The United States government's top Indo-Pacific advisor says "resources will be put on the table" when President Joe Biden meets with Pacific leaders next week. US Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell said the two-day summit will see Pacific leaders meet with political and business leaders in Washington DC next week. "The goal here is not just to listen but to put substantial resources on the table," he said. His comments come as Pacific leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly where Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host Pacific leaders at a side event. Source: ABC Pacific

New Caledonia's pro-independence FLNKS group has accepted an invitation to meet the French government in Paris next month, under the condition that decolonisation will be a key issue on the agenda. The bi-lateral talks aim to thaw dialogue between France and New Caledonia's indigenous Kanak leaders, who stepped back from negotiations after last year's independence vote. That referendum went ahead despite less than half of the territory's eligible voters heading to the polls as a result of a boycott called by the pro-independence group FLNKS. They wanted the vote postponed because of the impact of the pandemic on Kanak communities. Charles Wea, advisor to New Caledonia's President, said FLNKS will participate in discussions with France under certain conditions. "Any bilateral discussions with the French government will be particularly on the process of decolonisation," Mr Wea said. "It's only between the French government and FLNKS, and FLNKS will represent the Kanak people." Mr Wea said pro-independence leaders are pursuing another independence referendum in 2024. Source: ABC Pacific

A young woman walks 10 hours to reach the district health centre. She is pregnant and has gone into labour. Health care workers are available but their shelves and their stores are empty. If there are complications, what help can they provide? This scenario may be familiar to some people in Papua New Guinea. The experience of walking to a health facility only to see a sign announcing that there is no medicine available for even simple illnesses may be familiar to many more. An inventory management training, conducted by UNFPA in partnership with the National Department of Health, Provincial Health Authorities and with support from the Australian Government, seeks to fill these empty shelves. “Most of our health workers are not well oriented with reproductive health commodities including drug management, stock taking, maximum and minimum drug ordering, and things like that,” said Judith Takura, the Family Health Services Coordinator for East Sepik Provincial Health Authority. Lifesaving reproductive health medicines, contraceptives, and medical equipment are needed to provide family planning, reproductive health, and essential obstetric care services. UNFPA has supported the National Department of Health in conducting a national Assessment for Reproductive Health Commodities and Services that looked at the availability of these commodities at health facilities around the country. The results uncovered a health system in crisis. Jennifer Simon, Family Health Services Coordinator for the Madang Provincial Health Authority, said that stock management was a concern in her facility. “Looking at the results of the national Assessment for Reproductive Health Commodities and Services, I was able to learn more about the weaknesses in our Health Centers, especially in the dispensary and how poorly managed it is,” she said. “Health workers lack knowledge and training in stock management.” The inventory management training considers not only stock-outs - the absence of a particular medicine or medical device - but also over-supply. Ordering too much of a medicine can create problems as the medicine may expire before it can be used. Small facilities may also lack the proper storage space for excess medicines, such as fridge space for medicines that must be kept cold. With limited resources, the facility may not have funds available to replace expired or improperly-stored medicine. Striking the balance between under- and over-supply requires careful calculation of the needs of the health facility, based on accurate population estimates, and awareness of the storage requirements, expiration dates, and delivery times of different commodities. “Through this workshop most health workers will be able to implement what they have acquired and make a difference in their health centers,” said Ms Simon. Ms Takura agreed, noting the importance of ongoing on-the-job support. “I plan on ensuring that my staff here at this workshop are further trained in dispensary management,” she said. This is the latest in a series of activities designed to bridge the gaps in a complex medical supply chain that includes procurement from international manufacturers and suppliers, effective national and sub-national medical stores, distribution to different levels of health facilities, and stock management at dispensaries at hospitals and health centres. Effective supply chain management is critical to ensuring every Papua New Guinean is able to access reproductive health medicines and services. “These workshops are designed to strengthen the systems that allow the procurement, distribution, quality storage and safe usage of essential medicines and medical devices in particular, reproductive health commodities,” said UNFPA’s Debbie Kupesan said. “Also, it helps health workers understand how the medicines ordering system works in PNG and understand the importance of their role as part of the team involved in the medicines supply chain.” A further three training sessions are scheduled to be held over the coming weeks at Sorgeri for health workers in the Southern Region, followed by New Guinea Region health workers in Kokopo,and finally health workers in the Highlands Region in Mt Hagen. For the many women who give birth or seek FP services in Papua New Guinea every day, a properly filled stock cardmay mean that their healthcare worker can reach for a dose of life-saving medicine, instead of an empty shelf. UNFPA and Reproductive Health Commodities UNFPA works with the National Department of Health (NDoH) to address the unmet need for family planning and reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. Through support to midwifery in-service training and equipment, procurement and distribution of contraceptives and reproductive health commodities, support to the Certification in Basic Pharmaceutical Management course for Pharmacy Assistants, and sexual and reproductive health advocacy, UNFPA’s partnership with NDoH focuses on strengthening local expertise in delivering improved health services Papua New Guinea. With support from the Australian Government, UNFPA has completed a national Assessment for Reproductive Health Commodities and Services to assess the availability and quality of essential reproductive health commodities and quality of family planning and maternal health services in primary, secondary, and tertiary facilities across the country. In addition, UNFPA procured $730,000 USD of reproductive health commodities in 2022 with support from UNFPA Supplies and mobilized $260,000 USD for strengthening the supply chain and health system in PNG

