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Celebrating Women Across the South Pacific

March 9, 2021 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Prepared by Agnieszka Zuchora, Partnership and Development Coordinator

To celebrate International Women’s Day (March 8), Pacific Peoples’ Partnership is highlighting some of the amazing work being done by our partners across the South Pacific. We are truly excited to be partnering with ʻOfa Guttenbeil-Likiliki and the Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) in Tonga for a Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) grant.

‘Ofa is a talented journalist, filmmaker, researcher, and advocate for women’s rights. She is the founder and director of the Tonga Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC). Her incredible work can be found in the film Vai, which she co-wrote and co-directed, as well as the brilliantly researched article Creating Equitable South-North Partnerships: Nurturing the VĀ and Voyaging the Audacious Ocean Together.

Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki

Currently, ‘Ofa and her team at WCCC are delivering remote counselling support to the outer islands of Tonga. 

The overall aim of the saturated focus on Tonga’s outer islands and most remote islands is to empower women and children by informing them of how women and young children who are victims and survivors of violence can access free, safe, non-judgmental, and confidential support services. “We use our Tongan method of ‘talanoa’ (talk informally) with our very own Tongan process, ‘fofola e fala kae talanoa e kainga’; it’s the traditional way of holding conversations, where the mat is rolled out giving permission to those in attendance to discuss and talk openly about the topic at hand,” explained Senior Counsellor Malia Foketi Tu’itupou. (‘Ofa, 2020).

To date WCCC has delivered:

  • Two mobile counselling clinics to ‘Eua. 
  • Seventeen mobile counselling talanoa clinics to the Ha’apai group covering: Uiha, Kotu, Lofanga, Mo’unga’one, Ha’ano, Muitoa, Fakakai, Pukotala, five communities in Foa, and four communities in Lifuka. 
  • Short awareness programs for all community members, including children, youth, and community leaders.
Stay Safe Campaign held simultaneously with MCTC

The women of the Pacific Resilience Fund and the Pacific Islander Advisory Committee 

At PPP we believe in equal opportunity. We have been told countless times that women want a seat at the table, and they want their voices heard, so we listened. As we develop our Pacific Resilience Fund (PRF) and transform it into an Indigenous-led fund, as defined by the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (2020), we have put together a Pacific Islander Advisory Committee (PIAC) consisting of five inspiring and passionate women doing incredible work across the South Pacific.

Meet our PIAC:

Dr. Méré MoTari MuraMura Sovick is an Indigenous scholar and practitioner from the Republic of Vanuatu, educated in New Zealand, and later in the USA, where she currently resides. She is the founder and executive director of the Melanesian Women Today (MWT) organization. She grew up in the village of Lavatu on the northern island of Pentecost, traditionally referred to as Araga, and is from the Bule tribe. She embraces her roots and culture, and credits her late grandparents, parents, and elders for teaching her the language, kastom, and knowledge of her people; this motivated her to apply the Indigenous knowledge in her research studies and work, and gave her the framework to do so. Without the support of her family and community, she believes her success would have been in vain.

Dr. Sovick sees herself as an agent of social change and a lifelong learner. As an agent of social change, one has to be willing to be a lifelong learner, which means putting an emphasis on “we” and “us”, and less on “I” and “me” – “I am what I am because of who we all are”.

Jennifer Baing-Waiko is a vibrant researcher, media specialist, TV presenter, and advocate of cultural preservation and equal rights and opportunities. Originally from the Morobe province in Papua New Guinea, she has a truly diverse knowledge set and experience working in marine conservation, seafloor mapping, agriculture, and traditional knowledge sharing. In 2007, she started Save PNG to protect the local culture, traditions, and the environment. Her work has included Cafe New Guinea, Cafe Melanesia, and the Healthy Pacific Campaign.

Kianna Juda Angelo was born in the Republic of the Marshall Islands but was adopted and raised in America since her earliest childhood. In the last decade, Kianna has reconnected with her Marshallese heritage. Continuing her passion for serving communities, Kianna founded the international non-profit organization Living Islands in 2013 and co-founded the social justice organization Compact of Free Association (COFA)  Alliance National Network (CANN) in 2014. She continues to serve as Executive Director for Living Islands and as Board Member for CANN. Kianna is a strong believer in international community work and a fierce supporter of the United Nations and is a member of the United Nations Association. She is always working on connecting governments, organizational partners, commercial interests, Native Americans, and Indigenous communities across the globe.

PIAC Members also include Leaula Theresa Asiata, SSWEFT Chief Executive Officer (Samoa) and  Maureen Penjueli, Coordinator, Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) in Fiji.

Our reasoning for an all-female identifying committee is drawn from the many conversations we have had, all of which point to the same conclusion: “Women are deeply involved in all aspects of their communities and can see where support is most needed and what forms are most effective” (anonymous, 2020). 

There can be a misconception that women only focus on women-related issues; however, it continues to be true that supporting women supports everyone. This does not mean a project has to be wholly dedicated to women or gender equity, rather that it is mindful of its impact on women, working with a holistic approach. This is exactly what we have seen through the first phase of Pacific Resilience Fund grants guided by our Pacific Islander Advisory Committee. 

Current projects across the South Pacific:

Research on women-led businesses

Melanesian Women Today (MWT) is undergoing a research study to understand what makes Indigenous female small business owners succeed in business for more than five years. The project is overseen by the MWT director and will replicate a peer-reviewed research study (Dr. Mere Sovick, 2017). 

