"Actually we're dealing with a health crisis which fortunately has not had a major impact on the region. Japanese Ambassador to Solomon Islands, H.E. There has also been a bump in demand for vaccines in CANBERRA, Australia, Oct 13 2020 (IPS) - Coastal fisheries in the Pacific Islands have become a food and livelihood lifeline to many people who have lost jobs, especially in urban centres and tourism, following COVID-19 lockdowns and border closures. Governments have had to impose lockdown measures to keep the virus out. United States Provides Additional $1.9 Million for Urgent ... Pacific leaders met remotely on last week to discuss responses to Covid-19, with the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum proclaiming: "If ever there was a time where the region and its partners needed to work together… it is now." How the Pacific Islands are Balancing COVID-19 Survival ... Pacific Islands Forum 50th anniversary begins amid ... Covid, cyclone force Vanuatu to postpone Pacific Islands Forum WFP's Pacific humanitarian air service supports the work of the Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19 - a regional coordination platform established by the 18 countries of the Pacific Islands Forum to facilitate timely and rapid movement of medical and humanitarian assistance across the region. Mark Brown said the Covid-19 Safe Framework will be enforceable under new regulations available to Te Marae Ora (TMO) Ministry of Health. 5 June, 2020, 10:29 am. And international travel has ground to a halt. Pacific COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Overview As of 19 March 2020, there are 16 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in the Pacific; French As the year has progressed, bilateral and multilateral relationships, especially with Australia, have played a very significant part in how Pacific island countries have prepared for and responded to the crisis. World. (‎2020)‎. Although COVID-19 will remain a major challenge for governments in the Pacific, there is hope that 2022 will see the region reconnecting with the rest of the world. Senior Economic Adviser in the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) Denton Rarawa says the region is dealing with multiple challenges. The longest Covid-19 hospitalisation in Auckland and Northland during the first three months of the current outbreak was 61 days, and an overwhelming majority of patients were Māori or Pacific. Now governments and development organisations are trying to meet the crisis-driven survival needs of here and now, while also considering the . Countries recognised that high vaccination rates are critical for opening borders and reintegrating into regional and global economies. 3,603 cases have been now been recorded in the territory, 3,467 of which were identified in the past 14 days. According to the Pacific Community (SPC), there were 292 cases of the virus across its membership — a truly small number, considering Papua New Guinea's population of 8.6 million people. In view of travel restrictions related to COVID-19, the organisers envisage that the 2nd UN Pacific Forum will be organised on 22-24 November 2021 in a hybrid form with some joining in national hubs in Pacific countries and others joining online (participants from Pacific countries without community transmissions joining in person as per the . 16 Dec. 2021, 11:49 am. The Pacific Islands Forum is the region's premier political and economic policy organisation. To date, the U.S. government has provided more than $130 million in funding to support the COVID-19 response in Pacific Island countries, including: $24.1 million from USAID to the Pacific Islands region, $3.5 million from USAID for Papua New Guinea, and The economic impact of covid-19 in the pacific region is said to be devastating. Although COVID-19 will remain a major challenge for governments in the Pacific, there is hope that 2022 will see the region reconnecting with the rest of the world. Figures from the Northern Region Health Coordination Centre (NRHCC) released to RNZ under the Official Information Act (OIA) show 704 people with Covid . The Vanuatu Council of Ministers has agreed at its meeting held in Luganville, Santo, to postpone the hosting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting due in August 2020, reports the Vanuatu Daily Post. At the invitation of the Pacific Islands Forum Chair, Fijian . The donation of PPE from the Jack Ma Foundation was the first time the initiative had been used. Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue led a delegation of the Vietnamese legislature to attend the 29th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-29) virtually hosted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea (RoK) on December 14, which spotlighted the role of parliaments in strengthening post-COVID-19 resilience. This initiative complements the Pacific Island Forum's Pacific Humanitarian Pathway for COVID-19, which Australia has helped operationalise with dedicated funding through the World Food Programme (WFP) and through our corridor. The United States Is Assisting Pacific Island Countries To Respond to COVID-19 (April 22) As the leader in global health and humanitarian response to COVID-19, the United States has acted swiftly to monitor, respond to, and mitigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Pacific island countries. National Assembly (N.A.) The foreign ministers of the Pacific Islands Forum countries are calling for the member states to work together to overcome Covid-19. "Pacific countries and territories responding to Covid-19 require essential medical supplies, so we welcome this donation by the Jack Ma Foundation," said the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor. Kia Orana Kelly, welcome to the Cook Islands forum. Joint statement by the heads of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the Caribbean Community, and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on the COVID-19 pandemic Active cases (deaths) in some of the Pacific Islands were Australia 7,072 (100), New Zealand 1,503 (21), PNG 8 (0), Guam 154 (5), Fiji 18 . Our Forum Leaders quickly came together to confront the challenge of COVID-19 by invoking the Biketawa Declaration - our regional framework to collectively Often neglected, however, is the unique position Pacific Island states find themselves in. The Committee was pleased with the overall arrangements made for polling . 16 Dec. 2021, 11:49 am. COVID-19 Situation Update Pacific Island Countries and Areas Highlights • ndAs of 2 April 2020, there are 143 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in the Pacific; Guam (77), French Polynesia (37), New Caledonia (16), Fiji (7), Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) (6), and 4 deaths reported from Guam (3) and CNMI (1). Save. A man arrives at the Honiara Central Markets in the Solomon Islands. World Health Organization. It deployed to the Northern and Southern Provinces and observed the referendum opening, polling, closing, and the count. As an agency of the Pacific Islands Forum, the . MATA-UTU (AFP) - The Pacific archipelago of Wallis and Futuna has declared itself Covid-free, with no cases among the French remote islands' 11,500 inhabitants since April 1, the authorities said. LA GRANDE — The COVID-19 vaccination rate among Union County residents who are from the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific is experiencing an uptick. At the outset, Pacific Island Forum Leaders recognised COVID-19 as a major crisis for the Blue Pacific region, with impacts felt today and for years to come. COVID-19 and its attendant health and economic impacts have left no part of the world untouched. COVID-19 - the Pacific response: 2021 in review. Never before has the full Forum. Re: Pre-departure Covid-19 PCR test. Now governments and development organisations are trying to meet the crisis-driven survival needs of here and now, while also considering the . READ MORE: * Covid-19: Experts call on Kiwis to be better tourists as Pacific reopens * Covid-19: Cook . Getty Images including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Pacific Islands Forum Agrees to Establish a Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID -19 Date: Friday, 10 April 2020 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders have invoked the Biketawa Declaration, to collectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as a major crisis to The Blue Pacific - its peoples, wellbeing and economies. CANBERRA, Australia, Oct 13 (IPS) - Coastal fisheries in the Pacific Islands have become a food and livelihood lifeline to many people who have lost jobs, especially in urban centres and tourism, following COVID-19 lockdowns and border closures. Have a read and see what you think. In 2021, the Pacific's focus on the COVID-19 pandemic moved from the immediate health challenges of preventing the spread of the . Funding to Support the Pacific in Responding to COVID-19. Seek definitive information from your local health provider, and . Your two best authorities are the Ministry of Health NZ, and Te Marae Ora for the Cook Islands. The forum is where leaders meet as equals to address the biggest issues affecting individual nations and the Pacific as a whole, such as the response to COVID-19 and climate change. is in the grip of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak with 24,138 active . As Meg Taylor, Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum said, "the COVID-19 public health emergency and its ensuing humanitarian and economic fallout offers a glimpse of what the global climate change emergency can become - if it is left unchecked and if we do not act now." This land area is home to approximately 2.3 million people (excluding Papua New Guinea), of . 28th Nov, 2021, PIF-SUVA -- The Pacific Islands Forum is deploying the Forum Ministerial Committee to New Caledonia to observe New Caledonia's third and final independence referendum under the . Kia Orana Kelly, welcome to the Cook Islands forum. Joint statement by the heads of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the Caribbean Community, and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on the COVID-19 pandemic (ABC News: Melissa Clarke) . It seems to be suggesting that no pre-departure testing coming back from the Cook Islands to NZ is required but - maybe - I'm misinterpreting something. COVID-19 Pandemic and the Pacific Islands. The PIF is comprised of 18 members, and the United States is among 18 PIF Dialogue Partners that participate in an annual post-forum dialogue. For example, growth in the Fijian economy had virtually come to a halt well before the COVID-19 pandemic. World. The Pacific Islands Forum Ministerial Committee to New Caledonia observed the 2021 New Caledonia referendum on independence held on 12 December 2021. Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) celebrated the organisation's 50th anniversary in an online summit on August 6. The leaders meeting was the first held since the acrimonious split of the Pacific Islands Forum earlier this year. The Cook Islands Prime Minister says Cabinet has approved new entry rules for people once the border is reopened mid-January. $250.00 seems to be a big outlay for a pre-covid test in Auckland. Globally, there are close to 6 million confirmed cases of Covid-19. We agreed to continue to raise the prominence of gender equality on the regional agenda. The Delta variant of Covid-19 triggered a steady increase in the uptake of vaccinations across the Pacific. Now governments and development organisations are trying to meet the crisis-driven survival needs of here and now, while also considering the long . They have issued a joint statement, saying that the pandemic poses unique challenges for the Pacific. New Caledonia has become the latest part of the Pacific Islands region to suffer a major outbreak of COVID-19. Your nations are confronting a dual crisis of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. CANBERRA, Australia, May 21 2020 (IPS) - As of 11 AM (AEST) on 20th May 2020 the incidence of COVID-19 virus (henceforth virus) on the Pacific Islands was limited. Former secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, Meg Taylor, wrote with the former leaders of Tuvalu, Kiribati, Palau and the Marshall Islands to French president Emmanuel Macron on Nov. 23, warning of potential violence if the poll went ahead. WFP's Pacific humanitarian air service supports the work of the Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19 - a regional coordination platform established by the 18 countries of the Pacific Islands Forum to facilitate timely and rapid movement of medical and humanitarian assistance across the region. The 2020 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting - the most significant regional diplomatic meeting - has been postponed due to the . The Corridor is also supporting people to return home and a limited number of international experts. PDF | On Jan 1, 2022, Noellie Gay and others published Pacific island nations face an urgent need for actions and future research on COVID-19 | Find, read and cite all the research you need on . australia here in partnership against covid-19 SAMOA, March 27 - The Australian Government is committed to helping Pacific Island countries respond to COVID-19, where cases emerge in the region. Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) celebrated the organisation's 50th anniversary in an online summit on August 6. . Pacific Media Centre. "Actually we're dealing with a health crisis which fortunately has not had a major impact on the region. Facing constant threats from climate change and wary of the possible spread of COVID-19 to their shores, Pacific Island leaders on Friday touted their own environmental action plans and called for more aggressive climate action from other nations, including rapid shifts toward clean energy. Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, chair of the two-day … This issue of the Pacific Economic Monitor explores how the region can reopen and rebuild. $250.00 seems to be a big outlay for a pre-covid test in Auckland. ANISH CHAND. It is also part of the greater Pacific Humanitarian Team COVID-19 Response Plan - a . Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Palau, Micronesia, Tuvalu, Nauru, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, followed suit. The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) held its 51st leaders meeting on August 6, with Fiji serving as virtual host. The Pacific region is expected to contract by 0.6% in 2021, and to grow by 4.7% in 2022. Regional cooperation has also been a major contributor to the success of the Pacific's pandemic response. PDF | On Jan 1, 2022, Noellie Gay and others published Pacific island nations face an urgent need for actions and future research on COVID-19 | Find, read and cite all the research you need on . The Pacific Islands Are a Covid-19 Priority September 15, 2020 The Pacific Islands have so far been spared large-scale Covid-19 outbreaks, but the region is nonetheless being battered by the downstream effects of the pandemic. Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health Ad Hoc Virtual Meeting on COVID-19 : Calling for Solidarity to Enhance the Role of Parliamentarians in the COVID-19 Response, 23 April 2020 : meeting report. Your two best authorities are the Ministry of Health NZ, and Te Marae Ora for the Cook Islands. It seems to be suggesting that no pre-departure testing coming back from the Cook Islands to NZ is required but - maybe - I'm misinterpreting something. 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