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8th Pacific Tuna Forum 2023 commences in Port Moresby

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8th Pacific Tuna Forum Kicks off in Port Moresby

THE Acting Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, John Rosso, officially opened the 8th Pacific Tuna Forum this morning in Port Moresby in the presence of Ministers and Departmental Heads from the fisheries sectors across the Pacific region.

Under the theme, “Strengthening Tuna Sustainability and Industry development in the ‘Blue Pacific Continent’ through increased innovation, partnership and participation”, stakeholders will address challenges faced by the regional tuna industry and chart a course forward for the future of the tuna resource and whole industry.

Managing Director of the Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority said, the last Tuna Forum in 2019 was disrupted by Covid-19 but this year’s conference is well represented by all the Pacific nations.

“Pacific island countries value the importance of maintaining dialogue. These meetings have assisted countries in the region to come together and develop common positions and strategies to ensure the sustainable management of tuna in our region”, Ilakini said.

Mr Phil Roberts, Chairman of the 8th Pacific Tuna Forum and Board Director of Tri Marine International Pte Ltd, Singapore who described PNG as a ‘True leader in Pacific Industry and tuna management’ said the challenge now is maintaining the momentum whilst facing global challenges such as climate change and the developments in the industry through the creation of jobs and economic activity.

Head of event organizing Partners

“Fisheries in the Western Pacific is the best managed in the world, there’s a lot to do but I feel optimistic,” he said.

The Pacific Tuna forum is known for its impact on the sustainable management of tuna resources and preserving the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

The two-day forum will focus on key areas including Sustainable fisheries management; Ecosystem Conservation; Climate Resilience; Market Access and Trade; and Indigenous and Local Knowledge.

Expected outcomes from the forum discussions include Policy Recommendations, Innovative Solutions, Stakeholder Collaboration and Public Awareness for Tuna Fishing and Marine Resource sectors in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

The 8th Pacific Tuna forum is organized by the National Fisheries authority of Papua New Guinea with INFOFISH and regional partners including the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Parties to the Nauru Agreement Organization and the PNG Fishing Industry Association.

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Business

Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative

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Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative meeting

Seven Fisheries Ministers and Heads of Fisheries Departments from the Pacific Region converged into East New Britain at the start of this month led by the Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources of Papua New Guinea, Jelta Wong for the Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative.

The Ministers and departmental heads were all invited to sit in on two high-level meetings to discuss key issues related to fisheries management, conservation, and sustainable development in the Pacific region.

The Forum Fisheries Committee meeting based on the U.S treaty distribution of funds was the first on the agenda. This meeting provided the platform for all heads of Fisheries in the Pacific to dialogue on how best to distribute the US$6million provided by the U.S Government to island nations that are members of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) treaty.

Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative meeting
Justin Ilakini, NFA Managing Director.

Managing Director of the National Fisheries Authority, Justin Ilakini said: “the aim of this meeting is to broker a deal amongst all parties involved to reach an agreement on an equal distribution of the funds to aid in development of the sector in smaller island nations of the Pacific Region.

The second meeting, the Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative saw PNG take the lead in providing the platform for Pacific Ministers across the region to create dialogue in addressing two key issues.

The first being climate change and the second, to tap into opportunities to maximize economic returns from the Pacific’s shared tuna resource.

Mr Ilakini in a press conference in Kokopo expressed hope that the leaders will identify practical ways of implementing the forum leaders’ development aspirations as contained in the Blue Pacific Continent.

“We are leading the initiative and providing the platform for our Pacific Island leaders to have the opportunity to have a voice in speaking from their own National Levels to see how we can collaborate as a region to drive the Pacific Island interest going forward in this multi-million-dollar industry which we have come to know as one of the most lucrative industries that we have; the tuna industry.”

To this, PNG’s Minister for Fisheries explained that the whole meet was to create a purpose for the region and showcase what the region is capable of doing in this space.

