Tag Archives: Kiribati

Marshall islands

Connectivity, gender and teachers: How the Global Education Coalition supports recovery of COVID-19 learning | Instant News


The COVID-19 pandemic hits the education sector in full force, disrupting schools globally and threatening to undo decades of progress toward learning. A year into crisis, the situation remains grim: Half of the world’s student population is still affected by full or partial school closures; nearly a third cannot access distance learning; more than 11 million girls may never return to class; and more than 100 million children will fall below the minimum proficiency level in reading due to the impact of school closures. Unless immediate action is taken today, more than 24 million children and adolescents are at risk of dropping out of school.

As the pandemic reveals and increases inequality in education, UNESCO is rapidly mobilizing support to ensure continuity of learning around the world by shaping Global Education Coalition by March 2020. This multi-sector coalition brings together 175 institutional partners from the United Nations family, civil society, academia and the private sector currently working in 112 countries on three main themes: Connectivity, gender and teacher. A new report, published before a ministerial summit, Showcasing the innovative feedback that has been achieved through this unique partnership over the past year.

How does the Global Education Coalition operate and with what achievements?

That Global Education Coalition has become an important platform for supporting Member States to respond to the unprecedented challenges facing the education sector. Coalition contributions do not replace national responses, but rather involve new actors who will not become real partners, such as technology organizations and media, to complement and support national efforts to ensure sustainable learning.

Coalition members are currently involved in 233 projects in 112 countries. At least 400 million students and 12 million teachers have benefited directly or indirectly from the Coalition’s actions. Following are some examples of global, regional and country-specific action that have been achieved so far.

  • In West Africa, Francophone Africa regional online learning platform Imagine him was launched as a key component of the Global Partnership for Education project to improve the quality of distance education in 10 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Chad and Togo. The platform offers large-scale experiences in distance education for 6.6 million students and 200,000 teachers with more than 600 educational resources.
  • More than 5 million girls in the 20 countries with the largest gender gap in education will be supported to fulfill their right to education, with a focus on bringing the most marginalized girls back to school through a variety of actions. This includes increasing information and awareness, acquiring skills and providing evidence-based recommendations to decision makers.
  • That Global Skills Academy, was founded to help equip 1 million young people with digital skills to adapt changes at work, reaching 142,000 beneficiaries to date. Since its launch, the Academy has mobilized more than 150 TVET institutions in 56 countries and is actively working with 15 partners to enroll an additional 75,000 students and teachers in the coming days.
  • In response to the explosions that rocked Beirut, Lebanon in August 2020, Coalition members mobilized financial commitments, technical assistance and capacity building support to rehabilitate damaged schools, provide technical assistance to teachers, ensure access to distance learning with content, and support higher education. UNESCO and its partners support the rehabilitation of 55 public schools, 20 Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions, and 3 universities.
  • In South Africa, a partner-developed telephone app-based support service for teachers was launched to provide a real-time chat-based learning and tutoring platform, along with health and safety features. It currently has more than 67,200 users and plans to reach 400,000 more teachers in the coming months.
  • UNESCO supports an open source platform for home-based distance learning and a regional repository of curriculum-aligned resources for students and teachers in Kiribati, the Marshall Islands (Republic), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu.
  • With the support of GIZ, UNESCO launched a teacher training program for 20 Caribbean countries and digital and social emotional skills training for migrants and refugees in Peru.

Read and explore Global Education Coalitionthe latest progress reports.

Access first progress report from September 2020.

UNESCO held a high-level ministerial events on March 29 to record lessons learned, the biggest risks facing education today and strategies for not leaving students. This will show you how to file Global Education Coalition has mobilized partners to support students, teachers and policymakers with new tools and knowledge.

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Marshall islands

Japanese Investment Encourages Fisheries | Instant News


The Ministry of Fisheries now has two ice factories each in Navua and Rakiraki, and a seven-tonne truck. This followed a handover by the Overseas Fisheries Co-operation Foundation of Japan

Resident Representative Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation of Japan (OFCF) Fiji Office Shimamoto Kunikazu (second from right) handed over a seven ton truck to the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries Pene Baleinabuli (right).

The Ministry of Fisheries now has two ice factories each in Navua and Rakiraki, and a seven-tonne truck.

This followed a handover by the Overseas Fisheries Co-operation Foundation of Japan (OFCF).

Representative of the Resident Representative Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation of Japan (OFCF) Fiji Office, Shimamoto Kunikazu, said the donation was part of their contribution to protecting and improving the fishing industry in Fiji and the Pacific.

“We don’t want to simply exploit marine resources in this region, but want to contribute to sustainable fisheries development.

“Japan is one of the deepwater fishing nations operating in the Pacific Ocean and always wants to be responsible for what it does.”

Mr Kunikazu said: “The two ice-making machines in Navua and Rakiraki, including the coolers, equipment and necessary materials cost over $ 420,000 with an additional over $ 3000 for installments and repairs.

“Another project is Fisheries Development Assistance for Pacific Island Nations Phase Seven (FDAPIN) which donated a seven ton truck that costs more than $ 200,000.”

Fiji for now
Through FDAPIN, OFCF will provide technical assistance to nine Pacific island nations through the maintenance and restoration of fishery-related facilities.

These countries are Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Nauru, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.

“We usually send our technical experts to all of these countries every year, but Fiji is the only country we can do in this Japanese fiscal year.”

