President Joe Biden and his fellow world leaders hope to finalize and unveil a package of new measures to punish Russia, help Ukraine and demonstrate Western unity at a string of emergency summits in Europe this week. But aside from a dramatic wartime show of resolve, few observers believe anything the leaders can agree upon will be enough to end the bloodshed in Ukraine or dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from continuing his attacks that are increasingly harming civilians. Since the prospect of the NATO leaders summit was first broached roughly two weeks ago, American and European officials have been discussing potential announcements for leaders to make at the conclusion of the gathering, according to several people familiar with the plans. That could include new rounds of sanctions on Russian oligarchs, additional measures restricting the country's finances and new steps to limit import of Russian energy products. Discussions are also underway on what measures can be unveiled to provide more support for Ukraine, including new shipments of military assistance or financial aid to bolster the country's defenses. And Biden has left open the option of scaling up US troop deployments to NATO members along the alliance's eastern edge, reinforcing American commitment to European defense at a critical moment. But the stark reality that those moves are unlikely to curb Putin's war will loom over Biden's visit to Brussels for a snap meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, along with a special session of the European Council and a gathering of the G7. Biden could also add another stop in Eastern Europe, potentially Poland, officials have said. He departs Washington on Wednesday for the high-level diplomatic maneuvers. While Biden has been successful in rallying European and Asian allies behind a punishing set of sanctions and unparalleled levels of military assistance, he and his NATO counterparts have drawn lines at where their support will end. And while all parties seem to support a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, US and European officials say the parameters of such a settlement remain murky. That leaves open how Biden's visit to Europe -- one of the inflection moments of his presidency -- can alter the course of the worst conflict in Europe since World War II. And it poses another discussion point that world leaders must begin to broach: What happens if, or when, Ukraine can no longer withstand Russia's assault? "They're going to have to look at what happens if Ukraine is lost," said retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO supreme allied commander. "After they have weighed the problem of what happens if Ukraine falls, they have to consider what more can be done to sustain Ukraine in the fight. Yes, there's a risk. There's always a risk in dealing with Mr. Putin." Biden challenged to be 'the leader of the world' Biden was publicly challenged by Ukraine's leader last week to assume responsibility for bringing an end to the fighting. In an emotional address to Congress, in which he called for a no-fly zone and help procuring fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke directly to Biden, who was watching from his private library on the third floor of the White House. "Being the leader of the world means being the leader of peace," Zelensky said in English. Biden was also challenged by Ukraine's former President, Petro Poroshenko, to visit Ukraine as a "symbol of our solidarity" during his trip to Europe this week. Speaking to CNN's Jim Acosta Saturday afternoon, Poroshenko called Biden a "very good friend of mine and a very good friend of Ukraine," adding that a visit by Biden would be "an extremely right step to demonstrate that the whole world is together with us against Russia." Those personal appeals will have resonated with a man who vowed while seeking office to restore American leadership, renew US alliances and defend democracy from the creeping tide of authoritarianism. Nowhere will that challenge be more pertinent than at this week's emergency talks, where leaders are looking to Biden for direction and purpose as the war in Ukraine grinds ahead. "He's challenging Biden to live up to his responsibilities as a leader of the West, a leader of the democratic community of nations. And he presented the de facto challenge to NATO," said Ian Brzezinski, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO in the George W. Bush administration. "He was saying if NATO is not up to this challenge, we have to think of other security arrangements," Brzezinski said. "What a powerful challenge to the relevance of NATO in this day and age. That sets the context for ... (the) summit meeting." The limits of supporting Ukraine on full display ahead of trip Yet as the summits were announced