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Friday, March 14, 2008
E-mail:
journal@ntamar.net
Phone:
(692) 625-8143
(692) 625-8146
Fax:
(692) 625-3136
Mail:
PO Box 14
Majuro, MH 96960
Marshall Islands
In Person:
On the ocean road
behind Formosa
in Uliga, Majuro
Details of the Marshall Islands Visitors Authority’s new four-year tourism action plan for the RMI were disclosed at the first national tourism symposium that kicked off Monday in Majuro as part of National Tourism Week. “Tourism is vital to the nation’s economic growth,” said R&D Minister Fred Muller at the event. The Minister urged tourism industry people to ensure that the plan is focused on fostering development that “puts the needs of Marshallese first.”
Vote changes urged
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat issued its much-anticipated report on the 2007 RMI national election late last month, and its number one recommendation to government is to amend the election law to create a “fully independent Electoral Administration, selected and supervised by an impartial Electoral Commission or similar oversight body under a process ensuring bipartisan (two party) support.”
Turkey pushes Pacific action
The Middle Eastern nation of Turkey has designated its first ambassador to the Marshall Islands and is in high gear to step up relations with the Pacific region. New Ambassador N. Murat Ersavci, who is based in Canberra, Australia, visited Majuro late last month, presenting his diplomatic credentials to President Litokwa Tomeing. Turkey is sponsoring the first Pacific Islands foreign ministers conference in Turkey from April 9-12.
Loeak: $5m plan to 'stabilize' Ebeye
A plan to fix long-standing Ebeye infrastructure problems is on a fast track following a presentation to the Cabinet Monday this week. An “Ebeye Stabilization Plan” is recommending an 18-month, $5 million response to basic infrastructure needs ranging from power, water and sewer to the crumbling causeway.
MEC to put solar
into Ailinglaplap
Crews from the Marshalls Energy Company (MEC) are planning to hit Ailinglaplap Atoll in April to begin installation of about 400 home solar units. “Once Ailinglaplap is completed, 50 percent of the Marshall Islands will be using solar power,” R&D Minister Fred Muller told the Journal.
The United Nations is ready to set up its first sub-regional office in the Marshall Islands, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) regional representative Najib Assifi told the Journal late last week after making courtesy calls to President Litokwa Tomeing and other members of the new government.
Fiji-based Assifi said that in addition to discussing details of the new UN office with the government, he also signed the new five-year country program action plan for 2008-2011, which will increase support to population and reproductive health programs from about $300,000 a year in previous years to $500,000 annually.
“We’re ready to open the new office,” he said.
“Funding has been allocated (for operational costs).”
The UNFPA is aiming to open sub-regional UN offices here and in the Federated States of Micronesia, part of a larger Pacific-wide effort to expand the UN’s presence in smaller islands.
While UNFPA is taking the lead in RMI and FSM, the office will represent all UN agencies in the region. Meanwhile, UNICEF (the UN children’s program) is setting up similar sub-regional UN offices in Vanuatu and Kiribati, while the UN Development Program is doing the same in Tuvalu, Nauru and Palau.
The primary focus of UNFPA’s reproductive health program in the RMI is on adolescents (teenagers and young adults) because of the very high teenage pregnancy rate in the country, Assifi said.
No palm tree’s too high for Richie Kaious.
A detailed bill to create a new law governing non-government organizations (NGOs) in the RMI has been introduced to Nitijela by Ebon Senator John Silk. But NGO groups are asking for it to be deferred until the August session because they had no opportunity to engage in the drafting of the bill and only received a copy of bill number eight on Tuesday.Marshall Islands Council of NGOs president Alson Kelen said the proposed legislation is a surprise to the NGO community. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing Thursday this week before the Judiciary and Governmental Relations committee. While noting that NGOs are important, the bill’s summary says “there is a need to monitor the operations of such organizations in so far as (they) solicit development funds…” It added: “misconduct on the part of any organization could have a negative impact on the ability of the many well-meaning organizations currently operating in the Republic to secure assistance from donors.” In a letter sent Wednesday to Kwajalein Senator Jeban Riklon, who chairs the J&GR committee, Kelen, NGO Council vice president Julia Alfred and NGO Council board member Ben Graham asked the committee to delay action on the bill until the August session “to allow time for the forming of a joint task force including representatives from government and NGOs to review the proposed legislation collaboratively.” “I hope the government will hold up this legislation to let NGOs play a role in it,” Kelen told the Journal.
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