

Pacdev tweets of the week to 31 July 2016

RELEASE: USP launches free online course in Pacific Studies

The University of the South Pacific (USP) is pleased to announce a Pacific Studies MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). The free six-week course promotes cross-cultural competency, and awareness of Pacific ideas and frameworks to meet the challenges of the region and globalization.

To be launched on 1 August 2016, the course is conducted by academics from USP's Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies (OCACPS).

The content is based on USP's existing Pacific Studies Post Graduate courses, and introduces the vibrant field of Pacific Studies. 

Pacdev tweets of the week to 22 July 2016

Pacdev: tweets of the week to 15 July 2016

Collecting our most notable tweets and retweets for the week ending Friday, 11 July 2016.

Nauru's adventures in international finance: World Bank comes as Westpac leaves

On Wednesday, the Republic of Nauru—est. population 10,500—became the 189th full member of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) approved the membership in November, 2015 and Nauru's finance minister, Mr David Adeang, signed the relevant Articles of Agreement at a press event at the US State Department in Washington, D.C.
 

Nauru receives IMF and World Bank membership status #Nauru https://t.co/xGJxPKLLGA pic.twitter.com/tVPQmvl3Ox

— Republic of Nauru (@Republic_Nauru) April 13, 2016

However the move comes just as leading Australian bank Westpac is severing ties with Nauru. Quoting anonymous sources, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that Westpac is exiting the country "after concerns were raised by the bank's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing experts". Nauru says the story is a "fabrication". 

The IMF requires an applicant country "to be in control of its own foreign affairs". Deemed as such, the IMF says Nauru "can now also attend the joint IMF-World Bank Spring and Annual Meetings as a full member of the Bretton Woods family". This means that Nauru, administered by Australia until independence in 1968, signed up just in time for Minister Adeang to attend this week's 2016 Spring meeting, which runs from today till Sunday in D.C. 

For its US$58.6 million in subscriptions Nauru gets just  0.05 per cent of total voting rights.

We asked the World Bank's Pacific Islands unit several questions about the process of joining "the Bank".

The Pacdev Podcast: Joel Negin on aid cuts to health in PNG, and preparing for the next great pandemic

In our first Pacdev Podcast we interview Joel Negin, Associate Professor of International Health and Acting Head of School, School of Public Health, The University of Sydney. Joel talks about Australian aid cuts to the health sector and especially maternal and child health in Papua New Guinea; the risks associated with coming pandemics, and the suitability of WHO to meet the challenge. Recorded 10 February 2016 just after Joel had delivered his paper at the 2016 Australian Aid Conference at the Development Policy Centre, Australian National University, Canberra.

 
And here's Joel's presentation at the conference, written with Glen Mola, University of Papua New Guinea. 

Bye bye "Secretariat", hello "Pacific Community"

The region's oldest intergovernmental body is rebranding, dropping the 'Secretariat of' to call itself the 'Pacific Community' hereafter.

Downsized from a cumbersome 15 syllables to seven, "Pacific Community" was adopted during 2015 consultations over SPC's new Strategic Plan 2016-2020. It was approved by its governing body, the Conference of the Pacific Community, in Niue in November.

While the familiar SPC/CPS acronym is now technically deprecated, its continued use reflects common usage and retains an historic link to its origin in 1947 as the South Pacific Commission. The release quotes Pacific Community Director-General, Dr Colin Tukuitonga: 

“'Pacific Community' has actually been SPC's legal name since 1997, when its members moved to formally retire the ‘South Pacific Commission’ title... we’re essentially going back to the future." 

COP21 Paris: Australia fails on real increase in support for most climate-vulnerable neighbours—Edmund Rice Centre

Paris, December 1 —  Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced Australia will contribute AUD$1 billion over the next five years, but this is not a new commitment and is not new money, but will be drawn instead from the Government’s existing aid budget towards building climate resilience and reducing emissions.
"In his Paris speech Malcolm Turnbull has highlighted the increasing vulnerability of some of our nearest neighbours, however his aid announcement means that Australia's response is to continue previous contributions—not increase support in real terms," Edmund Rice Centre Director, Phil Glendenning, said today from the COP21 UN Climate Summit in Paris.
"Whilst Australia's decision to ratify the 2012-2020 Phase II of the Kyoto Protocol is welcome, it is still disappointing that Australia’s recognition of the increased vulnerability of our neighbours like Kiribati and Tuvalu should be addressed with funds drawn from Australia’s existing and diminishing aid budget," Mr Glendenning said.
"It is important that Australia recognises the impact climate change is having, and will have, on our close neighbours. This is welcome, as is a recognition of the support needed to assist developing countries build resilience to climate change. Given that, it is surprising that Australia will provide no new funding," Mr Glendenning said.

UN food agencies flag response to drought-ravaged PNG

With the release of a dire impact assessment from CARE of the drought on the Pacific and especially PNG, The UN has been prominent in calling for a coordinated emergency response.

The UN Resident Coordinator in PNG, Roy Trivedy, told Pacdev that: "UNDP has been supporting the public information campaign for the past 4 weeks also assessments. UNICEF, IOM, WHO are also supporting health, water and sanitation and nutrition work."

We wondered however at the response from the UN's global lead agencies on food security, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). We asked each the following questions:

• What actions have you taken in response to this disaster? 
• What resources if any have been applied to that response? 
• Have you received any official requests for assistance?

PIFS puts 5 issues on Leaders' agenda at Pacific Islands Forum

At the Civil Society Organisations Forum ahead of this week's Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Port Moresby, PIFS Secretary General Meg Taylor unveiled five regional issues chosen from 68 public submissions to be discussed by the forum's Leaders' Meeting later this week.

The five issues are: 

1. increased returns on fisheries
2. action on climate change 
3. alleged human rights issues within West Papua
4. cervical cancer
5. information and communications technology (ICT)

SG Taylor elaborated on the five topics for the CSO Forum:

PIFS special committee on regionalism decides on priorities... but won't tell

PIF Leaders gathered in Majuro, Marshall Islands in 2014.
Photo - Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

AFTER spending three days poring over 68 proposals for Pacific regional initiatives, an expert committee convened by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) has found "a small set of 'game-changing' issues" -- but it has no plans to identify them.

The proposals show the region is not short of ideas, vision or a broad agenda, with compelling submissions addressing issues from climate change to public health, human rights to local government.

However, rather than inviting public comment on their expert opinion of the region's most urgent priorities, PIFS Specialist Sub-Committee on Regionalism (SSCR) will instead pass the list on to the Forum Officials Committee (FOC) meeting in August, which in turn will decide what topics Pacific leaders will discuss at their meeting in Port Moresby the following month.

UTS public health development centre to lead WHO's global research network

Australia is taking a leadership role in public health research with Sydney's World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development elected to head its worldwide network.

The University of Technology Sydney-based WHO Collaborating Centre (WHO CC UTS) has been elected from 44 such centres internationally to act as Secretariat of the Global Network, the first Australian institute to undertake this role.

UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs said the centre will work towards strengthening nursing and midwifery leadership, education, practice and research globally.

"It's an honour to have been nominated as secretariat for this global network of highly esteemed universities around the world," Professor Brungs said. "It is also a great opportunity to further strengthen the skills, capacity and voices of healthcare professionals here in the Asia Pacific, and globally, as we work towards meeting Millennium Development Goals."