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Marshall Islanders ‘sitting ducks’ as sea level rises: president

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Geneva (AFP) – Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine stressed Friday the need for dramatic climate action and international support to ensure her people are not left as “sitting ducks” when sea levels inevitably rise.

In an interview with AFP in Geneva, Heine detailed a range of projects underway aimed at helping prepare and adapt her far-flung country, made up of 1,156 low-lying islands, scattered over 29 coral atolls, to rapidly shifting realities brought on by climate change.

“We have to do something, because the only other option is to sit there and wait for the water to come,” she said.

Most of the Marshall Islands lie less than two metres (6.5 feet) above sea level, leaving the Pacific Ocean archipelago’s some 55,000 inhabitants “sitting ducks when it comes to sea level rise,” she said.

The Marshall Islands is among the countries most immediately threatened by unchecked climate change.

Heine lamented that many countries were not taking the threat against small island states seriously enough. She described Washington’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accords as “deeply disappointing”.

Faced with lacklustre efforts to slow warning, she said the Marshall Islands’ “survival depends on innovative approaches”, pointing for instance to ongoing discussions about possibly elevating some of the islands.

“In order for the Marshall Islands as a country and as a culture and as a people… to remain in the future, we need to make sure we have higher grounds,” she said.

Heine said the project, which is part of a national climate change adaptation plan due to be published next year, would obviously “cost a lot of money”.

The Marshall Islands has been lobbying the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund and others for a special designation for atoll nations that would give them easier access to grants and loans for climate adaptation projects.

The country itself is spending more to address the negative consequences of climate change already being felt and to prepare for future shifts, including through the building of sea walls around island communities.

The share of its gross domestic product dedicated to disaster risk management and preparedness has doubled from five to 10 percent over the past four years alone, Heine said.

– ‘Disaster’ –

But this may not be enough. The Marshall Islands is also preparing for the possibility that the territory could eventually be swallowed by the sea.

“We want to stay where we are, where we belong, but if it comes to that then we need to consider… strategies,” Heine said.

She pointed out that Marshall Islanders are granted visa-free travel to the United States, and many have already gone there to start fresh.

“If it looks like we won’t be able to save the Marshall Islands, than perhaps more people will take that option,” she said, adding that she would “hate to see that because that means the disappearance of the Marshall Islands as a country”.

“That to me would be a disaster.”

The country is also considering petitioning the UN to ensure that “borders can continue to remain where they are even though they are submerged under water”.

“Even if people relocate elsewhere, their ownership of a certain piece of the ocean would remain,” ensuring rights to fishing and other marine resources, she said.

“I think some kind of discussion along that line needs to start taking place,” she said.

– Nuclear ‘leakage’ –

At the same time, rising sea levels could also exacerbate the threat left by the Marshall Islands’ nuclear legacy.

The US, which detonated 67 bombs at the Enewetak and Bikini atolls between 1947 and 1958 as part of its nuclear test programme, built a dome-shaped structure on Runit island to store the radioactive debris.

Rising seas are now threatening to undermine the structural integrity of the thick concrete dome, which has already developed cracks.

The US energy department insists there is no danger, but the Marshall Islands wants the UN or another country to “help with an independent assessment of the leakage,” Heine said.

“How can it be safe?”


Nature Care

Pacific people are born conservationists: Cook Islands PM

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Friday, June 21, 2019Cook Islands News, Pacific “Conservation is in our blood. By protecting our ecosystems we conserve our cultural heritage and ensure that we can pass that heritage to future generations”

Those were the words of Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna while opening the 11th  Pacific Community (SPC)  Conference of Ministers in Noumea today.

Prime Minister Puna said the  people of the Cook Islands, like Pacific people throughout the region, are born conservationists. 

“As you all know, the Cook Islands have declared our entire EEZ – close to 2 million square kilometres – as the Marae Moana or ‘Sacred Ocean’. This marine protected area is just one example of how we in the Cook Islands are putting the Blue Pacific narrative into action.

“Sustainable Development Goal 14.5 is to conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas by 2020. And so with Marae Moana, we have exceeded the expectations of the SDGs.

Cook Islanders, like Pacific people everywhere, take our ocean stewardship role seriously by balancing commercial interests against our conservation ambitions,” Puna told fellow Ministers and delegates.

He explained the the pearl farms of the Cook Islands are a great example of this dedication to balance.

“An enormous effort is made to conserving the natural environment, not only because it is part of our Blue Pacific identity, but because the farmers know that a healthy lagoon leads to a healthy harvest.

