SPC

Partnerships strengthened to support Pacific health sector responses to COVID-19

This follows the new Financing Agreement the EU and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) signed, to repurpose funding to support the Pacific’s response to COVID-19.

Exchange of maritime boundaries data to boost fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance in region

This milestone also represents the achievement of a key outcome under the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) programme to reduce Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing through enhanced Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance (MCS) of oceanic and coastal fisheries. It comes at an opportune time with the global focus of World Oceans Day on 8 June being “Innovation for a sustainable ocean. Together we can protect our home.”

SPC warns of threat to fisheries from Covid-19

The director of the SPC's fisheries division, Neville Smith, said they were working to minimise the impact on the tuna fishery, the coastal fishery and on aquaculture.

Mr Smith said exports from fisheries and Pacific food security were now more important than ever.

He said fisheries observers not being able to travel, along with port closures, were a threat to the finances of the hugely important tuna fishery.

SPC updates Pacific nutrition guidelines

This was also a chance for SPC to emphasise the guidelines to attendees on the UN assembly's declaration that 2016 to 2025's is the decade for nutrition action.

NCD advisor for the public health division (of SPC) Karen Fukofuka said the guidelines were drawn up in 2000 and the revision of the principles only started last year.

Ms Fukofuka said it was important that the messages were current and consistent for the Ministry of Health and other non-health partners to distribute to the community.

New regional initiative targets improvement in health service delivery

This programme will be implemented through a partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC), the Fiji National University’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

In the new Pacific Regional Clinical Services and Workforce Improvement Programme, SPC will play a central role in supporting Pacific Island countries (PICs) to work together to improve regional governance for clinical services and health workforce development.

‘Grab bags’ save lives at sea

This was shared by Pacific Community’s (SPC) Director-General, Dr Colin Tukuitonga and European Union (EU) Head of Cooperation to Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, Ioannis-Pavlos Evangelidis.

 The emergency grab bags were provided under the Development of Tuna Fisheries in the Pacific Project (DevFish2), an EU project which was implemented regionally by SPC and the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).

Agreement boosts disease response in Pacific Islands

The Pacific Community (SPC) and the Fiji National University (FNU) have signed an agreement for the further development, implementation and accreditation of the region’s Postgraduate Certificate in Field Epidemiology, also known as the Pacific Data for Decision Making Training course.

 “We’re very pleased with this new agreement with FNU that will help in building sustainable human resources for public health data analysis, surveillance and epidemiology in the Pacific,” said SPC Director of Public Health, Dr Paula Vivili.

Fiji cocoa farms receive recovery assistance

The assistance is being made possible through the Increasing Agriculture Commodity Trade (IACT) project TC Winston Recovery Action; a FJD4.3 million initiative funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC).

 The first recipient, Tomohito Zukoshi, co-founder of Fijiana Cocoa and Adi Chocolate brands, has recently received equipment needed to clear cocoa plantations and improve cocoa productivity.

Pacific Community strengthens ties with peak Asian geoscience body

Strengthened cooperation between the Pacific Community (SPC) and a peak Asian applied geoscience body will further the use of geoscience to guide sustainable development in the Pacific Islands region.

“This new agreement provides SPC an opportunity to work with some of the best applied geoscience organisations in Asia on critical areas for inclusive Pacific development, such as deep sea minerals and geothermal energy,” Prof Petterson said.

World first in resilience for the Pacific Islands

The Pacific Regional Federation for Resilience Professionals (PRFRP) will boost the skills, education, training and employment opportunities for diverse professionals dedicated to climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and maintaining ecosystem services in a highly vulnerable region.

The launch by the European Union, Pacific Community (SPC) and The University of the South Pacific (USP) took place at the Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management in Suva, Fiji, within the margins of Pacific Resilience Week 2016.