PNG Prime Ministers X1 soccer team will play Vanuatu in the final Group A match at Korman Stadium in Port Vila Vanuatu on Saturday, September 24, 2022. The Harrison Kamake-coached team sits on top spot after registering a 2-1 win over Vanuatu Development Team in the opening match will give its best shot against the senior men’s team. Vanuatu team drew 2-2 with its Development team which enable PNG to advance into semifinals next week. The matches between PNG and Vanuatu senior is just a formality to confirm the first and second spot for the semifinals on September 27. Coach Kamake is varying of challenges ahead especially with seven of its players are under medication on food poisoning which spread and have affected the Team’s Camp at Warwick Hotel. The Team also recorded the highest number of eight yellow cards and one red card in the opening match that is something PNG Prime Ministers Xl team had to cut down going into the final match. The red-carded striker-cum fullback Kolu Kepo is one of the key players won’t be available for Saturday’s match but will be sure of coming back in the semifinals. With all these compounded problems, Coach Kamake said the players will have to play smart in both phases of the game in attacking and defense. If the players can put up a good defense, we should be able to attack well in numbers. “All players going into the game on Saturday are players we think can do that job, both in the starting 11 and players on the bench as well,” he said. Kamake said the preparations is going well. There are a few niggling injuries, and our physio is doing a good job on them and should be well before Saturday. “We worked on things we didn’t do in the first game and if we stay more discipline in the things we worked on during the week, we definitely will have a good game against Vanuatu senior team on Saturday,” he said.  