last week, some European diplomats revealed concern at what they viewed as a lack of major steps available for the leaders to take at the high-profile gathering, which both Russia and Ukraine will be watching closely. Major items that Ukraine wants, like help from NATO in establishing a no-fly zone or providing Soviet-era fighter jets, appear for now off the table as the US and its partners seek to avoid direct confrontation with Russia. That means any announcement coming out of the meetings would likely focus more on ramping up assistance that's already being provided, including military and financial aid, or applying new sanctions on Russia. European and US officials said discussions about announcements and a concluding joint statement were ongoing as countries look to settle on a decision or takeaway for the summit to produce. "The President is looking forward to seeing his counterparts face to face. I suspect they will have a number of new measures that they will be able to disclose and roll out during those conversations, but I'm not going to get ahead of them a few days in advance," US deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said last week on CNN. Having a major announcement materialize during the summit could help underscore the current unity among the allies, which US officials say has surprised Putin as his military struggles with losses on the ground. "He miscalculated about the West. I think he thought that ... there would be some scolding, maybe a couple of sanctions, but he could withstand it, and he could continue, and he could move on," said Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine. "Instead, he has inspired a resurgence of NATO. And the West is united in opposition and trying to provide not only sort of strengthening NATO and the flank countries on Ukraine's border, but also in providing support to Ukraine." Countering China will be top of mind after Biden-Xi call The upcoming summits will also present Biden an opportunity to take his counterparts' temperature on another matter: What to do if Chinese President Xi Jinping decides to provide Russia military or economic support, as Putin has requested. On a 110-minute call with Xi last week, Biden laid out the "implications and consequences" of going ahead with that support, according to the White House. But punishing China -- the world's second-largest economy -- would be far more complicated than it has been with Russia, and would require the same unity with Europe, which hasn't always agreed with Biden on how to approach Beijing. "This is an incredibly important summit. It is taking place on an extraordinary basis in the midst of a crisis. It is partly to make sure that we and our allies [are] on the same page, which is good. But it's also very important for sending a signal to Vladimir Putin," said Kurt Volker, a former US ambassador to NATO and special envoy for Ukraine. Volker identified several messages the alliance must send during its summit, including recommitting to the Article 5 guarantee of collective defense and making clear the use of nuclear weapons by Russia would warrant a Western response. But he said NATO must also make clear that Ukraine -- not a member of its grouping -- is nonetheless a matter of critical importance to its members. "I think it's very important that NATO also send a signal about Ukraine, that Ukraine's survival as an independent and sovereign state in Europe is a NATO interest," Volker said. "We don't want to say what we don't do. We don't want to be too specific about what we will do. But we need to send a signal to Putin that we're not going to sit by while he destroys and eliminates a sovereign European country." SOURCE: CNN NEWS

An Air Niugini employee has been arrested and charged by police for being in possession of marijuana in Hela Province on Friday. Provincial Police Commander Teddy Agwi said the man was attempting to board the Air Niugini flight to Port Moresby with the drugs when they were confiscated. He said the arrest was made by the Laiagam-based Police Mobile Squad 12 (MS 12) along with the 20 kilograms of marijuana cannabis. “MS 12 was in the province for operational duties and had helped out a lot in terms of security within the Tari Township,” Mr Agwi said. “There was also a tribal fight last week where the additional manpower of police beefed up our security in controlling it as it could have escalated into an all-out warfare.” He said the Air Niugini employee is currently in police custody and will appear at the Tari District Court this week. Meanwhile, PPC Agwi has mentioned that a contingent of the joint security forces including personnel from the PNG Defence Force, Police and the Correctional Service will arrive into Hela tomorrow to provide security for election awareness exercises in the province.

