The World Health Organization said Wednesday that 23 countries across the world have reported cases of the highly mutated omicron Covid-19 variant. “At least 23 countries from five of six WHO regions have now reported cases of omicron and we expect that number to grow,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters during an update Wednesday in Geneva. “WHO takes this development extremely seriously and so should every country. But it should not surprise us,” Tedros continued. “This is what viruses do. And it’s what this virus will continue to do, as we long as we allow it to continue spreading.” The U.S. has confirmed its first case of omicron in California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The individual, who was fully vaccinated, had returned from South Africa to the San Francisco area on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters Wednesday. The variant, which was reported to WHO by South Africa a week ago, has more than 30 mutations to the spike protein alone. Some of the mutations are associated with a decrease in antibody protection and higher transmission, according to the WHO. Tedros said there is still more to learn about the new variant’s effect on transmission, the severity of disease and the effectiveness of tests, therapeutics and vaccines. Several WHO advisory groups have met in the last few days to “evaluate the emerging evidence, and prioritize the studies needed to answer these questions,” he said. He added that the highly transmissible delta Covid-19 variant still accounts for almost all cases globally. Tedros said using the tools available to prevent transmission of delta will also stop the transmission of omicron. “If countries and individuals don’t do what they need to do to stop transmission of delta, they won’t stop omicron either,” Tedros said. He urged countries to bolster vaccination efforts and other prevention measures, noting that low vaccine coverage and testing in countries is a “recipe for breeding and amplifying variants.” “We continue to urge countries to fully fund the accelerator to ensure equitable access to vaccines, tests therapeutics, all over the world,” Tedros said. The use of blanket travel bans, however, will not prevent the transmission of omicron and are a “heavy burden on lives and livelihoods,” according to Tedros. Dozens of countries have imposed travel restrictions on southern African nations since the mutation was reported to WHO a week ago. The U.S., for instance, began restricting travel for non U.S.-citizens from South Africa and seven other countries on Monday. Tedros said it is “deeply concerning” that Botswana and South Africa were “being penalized by others for doing the right thing.” He called on countries to turn to “rational proportional risk reduction measures.” This includes measures screening passengers prior to traveling and or upon arrival in a country, or the application of quarantine to international travelers. Fauci defended the U.S. travel restrictions on Wednesday, describing them as a temporary measure intended to buy time for health officials to better understand the virus variant. “No one feels that a travel ban is going to prevent people who are infected from coming to the United States,” Fauci said. “But we needed to buy some time to be able to prepare, understand what’s going on. So we look at this as a temporary measure.” SOURCE: CNBC NEWS

“When I did my research in 2017, I found out that a lot of Elementary school teachers want to teach and give the best to the children but the problem was that they did not have the proper materials.” “I also found out that teachers are not teaching phonics in schools because they either don’t know how to teach phonics or don’t have the resources. “ These were the words of Ms Elizabeth Tandoa, a high school teacher who is planning on running holiday early learning classes in the month of December. Ms Tandoa, who currently teaches Grades 9 and 10 students at Gerehu Secondary School saw that there was a great need for early learning so she started providing holiday classes since 2017. Ms Tandoa said that as a high school teacher, she is challenged everyday with students in Grade 9 not being able to construct proper sentences and making so many grammatical mistakes. She said that a child’s future is determined by his or her early years so parents need to be very concerned and assist their children as the foundation of learning starts effectively when they have great teachers. Through the holiday early learning sessions, the children will learn reading, writing and numeracy and is open for children between the ages of 5 – 10 years old. The classes will be great for children who will be starting school next year and also for students who are already enrolled in school but need that extra help in reading and writing. Ms Tandoa said the classes will cost K200 per child and will start on 6th December, 2021 and run through the whole month of December. She said that even though she has received over 120 registrations, she can only take in 50 students so she can effectively teach them as she only has 3 assistants to help her. Ms Tandoa has encouraged parents to give at least 10 minutes of their time after each schooling day to check their children’s work so that they know how they are doing in school and get help for them early on if they need help before they get into primary and secondary school. Meanwhile, parents from Kokopo, Alotau and Madang have reached out to Ms Tandoa to travel to their locations to conduct early learning classes for their children in the respective provinces. Ms Tandoa said that one of the things she is looking forward to is publishing her book on early learning for children with the support from the Papua New Guinea Education Department which can be used to teach early learning in schools throughout the country.

