NewZAID updates you in brief on key issues and events on the NZAID agenda. Please click on the useful links included in this newsletter to explore issues in greater depth.

	Fiji Women's Crisis Centre Coordinator, Shamima Ali receives the centre's award from UNDP Resident Representative Richard Dictus.

The 7th Pacific Human Rights Award ceremony held in Suva, Fiji in mid-December saw a number of NZAID-funded projects recognised for their efforts in advancing human rights across the region.

Kup Women for Peace in Papua New Guinea won the major overall award for its outstanding work in situations of conflict, its dedication to the cause of peace in the highlands of Papua New Guinea and for its bravery in challenging discriminatory customs and norms, including widespread violence against women.

Disability Promotion & Advocacy Association in Vanuatu won an award for promoting the rights of people with disabilities, building its institution from the ground up, and for seeking structural change in the face of widespread prejudice.

Fiji Women's Crisis Centre received an award for bravery and courage in the face of threats and intimidation, protecting and defending the rights of Fijian citizens, specifically the rights of women and children from violence and oppression, as well as being a leading advocacy organisation for democracy and justice for all.

Pacific Counselling and Social Services, also in Fiji, won an award for successfully ensuring that women seeking health care are protected from potential discrimination through the provision of counselling and care, upholding the dignity of women living with HIV, and for respecting their human right to privacy and confidentiality.

NZAID provides assistance to all these projects.

Also during the ceremony was the launch of a series of human rights television advertisements, which will be screened around the Pacific region.

The award programme is run by the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) of the United Nations Development Programme Pacific Centre and in 2007 they received over 21 applications from around the Pacific.

For more information contact NZAID Manager
dimitri.geidelberg@mfat.govt.nz

The Papua New Guinea government body, Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) believe that the potato industry is set to recover this year after potato late blight wiped out most of the crop’s seed base in the Highlands region last year.

An intervention programme put in place with the support of NZAID, AusAID, partner agencies National Agricultural Research Institute and National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority, and fresh food and agriculture-oriented companies Alele, Chemica and Farmset, helped to ensure the industry did not face total ruin.

While potato prices in PNG supermarkets reached a high of K10 (US$3.34) per kilogramme before the disease struck, they dropped to K5 (US$1.67) per kilogramme as the disease spread, and prices have still not fully recovered.

NZAID supports the vital role FPDA is playing in the recovery of the potato industry.  NZAID Manager, Tessa Te Mata, said that the "FPDA is committed to bringing the industry back to its pre-blight heights.  The agency produces some elite seeds and is now working with 49 seed growers in the major potato growing provinces of the Southern, Western and Eastern Highlands.  But FPDA will intensify its efforts in 2008 to ensure sufficient high quality, certified seeds are available for the industry nationwide."

For more information contact NZAID Manager, tessa.temata@mfat.govt.nz

NZAID is providing US$4 million over four years to the One United Nations pilot programme in Viet Nam. 

"New Zealand's contribution is a tangible sign of our strong support for the United Nations (UN) and the need for UN reform", said New Zealand Ambassador, Dr James Kember at a signing ceremony in Ha Noi.

The One United Nations initiative involves one plan, one budget, one leader, one set of management practices and basing all UN organisations in one United Nations house. "Most crucial of all," said Ambassador Kember, "is that the initiative is implemented under one leader, the United Nations Resident Coordinator.  He is not there to add another layer of bureaucracy but, rather, to act as a pivotal facilitation point for reform of the United Nations here in Viet Nam." The One Plan Fund is a direct response to the Viet Nam Government’s call for more flexible, responsive and coherent UN assistance in Viet Nam.

Funds will be used initially by six participating UN organisations who have combined their activities under One Plan – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Volunteers, United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).  Another eight UN organisations including Food and Agricultural Organisation, World Health Organization, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) intend to join the One Plan in early 2008.

The pilot programme in Viet Nam is attracting interest from countries in the region.  Government officials and UN staff from Lao PDR visited Viet Nam in January to learn about the views and experience of the Vietnamese government, donors and UN Country Team with UN reform.  NZAID Manager, John Egan, joined Irish and Norwegian colleagues in sharing donor perspectives on UN reform with the delegation.  In February John travels to Lao PDR to make a presentation to the UN Country Team at their annual retreat.

For more information contact NZAID Manager, john.egan@nzaid.govt.nz

	Don Anselmo Paillamanque, chief of the Mapu Lahual territory receives the award from Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean President.

A governance and sustainable livelihood project in the Huilliche Territory of Mapu Lahual, Chile has been awarded the 2007 Bicentennial Seal award in the environment category.

As part of the bicentennial celebrations commemorating the country’s 200th anniversary, the awards ceremony recognized local and national initiatives driven by Chilean civil society, private sector, and independent public institutions.

Managed by Mapu Lahual Indigenous Association and World Wildlife Fund Chile, the NZAID-funded project Strengthening governance and sustainable livelihoods in the Huilliche Territory of Mapu Lahual aims to fulfil Chile’s vision of social and environmental harmony by targeting nine Huilliche communities living along the coast of the Province of Osorno in some of Chile’s poorest counties: San Juan de la Costa, Río Negro, and Purranque.

Through this project, families living in these areas will be given assistance to significantly improve their quality of life while conserving the environment. This will be achieved by strengthening territorial and community organisation through planning and local participation, as well as developing sustainable economic alternatives, such as ecotourism and the marketing of handicrafts and canned goods.

“The award reaffirms the importance of integrating conservation and livelihoods, both of which are key factors that are entirely complementary to development,” commented Rodrigo Catalán, coordinator of World Wildlife Fund Chile’s community conservation programme.

For more information contact NZAID Development Programme Manager, sonya.cameron@nzaid.govt.nz

Timor-Leste Minister of Education, Joao Cancio Freitas, gained a good overview of New Zealand’s education system in a visit to New Zealand in November 2007.

During his visit he attended the Pacific Island Forum Education Ministers’ meeting in Auckland and met with New Zealand Ministry of Education officials to discuss the Ministry’s role, curriculum development and implementation, and language policy – all of which are issues facing Timor-Leste today. 

Minister Cancio also visited Karori West Normal School and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Nga Mokopuna, giving him the opportunity to see in policies in action.  

For NZAID, the visit provided a great opportunity to discuss progressing the recently agreed Capacity Building programme, part of NZAID's focus on education in Timor-Leste.

"It's early days yet but we are starting to see some very positive signs and  look forward to continuing work with the Minister to improve education management," said NZAID's programme manager Anna Mosley.

For more information contact NZAID Development Programme Manager, anna.mosley@nzaid.govt.nz

	Slimson Lingi receives his award at Government House, presented by Craig Merryweather's father, David.

NZAID scholarship student Slimson Lingi from Vanuatu has won the prestigious Craig Merryweather Memorial Scholarship, awarded to him at Government House during the Aviation School’s Wings Presentation.

The award is given to an aviation student who has demonstrated the greatest commitment and determination to succeed in developing the professional skills of an air transport pilot.

A student at Massey University since 2004, Slimson is studying towards a Bachelor of Aviation.

He will graduate in 2008 and return home to use his skills in the Vanuatu aviation industry.

For more information contact NZAID Scholarships Manager, jane.leitch@nzaid.govt.nz