The PNG Hunters have kicked off the 2022 Hostplus Cup season with a tough 16-10 win over the Mackay Cutters at BB Print Stadium in Mackay. The Hunters enjoyed an excellent start, getting through their opening set before strong contact in defence forced the Cutters into an error with their first possession. Starting props Casey Dickson and Sylvester Namo consistently bent the line with their carries to open the game and Mackay had no answer. Left-edge backrower Benji Kott came awfully close to crashing over the line after collecting a late offload before the Hunters forced yet another error in Mackay’s half. From the attacking scrum, right-centre Rodrick Tai summed things up smartly to put Solo Wane over in the corner for the opening try. Dilbert Issac was next to score for the Hunters, crashing over under the posts courtesy of a lovely pass from Wesser Tenza at half. The Hunters were dominating the ruck and some nice pass selection by Tenza found Issac pouring into a hole close to the line where he couldn’t be stopped. The Cutters would be next to score, finding some space for themselves around the ruck and racing 70 metres up field only for Wane to complete a superb chasing cover tackle. Wane’s effort forced the Cutters to search wide for points and they missed the ensuing conversion, keeping the Hunters lead at eight going into the break. The Cutters didn’t die wondering in the second half. They mounted a stack of pressure late in the game to have five consecutive sets attacking the Hunters line, finally scoring off a cross-field bomb in the 66th minute. But that’s as close as Mackay would get. The Hunters held on bravely in the final stages with Judah Rimbu kicking the lead out to six with just minutes remaining. The win will fill the Hunters with confidence heading into next Saturday match with the Central Queensland Capras. Coach’s comments Hunters coach Matt Church said he was encouraged by the Round 1 performance. “What we’ve got here is an exciting young group who are all hungry to get better,” Church said. “We learned the hard way in the preseason trials and the boys gave themselves a chance to win the game tonight with their completions and discipline, which were much improved.” Church gave credit to a strong pre-season for how the Hunters were able to repeatedly defend their line in the second half. “It’s encouraging to see that our tough preseason paved the way for a full 80 minute performance in Round 1. To defend five sets on our line and only concede points through a kick was really pleasing,” Church said. “It’s great to get the win for all our debutants tonight and for Keven (Appo) in his captaincy debut.” Mackay will play Ipswich Jets in Round 2.

With the Six Nations tournament coming to a climactic end, the benchmark for test rugby now belongs in the Northern Hemisphere, writes Jamie Wall. There couldn't have been a clearer display of where things are at right now in the rugby world than the events of the Six Nations and Super Rugby Pacific over the weekend. Only one game was played in New Zealand thanks to the pandemic, in front of the desolate and empty Mt Smart stands, while up north the dramatic final round of rugby's oldest* championship certainly lived up to its self proclaimed title of the greatest as well. The Chiefs and Moana Pasifika essentially did a repeat of their preseason game at the same venue, with the same attendance, same outcome and almost the same scoreline. The Chiefs had 17 players out (presumably mostly with Covid), including Sam Cane, Samisoni Taukei'aho and Anton Lienert-Brown, but it didn't hinder them underlining their very serious title credentials in the 59-12 win. Moana Pasifika, who have only played Super Rugby one game so far, did their best not to hinder the Chiefs either by giving away a slew of penalties throughout the game. You can't give your opposition that much of a leg up, especially one like the Chiefs who had a very well drilled and effective set piece, but the new boys did take the two opportunities they had very well for a couple of really good tries. So the potential is definitely there if Moana Pasifika can sort out their penalty problems, and they'll be eyeing up a few of the Australian teams as targeted wins. Both the Rebels and Waratahs will be on that list, who combined last night at SCG in a game that set some sort