This qualitative multiple-case study explores strategies Indigenous female small business owners use to succeed in business beyond five years.  This research will support MWT in gaining an understanding of what strategies women entrepreneurs use to overcome constraints or problems, and will allow MWT to create programs that will help female business owners in the future.

Historical preservation in the Marshall Islands: A collaborative project between Living Islands Non-Profit and Lihn Mwoakilloa Inc.

Like so many other small atolls in the Pacific Region, Mwoakilloa Atoll (formerly Mokil Atoll) in the Federated States of Micronesia faces depopulation and food insecurities. 

Lihn Mwoakilloa Inc. is a women-led organization addressing these issues, promoting sustainable life skills with reliance on traditional knowledge and practices. They promote historical preservation by empowering the present generation with the sustained use of traditional knowledge and practices at the community level through dance, music, arts and crafts, gardening, and cooking. 

Self-reliance is predicated on producing sufficient local food resilience and minimizing the dependency on imported goods. An essential household staple in Mwoakilloa (and the Pacific Region in general) is flour. Lihn Mwoakilloa Inc. is starting a program to educate the next generation and re-introduce local flour production from local produce.

Strongim Meri Morobe: Strengthening the Women of Morobe

Save PNG is reaching out to rural and remote communities in Morobe Province to conduct awareness on food and nutrition security and women’s health and wellbeing, as well as to organize women into associations to market their arts and crafts, utilizing natural fibers harvested and propagated from their local environments.

Save PNG is completing a cultural centre with demonstrated traditional food system gardens integrated with permaculture and agro-ecological principles. They are also running small trainings with women to help them to form associations to market their local arts and crafts and to create marketable natural fibre products.

The aim of these projects is to ensure that communities are food and nutrition secure. and that they are planting a wide variety of traditional and Indigenous food plants to ensure that their diets are diverse and nutritious. This is also providing a pathway for women to expose their talents in arts and crafts to be able to make an added income to supplement their farming activities. The natural fibres and dyes used to create their Bilum (traditional arts and crafts) will also be propagated in the community to ensure that these materials are produced sustainably. 

Promoting health and safety in Samoa

The Samoa Social Welfare Fesoasoani Trust (SSWEFT) is working directly with the chiefs of two communities to raise awareness and provide hygienic assistance to vulnerable members of the community during the pandemic. In this joint venture with the PPP, SSWEFT has been able to visit selected families needing assistance as they are adults that are looked after by either a family member with a disability or a mother tending to the needs of an adult child. SSWEFT aims to offer support to these families as they often do not want to be a burden on their communities; with this initiative they are able to receive invaluable support they may not have otherwise felt comfortable asking for. 

Filed Under: Gender and Women, South Pacific

Pacific Pulse: Pacific Women Stories 2021

March 8, 2021 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

A Compilation of Pacific Women Stories 2021

Prepared by Andy Nystrom, PPP Archivist and Research Assistance

From Tok Blong:

https://archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/19-Tok-Blong-SPPF-19-April-1987-m.pdf

Development in the Pacific: What Women Say

Tok Blong #19 Apr 1987 pages 10-11

https://archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/54-3-Tok-Blong-Pasifik-v54-3-2000.pdf

Twenty Five Years of Activism: Pacific women carry the fire stick

Tok Blong v54 #3 25th anniversary 2000 pages 7-9

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018/03/05/inspiring-women-in-the-pacific-resmah-story

Inspiring women in the Pacific: Resmah’s story

The World Bank March 5, 2018

Kalotiti is the first female surfboard shaper in the Pacific, and she provides surfing lessons to children in her village. 

https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/11-inspiring-australian-women-who-changed-history/

11 Inspiring Australian Women Who Changed History

Over the past century, women have played a key role in shaping Australia and the world as we know it today. Fighting on the front lines for social justice, women’s rights, education and health care as well as proving themselves as vital game changers in the world of sports and science, here are 11 inspiring Australian women who changed history.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2020/03/05/international-women-day-2020

IWD2020: Meet The Women Who Are Breaking Barriers Across the Pacific

For International Women’s Day 2020, we’re getting to know the pioneering women across the Pacific and Papua New Guinea who are breaking barriers and creating change for the decade ahead. From international sailors and inspiring poets, to diplomats and CEOs fighting for a more equal world, we are sharing the motivations, aspirations and experiences that shaped these women into tomorrow’s Pacific leaders.

https://www.spc.int/updates/blog/2020/10/pacific-women-in-health-care-campaign

Pacific women in health care campaign

Pacific Community 21 October 2020

This month the Pacific Community (SPC) will highlight the invaluable contribution of Pacific women in health care. Globally, women make up 80% of the health workforce and in the Pacific 75% of women represent the nursing workforce. This year has been challenging for everyone working in health care as COVID-19 took precedence and placed a burden on health facilities globally. 

https://www.thecoconet.tv/coco-talanoa/blog/pacific-female-film-stories/

Pacific Female Film Stories

The Coconet circa 2019

2019 is the year of the Brown Female Story in Aotearoa!  So many great stories from the sistas of the Moana Nui A Kiwa are exploding on the big screen this year with an unprecedented number of films made by and about Polynesian women.

