News Briefs
Selected for Legal training on sea bed minerals
The SPC SOPAC Division has offered Cook Islander Ms Alexandrya Herman, the daughter of Dr Aumea Herman, a niece of John and Ina Herman of Matavera, an opportunity to undertake a short trainee placement within the SOPAC Division’s Deep Sea Minerals Project.
The Deep Sea Minerals Project, based within SPC’s SOPAC Division and funded by the EU, provides technical assistance to 15 Pacific-ACP States (including the Cook Islands) in relation to the emerging deep sea minerals industry in the region.
The Project employs a Legal Advisor to provide specialist legal advice and assistance to Project countries, in developing and implementing comprehensive policy and legislative frameworks to manage deep seabed mineral developments in the region.
The Project includes a capacity-building component, and through this we are able to offer short term legal internships to legally-trained nationals of a Project country. In spending time with the Project and supporting the work of the Legal Advisor, the trainee will be exposed to specialist expertise and knowhow, and will be able to obtain hands-on experience in this new area of law. It is hoped that having this legal knowledge and experience in-country in the future will work to the future benefit of the Cook Islands as it moves forward with its work on deep sea minerals.
Following an application and an interview process, Ms. Herman was selected as one of the best candidates, and SOPAC offers her the trainee placement for six weeks from Monday 12 November to Friday 2151 December 2013. The placement will be based within the Division, in
Suva. The Project will fund Ms. Herman’s travel to and from Suva, and will provide a per diem for the duration of the placement.
Ms Herman is a recent law graduate from the University of Auckland, with plans after the trainee placement to return to the Cook Islands, and with future interest to work on seabed minerals.
Young media students succeed
This year, both the Herald’s regular columnists, Tereora College students Norma Ngatamariki and Dante Numa won first prize for media studies. The staff at Pitt Media Group congratulates them both.
A year 13 student, 17 year old Dante Numa has been a columnist for the Herald this year. She hopes to attend University in NZ next year. The media prize was sponsored by Cook Islands News. During the school holidays at Pitt Media Group, Dante also spent time with CITV.
SPC takes integrated approach to regional issues
Monday 12 November 2012, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Noumea, New Caledonia –
Government representatives from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s 26 member countries are meeting in Noumea this week to discuss new approaches to addressing overlapping regional challenges, such as ensuring food security, preventing non-communicable diseases and adapting to climate change.
Keu Mataroa is representing the Cook Islands.
Drawing on its 65 years of experience across some 20 sectors, SPC is advocating a consolidated, multi-disciplinary approach to the big problems of the day.
‘Climate change, for example, is projected to increase the frequency and severity of natural disasters, and impact infrastructure, transport, marine ecosystems, agricultural food production and health, as well as access to safe drinking water,’ says SPC Director-General Dr Jimmie Rodgers.
‘In the next ten to fifteen years, more than one million Pacific Islanders are likely to die from non-communicable diseases, equivalent to ten per cent of today’s Pacific population. No other cause of death will come close. Add communicable diseases and the picture is even more serious, presenting a dilemma on where investment is best directed to save lives.
‘Addressing these challenges requires commitment from everyone, through effective partnerships and greater multi-sectoral collaboration using a “many partners, one team approach”. Whole of government and whole of society approaches are key to achieving sustainable, long-term solutions,’ he adds.
This multi-disciplinary approach is at the heart of discussions at the annual meeting of SPC’s governing body, the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations, (CRGA) which takes place this week, 12–16 November, in Noumea.
The meeting brings together representatives from 22 Pacific Island countries and territories and the four metropolitan founding members — Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States of America — that make up SPC’s membership.
Representatives from regional and international development agencies and partners are also attending the meeting. France is chairing the meeting this year and Kiribati is vice-chair, in accordance with the CRGA rules.
The Platform meeting of Climate Changes and Disaster Risk Reduction
Yesterday morning, Tuesday 13 November at the venue of the National Council of Women, at 10am-12pm was held the platform meeting of the committee for CC and DRR. The main objective of the meeting was to keep everyone informed of the issues of disaster risk management and the climate change activities here in the Cook Islands.
Gillian from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) delivered a presentation in relation to the CC and DRR and also informed the meeting that there will be funding under Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) for a number of activities here in the Cook Islands.
The Ministry of Marine Resources also have an adaptation project under GCCA funded by European Union (EU).
Vaine Wichman, the President of the National Council of Women spoke about climatic changes and the changes in the environment, therefore raising awareness issues that affect the natural resources on each island that our women rely on in their everyday activities of weaving, handicraft, medicine, food, fish and so forth.
Herald Issue 608 21 March
- Terms of one China Policy document should be reviewed
- Pacific Media Assistance Scheme Seeks Innovation
- Successful NZ visit by PM
- Rerekura Teaurere New Climate Change Coordinator
- News Briefs