of social media record for complaining about a stadium's unsuitability for rugby. Which is fair enough given how poor the view is: But the real rugby attention was in the packed stadiums of Europe, where the Six Nations reached its climactic weekend and the chance for France to complete their first Grand Slam in 12 years. Before that could happen, though, perennial whipping boys Italy pulled off their first win in seven years in the most impressive fashion in Cardiff. Edoardo Padovani's winning try, set up by the sensational youngster Ange Capuozzo, is even better with Italian commentary, which goes from sad resignation of what looks to be yet another loss to the sort of glorious delirium that only sport can provide. Meanwhile, in Paris, le jour de gloire est arrivé for French rugby, with many immediately predicting another day of glory is imminent when they host the World Cup in over a year and a half's time. Their 25-13 win over England was played in front of a heaving and thunderous 80,000 at Stade de France, the consistency that has long eluded French rugby became frighteningly apparent. It'd be a difficult task naming a World XV right now that was not dominated by Frenchmen, an even harder one to justify including any of the All Black team that got demolished by them back in November. If any of the All Black players and recently reappointed coaching staff were wondering, that win, along with the sweeping aside of the rest of the competition, is the benchmark in test rugby right now. The pressure that was on the likes of Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack and the rest of this golden generation of French players was handled with ease - this was their dry run at a World Cup campaign, the main thing that coach Fabien Galthié will be worried about now is maintaining the arm's length he has on the rest. A year and a half is a long time, especially in Northern Hemisphere rugby. But for now, it is an increasingly uncomfortable conversation around these parts about the best footy in the world, because it's not one that includes the All Blacks. *The Five Nations only became an 'official' tournament in 1983, but the teams had been playing each other for 100 years before that. SOURCE: RNZ NEWS

“Noken traim long muvim ol man meri igat bikpla bagarap, yu ken makim bagarap go bikpla moa, yu ken kamapim ol samtin osem bikpla pain (Do not try to move anyone that has sustained injuries, you can make their injuries worse or cause them pain)” “Ringim 111 na waitim ambulance long kam, stap wantem ol lain kisim bagarap (Call 111 and wait for the ambulance to come and assist people that have sustained injuries).” “ Only taim wea inap long yu ken muvim ol sick mahn em sapos ol stap long danger (Only time where you can move someone that is sick is if they are in danger),”said SJA Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Arabella Koliwan. Dr Koliwan said this after the St Johns Ambulance Team faced issues with people trying to pull out students from a PMV accident on Thursday. Dr Koliwan said that if the casualties are in danger such as in a fire then you can move them. Meanwhile, the St John Ambulance NCD/Central Southern Regional Commander, Terrence Torea said that another thing that people need to be mindful of when at accident scenes is to respect peoples' privacy. He urged people not to take photos of the casualties and post on social media.

Police in Hela have prevented a possible would-be killing of two patients at the Tari Provincial Hospital after enemy tribesmen tried to attack the two patients last night. Provincial Police Commander Teddy Agwi said he issued instructions for police to guard the hospital last night after receiving intelligence reports on the would-be-attack. “Earlier in the week, a tribal fight between two warring tribes within the town area saw two men from one of the tribes sustaining gun wounds and were admitted to the hospital,” Mr Agwi said. “Early last night, the enemy tribesmen drove in a vehicle into the hospital with the intent to finish off the two men.” “However, they saw my men guarding the hospital so they fired gunshots into the air at the hospital gate and drove off.” He said police will continue their presence at the hospital and he has instructed the hospital to treat the two patients and discharged them when they are medically fit.