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/asia-pacific/asia-and-the-pacific-women-in-conservation/women-guardians-of-the-mangroves/

Women Guardians of the Mangroves

The Nature Conservancy June 01, 2020

Women in Papua New Guinea are coming together to care for each other, their families and lead change for their environment.

https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=24501

Telling Her Story: 30 Books for Adult Readers About Women Heroes of WWII

A Mighty Girl May 8, 2020

To give [World War II] heroic women the recognition they deserve, we’re sharing books for adult readers that bring these untold stories of women’s courage and patriotism to light! We’ve selected well-researched and absorbingly written biographies, which show that truth is sometimes just as exciting as fiction, as well as some of our favorite historical fiction novels that incorporate characters inspired by these daring women. Thrilling and inspiring, these books will bring an important new dimension to your understanding of World War II and the critical and myriad roles that women played in it.

https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2019/05/31/vai-pacific-womanhood-eight-parts

‘Vai’: Pacific Womanhood In Eight Parts

SBS 28 MAY 2020 – 3:39 PM  UPDATED 18 FEB 2021 – 4:23 PM

Eight women directors from eight Pacific Island cultures contribute to this visually sunny yet poetically sorrowful portmanteau feature.

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-5-pacific-women-activists-changing-the-world/

Meet 5 Pacific Women Activists Who Are Changing the World in 2020

Global Citizen Nov. 26, 2020

For women and girls in the Pacific, it’s closer to 3 in 4, or more than double — a statistic that can generally be attributed to the region’s strict gender power dynamics, unique social taboos, inadequate education systems, and limited female political and economic representation.

https://women.govt.nz/news/covid-19-and-women/covid-19-think-pieces/pacific-women-we-are-makers-our-homes-and-communities

As Pacific women, we are the makers of our homes, and communities

Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women 01 Jul 2020

As a Pacific woman I [Shahana Kimiangatau, owner of Shahana Jewels] have heard countless stories of women who have been able to turn their lives around using a skill they learned as a child, or nurtured as a Pacific woman returning to her roots. I believe that it is this philosophy that will empower women to not only receive help post COVID-19, but help themselves – and others.

https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/stories/women-promote-healthy-lifestyle-and-fight-climate-change-marshall-islands_en

Women promote healthy lifestyle and fight climate change in the Marshall Islands

European Commission Published on 26 May 2020

As people around the world learn to live with the COVID-19 crisis, women in a small atoll island in the Marshall Islands, are reaping the benefits of a three-year long, European Union (EU) funded project that was started in 2017 to help build their resilience to climate related droughts

http://www.developmentresearch.eu/?p=846

Behind the Scenes: The Strong Voice of Pacific Women in Climate Negotiations

EADI Blog 16/12/2020

Women from Pacific Island countries have long been strategic and decisive leaders in climate negotiations, yet their stories are relatively unknown.  Our recent work explores women’s leadership at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the making of the Paris Agreement 2015. We provide a snapshot of one year in  three decades of climate negotiations and explore, how women played strategic roles to elevate the Pacific’s position on a global stage.

This site has some good Pacific Women stories in reverse chronological order. https://pacificwomen.org/stories-of-change/ Some of the more recent ones:

https://pacificwomen.org/stories-of-change/from-the-ground-up-womens-groups-create-new-crisis-services/

From the ground up: Women’s groups create new crisis services

Pacific Women November 25, 2020

Dedicated women’s groups in small island states are leading the creation of safe spaces and the provision of quality services for women and children experiencing violence.

https://pacificwomen.org/stories-of-change/involving-family-to-ensure-wee/

Involving the whole family to ensure women’s economic empowerment

Pacific Women November 10, 2020

Two agricultural projects in Papua New Guinea are taking a family-based approach to improve gender equality. The projects are demonstrating how working with women and men farmers in their family units can improve economic outcomes and bring a better balance to decision making in homes.

https://pacificwomen.org/stories-of-change/small-grants-can-lead-to-big-opportunities/

Small grants can lead to big opportunities

Pacific Women October 15, 2020

Since 2017, the Fiji Women’s Fund has been rolling out a new model of granting and capacity support for women’s organisations, groups and networks in Fiji.

https://pacificwomen.org/stories-of-change/a-pacific-girl-program-by-pacific-girls/

A Pacific Girl program by Pacific girls

Pacific Women October 7, 2020

Pacific Girl is Pacific Women’s dedicated, multi-country program to support adolescent girls to reach their full potential. It addresses priority issues identified through consultations with more than 200 adolescent girls, including sexual and reproductive rights, access to education, cyber safety, climate change and freedom from violence.

https://pacificwomen.org/stories-of-change/community-overcomes-birthing-taboos-in-remote-district/

Community overcomes birthing taboos in remote district

Pacific Women August 18, 2020

Strict taboos were once forcing women in the remote Lufa District of Papua New Guinea to give birth in their outdoor gardens rather than the nearby health facility. This has changed, with women now birthing in the safe conditions of the local health facility, thanks to community-led action through CARE’s Mamayo project.

https://pacificwomen.org/stories-of-change/a-platform-for-sustaining-feminist-fierceness/

A platform for sustaining feminist fierceness

Pacific Women July 30, 2020

The reasons why the second Pacific Feminist Forum was important are as varied as the 150 participants who attended.

https://pacificwomen.org/stories-of-change/women-and-young-people-influence-government-policy/

Women and young people influence government policy

Pacific Women July 23, 2020

More than 70 women and young people gathered in Tuvalu’s capital of Funafuti for the Tuvalu National Women and Youth Forum. It was the first forum of its kind, bringing together women and young people from all of Tuvalu’s islands in a pioneering collaboration between government and civil society.

https://pacificwomen.org/stories-of-change/women-are-key-to-an-effective-covid-19-pacific-response/

Women are key to an effective COVID-19 Pacific response

Pacific Women May 22, 2020

The impacts of COVID-19 are not gender-neutral. Women and girls face even higher rates of violence and sexual abuse, undertake more unpaid domestic work, access fewer essential health services, and are more vulnerable to economic hardship.

