Friday, September 4, 2015

1) PIF-OPENING REMARKS BY SECRETARY GENERAL MEG TAYLOR DBE


2) Freedom fighter shown the way out

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Pacific Islands Forum Update

05 September 2015
Secretary General Dame Meg Taylor Addresses the Media at the PINA/PIFS Regional Media Workshop
 in the lead up to the 46th Pacific Islands Forum




MEDIA WORKSHOP
4 September 2015

OPENING REMARKS
BY
SECRETARY GENERAL MEG TAYLOR DBE
Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Rimbink Pato
Esteemed members of the press from across the Pacific
Members of PINA
Colleagues and friends

1. Good morning. Welcome to Papua New Guinea and welcome to this two day media workshop. Your presence here
is appreciated and extremely important.
2. This will be an important Forum Leaders Meeting for many reasons, first and foremost because Leaders will be
considering a range of high priority and perhaps politically contentious issues for our region. However, these issues have come about through new and inclusive process of regional priority setting. The intention is that these issues could have game-changing and far reaching consequences for our region.
[Role of the media]
3. You play an important role in informing the public. For that reason, it is important that media is independent and is
 able to convey issues and facts accurately. You must communicate in a way that provokes conversation and discourse on important issues for our region such that we have a well informed public that engages with the important regional issues.
[Regionalism]
4. Since becoming Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, I have prioritised the Framework for
Pacific Regionalism. This Framework is as much about a process for identifying regional priorities, as it is about regional principles and ideals. It is about choosing to work together to address our shared challenges, and to strive towards the region
that we want; in line with our culture, our values, and our principles.
5. But working together requires frank and potentially difficult discussions to be had by our Leaders. Regionalism
has implications for sovereignty. Regionalism has implications for resourcing. Regionalism requires respect for shared
standards and values. These are difficult conversations but they need to take place.
6. They need to take place not simply in the political arena. It is important these discussions also take place in the
public domain – particularly if we are to achieve the deeper regionalism that the Framework encourages us to consider.
Needless to say, the media has a big part to play in raising the level of these discussions in the public domain.
[Framework Process]
7. Five key issues have been identified – through a public process – for Forum Leaders to discuss next week. Let’s
stop to consider this for a moment. For the first time, issues to be discussed at the Leaders level – priority issues –
have been determined by members of the public. Two were based on submissions from regional or sub-regional
 organisations. Three were based on submissions from civil society organisations. Again, I think we should recognise
the importance of this. Regional initiatives will be discussed at the highest levels and they were generated by the
public through the framework.
8. These five issues were selected by the Specialist Sub-Committee on Regionalism, an independent and
representative body, whose role was to consider all 68 regional initiatives that were submitted. The Sub-Committee
applied a range of tests that are set out in the Framework and my colleagues will be able to speak in more detail about
 this process throughout the course of the workshop.
9. A fundamental dimension to the Framework for Pacific Regionalism is the shift in the development paradigm that it
 calls for. When I returned to the Pacific having spent many years working around the world, I returned to a region
highly dependent on development assistance. With this assistance, and particularly the extent of this assistance,
I also see an inability of our own people and our own Leaders to articulate and prosecute their own development
and political agenda in the region. The Framework calls for us to turn this state of affairs around – to ensure that
our Leaders are setting the regional agenda, based on a public process for identifying key issues. I’m sure you
would agree with me in saying that this represents a major shift in how things are currently done in this region.
[Regional priorities]
10. Let me now turn to speak briefly on the five priority issues that Leaders will discuss.
11. The first issue is increased returns on fisheries. Maximising revenue from our fisheries is of course a potential
game-changer. The estimated value of the catch per year being around 3-4 billion US dollars, but much of this catch
 is processed outside of our region. The essence of this initiative is that Leaders agree to restructuring the tuna
industry and phase out foreign fishing vessels over twenty years. The other aspect to this initiative is that Leaders
task Fisheries, Economic and Foreign Ministers to undertake a joint comprehensive evaluation of the regional monitoring,
 surveillance and compliance regime.
12. The issue around climate change contains two elements. The first is that Leaders agree on a high level,
political statement on climate change to take to COP 21 in Paris later this year. The second component is that
Leaders endorse a draft strategy on Climate and Disaster Resilient Development in the Pacific.
13. A response to alleged human rights issues within West Papua will also be put to Leaders for consideration.
Three submissions, representing over 30 civil society organisations across the Pacific were put forward. In terms of
 the correct nomenclature, it is important to point out that West Papua is the language used by those who made
the submissions on this issue. Needless to say, this is likely to be one of the more contentious issues on the agenda.
14. Leaders will also consider cervical cancer. This week the PNG Medical symposium has been taking place here
 in Port Moresby. My friend Dr Glen Mola tells me that a priority conversation across the week has been the need for
an effective national screening and HPV vaccination program to treat cervical cancer in PNG. Research indicates that
this is not a unique situation. Women and their families across the region are experiencing pain and suffering at the
hands of an illness that could be prevented. There have already been positive outcomes in addressing cervical cancer
 in Fiji, and there are lessons here that can be applied in other countries in the Pacific.
15. The last issue to be put to Leaders is Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Like the return on
fisheries, ICT has the potential to transform our region. We already see the profound effects that mobile phones
have had in the Pacific. There are educational, economic, health, disaster management, as well as communications
 benefits that can be realised if the proper ICT infrastructure is put in place.
[Forum Leaders Program]
16. There are of course a number of other important meetings to take place next week. Let me quickly brief you on
the key meetings and what is to take place in each of these.
17. On Sunday and Monday, a Civil Society Organisation Regional Forum will be held, coordinated by the Forum
Secretariat. There will be about 50 participants in attendance, who will discuss the regional priorities that are
 going Leaders. Tuesday they will present their considerations directly to the forum Troika.
18. On Monday, the Smaller Island States Leaders will convene to discuss issues the five priority issues with
 particular reference to the implications that they have for Smaller Island States.
19. The Pacific ACP grouping will meet on Tuesday. The meeting will be dedicated to reviewing ways to strengthen
 the PACP engagement for better development outcomes in the Pacific region.
20. On Wednesday the Pacific Islands Forum formal session will begin; this is an opportunity for Leaders with
forum associate members and observers to discuss major issues. The day will also include a high level climate
 change brief for Leaders, to be coordinated by SPREP and SPC.
21. The Leaders Retreat on Thursday is essentially where they will discuss the five regional issues that have come t
hrough the Framework. In addition to a number of standing issues on the Forum agenda, such as RAMSI, the
Leaders gender equality declaration, a strengthening of the Post-Forum Dialogue, the Post 2015 development
agenda, as well as the Forum Compact.
22. On Friday, Leaders will sit down with Post-Forum dialogue partners to ensure that PFD partners support
the regional priority issues endorsed by Leaders at their retreat.
[Concluding Remarks]
23. So to return to my earlier sentiments, let me reiterate the significance of the Framework for Pacific Regionalism
 both within the Secretariat, and also at the Forum Leaders meeting next week.
24. Let me also reiterate the importance that you will play in covering the events over the coming days; I do hope
that your work reaches our Pacific people, and the result is greater discourse and dialogue.
25. Let me again congratulate you on your travels, and welcome you to Papua New Guinea. I wish you all the best
for your workshop, and look forward to the fruits of your labour in the coming days.
Thank you.
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http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=320364