Air Niugini would like to advise customers of the amended COVID19 test requirements prior to travel to the Philippines and also to United Kingdom(UK) via Singapore. All passengers flying to Manila: Philippines is now open for travel to non-citizens. Effective from 1st April, for passengers flying into the Philippines as their final destination, a rapid antigen test (RAT) administered and certified by a Doctor is accepted in lieu of a PCR test. You may either complete a negative RAT test at the airport, or you can bring a negative compliant RAT test certificate with you. The RAT test needs to be completed within 24 hours of departure. All passengers transiting via Singapore to the UK: Passengers are no longer required to undertake pre-departure testing and can progress directly to the Departures Check in through the Main Terminal Entrance. You will be asked for evidence of your travel to the UK at time of check-in Air Niugini and ISOS will continue to offer free PCR and Rapid tests at the airport at time of departure, for those who choose to do their tests prior to check in. The ISOS testing facility operating hours will now be 3 hours prior to the originally scheduled departure time for all flights. Even if departure time changes, ISOS will still close (due to staff roster requirements) 2 hours prior to originally scheduled departure time, unless you are specifically advised otherwise. The following requirements are unchanged: 1. Passengers flying into Australia: You must complete a negative rapid test within 24 hours of scheduled departure. This can either be conducted at the airport, or you can bring a compliant certificate with you issued by a doctor. A negative PCR test within 3 days of departure is also acceptable. 2. Passengers flying into Singapore: You must complete either a negative rapid test (or a negative PCR test) within 48 hours of scheduled departure. This can be conducted either at the airport, or you can bring a compliant certificate with you issued by a doctor. 3. All passengers transiting via Australia or Singapore to a third country (other than the UK): You must either complete a negative PCR test at the airport, or bring a negative Covid test certificate with you. If you choose to bring the certificate, the onus is on you to ensure it meets all the requirements of your final destination country and any countries of transit (including Australia/ Singapore’s requirements as above). This includes ensuring the test is taken within the timeframe required and is of the type and standard required. 4. All passengers to Hong Kong, or on unscheduled Air Niugini international charters to other international destinations: Passengers must complete a negative PCR test at the airport. Passengers arriving with their own compliant PCR or negative Rapid Test certificate conducted independently from the ISOS testing site can progress directly to the Departures Check in through the Main Terminal Entrance.

Eight (8) teachers from Central Province received their Certificate Two in Early Childhood Education and Development, though a pilot program spearheaded the IEA College of TAFE and Digicel PNG Foundation.   The teachers now have an accreditation that is internationally recognised and it complements Digicel PNG Foundation’s investment in early childhood education centres and facilities.   IEA College of TAFE Manager, Dr William Pedley, said that TAFE was excited that it was a part of the Early Childhood Teacher training. “It’s an honour and a privilege to come to PNG because I’ve been here for one whole month and into this really exciting program. We (TAFE) entirely concentrate on helping Papua New Guinea develop further, building up the number of jobs to increase the wealth of the average Papua New Guinean and I am delighted to say Digicel Foundation has the same vision. I see that we are the forefront of the development of this country and it is a privilege to be a part of this important organization”, Dr William Pedley.   CEO of Digicel PNG Foundation, Serena Sasingian acknowledged the program saying that Digicel Foundation began its’ investment in Early Childhood Education in 2008 when it launched its first mobile education centre.   “The Early Childhood Education program has grown to impact over 300 community volunteers who have been supported by the Digicel PNG Foundation to run in formal pre-schools in settlements and rural communities around PNG. We began looking to see how we could help give accredited qualifications to the teachers who were running these amazing early learning centres, so that’s when we approached the IEA College of TAFE to deliver this pilot program”, Serena Sasingian   Ms. Sasingian said that the partnership was a significant step forward in helping the government implement its’ Early Childhood Education policy. Moreover, the pilot program had been running since last year by Pushpa Swaminathan an Education specialist who is an accredited trainer with the IEA College of TAFE.   The learning mode was a first of its’ kind in Papua New Guinea where it saw a mixed mode of both face-to-face classroom lectures and online video conference lectures, which is the future of learning.   To date Digicel Foundation has invested approximately K150milion into Education and health projects in all the 89 Districts of Papua New Guinea.