In light of the recent riots in the Solomon Islands, former Prime Minister and current Governor of New Ireland Province Sir Julius Chan has reminded the country of Papua New Guinea’s leadership to set up the South Pacific Peace Keeping Force (SPPKF) long before the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands ( RAMSI ) was established. The idea was a brain child of Sir J after his government successfully executed the granting of Independence for Vanuatu in 1980. Recalling back, he said the proposal was put forward to the Pacific Island’s Forum in 1981. “ We proposed for the formation of the South Pacific Peace Keeping force to help prevent any disorder in countries in the Pacific, if invited by heads of the troubled countries to assist.” However Sir J said, Australia and New Zealand were not keen to support it at the time. “They said it doesn’t sound right to have a South Pacific Peace Keeping force because it means there is disorder. But I think they deliberately interpreted it that way because they were not involved in Vanuatu and wanted to stop all kinds of initiatives by us,” said Sir J. He said, later on down the line, Australia and New Zealand agreed to form RAMSI which was the exact same Philosophy as SPPKF. “And that’s exactly what they are doing now. What would have been legitimate for the South Pacific Peace Keeping force to enter into the Solomon Islands at the request of their Prime Minister.” Papua New Guinea created the policy and subsequently deployed the first SPPKF force to Arawa in 1994 during the Bougainville crises. It was led by a Tongan, but Commanded locally by former Commander of the PNG Force Tony Huai.

PNG bMobile has partnered with BSP Financial Group Limited (BSP) to register as a BSP Pay Merchant – “No Card, Just Pay” online payment solution to give customers another convenient payment option to recharge their mobile service online without using a VISA Debit Card. bMobile offers Cheap Mobile Data plans and MOA Packs (integrated bundled plans which include voice, SMS & data), as well as mobile phones, MiFi devices and corporate plans. “Mobile phones have become an essential part of our lives, and to keep calls, internet access and other facilities going, we need to be able to make mobile recharges in a timely manner. bMobile now provides our customers with an effortless experience of making online mobile recharges without needing to use a VISA Debit card,” said bMobile National Marketing Manager, Devan Kula.   “With our customer base increasing rapidly, we are required to continually improve our offerings. Apart from the ability to pay for products and services using cash, EFTPoS, VISA and Mobile Banking, we would like to ensure our loyal customers have access to other convenient methods to recharge their mobile service, and BSP Pay is an option for customers who do not have a VISA Debit card to top up online. It allows them the ability to access our services more readily,” added Kula. With this payment solution, bMobile customers will now be able to top up their mobile service and subscribe to all of bMobile’s products, including: Cheap Mobile Data plans, MOA Packs as well as top up their EasiPay meters through the bMobile self-care website and app. BSP Pay is a payment solution that allows a BSP account holder to carry out online payments on a registered merchant’s online shop instantly & securely without the need for card details. BSP Customers use their unique BSP ID and registered mobile number to authorise payment with a one-time password security code. BSP encourages businesses to consider moving online as more customers opt for convenient payment services, and BSP will support online merchants with set up of BSP Pay to their websites.. Businesses interested in setting up a payments page on their website can contact BSP through email servicebsp@bsp.com.pg or call BSP on 3201212 or 70301212.

More than 3,000 disability assessments have been conducted for communities along the Kokoda Track, providing treatment, interventions and referrals for people in the region. Under the routine maternal and child health patrols, which are supported by the PNG-Australia Partnership through the Kokoda Initiative, Callan Services for Persons with Disabilities was able to conduct the assessments. More than 1,300 people were subsequently treated or referred on, in order to address vision or hearing impairments – disabilities that are not always visible but have a big impact on people’s lives. Callan’s program manager Peter Sindu said engagement with the communities made a significant impact for persons with disabilities living along the Kokoda Track. “Many people received prescription glasses on the spot during our visit to 20 villages this year,” Mr Sindu said. “General observations were done to identify the needs for other types of disabilities, accessibility and disability support services.” “We have also identified people who need further examination and rehabilitation which we are working closely with the Kokoda Initiative to arrange for these people to get the support and care they need.” Mr Sindu added that communities must recognise and accept people with disabilities. “We observe the International Day for Persons with Disabilities to increase awareness, recognise their special needs and accept them for who they are,” he continued. Callan also trained more than 50 village health volunteers to conduct disability assessments, including the identification of disabilities and detecting hearing and vision impairments. The village health volunteers also learnt to make referrals for specialised examinations and to seek specific disability support services. The achievements follow the success of a disability assessment pilot conducted in communities, schools and health centres in 2020. The disability assessments and training were supported by the Kokoda Initiative – a partnership between PNG and Australia that is enhancing the quality of life for Kokoda Track communities.