He further elaborated that the focus is on creating more wealth for the Pacific and controlling the stocks of the Pacific’s shared tuna resources against world players in the global tuna market.

“It’s better that if we stand united as one, the world will know that they can’t come and pick us off one by one”

Minister Wong said, that the initiative further aims to foster dialogue on better ways to mitigate Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing; capitalize on the tuna resource; and ensure that the Pacific gets the best value from its shared tuna resource.

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Education

Journalists complete media training on Tuna

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Media training on tuna resource complete

ABOUT twenty media practitioners from Port Moresby and East New Britain completed a three-day media training course on the importance of the fisheries sector in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Region.

The aim of the media training is to ensure that journalists are better prepared to report on the  8th Pacific Tuna Forum that will be hosted by Papua New Guinea in the capital city, Port Moresby.

Training participants in discussion.
(From left) Carolyn from the Wantok Niuspaper in discussion with Godwin and Wasita from EMTV.

Part of the learnings included the growth of the National Fisheries Authority over time, their operating procedures and authoritative regulations and fishing. Among the topics of fishing was the most important, shared tuna resource of the Pacific region.

The training fostered interactive discussion between facilitators and journalists about some of the issues impacting the tuna market directly, such as Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and the impacts of external forces such as climate change and COVID-19.

Discussions about preservation and sustainable management of the resource for the future of the country and the wider Pacific and its people were some of the key indicators of the workshop.

President of the Papua New Guinea Media Council, Neville Choi, who was one of four facilitators of the training, encouraged journalists to do more research on tuna and the industry after the workshop in order to effectively report on the topics.

“Tuna is a global market and it impacts some of the major countries who deal with business and economics in the Pacific and a key to understanding all of that is knowing about the fish. The fish in itself is important and where it’s going to be in the next 50 years is important to our own Pacific livelihoods.”

Another facilitator and long-time Pacific journalist, Lisa Williams-Lahari, who’s been covering and following the Tuna stories globally shared her experiences as a Pacific islander and a journalist covering tuna; a resource that is closer to the heart of the pacific people.

“As a journalist following the tuna story worldwide, PNG has really represented the tuna tigers of this region (Pacific) to the world; in terms of leadership and development; and in terms of following the dollars that our people will benefit from in the terms to come.”

The three-day media training ended with a presentation of certificates to all participants and training facilitators.

The training was initiated and funded by the National Fisheries Authority in preparation for the 8th Pacific Tuna Forum which will be hosted by Papua New Guinea at the Stanley Hotel from the 6th-7th of September in Port Moresby.

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Business

Media workers undergo training ahead of 8th Pacific Tuna Forum

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Media personnel with Tuna training facilitators and NFA members


FOURTEEN media workers from Port Moresby are joining other media workers in Kokopo for a three-day media workshop ahead of the 8th Pacific Tuna Forum to be hosted on the 6th-8th of September in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The biannual PTF is the main arena where all stakeholders gather gauge the pulse of the tuna industry in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean and the broader ‘Blue Pacific Continent’; and to keep abreast of the latest sustainable management initiatives, innovative approaches and transformational endeavors at play or that could be further harnessed for the betterment of the industry.

The media workers training is most focused tuna and the inner workings of fisheries industry and will broaden the knowledge of those in attendance.

It is also an essential step toward understanding the importance of the tuna resource in and around the Pacific Region and will help journalists and reporters better cover the event and write stories about the 8th PTF next week.

Facilitators of the trainings include representatives from the Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authorities, Forum Fisheries Agency and Pacific Island Forum Secretariat. Representing the PNG Media Council, President, Neville Choi will be facilitating a session on media ethics around the reporting of tuna resources and story writing in today’s training session.

The media training is hosted by the PNG National Fisheries Authority at the Kokopo Beach Bungalow Resort in Kokopo, East New Britain.

