UNDP

Samoa and Zimbabwe are the only AccLabs selected from a pool of 91 UNDP AccLabs across the world.

The Challenge will enable the UNDP Samoa AccLab to implement an innovative project to convert fish skin into sustainable fish leather.

This project aims to maximize the economic benefits of the entire fish caught, instead of just the flesh whilst discarding other fish parts, thus lending the project its name: “100% Fish Use”.

The fish leather will be manufactured through a sustainable process.

The Youth Incubator Programme launched last week builds on the existing Business Accelerator Programme, under the Samoa Business Hub (SBH).

Over the next ten weeks, participants will be involved in a series of business development trainings, mentoring, coaching, and networking events, culminating in a pitching competition.

Corruption costs the global economy approximately US$2.6 trillion, or 5 percent of global GDP, each year. Corruption, together with tax evasion and illicit financial flows, costs developing countries approximately US$1.26 trillion each year.[*]

The vehicle will enable the association to provide the fa’afafine community with STI/HIV services in collaboration with the Ministry of Health’s Communicable Disease Clinic.

“One of the key challenges in increasing access to and reaching SFA’s key populations, especially in the rural and remote areas of Upolu and Savaii, is access to transportation”. 

“UNDP and the Global Fund is pleased to assist SFA in this area, so that they can fully serve and achieve the purposes of this programme and their organisation,” said UNDP Resident Representative to Samoa, Jorn Sorensen. 

The initiative is jointly developed and will be implemented by the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the United Nations University Institute for Environment Society and the United Nations Development Programme.

“New Zealand, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is pleased to support this initiative as it fully aligns with New Zealand’s “climate action” agenda as well as its focus on disaster risk reduction in the Pacific to address vulnerabilities of low-income populations,” Curr said.

Their assistance is worth £37,000 and forms part of the Samoa Multi-Country Office’s project under UNDP’s COVID-19 Rapid Financing Facility, targeting the glass waste stream in particular.

The need for investment in glass waste management was highlighted following Samoa’s COVID-19 Socio-Economic Impact Assessment, which recommended the creation of public-private partnerships to accelerate value chain development in the waste management sector through job creation.

The villages involved were Faleaseela, Lefaga and Siufaga, Falelatai,

Faleaseela hosted a delegation from Siufaga to exchange knowledge and best practices about the adaptive ability and capacity of coastal natural resources, such as mangrove and marine protected areas, to tackle changes in climate at village level.

Two thousand COVID-19 test cartridges were handed over to MOH today, along with IT equipment that were temporarily held by MCIT, by UNDP.

The cartridges, or panels, will be used for the Ministry’s existing GeneXpert machines for COVID-19 testing. They are produced by US-based molecular diagnostics company, Cepheid, and in high demand at the moment, so Samoa is fortunate to be able to secure this shipment.

Income losses are expected to exceed $220 billion in developing countries, and nearly half of all jobs in Africa could be lost. With an estimated 55 per cent of the global population having no access to social protection, these losses will reverberate across societies, impacting education, human rights and, in the most severe cases, basic food security and nutrition.

The discussions were hosted by UN Women and UNDP.

In partnership with the Government of Samoa, the Australian Government and local organisations, UN Women and UNDP joined forces to implement the Increasing Political Participation of Women in Samoa (IPPWS) project from 2015 to 2016.

With Phase 1 of IPPWS completed, yesterday’s consultations pursued to ensure Samoa’s women leaders guide the future direction of the programme.