Filed Under: Gender and Women, South Pacific

Pacific Pulse: $7M project to track international ‘dark vessels’ and Pacific forum Disagreements

March 8, 2021 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Compiled by Andy Nystrom – Archivist and Research Assistant

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dark-vessel-satellite-tracking-1.5927312

Canada launching $7M project to track international ‘dark vessels’ at sea

CBC News Feb 24, 2021 9:27 PM PT

A new 18-month Fisheries and Oceans Canada project will use satellites to find and track “dark vessels” that have turned off location transmitters to evade authorities. Looking for where the fish are likely to be due to sea surface temperature and chlorophyll aids in finding the fishers. The project is particularly interested in factory fishing vessels that can do a lot of destruction in a short period of time, such as harming subsistence fisheries, lost tax revenue, risks to food security, and negative environmental impacts. Such fishing accounts for 30% of all world fishing, cost the global economy $23 billion, and greatly contributes to declining fish stocks and habitat destruction. Once a possible illegal vessel is detected, local authorities will be notified.

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4123680


Five countries to abandon Pacific forum over leadership vote

Taiwan News

Five Pacific nations (Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and Palau) have announced their intention to exit the Pacific Forum. The decision is the fallout from a vote for the forum’s new Secretary-General, in which former Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna defeated Micronesia’s Gerald Zackious, the Marshall Islands ambassador to the United States nine votes to eight. The five withdrawing countries claimed there has been a gentleman’s agreement in place on sub-regional rotation. Economics hardships resulting from the coronavirus may have also played a role in their decision.

 https://devpolicy.org/who-blew-up-the-forum-20210305/

Filed Under: South Pacific

People & Passages: Sir Michael Somare’s passing marks the end of an era for Papua New Guinea

March 8, 2021 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

From: ASPI The Strategist 1 Mar 2021

Michael Somare, Papua New Guinea’s first prime minister passed away from pancreatic cancer on February 26, 2021, at age 84. He served as prime minister for 17 years (not consecutively), making him the country’s longest-serving leader. He was noted for working with Australia for independence, encouraging unity, turning political opponents into partners, and establishing close relations with other countries in the region. Under his watch, the country played a positive role in the Commonwealth, the United Nations, and the Pacific Islands Forum.

Filed Under: South Pacific

Reflections on Potential Canada-Indonesia Economic Partnership

March 3, 2021 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership along with its allies are deeply concerned with the possibility of a signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the nation of Indonesia.

PPP was alerted to this potential agreement by one of our allies. The Canadian Government made a call for consultations on a potential free trade agreement (also referred to as a CEPA but they are fundamentally very similar). PPP decided that we would send our reflections and critiques to the call, given our long relationship with the people of West Papua as well as our commitment to environmental stewardship and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

You can read our official letter here:

PPP CEPA Consultation Letter

Our letter highlights the need for the Canadian government to commit to fundamental environmental and human rights standards in all its foreign policy agreements, trade-related or otherwise. As our ally Dr. David Webster of Bishop’s University eloquently put it in his recent opinion piece:

…trade alone does not a relationship make. Canada will be better understood if it honestly and consistently advocates for human rights, including LGBTQ+ rights, religious freedoms, and improved treatment of Indigenous Peoples in West Papua and elsewhere.

We continue to monitor the situation in West Papua as well as the environmental and human rights implications of any trade or foreign policy agreements made by the Canadian Government and hope that policymakers ensure the respect of the environment and Indigenous Peoples comes first.

Filed Under: Human Rights, Solidarity, South Pacific, West Papua Tagged With: Canada Foreign Policy, Free Trade, Indonesia, West Papua

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Continues to #GoForTheGoals

February 9, 2021 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

International Development Week (IDW) provides the Canadian community an opportunity to engage with global issues and acknowledge the contributions Canadian organizations make in poverty reduction and international development work. Pacific Peoples’ Partnership is proud to continue to support the aspirations of Indigenous and South Pacific Peoples’ and to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We firmly believe that our work in elevating and empowering Indigenous voices and traditions, building resiliency at the community-level, and advocating for human rights is fundamentally linked with the global goals and we are honoured to build on this work. 

2020 brought about unprecedented challenges that pushed all of us to slow down and to think creatively. Even high-income countries such as Canada experienced considerable impacts as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which ranged from nationwide economic recessions to individual mental health challenges. The pandemic has also exacerbated many problems in Indigenous communities in Canada, as remote nations especially struggle to provide their people with employment while safeguarding their health. We continue to work and support these communities, particularly when it comes to advocating for their right t0 self-determined development and territorial rights.