“We monitor the health of the lagoon, collecting scientific data on the physical, chemical and microbiological properties of the water, as detailed in the The Manihiki Pearl Farming Management Plan, which the Manihiki community and Cook Islands Government developed with the assistance of SPC,”

he said.

He said the Marae Moana takes this concept to the national scale. 

“Marae Moana legislation provides the framework to make resourcing decisions on integrated management through adopting a precautionary approach to the marine environment in sustaining fishery stocks, and environmental impact assessments for seabed mining.

“Forty years of ocean survey work suggests as much as 10 billion tonnes of mineral rich manganese nodules are spread over the Cook Islands Continental Shelf. This seabed mineral resource offers a significant opportunity for the long term sustainable economic and social development of the Cook Islands.

“But any decisions on whether the recovery of seabed minerals will take place must start by gathering technical data, and using scientific analysis. This includes detailed mapping of the bathymetry of the seabed, mapping and evaluating the distribution of the nodules and their elements, a complete understanding of the ecology where the recovery of the nodules will take place, economic analyses and mining feasibility plans and the development of suitable recovery technology.

At the local scale, as a veteran pearl farmer, and at the national scale, as the Prime Minister, I rely on scientific and technical data to make evidence based decisions for the good of my community and our people today and long into the future. And this is where SPC has proven invaluable in availing, over many years, scientific and technical data to all our members to ensure evidence-based decisions,” he explained.

He emphasised the changes in global climate now occurring have dramatically increased the risk.

“Just four days after I completed my very first pearl seeding, Cyclone Martin struck. Virtually the entire island population of Manihiki had to be evacuated and many people lost their lives.

Manihiki today, as with all our atoll communities across the Pacific, remains highly vulnerable to the increased frequency and intensity of cyclones, sea surges, and coral degradation as a result of climate change. Many communities in the Cook Islands and across the region, remain one cyclone away from utter devastation. 

The failure of the developed world to adapt and adopt stronger mitigation measures, including reducing global carbon emissions, threatens the Blue Pacific’s very existence,” PM Puna emphasised.

Puna stressed the Pacific are not standing by idly waiting on others to offer solutions.

“Our Blue Pacific future requires moving beyond an understanding of climate change as an existential threat, to understanding the extent, nature and severity of that threat through scientific and technical studies, data and interpretation. Empowering our people to formulate strategies, policies and actions to adapt and protect our way of life.

“In the Pacific we have the tools we need to become leaders in developing cutting edge resilience and adaption measures, thanks to SPC and its sister CROP agencies. But just having the tools is not enough.

Just as the pearl farmers of Manihiki share knowledge on improved farming methods and help each other out whenever possible so we as Pacific Islanders need to harness our common history and connection to the region to champion collaboration,”

said the Cook Islands PM.

SOURCE: PACNEWS/PNG TODAY

The Melanesian Way

Office needed to address customary land issues

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A SEPARATE office needs to be established to deal with customary land issues, principal and director of Niugini Land and Properties Ltd Dr Charles Yala says.

Speaking at a panel discussion during the 35th Australia-PNG Forum and Trade Expo yesterday on the topic of unlocking customary land in Papua New Guinea, Yala said the Department of Lands and Physical Planning needed to effectively address the issue for the potential benefits it could engender.

“They (Lands Department) are not designed or equipped to accommodate customary land and that is where the problem is,” Yala said.

“The private sector wants land, developers want land, landowners want to mobilise their land. They don’t know where to go, who to see regarding customary land and how to go about.

“It is important that an office is established, or a separate entity is established that takes custody of the 17 resolutions of the 2019 National Land Summit and drive development of the customary land.”

National Research Institute research fellow Logea Nao said during the National Land Summit last month that the discussions and reviews had come up with 17 resolutions. These includes:

  • Land owner identification. There should not be one single process of identifying landowners in which establishing a structured process for the identification of customary landowners is critical for the successful mobilisation of customary land for development;
  • incorporated land groups (ILGs). There is no clear consensus on the usefulness of the ILG as a vehicle for mobilising customary land for development thereby the relevance of the ILG as a vehicle for mobilising land for development needs to be reviewed with the view to amend or repeal the ILG Act; and,
  • Benefit sharing. A structured benefit sharing arrangement for incomes generated from the mobilisation of land is required for development on which developing a legal framework that guides the mobilisation of customary land for development and the distribution of the proceeds from the development.

Yala said there was no policy and legal framework on resettlement.