A 5-day intensive training workshop on establishing and organising agri-business groups, with a focus on Group Leadership and Business Management skills, was recently organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under EU-STREIT PNG Programme, for 70 cluster group leaders inclusive of women and potential youth leaders from seven villages in West Aitape Local Level Government, Sandaun Province. The workshop also focused on raising awareness on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) among cocoa, vanilla and fisheries farming communities. The venue for the training was Marubian Village (Ulau 2), located along the tropical west coastline of Aitape. Lack of knowledge and skills in leadership, particularly among rural women and youth, prevents villagers from partaking equally in decision-making at the executive level of farmer groups. With this insight, the farmers were also trained on how to establish and manage their cooperatives in a gender-sensitive manner.   The first sessions, focused on the importance of mainstreaming gender and youth perspectives and addressed issues of gender-based violence within the three targeted value chains. The sharing of household roles and responsibilities to allow for additional time to contribute positively in farming activities for quality and quantity production, the gender constraints in the value chain development as well as valuing everyone’s inputs by family members for appropriate reward and respect were some of the issues discussed. It was the first time that the villagers were learning about shared gender roles in contrast to some existing cultural norms. Through group discussions, participants came to realise how the sharing of household workload could   improve their lives as well as their farming output. "Everything begins in the house. As long as we share responsibilities within the house, we can save time and be more productive on the farms," explained Ms Patu Shang, Programme's Gender and Youth Inclusion Specialist. The sessions, filled with dynamic interactions, group discussions and presentations, provided an opportunity for mothers and girls whose efforts and contribution have hitherto not been appreciated, to speak out. "This group gathering is a window for these mothers to say yes they can speak and not to remain silent and likewise for youths to see life in a positive way," said Mrs Angela Passingan, Chairlady of BAMA Womens' Group who organised the mothers in the village to collaborate with EU-STREIT PNG Programme for this learning opportunity. The women's group comprises mostly single mothers, including widows, and they invited female and male youths in the community to join them. This opportunity equally helped this group to build its organisational capacity. "I believe this training will help us in many ways. Once we can fix our homes in terms of sharing gender responsibilities, we can manage other aspects of our lives like farming cocoa and vanilla," added Mr Joseph Sarinu, Ward 29 Member. The sessions on farmer group leadership with a business approach helped boost women and youths' confidence to take up leadership roles. Some key contents covered include Benefits of Cooperative Ownership, Understanding Regulatory Compliances, Goals Setting & Action Planning, Roles of Leaders/Members in Cooperatives, and Understanding the Organisational Structure of Cooperatives. The importance of working in groups to take part in agribusiness in cocoa, vanilla and fisheries value chains was also shared and discussed. Involving women and youths in active dialogues is necessary in this regard. "This training has clarified my thoughts that my sister has a right to be consulted in decision-making and participation in our farmer group we want to run in our community," said a 25-year-old male youth Jason Kagum. The EU-STREIT PNG, being implemented as a United Nations Joint Programme (FAO as the leading agency, and ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP as implementing partners), is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in the country and the Pacific region. The Programme focuses on increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through increasing the economic returns and opportunities from cocoa, vanilla and fishery value chains and strengthening and improving the efficiency of value chain enablers including the business environment and supporting sustainable, climate-resilient transport and energy infrastructure development.

Even before people figured out who his famous father was, a young Nathan Cleary used to command plenty of attention from onlookers at the Mt Albert Rugby League Club in central Auckland. As Eiden Ackland, his teammate from the time recalls, "there weren’t many other 11-year-olds who were kicking sideline conversions." After switching to rugby league from soccer, it was at Mt Albert that Cleary spent his formative years as a league player, becoming a fixture at the club while dad Ivan was coaching the Warriors in the NRL. The teams he played for during that time were strong, one year winning all of their games except for the derby against the other Lions team in their competition. “My claim to fame is that Nathan Cleary’s team never beat mine,” Spencer Cusack, the coach of the other Mt Albert team, told NRL.com with a chuckle. I remember Nathan could probably kick the ball 10 metres further than the average kid that age. Spencer CusackMt Albert Lions club captain "He could kick from 10 metres inside his own half and land it 10 metres off the line. “That day we beat them, him and Eiden almost kicked them back into the game. “I remember Nathan was slightly built too, probably one of the smaller kids in the team.” "You could tell from a very early age that he was very committed and he has just followed that on. "Even now he plays like someone who is much older than in his mid-20s." While they are rarely credited as being one of the Penrith ace’s junior clubs, the Lions – whose current NRL products include Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Bunty Afoa – consider Cleary one of their own, and club members will be watching on with pride this Saturday night when he takes on the Rabbitohs and attempts to lead the Panthers to a third-straight Grand Final. “We love watching him and I want Penrith to go all the way for that reason," Cooper said. “I had a little bit of a role in that story, not much, but a little bit.” Cleary won’t be the only player with junior links to New Zealand on the field at Accor Stadium on Saturday, with his teammate James Fisher-Harris hailing from Northland’s Whangarei Marist Brothers club and Rabbitohs player Kodi Nikorima (Burnham Chevaliers, Christchurch) starting out across the Tasman. Source: NRL.com

