A three-day orientation seminar for the newly elected and returning members of the Chuuk State Legislature is currently underway following the State Elections earlier this month. Newly elected members include Chuuk’s first female Senator, Honourable Senator-elect Gardenia Aisek, who is among two new senators and nine representatives that make up the 39 elected members of the Chuuk State Legislature.

Exclusion of women, ethnic minorities, and people living in remote areas create chronic barriers that have stymied human development progress and led to significant disparities within the Asia and the Pacific region, leaving many behind.

The short video documentary, Multicultural Youth Engagement, captures youth voices during a series of youth dialogues on multiculturalism and social cohesion under the UNDP Strengthening Citizen Engagement in Fiji Initiative.

Access to justice during the early stages of the criminal justice process is crucial in protecting people at a time when they are most vulnerable. It ensures they are treated with respect and dealt with fairly, and strengthens the criminal justice institutions to be more responsive to the needs of citizens.

Lively discussion followed each presentation. The Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi, emphasised the participants key role as leaders: “If there is no political leadership, then talking about development has no purpose.”

The Strengthening Citizen Engagement in Fiji Initiative (SCEFI) is a three year initiative implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the European Union. SCEFI aims to strengthen sustainable development in Fiji by enabling the citizens of the country to engage in nation-building through community-based activities and improved service delivery that help build a better future.

A number of villages on Taveuni Island are located so far from the island’s town that accessing public services can be such a strain. Their capacity is already stretched as they recover from the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Winston that hit Fiji almost a year ago, while other settlements located further from shore are enduring dry weather.

The linkages between climate change, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development needs to be strongly emphasized in order to facilitate an integrated and holistic approach to climate action.

While there has been remarkable progress in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in the Western Pacific region over the past two decades, the disease remains a major public health problem and a renewed effort is required to end the epidemic, said public health experts who gathered this week in Fiji for a regional TB meeting.

A new pilot partnership in Papua New Guinea providing affordable green energy has the potential to drive the adoption and usage of financial services among rural low-income Papua New Guineans.

An agro-forestry farming approach introduced in Vanuatu aims to help communities address agricultural risks worsened by extreme weather patterns. With Tropical Cyclone Pam impacts still fresh in the minds of many, there is an increasing focus on food security as well as domestic food production to support the resilience of local communities.

The Government of the Russian Federation in partnership with the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji today launched the Regional Disaster Resilience in the Pacific Small Island Developing States (RESPAC) Project in Nadi, Fiji.

A training to increase agricultural productivity and income of market-vendors is helping many who are both farmers and market vendors. The United Nations Development Programme in partnership with Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture is using the training to broaden market vendor-farmers’ knowledge and awareness on how and what effect climate change can have on their farms and ways in which it can be mitigated.

Seventeen women from a diverse range of backgrounds gathered on this week for the start of Tuvalu’s second Women’s Practice Parliament. Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Maatia Toafa, in his opening remarks spoke on the importance of carving out a space for women in politics.