“Our mining industry is calling out for land for resettlement. There are people that need to be resettled because there is mining activity. They don’t know where to resolve and how,”

he said.

“There is no legal framework and there is no policy.”

Melanesia Network

Where do Tok Pisin words come from?

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IN these monthly discussions we answer one question about language in PNG and beyond. This month we are looking at the origins of words in Tok Pisin.

The historical connection between English and Tok Pisin is obvious. This is why we often call Tok Pisin “Pidgin English”. But where do all the non-English words come from and why are even many English words used differently in Tok Pisin than in English?

The vast majority of Tok Pisin words come from English, although often their meaning has changed. Sometimes the change is the softening of an English swear word. The first English speakers Pacific Islanders encountered were sailors, who were not hesitant to use swear words. The Pacific Islanders who met them could not tell a swear word from a harmless word, so they ended up using expressions such as “mi bagarap” (from English “buggered” or “buggery”, an old rude word for “sodomy”) and “sit bilong paia” (literally, the “shit of the fire”) for “ashes”.

Some English expressions were drastically shortened Perhaps the best example of this is “olsem” (“like”, “similar”), which is how early Pacific Islanders heard “all the same”. The English language has changed since the 1800s, so some English words used then which made their way into Tok Pisin are no longer used in modern English. We no longer use “gammon”, for example, which became Tok Pisin “giaman”, or “by and by”, which first became the marker of future action “baimbai”,later shortened to “bai” and today even “ba”.

Other English words were used by Melanesians with meanings from their own languages. In many languages, the word for “brother” means “a sibling of the same sex” and the word for “sister” means “a sibling of the opposite sex”. Early Tok Pisin speakers used the same meanings, so that a woman would speak of “brata bilong mi, Maria” and “susa bilong mi, Adam”. Similarly, in many areas we speak of “ai bilong haus” (literally “eye of the house”) for “the front door” or “front yard”, a literal translation from Austronesian languages. Very Pacific wordings such as this show that Tok Pisin was a creation by Pacific Islanders and not, as some people still believe, something consciously taught or introduced by Germans or other Europeans.

Even though the Portuguese never colonised Melanesia, Tok Pisin has several words from Portuguese, such as “save” (Portuguese “saber” / “know”), “pikinini” (Portuguese “pequeno” / “small”). These are common to pidgin and creole languages around the world and reflect the early pidgin Portuguese varieties that developed wherever the Portuguese settled in Asia.

Later English-speaking sailors came in contact with these varieties and tried to use these words whenever they came across people with whom they could not communicate. The first Melanesians they encountered could not, of course, tell the difference between the Portuguese and English words they heard from the sailors’ mouths and so took up save and pikinini along with English words.

The first speakers of Tok Pisin were Austronesian speakers who found that they could use words that were common in Austronesian languages when speaking to speakers of other Austronesian speakers in Tok Pisin. This is how words common across many Austronesian languages, including Malay, such as “susu” (“milk”, “breast”) entered the language. When Malay-speaking workers were brought to the Gazelle Peninsula and plantations in Madang, they also brought the word “binatang”, which means “animal” in Malay, but “insect” in Tok Pisin. Perhaps this was because they thought New Guinea insects were as fierce as the tigers and elephants back home?

New Guinea was colonised by Germany, with the colonial capital in Kokopo. It is therefore not surprising that early Tok Pisin has many German and Kuanua (Tolai) words. At one time most of the words for tools and household items came from German. Later as generations of Papua New Guineans have had education in English, most words adapted from German, such as “srang” (closet, cupboard) and “hebel” (lever) have been replaced by English words. Nevertheless, there are still a number of German-derived words in Tok Pisin, such as “tabak” (tobacco) and, in some areas, beten (pray).

As the centre of Tok Pisin has moved away from the Gazelle Peninsula, many words of Tolai origin, such as “limlimbur” have been replaced by words from English (“wokabaut”). Many words from Kuanua and New Ireland languages related to it do remain, however, especially those such as masalai (“spirit”) and “kulau” (young coconut” that describe things that are particularly Melanesian and not European.

Christianity was introduced to Melanesia around the same time that Melanesians were developing Tok Pisin to speak to each other. The languages of the early missionaries brought a number of words still used in church circles today. German beten has already been mentioned. Other words include “bogen” (“arch”) from German, “pater” (“priest”) from Latin, and “lotu” and “talatala” (“preacher”) from Polynesian languages.