2) Freedom fighter shown the way out


Siteri Sauvakacolo And Solomone Rabulu
Friday, September 04, 2015


WEST Papua will apply to be a member of the Pacific Islands Development Forum, even though freedom fighter Octovanius Mote was denied entry into the PIDF meeting currently being held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.
Mr Mote, the General-Secretary for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, was part of the Solomon Islands delegation.
Prior to the opening of the summit, he was told that he would not be part of the meeting and to leave the Grand Pacific Hotel premises.
PIDF interim secretary-general Amena Yauvoli said he was not aware of a West Papua delegation and he would also not comment on political matters.
"I am free in this Melanesian land, I am home, I don't care if I am not part of the meeting," Mr Mote said.
"Everybody is behind us in the West Papua fight and no nation can stop us and even though I might not be inside the meeting. It doesn't matter to me, it's too late, our solidarity groups are there."
Mr Mote said he was told he was not in the right place at the right time when he was disallowed from being part of the summit.
Mr Mote said opportunities such as the PIDF gave him the confidence to lobby leaders and gather more countries to rally behind their fight for freedom.
"We will apply to be a member of the PIDF next year, we also ask the leaders to form a fact finding mission and conduct human rights assessment in West Papua and we also ask leaders to call on the UN Secretary-General to call on a special envoy to conduct human rights assessment.
"The West Papua issue is not a local issue anymore, it is a Melanesian issue, it is a South Pacific Forum issue so I have to convey my gratitude to all my solidarity groups because we all work together. As I said, West Papua issue is a human right issue and it's an issue of all human beings who have a heart."

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