Nasfund welcomed two new-look Member Service Centres to its branch network yesterday. The Waigani, and Port Moresby Member Service Centres were officially opened and witnessed by Nasfund Directors, Executive Management, Staff, and members. [caption id="attachment_27074" align="alignnone" width="906"] (Left to Right) Waigani Member Service Centre Branch Officer In Charge Esther Malol, Nasfund member Apolonia Lami, Nasfund Director Florence Willie, and CEO Ian Tarutia at the opening of the Waigani Member Service Centre. Mrs. Lami & Director Willie officially opened the new-look facility.[/caption] Speaking at the occasion, Nasfund Chief Executive Officer Ian Tarutia reaffirmed the Fund’s commitment to continually improving its service to members. “The Waigani Member Service Centre is our new flagship branch, as it provides members with the full array of services that the Fund provides. This new facility is the largest service center we have out of our 21 branches throughout the country. It has 10 counters, 2 meeting rooms, and can accommodate over 70 members at any one time, which provides an environment that is comfortable and functional for our staff to work in and for members to be served.  The National Capital District, and Central Province constitutes the largest portion of our membership with over 233,000 contributors or 37% of total membership, hence the logic to have 3 branches in NCD to service this large member segment. [caption id="attachment_27075" align="alignnone" width="906"] Nasfund member Apolonia Lami (Right) was the first member to be served at the Waigani Member Service Centre. In this picture, she is served by Michaelyn Papat.[/caption] We are confident that our membership within the Waigani, and Downtown precincts will take ownership of these Member Service Centre, and utilize the services offered here. These two new-look facilities are part of member-focused developments, which have taken place recently. Just last week, we opened our second member service centre in Lae, Morobe Province, while our Alotau Member Service Centre has also moved into a new location. These developments demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that our members are provided the best service wherever they are. At the same time, we also encourage our members to utilize our online electronic channels, which includes our Call Centre, Member Online Portal, the Mobile Phone App, or Mobile SMS facilities. These electronic options are aimed at providing the services needed by members, at their fingertips, without the need to physically walk into our branches, which is also a safer option.” Mr Tarutia also encouraged Fund Staff to remain member-focused, by providing the best service to all Nasfund members. [caption id="attachment_27078" align="alignnone" width="906"] Nasfund Directors & Executive Management at the Waigani Member Service Centre[/caption] To the Waigani and Port Moresby Teams, keep up the positive mindset and attitude. Quick response times, efficient service and effective resolution to queries are what matters to customers, our members and this is how we are judged. It is pointless if we have a great modern facility but we are not backing up with our services with a smile and a friendly posture.  I thank our Property & Information Technology Teams, as well as our contractors for delivering a quality product for our members. Your tireless efforts behind the scenes, have now enabled our members to access our services in more conveniently, and in greater comfort.”

The Australian Government has signed an agreement with the Papua New Guinea Assembly of Disabled Persons (PNGADP) that will ensure the mainstreaming of disability-inclusive approaches across the Australian funded Economic and Social Infrastructure Program (ESIP). ESIP implements infrastructure and energy projects across health, energy, education, markets, water sanitation and hygiene, rural development, and climate change. Under this agreement, relevant programs will benefit from disability inclusive infrastructure designed in collaboration with people with disabilities, the people who rely on these initiatives every day. In addition, organisations led by people with disability are encouraged to identify and advocate on issues and collaborate on the development of a national advocacy strategy for people with disability. PNG’s National Disability Policy 2015 – 2025 outlines the significant role organisations led by people with disabilities play in ensuring equitable and sustainable development for all people in PNG. As party to the 2007 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Australian Government is dedicated to supporting PNG to implement their policy and reduce barriers in PNG that prevent equitable access to opportunities for people with disability. PNGADP is led by people with disabilities, and works to advocate for rights, educate and train government, private sector and NGO representatives across PNG, and provide technical assistance to shape activities aimed at inclusive development. An Australian High Commission representative said: “Australia is proud to work with organisations like PNGADP through our development programs, and we recognise the crucial role organisations led by people with disabilities play in creating an equitable environment for everyone.” Representatives from the PNGADP and Australian High Commission signed the agreement on Tuesday 20 September in Port Moresby. The PNG-Australia Partnership is committed to advancing the rights of people with disabilities through equitable access to opportunities and is proud to work in partnership with PNGADP to ensure no one is left behind.