The origins of two common words, “maski” (“never mind”) and “sanguma” (“sorcerer”, “sorcery”) have long been difficult to ascertain. Dr Karl Franklin of SIL has found evidence that “maski” comes from an expression in a southern Chinese language that made its way into the pidgin Portuguese of Macau and later the pidgin English of Hong Kong. Sailors stopping at those ports picked up the expression and used it on the first ships that came to Melanesia.

“Sanguma” is still a mystery. An almost identical word with the same meaning, “sangoma”, is commonly used in southern Africa today. It is quite possible that German colonial workers travelling between German Southwest Africa (today Namibia) and German New Guinea carried the word from one of their colonies to the other, but there is no evidence to back up this hypothesis.

As we have seen, while English has been the basis for Tok Pisin vocabulary, Tok Pisin speakers have adapted these words to fit their way of speaking and thinking, while at the same time also adopting words from other languages that they spoke or encountered. Tok Pisin is very much a Melanesian creation, but it can trace the roots of its vocabulary to languages from around the world.

• Professor Volker is a linguist living in New Ireland, and an Adjunct Professor in The Cairns Institute, James Cook University in Australia. He welcomes your language questions for this monthly discussion at craig.volker@jcu.edu.au. Or continue the discussion on the Facebook Language Toktok page.

Source: https://www.thenational.com.pg

Melanesia

Anthropologists have found the remains of the first inhabitants of Tibet

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DNA of the denisovans can be found in the genomes of modern people of Asia, Australia and Melanesia.

The first inhabitants of Tibet were not the ancestors of modern Chinese, Nepalese or current residents of the plateau, and the ancient humans-the denisovans, who lived there more than 160 thousand years. Write about the geneticists and paleontologists, published an article in the journal Nature.

“The DNA of denisovans can be found in the genomes of modern people of Asia, Australia and Melanesia, indicating that their extremely widespread. However, to date, their bones were found only in the Russian Denisova cave,”

says Jean-Jacques Hublin (Jean-Jacques Hublin) of the Institute of evolutionary anthropology in Leipzig (Germany).

In December 2010 the famous paleogenetic Svante Paabo announced the opening of the “third” kind of people whose remains one knuckle of a finger was found in the Russian Denisova cave in the Altai. This discovery was made thanks to the “resurrection” of fragments of the genome preserved in three fragments of bone of an ancient man – phalangeal finger bone and two teeth found in the cave.

Initially, scientists believed they found the “denisovans” (Homo altaiensis) was a cousin of the Neanderthals, who lived in a cave for about 50 thousand years ago. It was later revealed that they arose much earlier than scientists expected, and was a separate subspecies of humans. Traces of their DNA remains in the genomes of modern Polynesians, Indians of South America and several Nations of Southeast Asia.

Hublin and his colleagues opened the first “real” traces of the denisovans outside of Altai, studying the fragments of the jaw of ancient man which were found in 1980 by a Tibetan monk in the cave Baisha, located in the South of the County Xiahe in the Gansu province of China.

Long these remains have lain in the Treasury of one of the local incarnations of the Buddha. At the turn of the century he gave them to the scientists from Lanzhou University. They were interested in this discovery and organized a series of expeditions to the cave Baishya in the hope of discovering more remains of its owner, presumably a Neanderthal.

Three years ago, these excavations had joined the European geneticists, anthropologists and chemists. Scientists have not been able to find new bones of ancient people, but they found there a large number of tools, cut up animal bones and other artifacts. Their age was approximately 165 thousand years, spoke in favor of the very ancient origin of their owners.

The bones of an ancient “Neanderthal”, unfortunately genetics is not preserved important fragments of DNA that did not allow Oblio and his colleagues to reconstruct the genome of the occupant of Bisli. On the other hand, chemists have discovered in the teeth of this ancient people, a large number of proteins and other organic molecules, to reveal its origin.

It turned out that his teeth contained a unique set of proteins on a similar mix of Neanderthals nor CRO-magnon, nor modern apes. Part of these molecules, as noted by scholars, was similar in structure to the enzymes of the denisovans. This suggests that the cave dwellers or were pure Denisova, or a descendant of any mixed marriages between Homo neanderthalensis and Homo altaensis.
This discovery was a great gift for Oblina and his colleagues, as in the past, scientists managed to find only the teeth of Homo altaiensis and had no idea what they looked like. Now anthropologists can say that the denisovans differed in appearance from modern humans and from Neanderthals, and was similar in shape of jaws erectus people Homo erectus.