Alongside the impacts of the current pandemic, our partners, friends, brothers, and sisters in the South Pacific continue to face the challenges of climate change with South Pacific countries bearing the brunt of global warming’s associated impacts such as the devastating cyclone ‘Yasa’ which landed in Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga just a few short months ago leaving many without homes and millions of dollars in damage across the island. For many of these countries, the notion of ‘building back better’ is daunting, and achieving the SDGs has proven to be exceedingly difficult. Many of these communities have the capacity to adapt to climate change using their own knowledge and capacities but have been systematically prevented from doing so. Our Pacific Resilience Fund is transforming into an Indigenous-led fund with the intention of moving away from a charity-based model and toward providing communities with decision making power to utilize funds in ways that they see best. The PRF is intended to build resilience in Pacific Island communities as they define it, while ultimately supporting the livelihoods and adaptation measures of Pacific communities facing the dual challenges of climate change and covid-19, which in turn will catalyze empowerment, self-determination, and fit-for-purpose projects. The fund is currently working with communities in Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. You can learn more about the PRF and donate here.

We also continue to work in partnership with local Indigenous communities by providing innovative programming, leadership opportunities, and exhibitions of the arts and cultural work. Our annual OneWave Gathering was held this year in partnership with Songhees and Esquimalt Nations and despite the challenges presented by the Pandemic, PPP was able to deliver some truly inspiring and empowering programs. We were also successful in attaining government funding for a novel program titled ‘Stories of Resilience’ which is ongoing. Stories of Resilience is providing 8 Indigenous and South Pacific youth the opportunity to create and curate a series of multimedia pieces that will explore the lived realities of Indigenous communities. We are tremendously excited to see what they will create – so stay tuned here.

As part of our strategy to #GoForTheGoals we will be holding two virtual summits, one in early March that will focus on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and our related programming, as well as another with the date TBA on West Papua and the ongoing human rights violations in the region.

While we are not holding any events during IDW, our longtime partners and friends at the Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA) and the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC) are both hosting a range of virtual events. Please take a look at their great offerings in the next few weeks.

Filed Under: Arts & Culture, Climate Change, Gender and Women, Resurgence, South Pacific, West Papua Tagged With: indigenous knowledge, International Development, International Development Week, south pacific, Sustainable Development Goals

PPP Supports Moratorium on Deep-Sea Mining (DSM)

February 3, 2021 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

The Patania II used to collect polymetallic nodules from the seafloor in the Pacific. Image: DEME Group

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership is committed to protecting our oceans and environment as well as respecting both the economic and cultural resources of all Pacific People. That is why we support our partners at MiningWatch Canada, who are calling for a cautionary pause or moratorium on all deep-sea mining related activities. Until we can guarantee that there will be no adverse impacts, DSM poses a threat to biodiversity, and the cultural resources of many pacific communities.  Given the significant knowledge deficit that exists with regards to DSM, the government of Canada must take a strong stand to ensure the protection of these extremely vulnerable ecosystems.

Click here to read the letter calling on the Canadian Government to pause DSM activities.

For more reading on Deep-sea Mining:

Chin, A and Hari, K (2020), Predicting the impacts of mining of deep sea polymetallic nodules in the Pacific Ocean: A review of Scientific literature, Deep Sea Mining Campaign and MiningWatch Canada.

Mining the Deep Sea: Stories for suckers and corporate capture of the UN, Catherine Coumans. 2019. Arena Magazine.

Why the Rush? Seabed mining in the Pacific Ocean. Deep Sea Mining Campaign, London Mining Network, Mining Watch Canada. 2019.

Deep-Sea Mining in Tonga, Nauru and Kiribati: Not the silver bullet we are searching for. Peter Boldt. 2020. Pacific Peoples’ Partnership.

Filed Under: Mining, South Pacific

Executive Message: December 2020

December 1, 2020 by April Ingham

Staff and Board Members of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership celebrate Orange Shirt Day, Sept 30, 2020. Credit: Lara Costa, HERE Magazine

Talofa Lava respected friends!

The end of 2020 is in sight and for some, it could not exit fast enough. This has been a challenging year for us all in so many ways. Covid-19 has changed everything and we are experiencing a global shock together. This is an historic moment that provides us with an opportunity to reflect on life’s priorities and create a more just, equitable and sustainable future for all.

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) gains inspiration from Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples at times like this. We have witnessed our wise friends rise to the challenges of colonization, globalization, climate change, and yes pandemics.

“we are not sinking, we are fighting” – Mikaele Maiava

Indigenous and Pacific Island Peoples are the Earth’s first guardians. Guided by the dual responsibilities to steward oral history and teachings, while ensuring they are passed to future generations as guidance on how to live sustainably and in balance. This collective wisdom and balanced approach demonstrates resilience in action.

In the year of our 45th Anniversary, PPP is delighted to be expanding and revisioning the Pacific Resilience Fund in response to the multilayered challenges of climate change and COVID-19. We have now assembled a Pacific Advisory Committee (PAC) to pilot this community grassroots responsive grant program. And we will soon be announcing details on this timely program, the PAC advisors, initial grantees and their essential community programs.

In this edition of Pacific Currents, we are thrilled to be sharing the work of our key Pacific partners, a report on our recent One Wave Gathering program and in-depth articles on “Food Security in the South Pacific” and on the “Impact of COVID-19 on Women and Children in the South Pacific”.

