Samoa Receives 28 Grants for Environmental Projects

Twenty-eight applicants from Upolu and Savai’i were awarded grants through Operational Phase 6 of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The opening of the inception workshop for the nineteen recipients of grant awards in Upolu was...

Green Climate Fund Samoa project launch and Inception workshop

The Government of Samoa through the Ministry of Finance and the United Nations Development Program has launched the Green Climate Fund Samoa project & Inception workshop. The main objective of this Workshop was to officially launch the GCF Samoa Project on “Integrated Flood Management to Enhance Climate...

Rare skink, believed on the verge of extinction, found in Niue

Pacific conservationists and international scientists are very excited that a Niuean skink thought close to extinction has been re located. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) today announced the find of the Olive small-scaled skink Emoia lawesi by a member of its Ridge to Reef (R2R) project team. A reptile...

Samoa One-UN YEP Supports Organic Farming and Production

One of Samoa’s pre-eminent non-government organisations, Women in Business Development Inc (WIBDI) has reached a significant milestone. With the support of the Samoa One-UN Youth Employment Programme Samoa 1UN YEP) on 19 August 2017, WIBDI inaugurated its new processing facility at Nu’u fitted out with new...

ONE-UN Youth Employment Programme (YEP): Learning Skills for Life

The One UN Youth Employment Programme has been collaborating with the Samoa Chamber of Commerce since 2016 on an Internship programme involving unemployed youth.  After 10 weeks of on the job training, the employer may wish to offer full-time employment.  Several youth have indeed demonstrated their worthiness...

Savaii Koko Visit

On 1-2 August, the One UN-YEP team travelled to Savai’i to meet with representatives including cocoa farmers and business leaders to be updated on progress in the One UN Youth Employment Programme (‘YEP’) on the island.  One such project, Savai’i Koko (cocoa) production offers big opportunities for communities...

Localising the Sustainable Development Goals to suit Samoa

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comprise 17 Goals that cover a range of development targets, including reducing poverty, promoting health and education, and combatting climate change. The UNDP Multi-Country Office in Samoa commenced work in November 2016 on an initiative aimed at localising the SDGs and...

Improving livelihoods through kitchen gardens

The youth unemployment rate in Samoa stands high today at 16.4%.  Helping youth overcome the barriers they face to secure a job, earn a decent income and make sure that they fulfil their potential is a priority for the people and Government of Samoa.   That is the reason why, back in June 2015, the Government...

Pacific Dialogue in Samoa initiates further steps towards critical climate change risk insurance for the region

This week in Apia, Samoa, government officials from across the Pacific joined global experts from the private sector in a regional dialogue to discuss the role of climate risk financing in the region’s resilience to climate change. The forum culminated in an agreement to submit the idea of establishing mechanisms for...

Projects combine efforts to train Savaii communities in the use of alternative Sustainable and Resilient Agricultural Methods

Two environmentally based Projects under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment joined forces last week to provide a combined training for 20 villages in Savaii, on Sustainable Land and Integrated water management and Climate Resilient Sustainable Agricultural Practices. The Project for ‘Strengthening...

Pacific countries coming together this week to explore enhanced resilience through climate risk financing

Pacific islands are often in the headlines with stories about how climate change is already impacting communities, societies and economies. From devastating cyclones, storm surges, and irregular rainfall patterns, to sea-level rise and increasing soil salinity, the Pacific is highly vulnerable, despite contributing very...

Supporting talents of youth in Savai’i

Representatives of the Samoa One-United Nations Youth Employment Programme (One-UN YEP) and the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWSCD) of the Government of Samoa paid a visit to the island of Savai’I on 2 May 2017  to meet some of the beneficiaries of the YEP and to monitor progress of...