On Wednesday, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) National Department of Health (NDoH) to improve access to health for persons with disabilities. TECO donated 40 wheelchairs to the NDoH, while USAID supported the distribution to 11 health facilities in Port Moresby’s National Capital District (NCD). This wheelchair donation supports PNG’s National Health Plan 2021-2030 and the country’s goals to increase access to health services for people with disabilities. Representative Liao thanked the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby for its assistance in coordinating with NDoH for the distribution of the wheelchairs. He also expressed his hope to continue working with the US and PNG Governments in the future to create a win-win-win situation here in PNG. “The United States Government is pleased to partner with the Taipei Economic and Cultural officer here in PNG for greater development impact,” said U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands Erin E. McKee. “Today’s donation creates an enabling opportunity for people living with disabilities and complements USAID programs already operating in these eleven NCD clinics.” Dr. Steven Yennie, Chief Executive Officer, NCD PHA, said, “Though we may encounter many challenges in regards to funding and resourcing, we can be assured that our development partners stand committed to providing vital services that will contribute to the goal of better health outcomes for our city of Port Moresby and throughout the country of Papua New Guinea.” Papua New Guinea is party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2013) and has a National Policy on Disability in place to protect those who are most vulnerable. However, there is a lack of accurate statistics about the number of men, women and children living with disabilities in Papua New Guinea. The pandemic has exacerbated the challenges experienced by people living with disabilities, putting them at higher risk of becoming victims of the virus. The wheelchair donation will improve the ability of people living with disabilities to access general health services, including COVID-19 treatment and vaccines.

The Milne Bay Province has successfully validated its Climate Resilient Green Growth Strategy (CRGG) for the province in a two-days’ workshop which concluded today. The CRGG Strategy captures how different sectors under the Milne Bay Provincial Administration (MBPA) have mainstreamed climate resilient green growth into their provincial plans and budget. After significant consultations with provincial stakeholders in 2021, the CRGG project implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute in Partnership with the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), have drafted the CRGG Strategy for the province. The Strategy reflects the province’s climate change priorities to be implemented under Milne Bay’s new integrated provincial development plan from 2022-2026. Milne Bay Provincial Administrator Ashan Numa, expressed that the CRGG Strategy is a significant roadmap for the province to identify, commence and upscale its climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. “Though Milne Bay Province does not have funds at its disposal for implementing climate resilient projects, the impacts of climate change will be continually felt in different sectors of the province. “The CRGG strategy is a way forward for the province to ensure realistic climate adaptation and mitigation measures are implemented and also a document which can be used to source funding to implement the strategy,” Mr. Numa said. In the strategy, key sectors under the Milne Bay Provincial Administration under which climate resilience green growth have been mainstreamed includes agriculture, health, transport and infrastructure sectors. The scope of work under the CRGG Project which led to the development of the strategy was funded by Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership, implemented by GGGI with guidance from CCDA, Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM), Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs (DPLGA). Jonah Auka, Projects Manager at CCDA on behalf of CCDA’s Acting Managing Director Mr. William Lakain, thanked the Milne Bay Provincial Administration, GGGI, government counterparts, development partners, sector leads under the Milne Bay Provincial Administration for their invaluable support to formulate the strategy. “I believe that the priorities you have set in the documents are a reflection of your commitment and zeal to move this province to a level where the province can be able to leverage support from development partners. “With that, let me congratulate you all the effort you all have put in in the formulation of this strategy. It is a significant document which each of the sectors can use to align and mainstream climate change mitigation and adaptation priorities,” said Mr. Auka. GGGI’s Deputy Country Representative Mr. Peniamina Leavai highlighted GGGI’s roles and highlighted the CRGG Strategy as an important step for the province. Mr. Leavai added that it is important to capture achievable CRGG targets in the strategy which this validation workshop aims to achieve. The validation workshop was well attended by stakeholder participants from Milne Bay Provincial Administration, Government partners, NGOs and development partners.