We are also happy to announce our first ever fully virtual AGM on December 10th at 5:30 p.m. PST. Please join us virtually to learn more about our work, and if you wish to vote please be sure you renew your annual contribution! Register HERE

With all the world’s major changes, it’s more important than ever to honour our bonds, strengthen our foundations, take delight in the little things and take action where we can. You can make a huge difference. Please continue your allyship and make a generous year-end donation towards PPP’s work today on this Giving Tuesday!

With your contribution, we have a chance to acknowledge and invest in Pacific resilience, with a goal to ultimately build back better!

Join us,

Muavae & April

Filed Under: South Pacific

One Wave Gathering 2020 Meets Pandemic Challenges

December 1, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

By Jaimie Sumner, PPP Operations Coordinator and One Wave Program Coordinator

Over the last decade, One Wave has grown into a much-anticipated annual event here in Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territories, with big crowds gathering in downtown Victoria for Indigenous and South Pacific art, music, food, and dialogues.  With the Covid-19 pandemic demanding many changes, we got creative with new ways to gather safely – for instance, planning many smaller events, taking programs online, and holding events outside.  It has been great to work with partners to offer free cultural programs, bring Pacific communities together, and share stories from Indigenous and Pacific perspectives.  This year we held nine public events, with one still to come!

Bradley Dick’s Territorial welcome at the One Wave ceremony, with PPP President, Muavae Va’a.

Our Opening Ceremony took place at Songhees Point on September 3 with a territorial welcome by Bradley Dick and opening words from PPP’s President, Muavae Va’a and Executive Director April Ingham.  We hold up our hands to Bradley for honouring our gathering this year with his welcome, sharing of knowledge, and powerful song and to Mua for his opening words in Samoan and English.  It was a sunny day near the water, and where we stood with Bradley was steps away from a beautiful cedar spindle whorl designed by his father Butch Dick, one of the seven Signs of Lekwungen.  The location, Songhees Point or PAH-lu-tsuss in Lekwungen, is an important site to Songhees and Esquimalt people.  It was meaningful to open our One Wave events on a special Lekwungen site on the shores of the Pacific Ocean that connects us North and South.

Later on that day, we opened our Together / As One exhibit at MediaNet’s FLUX Gallery.  On select days from September 3-18, the gallery came alive with costumes and songs from the youth opera Flight of the Hummingbird based on Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’ Haida manga, as well as set-pieces and footage from the theatrical production of Peace Dancer by Roy Henry Vickers. 

Flight of the Hummingbird performers with Pacific Opera Victoria and Opera Vancouver.

This opera is the story of a brave hummingbird taking on a forest fire, while Peace Dancer is the story of a big flood descending on a community after the village’s children mistreat a crow.  These compelling, artfully presented stories that encourage each of us to take action to make a difference, like the little hummingbird, and ensure we treat all living beings with respect.  Flight of the Hummingbird was produced by Pacific Opera Victoria and Opera Vancouver, and Peace Dancer was a collaboration between Theatre Inconnu, Story Theatre, and Puppets for Peace along with Roy Henry Vickers and a community cast.  Complementing these two features were Pacific cultural items from PPP’s collection, along with short films on PPP’s work by youth multimedia makers and a special short on Fijian masi (bark cloth) from UBC Curator Carol Mayer.  Visitors to the gallery were also invited to share their thoughts on the guiding themes of this year’s One Wave:  resilience and allyship.

Our next public offering was the outdoor KAIROS Blanket Exercise.  More than 20 participants braved the weather under tents at Royal Athletic Park to take part in this interactive workshop about Indigenous history.  Facilitating the exercise were Muavae Va’a and his wife Marie Va’a from Tsartlip First Nation, facilitator Linda Flynn, and Tsartlip elder Judy Bartleman.  The facilitators did a great job of adapting the exercise to keep everyone safe and socially distanced and bring Canada’s difficult Indigenous history to life.  In the circle at the end, participants shared that they were deeply moved and eager to help bring this knowledge forward.

WildFlowers Drum Group at Orange Shirt Day Market. Credit: Jesse Holland

Then, on September 30, One Wave hosted the Orange Shirt Day First Nations Market & Mural at Royal Beach in Colwood in partnership with Songhees & Esquimalt Nations and Royal Beach.  This event was part of the Orange Shirt Day movement across Canada to honour all who went through the horror of residential schools and reaffirm that “Every Child Matters.”  It was an amazing, sunny day with art by Indigenous makers, songs from the WildFlowers girls’ drum group, Tongan dance by Ruby Kafalava, and bannock from Songhees Catering. 

To open this Orange Shirt Day event, Florence Dick shared opening words and her grandson Darwyn Seaweed did a territorial welcome.  Local artists Brianna Bear and Margaret August facilitated the mural, inviting community members to add a handprint and messages of love for residential school survivors.  We are grateful to Florence Dick for her guidance in arranging this beautiful day and Sara from Royal Beach for all the event planning support. 

During September, we also held several youth workshops.  Local youths had a chance to learn from Cowichan artist Stella Johnny and help out in the Tsawout Learning Garden with Tiffany Joseph.  Footage from these small group workshops will be released on social media this December.  A group of South Pacific and Indigenous youth committee also started plans for a community storytelling project to be announced soon!