In addition, this discovery reveals the secret of how modern Tibetans have become owners of unusual and unique to them version of the EPAS1 gene that protects them from chronic lack of oxygen. Initially, biologists believed that it just quickly evolved, however, in 2014, they found that the Tibetans were “borrowed” it from the denisovans, with whom they interbred approximately 40-50 thousand years ago.

Such a hypothesis did not provide an answer as to where it happened this exchange. The discovery of the remains of denisovans to Tibet says that it “natives” and newcomers CRO-magnons could be a long time to live next to each other and in constant contact with each other, while the denisovans did not “blend” in a new population or disappeared, leaving them the gift of “mountain” version of EPAS1, the scientists conclude.

Source: http://micetimes.asia/

Nature Care

Solomon Islands’ Logging Curtail

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Gov’t to limit round log exports

THE government is in a move to reduce the round log export in the next 4 years to a sustainable rate, says Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

He stated this when highlighting the importance of the trip by Government officials to China, which is to do a timber trade survey.

He stated that the timber trade survey is important to the Ministry of Forestry as the Government is in a position to implement the 50cm diameter limit for all round logs exports. 

The Ministry of Forestry is part of the government team led by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury’s Economic Reform Unit that usually negotiate the Determined Values quarterly. 

With the recent trip, he said the Ministry of Forestry needs to understand the demand on the ground. 

“The issue of descending log prices is paramount to discuss with round log buyers and industries/factories and negotiating direct sales to factories is important if we want to maximize revenue from round log export,” the Prime Minister stated. 

Mr Sogavare further reiterated that the investigation on other processed timber producers market will also be raised with log buyers and factory buyers and adds that the visitation to industries and furniture factories are important to discuss and understand on the ground, especially the timber quality and properties of added value timber products.

Having both parties on the ground understanding the trade in China can assist both parties to make better decisions that benefits all stakeholders of logging business. 

“This is a Win-Win situation for all including the resource owners,” he stated.

The Ministry of Forestry has participated on this trip in 2018 and have increased their participation this year by including the Minister and the Commissioner. 

While in China, other trade opportunities will be looked into including non-timber forest products.

The trip is jointly funded by the Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Forestry and the Sustainable Forest Association.

The DCGA is committed to the delivery of ongoing and prospective policy priorities in the interests of peace, national stability and economic advancement.

Source: SSNews

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Climate change real in Airara

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By VERONICA AURE

ACCORDING to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) “global climate change already has observable effects on the environment. Scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.’ (https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/)

It is very sad but a reality that the “rapidly changing climate patterns, increasing population growth and intensity and levels of uses of natural ecosystems affect the ability of systems to respond to change. PNG has already been buffeted by extreme weather and climate events such as those brought about by the El Nino in 1997/98 with further changes in temperatures and sea level rise predicted over the next 100 years.’ (https://www.adaptation-undp.org/explore/melanesia/papua-new-guinea?page=1)

A good example of the drastic effect of climate change can be seen in the village of Airara in the Collingwood Bay of Cape Nelson LLG, Northern.
The sea level has risen and the heat waves are more intense forcing local villagers to move inland leaving behind their once beautiful beach shore village.

Seventy-eight-year-old Cecil Aburin, who was once a Southern Region post master with Post PNG, recalls his early days with a smirk on his face:

“Airara always had the cleanest and most beautiful shores in the whole of Collingwood Bay. I would always boast about my small village in the bay during my travels and work experience. But I can sadly say now, it’s not the same anymore.”

He said his people have now moved inland because the beachfront village is not conducive to normal life anymore. Aburin says that their catches at sea have decreased in volume, crops have decreased in size and diseases have increased both in humans and plants alike.

He adds that he would like to see a lot more involvement by organisations like Partners With Melanesians (PWM) who care about empowering local communities so that they are in control and able to make informed decisions regarding the use of their natural environment.

“I commend Partners With Melanesians in taking this stand with the people of Collingwood Bay to conserve our land. Collingwood Bay is beautiful and its time we realise that and preserve our land for our future generations. This will in a long run also help in mitigating the effects of climate change,”

Aburin says.

He says he’d like to be around when Collingwood Bay gets declared as a conservation or protected area. “I hope this day will come soon because I don’t know for how long I will be around. I have my fair share of stories to tell about Airara and I want my children and grandchildren too to also have their own stories to tell one day in beautiful Collingwood Bay.”

Partners With Melanesians recently had a joint planning meeting with representatives from the proposed Collingwood Bay Conservation Foundation (CWBCF) in Airara from April 26 to May 3.