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Marshall islands

World Bank Commitment US $ 5 million for Solomon Islands COVID-19 response | Instant News


Support will focus on the prevention and control of the coronavirus in a sustainable manner

along with long-term support for the health sector

HONIARA, February 1, 2021 – The World Bank has approved a US $ 5 million emergency project for the Solomon Islands to support the country’s COVID-19 preparedness and response while strengthening critical health systems. A national-scale project will provide immediate assistance designed to complement activities supported by other development partners.

The project will support prevention, preparedness and emergency response activities for COVID-19 in Solomon Islands, including providing personal protective equipment and supplies for frontline health workers; improve case detection and contact tracing; strengthening of quarantine facilities in areas bordering Papua New Guinea and isolation units in provinces; mobilizing health workers (including laboratory technicians); and supporting operational costs for the response.

“This timely assistance, together with support from other partners, will enable the Solomon Islands, and in particular the provincial health system, to be better equipped to prevent and respond to further coronavirus cases along with future pandemics,” said Pauline McNeil, Solomon Islands. Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services. “This project will directly support and complement the Government’s National Consolidated Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19 published in March and updated in August 2020.”

This project will also support activities to strengthen the health system to ensure that other essential health services are not disrupted due to COVID-19. These included upgrading of provincial hospitals (Tulagi and Helena Goldi); improving waste management in health care facilities; upgrading of national medical storage facilities along with staff training; support for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to establish a national emergency coordination center; and provide training in infection control and disease surveillance for health workers.

“We are delighted to stand with the Solomon Islands at this challenging time. The significant COVID-19 outbreak in this country will put serious stress on the health system, ”said Annette Leith, Population Representative for the World Bank, Solomon Islands & Vanuatu. “This project will address critical gaps in the health system identified by the government. I am also pleased that through this project, intensive care services in several areas of the province will receive an important upgrade to ensure that care can be provided effectively to those outside Honiara. “

The World Bank is responding to the emergency needs and economic impacts arising from the coronavirus pandemic across the Pacific, with COVID-19 operations approved for Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, that Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

The World Bank Group Operational Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The World Bank Group, one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, is taking swift and broad action to help developing countries strengthen their pandemic response. We support public health interventions, work to ensure the flow of essential supplies and equipment, and help the private sector continue to operate and keep jobs. We will deploy up to $ 160 billion in financial support over 15 months to help more than 100 countries protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses and support economic recovery. This includes $ 50 billion in new IDA resources through grants and concessional loans.

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Marshall islands

Hundreds of Pacific Islands are getting bigger despite global warming | Instant News


New research says hundreds of islands in the Pacific are growing in land size, even as climate-related sea levels threaten the region.

Scientists at the University of Auckland found atolls in Pacific countries in the Marshall Islands and Kiribati, as well as the Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean, have grown by 8 percent in the past six decades despite rising sea levels.

They say their research can help climate-prone countries adapt to future global warming.

Scientists are using satellite images of the islands as well as field analysis to track these changes.

Coastal geomorphologist Dr Paul Kench said coral reef sediments were responsible for building the islands.

Dr Kench said in areas where coral reefs were healthy, enough sediment was produced to make the islands grow.

Historical aerial images show how the coastline of Jeh has changed over the decades.(Supplied)

“The majority of the islands in each of these countries have become larger or remain very similar in size,” he said.

“So, you know, one of the great things about this job is that the islands are actually quite physically dynamic.”

Healthy coral reefs are the key to growth

Coastal erosion due to rising sea levels is considered a major threat to many Pacific communities, with some witnessing coastlines receding.

Dr Kench said about 10 percent of the islands captured in the study were getting smaller in size.

Laguna Enewetak in the Marshall Islands with a small boat capsized on the shore.
Many of the islands in the Pacific are low-lying and at risk from rising sea levels.(ABC News: Greg Nelson)

He said a better understanding of which islands are growing and which are experiencing erosion could help Pacific countries adapt to climate change.

“That gives island nations the power to think about adaptation strategies, about where you focus on further development, and you will probably select islands that we can show are really growing in size,” he said.

Dr Kench said more work needs to be done to understand other factors affecting the growth or reduction of Pacific islands.

One of the concerns is the degradation of coral reefs due to global warming.

“Even though we can see healthy sites, and the sediment production that creates the islands is still happening, there should be some concern in locations where coral reef conditions are poor,” he said.

“So we are not suggesting here with any imagination that the island should not be worried.

“I think one of the messages from the work we’re doing is that island outcomes and prognosis will vary widely from site to site.”

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New Zealand

New Zealand Trade and Development Agreement Comes into effect | Instant News


The Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth, Phil Twyford, welcomed the entry into force of the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) today.

“PACER Plus will play an important role in supporting the Pacific economy to rebuild from the devastating effects of COVID-19,” said Phil Twyford.

“The agreement provides an opportunity for goods and services produced in the region to be sold in the Pacific and globally, thereby using trade as an engine of economic growth and sustainable development,” said Phil Twyford.

This landmark trade and development agreement demonstrates New Zealand’s enduring commitment to the Blue Pacific. As part of that commitment, New Zealand has agreed to provide 20 per cent of our Official Development Assistance to Assistance for Trade activities in the region.

This support will provide opportunities to build capacity, improve infrastructure, and increase the ability of countries to take advantage of trade opportunities made possible through PACER Plus.

The parties to the agreement include Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and New Zealand.

For more information, see: www.mfat.govt.nz/pacerplus

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