Usually, One Wave wraps up in September, but this year we reached the end of September with lots more to offer!  This is mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as we found that each event took hours of extra planning.  The pandemic also meant we had to set attendance limits, making our free events less accessible than usual.  By the end of the month, we had plans still in the making with several Indigenous and Pacific artists, speakers, and partners and decided to extend One Wave, offering our remaining events online so that more people could enjoy them.

Pacific Story & Song storyteller Erin Blondeau

The first of these online events was Pacific Story & Song, an evening of Pacific arts and culture live-streamed by Sunset Labs on October 15.  Sharing stories at the event were Sḵx̱wu7mesh / W̱SÁNEĆ storyteller Tiffany Joseph, Métis storyteller Erin Blondeau, and Polynesian actress Rena Owen (Once Were Warriors, Star Wars, Siren).  The evening also featured live songs by Stz’uminus singer-songwriter Nate Harris from his upcoming album Precious You, PPP President Muavae Va’a, and local Hawaiian performer Anela Kahiamoe, as well as a song by Khu.éex’ centering on a story told by Tlingit / Iñupiaq / Paiute / Kaigani Haida vocalist Nahaan.  Thank you to all the presenters for your cultural sharings and to our special guest Rena Owen for making time from across the Pacific to speak about your journey and encourage each of us on our own.  Our recording of Pacific Story & Song will be released soon on social media.

Next up in the virtual space was our Together / As One Film Festival from October 23 to November 24.  Thank you to local Coast Salish filmmaker Steven Davies for putting together this powerful program of Pacific-based Indigenous features and shorts!  Our two opening films were Feature Film Vai by nine female South Pacific filmmakers, and the National Film Board short Now is The Time about Haida carver Robert Davidson and his reclamation of cultural traditions.  We then featured 6 films from Aotearoa, Haida Gwaii, Australia, and Kapuivik.  While the free viewing period for most of these films is over, we encourage you to check out our Film Festival webpage for some great films to add to your list or order at your local library!

Virtual Feast Panelist Tiffany Joseph

A final unique online One Wave event was called A Virtual Feast: Honouring and Revitalizing Indigenous Food Systems.  This was an interactive panel and film premier on Indigenous food sovereignty co-organized with our partners at the University of Victoria Centre for Indigenous Research and Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE).  We had more than 100 participants registered for the online event!  The dialogue was hosted by Lisa Kenoras and Jeff Corntassel with a traditional Lekwungen welcome by Brianna Dick.  The Virtual Feast fed us all with presentations by local Indigenous knowledge holders, Tiffany Joseph and Cheryl Bryce, and Papua New Guinean cultural TV producer, Jennifer Baing-Waiko, as well as a premier of CIRCLE’s new short film Rising Tides which you can find on our Vimeo here.

And that’s a wrap… almost!  We have one more One Wave event we hope to present this winter, the raising of the Pacific Peace Post at Macaulay Point, a beautifully carved house post by local Lekwungen carver Bradley Dick and Solomon Islands carver Ake Lianga.  We hope to see the Peace Post go up in early January — watch our social media channels for news!

Ake Lianga and Bradley Dick carving the Pacific Peace Post.

We were thrilled to offer a bountiful One Wave 2020 program in spite of the pandemic, making space for Pacific cultural sharing while offering paid opportunities for local artists and Indigenous knowledge keepers. To the volunteers who came with open hearts; to the artists and speakers who shared at One Wave events; to our amazing partners and funders who worked with us to make it happen; to the participants who came ready to learn and share; and to our team who pulled together in this challenging year  – thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Our programming partners for One Wave Gathering 2020 were Songhees Nation, Esquimalt Nation, MediaNet Flux Gallery, CIRCLE at UVIC, Theatre Inconnu, Puppets for Peace, Story Theatre, Pacific Opera Victoria, Vancouver Opera, and Royal Beach.  Thank you for helping design inspiring programs enjoyed by so many.

Key funders and contributors were Canadian Heritage, BC Arts Council, Government of Canada, Province of BC, CRD, City of Victoria, Township of Esquimalt, City of Colwood, CTV / CFAX, Rika Design, Peppers Foods, Royal Scot Hotel & Suites, Metropol, The Sign Pad, Black Press Media, and Sunset Labs.  Your contributions were crucial to the success of our One Wave Gathering.

Filed Under: Arts & Culture, First Nations, Knowledge Exchange, Partners & Sponsors, Solidarity, South Pacific

How Climate Change and the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact Food Security in the South Pacific

December 1, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

By Peter Boldt, Program Coordinator, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

The South Pacific islands have largely avoided high COVID-19 infection rates that have severely shocked many nations in the rest of the world. This has largely been due to their geographic isolation, low population density and rapid public health responses such as the closure of borders. Nevertheless, the pandemic has increased socioeconomic challenges and exposed significant vulnerabilities. Food security in particular has been profoundly impacted as governments struggle to provide for citizens and supply chains continue to be disrupted. A recent DevEx article referred to the COVID-19 pandemic as a “magnifying glass” that has merely amplified pre-existing socioeconomic and environmental challenges.

 
Here is a traditional method of cooking local crops such as sweet potato and taro in Fiji, known as “Lovo.” Photo Credit – Axel Berg

It is important to distinguish the varying components which make up the generalized and accepted concept of ‘Food Security.’ The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines food security as when “all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” It can be broken down into 4 general components:

Availability: Is there food near me and my community?