The purpose of the planning meeting was to inform and educate the CWBCF representatives regarding the activities under PWM’s eight programmes which will be implemented in Collingwood Bay this year.

Also, the meeting was to formally introduce all programme coordinators of PWM to the people of Collingwood Bay and familiarise them with the environment in which they will be working in.

PWM envisions Melanesian societies to live in peace and harmony with their nature and their environment

The author is the Community Empowerment and Communications Coordinator for PWM.

Source: https://www.thenational.com.pg/

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West Papua Province Earns Global Conservation Hero Award

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Conservational International (CI) has awarded West Papua Province its Global Conservation Hero Award at the organization’s annual gala in Los Angeles, California. The recognition comes after West Papua formalized a legal framework for sustainable development and conservation in the province. The legislation is particularly significant for the region’s tropical forests and the unique Bird’s Head Seascape, which encompasses some of the planet’s most coveted areas for diving and underwater photography: Cenderawasih Bay, Raja Ampat, and Triton Bay.

“The award is an international recognition for the efforts of the provincial administration in protecting the forests and the sea, and ensuring the protection of the rights of indigenous people of West Papua, with a sustainable and environmentally friendly development approach,” said West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan in a statement.

In March this year, the West Papua parliament approved the legislation creating the West Papua Conservation Province—the first of its kind in Indonesia. The framework—which brings together communities, government agencies, academics, and NGOs—is designed to protect marine ecosystems, while promoting sustainable development and recognizing indigenous rights. Under the policy, a minimum of 50% of West Papua’s marine area is designated as a watershed conservation area, with 20% included in the no-take zone.

As one of Earth’s most biodiverse regions, West Papua is home to more than 1,800 species of fish and three quarters of the world’s hard corals. The 47,000-square-mile province also holds one of Earth’s most important intact rainforests, the planet’s largest mangrove forest, and large peatland areas—huge carbon sinks that are vitally important in mitigating climate change.

Read more here.

Source: http://www.divephotoguide.com

The Melanesian Way, Uncategorized

Police step up patrol to fight crime at Badili and Koki bus stops

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The National PNG – POLICE have stepped up patrols at the Koki and Badili bus stops in Port Moresby as they clamp down on petty crimes committed there.

National Capital District and Central Commander Chief Inspector Fred Tundu said anyone found to be in possession of knives, screwdrivers, iron bars and other dangerous objects would be arrested. Police units are rostered on shift duties in the area and will be on the lookout for troublemakers.

“It is like a hide-and-seek game played (by young men). When officers are at one location, they quickly move to another location making it very difficult for the officers who have only one vehicle,” he said.

He said the lack of manpower was a problem they were coping with and called on the people to support the police.

He encouraged them to post on the NCD Alert Facebook crime page any information they have on criminal activities.

Females are not only the main victims because males too are robbed of mobile phones, money and even food in plastics.

“We are starting to arrest those occupying the bus stop and blocking pedestrians,”Tundu said.

Asia Oceania

SREP in Thailand March 2019 9th 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific

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The Pacific Island countries (Kiribati, FSM, RMI, Palau, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu), the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association, SPREP and J-PRISM made a strong presence in the recently held 9th 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific held from the 4th to the 6th March 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Pacific delegation were among the 500 participants who gathered and discussed the transition to a circular economy and sufficiency economy. This year’s theme, “3R as a Way for Moving towards Sufficiency Economy – Implications for SDGs”, is very relevant considering the global issue on plastic wastes which, if not managed well, is polluting over our valuable oceans and marine resources. The challenge now is to put the circular economy and sufficiency economy philosophies in the Pacific context.

The PICs reported the developments on the implementation of the Hanoi 3R Declaration and made a strong impact on initiatives such as the Container Deposit legislations and banning single-use Plastic Products which have yet to be considered in bigger counterparts in the Asian region.

SPREP’s Waste Management and Pollution Control Programme Director, Dr. Vicki Hall, and JICA’s Global Environment Department’s Director overseeing the J-PRISM Project, Mr. Mimpei Ito, acted as resource persons in some of the plenary sessions. The PICs and our recyclers also had the opportunity to network with waste-related businesses across Asia and explored and assessed relevant technologies working well in our Asian counterparts during a roundtable dialogue to advance 3R through Public Private Partnerships in both regions.

For more information, please visit http://www.uncrd.or.jp/?page=view&nr=1174&type=13&menu=198

#JPRISM #CleanerPacific #SPREP #3R

Source: Facebook.com

United Tribes of Melanesia!