Prime Minister James Marape has arrived in the United States to attend the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings in New York. Mr Marape and his wife Mrs Rachel Marape arrived at the JFK International airport at 3.15pm Wednesday 21st September 2022, New York time from London, UK where he attended the funeral of late Queen Elizabeth II. They were received by Mr Max Rai, Ambassador and PNGs Permanent Representative to the UN and Charge d’ Affaires of the Embassy of PNG to US in Washington, Mr Cephas Kayo. The theme for this year’s UNGA is “Solutions Through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science” which guides the work of the United Nations (UN) and its members. Prime Minister Marape will join world leaders in delivering national statements and participate in important discussions throughout the week at the UNGA debates. He will address the UN General Assembly when he delivers PNG’s country statement on Thursday, 22nd September at 2.30pm, New York time. This will be the first time in two years that the United Nations will convene fully in-person meetings, while the past two sessions of the UNGA were held virtually during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The meetings are being held from the 19th to the 24th of September 2022. PM Marape’s UNGA delegation include Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Thatchenko, East New Britain Governor Michael Marum, Goilala MP Casmiro Aia, new Komo-Hulia electorate MP Daniel Tindipu and North Waghi MP Benjamin Mul.

Papua New Guinea has had 2 earthquakes in the past 24 hours according to earthquake track and both in the Morobe province. 11 hours ago a quake of 5.7 magnitude, 210 km depth that hit Lae, Morobe. This was followed by another quake 4 hours ago measuring 4.8 magnitude, 68 km depth hit Finschaffen, Morobe province. This was also confirmed by earthquake.usgs while attempts to get verification from local authorities were unsuccessful at this time. More updates will follow as more details of these earthquakes come in. Keep listening to the NAU FM News, Yumi FM News & Legend FM news for more on this story.

An underwater volcanic eruption has pushed an island up from beneath the waves to about 10 metres above sea level in Tonga. Scientists say the island has grown from one acre to about six acres in just five days following the eruption of the Home Reef Volcano. Authorities have issued a hazard alert and put in a place a restriction zone around the volcano. Volcano expert Professor Scott Bryan, from the Queensland University of Technology, said Home Reef's earlier eruptions only lasted a few months. But this time, things might be different. "This effuse eruption has produced lava, which is a hardened and more resistant rock, so this island may last a little bit longer than the previous islands," he said. "Over the next thousands I would expect that if Home Reef continues to erupt with this frequency that it will be able to make itself a permanent island." Source: ABC Pacific

US prosecutors have charged 47 people in the largest Covid relief fraud scheme alleged to date. The suspects are accused of stealing $250m (£220m) from a government aid programme that was supposed to feed children in need during the pandemic. They allegedly spent the spoils on properties, cars and luxury goods. A Minnesota non-profit organisation, Feeding Our Future, is accused of orchestrating the plot. Founder Aimee Bock denies any wrongdoing. A lawyer for Ms Bock told the BBC: "We have maintained our innocence from the first day." He said the indictment was "merely the beginning of the criminal process" and represented a "mere allegation". FBI Director Christopher Wray said this "egregious plot" was the largest of its kind uncovered so far. The suspects are alleged to have issued bills for meals they did not serve to children who did not exist, said the Department of Justice (DoJ) in a statement. They allegedly did so by exploiting a government initiative through which private restaurants could claim funding to distribute food under the sponsorship of non-profit organisations. The defendants are said to have bribed employees of Feeding Our Future to sponsor numerous sham distribution sites. These sites claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed, according to the DoJ. But they were instead submitting false paperwork using bogus children's names, some of which were taken from a website, www.listofrandomnames.com. The group used the proceeds to buy luxury cars, as well as property in the US, Kenya and Turkey, and to fund international travel, the DoJ said. The alleged fraudsters face charges including wire fraud, money laundering and bribery. US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the DoJ would continue to crack down on those who had "exploited the pandemic for personal gain". In March, the DoJ said it had brought over 1,000 criminal cases involving losses of $1.1bn - and was involved in civil litigation alleging fraud in more than $6bn of loans. Source: BBC News