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a step closer to complete significant guidelines which will support its efforts in mitigating the impacts of climate change through Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, known as, REDD+. During a workshop hosted by Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) today in Port Moresby, four guidelines referred to as the REDD+ Safeguards Guidelines were validated by CCDA, its partners and key stakeholders. The guidelines include, REDD+ Development Guidelines (RDG), Benefit Sharing Distribution System Guidelines (BSDS), Grievance Redress Mechanism Guidelines (GRM), and the Free Prior Informed Consent Guidelines (FPIC). CCDA’s REDD+ and Mitigation Division General Manager, Ms. Gwen Sissiou, highlighted the development of these guidelines as a significant step to adequately address critical issues such as the rights of local people, their participation, preservation of natural ecosystems, among others as PNG implements its REDD+ activities through policy-based interventions. “The Safeguards guidelines were developed in order to ensure social and environmental risks are minimized and that benefits from REDD+ activities are enhanced in the country. “The guidelines are also a prerequisite for PNG as a country participating in REDD+ under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),” said Ms. Sissiou. The CCDA through its REDD+ Branch, have developed and completed the specified safeguard guidelines to strengthen PNG’s adherence to UNFCCC safeguard requirements. The development of the guidelines was through extensive regional consultations with key stakeholders during the third quarter of 2021 with funding and technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Project. Mr. Bir Mandal, the Head of FAO PNG, said, “Conserving PNG’s forest through REDD+ implementation will help communities for sustainable development and contribute globally on biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. FAO will continue supporting the REDD+ progress in PNG.” CCDA Acting Managing Director Mr. William Lakain expressed the validation of the four REDD+ Safeguards Guidelines as a significant progress for PNG and commended development partners and key stakeholders involved in the formulation of the REDD+ Safeguards Guidelines. “I express my gratitude towards the development partners, stakeholders from both the public and private sectors for supporting CCDA through the review process of the REDD+ Safeguards Guidelines. “With that being said, CCDA looks forward to continuously working with you all into the future”, said Mr. Lakain. The Government of PNG has continually pursed a viable means of minimizing greenhouse gas emissions whilst nurturing economic development. Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Wera Mori who officiated the workshop said the Government of PNG’s vision through the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) for REDD+, is for the mechanism to act as a Catalyst to transformational change within the forest and land use sector whilst aiming towards a new and responsible economy with lower Greenhouse Gas emissions. “The outcomes of today’s discussions will be critical towards ensuring the Government of PNG’s continues to pursue its vision for REDD+,” he said. “I urge you as the relevant stakeholders to utilize today’s forum to guide and strengthen the Government efforts towards ensuring practically in our approaches, I also encourage open dialogue today and move toward regarding the development matters at hand,” Mori said.

The University of the South Pacific (USP) has collaborated with Pherrus Financial Services to provide places for workplace attachment for Pacific Technical and Further Education (Pacific TAFE) students enrolled in the Diploma of Accounting (Level 5), Diploma of Business Administration (Level 5) and Diploma of Human Resources (Level 5) programmes. Pherrus Financial Services will also reward $500 prize money for the most outstanding Pacific TAFE Accounting graduate at the USP Medals & Prizes ceremony. Pacific TAFE is committed to becoming the centre of excellence for lifelong learning through delivering high-quality Preliminary, Foundation, and skills-based education and training in the Pacific region. Director Education, Dr Matthew Hayward thanked Pherrus Financial Services for assisting USP in bringing the world of work closer to students and collaborating to improve the quality of training and contribute to workforce development in Fiji and the region. “To facilitate the enhancement of graduate employability and portability of qualifications, Pacific TAFE has a requirement that all students undertake a mandatory practical before the completion of the programme,” he said. Dr Hayward emphasised the attachment intends to provide students with an opportunity to practice and demonstrate the skills and competencies required of them in the programme and subsequently produce ‘work-ready’ graduates. “This would maximise the employability and career prospects of its graduates and result in enhanced labour mobility and portability of its qualifications in the Pacific region and beyond,” he added. Pherrus Financial Services Local Engagement Representative, Ms Akisi Korodrau, said the agreement is the beginning of a closer working relationship in seeking high-quality candidates for work opportunities in the Accounting and Taxation field with Pherrus. “The development of technology advances has meant local students can learn and develop their careers in accounting and taxation in an Australian context,” she added. She said the partnership would foster a closer relationship between Pacific TAFE and Pherrus Financial Services as they build on continuing the legacy to develop the workforce. “We look forward to a stable, long term relationship for the mutual benefit of both parties,” Ms Korodrau said.