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Arts & Culture

Fashion for Peace: Creating designs that foster peace

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Fashion for Peace

FASHION FOR PEACE is the theme for the 2023 PNG Fashion and Design Week.

This year, PNGFDW is working in close collaboration with final-year Art and Design students from the University of Papua New Guinea, promoting greater recognition and opportunities for the youth who graduate from this course into the real world.

The announcement was made by founder of PNG Fashion and Design Week Ltd, Janet Sios, who aims to highlight challenges faced by the students and utilize the fashion industry as the bridge to explore raw PNG talent and help build careers in fashion.

“We went through the Student Representative Council (SRC) and hosted a runway for them on the 29th of June at the University and it has opened up our eyes to the potential of the students that they could tap into such an industry.”

Mrs Sios explained that the creative industry is worth more than five billion in the whole world and Papua New Guinea is yet to reach and utilize its full creative potential.

Sios and her team have in the past eight years led awareness and advocacy campaigns for sustainable growth, addressing challenges such as intellectual property, market access, financing for small businesses and the preservation of PNG’s cultural heritage through fashion design.

“The creative arts students need to be aware of what we are doing in the industry, creating a culture creative industry in Papua New Guinea.”

With a vision to develop a thriving and progressive creative economy in Papua New Guinea, Sios explained that the fashion and design space is very much inclusive and not limited to models and fashion designers.

Theme: Fashion for Peace

“This is not just for models and designers only; jewelers, photographers, videographers and makeup artists can also join this sector and earn an honest living.”

“That is why we continue the work that we have started eight years ago, to bring awareness on how we manage ourselves in bringing this industry forward.”

“Fashion For Peace is a very important serious topic for us”

“Our country is going through a lot; our young people are lost.

“We feel that such a platform can be a powerful tool to bring the messages of positivity.”

“We’ve challenged the designers and models to create designs that reflect the various aspects of peace,” explained Sios.

In accordance with the theme, “Fashion for Peace” UPNG Final-Year Student designer, Enoch Nalong named his ‘collection “Oneness in Nature” which exemplifies the serenity of being one with nature bringing forth a sense of peace.

Enoch is the only male out of seven student designers who will showcase their designs alongside other established and emerging designers.

They are:

  1. Anna Amos – AA Tribal
  2. Wandid Amini Korimbo – Wiska/Niugini Native
  3. Elizabeth Omeri – Denani
  4. Kenny Ng – Kenny PNG
  5. Natasha Tamanabae – Baiwa
  6. Dr Jim Kari – Kari Designs
  7. Elizabeth Wong – ELIZZ
  8. Kathryn Turbarat – JeyMal Designs
  9. Esther Sione – Tehine Designs
  10. Janet Sios/Aunty Faye Collaboration (International designer)
  11. Iki Haangana (International designer)

The PNG Fashion and Design Week show will take place on Saturday (August 19) at the Stanly Hotel in Port Moresby.

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National Elections

Young People Must Vote

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The Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission is encouraging young people to vote in this year’s National General Elections.

 

During a media briefing this morning in Port Moresby, Electoral Commissioner, Simon Sinai, said the commission is targeting people between the legal voting age of 18 to 34 to be active participants in this year’s elections.

Electoral Commissioner, Simon Sinai, speaking to media personnel at Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby

“Voting is a democratic right, and in order for PNG citizens to exercise this right, they must enrol to be eligible to vote.”

Enrolment exercises are being carried out currently in all the 12 wards of the National Capital District.

Only persons who are 18 years of age and above are eligible to enrol, however, those who are currently 17 years of age and will be turning 18 before the date of the Issue of Writs (scheduled for April 28th) will be allowed Provisional Enrolment.

Commissioner Sinai urges all citizens to check the common roll to see if their names are listed, and if not, he is advising that all must enrol their names in their respective wards.

Sinai said enrolling in a school or owning a National Identification Card does not ensure one’s eligibility to vote.

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