Department of Justice & Attorney General has commended the current Minister for Justice, Hon. Bryan Kramer for setting a record in the number of submissions presented to Government in the last 12 months. While addressing the National Coordination Mechanism (NCM) members and other guests who attended the launch of ‘The Attorney General’s Law Journal’ recently, the Attorney General and Secretary for Justice Dr Eric Kwa, PhD made these remarks. “We have checked the records and confirmed that this is the first time in the history of the department we have had more submissions and decisions taken up to the cabinet since Minister Kramer took office,” he said. Dr Kwa said it was record breaking that DJAG have delivered more submissions to government than ever before. “A non lawyer leading us in trying to push for reforms within the law and justice sector; we truly appreciate that. I’ve been in the office for three years and this year has been a very hectic one with Minister pushing us to support government in every way we can,” he said. Dr Kwa said it was also history making for one Minister to get a total number of six legislations to the Parliament within12 months only. “This is a huge achievement for us with the number of policies approved by the cabinet which we are right now implementing half of these policies.” Meanwhile Minister Kramer, responded by acknowledging DJAG and the Law & Justice Sector for their efforts in working with him to make all these achievable. The following Bills were passed in Parliament this year under the leadership of Minister Kramer; 1. Controlled Substance Bill 2021 2. Dangerous Drugs Amendment Bill 2021 3. Lawyers (Amendment) Bill 2021 4. Electronic Transaction Bill 2021 5. Attorney General (Amendment) Bill 2021 6. Public Solicitors Bill 2021

The Department of Justice & Attorney General today launched two very important law publications to aid lawyers within the country. The two publications namely, The Attorney General’s Law Journal, Vol. 2 and The Constitution of Papua New Guinea written by Dr. Eric Kwa and Prof. Edward P. Wolfers were launched recently at the Holiday Inn Hotel, in Port Moresby. Minister for Justice Hon. Bryan Kramer officially launched the two publications in front of government bureaucrats, prominent lawyers both in the private and public sector. Minister Kramer said it was a privilege and an opportunity for him to launch the two law publications which is very vital for lawyers in their profession. The books capture legal issues and major policy changes in the country. “I acknowledge Dr Kwa and Prof. Wolfers for the efforts in putting together these very important and resourceful publications which will definitely go a long way in developing excellent, well-informed breed of lawyers in the country,” he said. The Attorney Generals’ Law Journals is the second edition, the first one was launched in 2019; and The Constitution of Papua New Guinea is a short commentary on all the amendments of the Constitution, updated to Amendment no. 42.

Bougainvilleans with disability can look forward to more inclusive services that better cater to their needs through a new policy. The Bougainville Disability Policy was endorsed by the Bougainville Executive Council and launched by Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) Minister for Community Development Thompson J. Gitovea. The launch coincided with this year’s International Day of People with Disability celebrations. Bougainvilleans with disability have welcomed the new policy and are confident this policy will create more awareness and promote better community participation. The policy was drafted by ABG’s Department of Community Development in partnership with the Bougainville Disabled Persons Organisation following a rigorous consultation process. The consultations and technical development of the policy were supported by the Australian and New Zealand governments through the Bougainville Partnership. Ruth Tohaka from the Carteret Islands, Atolls District, said the endorsement of the policy was an important milestone. “Persons with disabilities can communicate with ABG and other development partners who do disability work in the region,” she said. “We will be recognised as people with special needs and our needs will be addressed.” Ms Tohaka’s sentiments were reiterated by Lawrence Tomel from Nissan Island, who shared his gratitude for the work done to put the policy together. “This policy will give us the opportunity for our voices to be heard, to be recognised and enable us to participate fully,” he said. Joachim Bonney, also from Nissan, said it was time that persons with disabilities had their priorities addressed. “I am so happy,” he said, “we will be treated equally, and we will have many opportunities to be part of activities that will benefit us as individuals to sustain our lives.”