Access:  Is food easily attainable?

Utilization: Does the available food contribute to my health?

Stability:  Will there be food for the next while?

All four of these critical components need to be met simultaneously if food security is to be realized. Achieving food security is a basic human right and is reflected in the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), “Zero Hunger.” Overcoming this immense challenge has been considerably undermined by the COVID-19 pandemic and in many instances, progress has been reversed.

In the case of the South Pacific, agriculture remains an important sector that provides a high degree of food security. Fisheries also play an important role in delivering a key source of animal protein. Disadvantaged communities, in particular, rely on subsistence farming and fisheries for their food security – both of which continue to be threatened by climate change. Nevertheless, given their small size, limited economic dynamism and small populations, South Pacific islands continue to be considerably dependent upon food imports which highlights their economic vulnerabilities. Besides, their remoteness limits the frequency of deliveries which jeopardizes both food stability and access.

South Pacific Island States are unique in that they are more isolated from global logistical networks than anywhere else in the world. They also have very limited arable land and bear the most severe impacts of climate change which include sea-level rise, unpredictable precipitation patterns, increased frequency of cyclones and both warming and acidification of the ocean among other hazards.  These vulnerabilities have hindered efforts to expand agricultural production.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), climate change is negatively impacting both agricultural and fishery sectors and as a result has resulted in unemployment, food insecurity, poverty and climate-induced migration to urban centers and nearby high-income countries like New Zealand and Australia. Higher rates of urbanization result in less consumption of traditional crops and instead, urban populations rely increasingly on processed imports, compromising their food utilization. Furthermore, higher reliance on these imports means that these populations are especially vulnerable to spikes in food prices – a consequence that we are now seeing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While tuna is a staple fishery resource in the South Pacific, it is increasingly being exported to outside markets, particularly in Asia.

South Pacific Island nations struggle with the highest indices of obesity in the world. Studies have significantly correlated this phenomenon with an increasing dependence on food imports which are disproportionally favoured over traditional foods and staples such as fish and root crops like taro and sweet potato. To make matters worse, these food imports are high in sugar, salt and fat which have led to high rates of diabetes and associated health problems. Malnutrition is thus an outcome of reliance on imported foods and can reinforce multidimensional problems like poverty. What occurs then is a cyclical pattern whereby poor households are forced to purchase low-cost, imported high-fat foods which may cause poor physical and cognitive development. This then leads to low productivity which can cause poverty. You can see then how poverty is intrinsically linked with food insecurity, how they can reinforce one another and why interventions and ambitious policy responses are needed to break these cycles.

Adaptation measures can take many forms and they are particularly critical if food security is to be realized in the South Pacific. According to a 2015 Asian Development Bank (ADB) report, maintaining a ‘business-as-usual’ approach will be a costly policy response and will likely result in negative impacts on the agriculture sector, food consumption levels, calorie availability and the severity of child malnutrition. The report goes on to recommend that the agriculture sector requires significant investments if it is to mitigate the effects of climate change. These can be in the form of improved crop management, efficient increases in fertilizer use and funding for innovative agricultural research. The report goes on to make a variety of other policy recommendations that ostensibly offset climate-induced impacts on the agricultural sector in the South Pacific.

These types of technical adaptation measures are important and certainly have a key role to play in realizing food security. But as previously mentioned, food security is a multidimensional and often deceivingly more complex challenge than it appears on the surface. It not only has to do with producing more food and mitigating climate impacts but it can also be a fundamentally political, economic and social issue. For instance, the commercialization of fisheries and agriculture sectors in many island states has led to the abandonment of traditional gathering systems in favour of so-called ‘cash crops’.

High value cash crops such as pineapple seen here in Papua New Guinea are favoured over diverse locally consumed crops. Photo Credit – Timothy Sharp

The intensification of commercial agriculture has in many instances eroded soil, compromised areas rich in biodiversity and merely led to increasing dependency on imports. This has largely been due to government pressure to increase exports and bolster the gross domestic product (GDP) of a given country. In other instances, many high-income countries and multinational enterprises have pressured local communities to plant cash crops in exchange for token compensation. This has been regarded by many activists as a form of neo-colonialism which only serves the interests of foreign consumers and is ultimately detrimental to rural farmers. Governments have largely been unable to stand up to the corporate food regime which has largely been enabled by unfair free trade agreements.

Rapid urbanization, climate change, and the neocolonial imposition of cash crops all threaten the varying components which conceptually make up food security. It has been almost a year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit but its monumental impacts on supply chains are continuing to challenge many small island states. Given their increasing reliance on global markets and food imports, this has dangerous implications for the region.

Of course, there is no easy solution but a few innovative responses have come to the fore which should be noted. As previously mentioned, technical adaptation measures that strengthen the agricultural sector will be vital in the long-run in order to mitigate the effects of climate change on critical crops. But in addition, the notion of food sovereignty and localization of food production has become increasingly relevant. Governments and foreign companies alike must recognize the right of communities to grow their own local food. This cannot occur until land rights are respected and returned to Indigenous populations and a slow reversion to traditional cultivating methods occurs.

Peter Boldt holds a Masters degree in International Development Studies and has worked internationally as a researcher. He is passionate about Indigenous rights, sustainable development and corporate accountability.

Filed Under: Climate Change, Food Security, South Pacific

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