Regional Archive July 2009

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is assisting the six member-countries of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) strengthen coastal and marine ecosystems management through a $2.3-million technical assistance.

Fiji's president and the world's oldest Head of State will be retiring after 9 years as the nation's leader.

A new report has warned that climate change could produce 75 million refugees in the Asia Pacific region in the next 40 years.

The first death from the H1N1 flu in the region has been reported from Guam.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Board of Directors today approved a Safeguard Policy Statement that will strengthen protections already in place to avoid or minimize the adverse impacts of ADB-supported projects on the environment and affected people.

Efforts are underway to try and reduce the cost of sending remittances to countries in the region.

Press Statement - 14 July 2009 - The Pacific Plan Action Committee (PPAC) which oversees the implementation of the Pacific Plan endorsed by Forum Leaders in 2005 has been told that significant progress has been achieved in the implementation of the Plan during 2009.

The Asian Development Bank's operations have delivered tangible benefits to the lives of millions of people in Asia and the Pacific over the past four years, while there are several areas needing further improvement at both the project level and within the organization itself, says a new report.

A series of meetings of senior officials from Pacific Islands Forum countries preparing for the Forum Leaders' meeting early next month, started today with a meeting of officials from the Smaller Island States (SIS) of the Forum.

Fiji's interim regime has won the support of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) for the lifting of its suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum.

Press Release - It's been said that a picture can tell a thousand words. With this in mind, the opportunity for Pacific islands communities to share their climate change impacts with the rest of the World is presented.

7 countries in the region have confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus, or swine flu, after confirmations from Cook Islands and Palau.

At a conference for the Pacific STI and HIV Research Centre, it was revealed that women in the region are in submissive relationships or marriages where they do not have a say in issues that affect them, like contraception.

Some sections of Fiji's cattle industry are being threatened by the re-emergence of Brucellosis, a bacterial disease found in the reproductive tracts of animals but which can be contracted by humans.

The University of the South Pacific has outlined pandemic plans to inform students and staff on preventative measures against the contraction of the A(H1N1) virus and has identified an isolation area for those infected or suspected of being infected.