The government has been called on to make known its approach in addressing West Papua’s ongoing self-determination government and human rights issues the territory is faced with. Staunch supporter of the Free West Papua campaign and National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop raised a series of questions towards the Foreign Affairs Minister in Parliament this week on the matter in light of its 60th anniversary of independence. Parkop said PNG as the “big brother” in the region, has not made much move in addressing the plight of its fellow people on the other side of the New Guinea island. Whilst acknowledging Prime Minister James Marape, former Foreign Affairs Minister Patrick Pruaitch and former Justice Minister and Attorney General Davis Steven for echoing the issue at various regional forums in recent years, Parkop asked if the government has plans to revise its current policy towards West Papua. Foreign Affairs Minister Soroi Eoe in response said the matter is not only his department’s affair but a sovereignty matter thereby requires a collective government’s response which will be done so. “I’d like to take the matter back to cabinet to deliberate and make its own position on the issue.” He also called on Governor Parkop to put the questions raised in writing for him to make an appropriate response.

Minister for Forest Hon Walter D. Schnaubelt has set his focus on increasing downstream processing of logs in the forest sector with alternatives to clear-fell logging towards the Government Policy of ban on export of logs by 2030. And given the majority of land and therefore forest resource is customarily-owned by Papua New Guineans, the Minister wants to see more educational awareness to landowners so they can participate effectively, meaningfully and maximize their benefits. “Any partnership going forward must include our people. Most times decisions in the development of the forest sector do not involve the landowners," Minister Schnaubelt said. In a recent visit to Dami Forestry Station in West New Britain, Minister Schnaubelt announced that the National Forest Service will enforce tougher measures and including monitoring to ensure an increase of another 20 per cent downstream processing of logs. He said that currently there is a 30 per cent ban on log exports or 30 per cent of logs are downstream-processed into various timber products with 70 per cent allowed out as log exports, he said. “With the increase of a further 20 per cent on downstream processing — approximately 5 per cent per annum for the next four years — we are working towards 50 per cent downstream processing by 2025," he said. Minister Schnaubelt said that the target of complete ban of log export by 2030 - which is a 100 per cent downstream processing of all logs is a challenging task which needs to take into consideration market access, development and expansion especially access of timber products - to ensure sustained returns on forest resources as well as value-adding on PNG’s exports through timber products. [caption id="attachment_17307" align="alignnone" width="566"] Minister for Forest Walter Schnaubelt[/caption] “We must commence now and increase downstream processing targets if we are to achieve this target date," he said, adding that increasing downstream processing, re-afforestation and plantation timber programs will also see job opportunities increase. Minister Schnaubelt said the government will soon be making some big announcements in the forest sector on downstream processing and Carbon Trade. “We need to get our people employed through these developments in the forest sector," he said. “I also want to explore exporting opportunities to other nations rather than the current status quo of exporting to just one or two countries at present. This is important for market opportunities for our tropical timber products," he said. “We need to take charge of our State Purchase Option (SPO) cargo whereby under the agreement the timber company gives 25 percent annual quota of round log export through the National Forest Service. “We need to independently test the market. It’s best that we check ourselves in the PNG Forest Authority because then we will have the reference point to carry out these checks," he said. “All of these initiatives are important as we work towards the Government Policy of increasing downstream processing and gradually reach the ambitious target of ban on log exports by 2030 said Minister Schnaubelt

Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) has this week graduated over a thousand five-year-old students, who are now well-prepared and ready to take the next steps in their education. However, this years’ ceremonies are looking very different and have been split into small groups to ensure the children still have the opportunity to celebrate this important milestone despite the current pandemic. Steamships Trading Limited – a foundation sponsor of BbP – having generously established Library learning Centres in Lae, Goroka and Port Moresby will today attend the smaller graduation ceremonies at Pari village. Rupert Bray, Managing Director of Steamships Trading Limited said: “Part of the success of our business has been investing in our people and in our communities. Buk bilong Pikinini objectives closely align with our own core values of development and of always learning and improving. Being able to read is so fundamental to progressing that it is only natural that we are strong supporters of Buk bilong Pikinini.  Reading opens new perspectives and opportunities for children.” Leanne Resson, BbO Executive Officer said: “BbP’s program has shown year after year, that children who have attended the organisations’ Early Childhood Development program consistently perform strongly academically compared with children who have not had the opportunity to attend an early childhood learning program. We are therefore encouraged by the governments’ new ECE policy and are looking forward to continue to provide solid ECE learning foundations for children across the country together with our partners.” As part of BbP’s in-house developed curriculum, the children have been taught phonics, segmenting and blending and many are now able to read. They have been taught discipline and classroom behaviour and are ready to focus on learning. [caption id="attachment_17321" align="aligncenter" width="612"] Photo: Hon. Dadi Toka Chairman of Motu Koita Assembly and Deputy Governor for National Capital District, and Rupert Bray Managing Director of Steamships, standing outside of the Buk bilong Pikinini Library Learning Centre at Pari with young Onne and Milivoi.[/caption] They have also enjoyed BbP’s Numeracy and Early STEM program and understand basic concepts of maths and problem solving. The have also received Financial Literacy lessons and held their own Market Day to practice their numeracy skills during Literacy Week. The children have gained an appreciation of their culture and have this year studied animal, forest, ocean and village connection to PNG customs and culture. The stories created will be turned into digital readers and made available on the BbP Learning App. Thanks to the support of CPL and St John’s Ambulance the children have also learnt vital health and hygiene lessons. BbP’s Digital Learning program, has been further developed and tested and will be fully rolled out in 2022. BbP’s Teacher-Librarians received further training, including in the digital program and the organisation’s inclusive special needs and sign language program. BbP has also developed seven new readers to add to the six already published, which features local children in professional roles – entitled: “When I grow up I want to be a …”. The seven readers covering an Engineer, a Nurse, a Pharmacist, a Heavy Equipment Operator, a Pastry Chef and an Architect will be launched next year. The readers have been sponsored by the Sir Brian Bell Foundation with beautiful photography provided by Roan Paul. Anne-Sophie Hermann, BbP Founder and Chair said: “Despite this difficult year for everyone, it wonderful to see more than 1000 children graduating from our programs equipped with the skills to successfully transition to the next stages of their learning. There no time to waste, it is essential for the increase in literacy rates to start teaching the children to read at the foundational level. We are grateful for the tremendous and generous support we receive from our sponsors and partners in both PNG and Australia.” [caption id="attachment_17322" align="aligncenter" width="611"] Photo: Hon. Dadi Toka, Chairman of Motu Koita Assembly and Deputy Governor for National Capital District, and Rupert Bray, Managing Director of Steamships, presenting young Christabelle with her graduation certificate.[/caption] BbP is able to deliver its comprehensive Early Childhood Development program thanks to the generous support it receives from all its donors and partners in both PNG and Australia. (See banner below).

Young lawyer Isabella Kila is a passionate advocate for people with disability and is working to improve their access to justice with support from the Australian Government. Ms Kila, 26, who recently graduated from the Legal Training Institute, has long been active in promoting the rights of young people with disability, including increasing awareness of their circumstances and needs. She is currently using her considerable talents to help address the many challenges confronting women and girls with disability particularly those who experience family and sexual violence. As a person with disability herself, Ms Kila is keen to improve the way the legal system and survivor support services treat people with disability. “I am a dedicated advocate for people with disability and a lawyer at the same time,” she says. “I strongly believe that policies should consider all aspects of life for people with disability and promote equal opportunities for all.” Ms Kila recently presented at a workshop in Port Moresby on the different services available to FSV survivors through the Survivor Advocate Toolkit and Referral Pathway. She says people with disability who are survivors of family violence face significant additional obstacles in accessing services. Her presentation at the workshop generated important discussions amongst service providers on how to address these issues. The workshop Ms Kila presented at was organised by the Law and Justice Sector Gender Equity, Disability and Social Inclusion Community of Practice with support through the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership.