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The continuing violence in Sri Lanka has had a serious effect on children in the northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka. Impacting not only on the accessibility of schooling, the unrest has also resulted in the forced recruitment of child soldiers.
NZAID has contributed NZ$360,000 to UNICEF which will help fund child-friendly teaching/learning spaces and materials, teacher training on emergency education response and support to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education.
Approximately 50,000 children between the ages of five and 14 will be able to resume their education.
The head of the world’s largest international humanitarian organisation, WFP, Mr James Morris visited New Zealand in early February as part of his farewell tour.
The WFP is an important channel for New Zealand’s humanitarian and emergency assistance funds and since 2000, New Zealand has contributed more than $32.1 million to the agency, $22.2 million of that in 2005 and 2006.
This funding goes towards feeding the 97 million people in 82 countries that are assisted by the WFP.
Now at the end of his term as executive director, Mr Morris's visit provided an excellent opportunity to reinforce New Zealand's commitment to the work of WFP. It also provided an excellent opportunity to draw upon the experience and insight that he gained from his time with the WFP.
New Zealand is to continue its involvement in the Bougainville Community Policing Project (BCPP) following Government approval in February 2007.
Since 2003, the NZAID-funded project which is a joint initiative with the New Zealand Police, has provided five New Zealand Police staff in advisory positions to the Community Auxiliary Police (CAP), who deal with low-level crime such as disorderly behaviour.
Providing training and support, the New Zealand staff also monitor the Bougainville Police Service who deal with more serious crime.
The role of Director of the Development Co-operation Directorate will be held for the first time by a New Zealander, Mr Richard Carey.
The DCD’s main function is to support the work of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), which is the principle body through which the OECD deals with issues related to co-operation with developing countries.
Starting his new role in March 2007, Mr Carey has an extensive background in development work, leading DAC's work on trade capacity building and aid for trade. He was also instrumental in creating its relationship with the World Trade Organisation.
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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.
 - Ta May, the Chairperson of the Sa Pa Indigenous Medicinal Plants Association
Instigated by Nelson company Forest Herbs Research Ltd, the Vietnamese Medicinal Plant Innovation project has been named on the short list of ten from 230 international submissions in the prestigious UN backed SEED (Supporting Entrepreneurs in Environment and Development) Initiative Awards.
Set up in 2003, the project works with hill tribes in the remote Sa Pa region of North Viet Nam, and aims to replicate Forest Herbs’s work with sustainable harvesting of the New Zealand native horopito plant. Unique essential oils from native Vietnamese medicinal plants are now being sustainably produced, harvested and processed by the hill tribe people and the project is at the stage where it can become a commercial reality.
"We isolated a tuber that shows promising results in the treatment of melanoma – if scientific research confirms its promise, we could have a major success that will be a life changer for the people of Sa Pa as well as an incentive for saving rare plant species." says Project Coordinator, Dr Chris Wheatley.
The international awards-based scheme publicly recognises the contribution of innovative and entrepreneurial partnerships as a way of achieving the Millennium Goals and encourages local entrepreneurs, communities and companies to join in these partnerships for sustainable development.
The award ceremony will be held in May 2007.
In November 2006, riots broke out in Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa after protests against the government escalated.
Much of Nuku'alofa's central business district was destroyed in the unrest, and the economic consequences have been severe, resulting in job losses and a significant drop in tax revenue for the Tongan Government.
Immediately following the riots, NZAID provided $500,000 for specialist advisors to assist in the coordination of the recovery and reconstruction process.
The role of the advisors will assist in the economic recovery, by focusing on strengthening the priority areas of revenue impact, insurance loss adjustors, defence, prosecution and administration of law, and constitutional reform.
New Zealand has committed up to $2 million to a Business Recovery Fund which will help small to medium businesses recover. The Government of Tonga and AusAID will also contribute to the fund.
The assistance given to these small and medium businesses will create jobs and revitalise the CBD, which will in turn spark a wider economic recovery. The fund will provide business owners with access to advice which will help them develop sustainable business plans; offer subsidised loans to enable businesses to repair and rebuild; offer credit guarantees which will support business owners who have lost all their assets; and to provide relief to assist those whose businesses are no longer viable.
At a time when avian influenza outbreaks are being reported in the south of Viet Nam, NZAID has stepped up its support for the government's efforts to control and combat the spread of the disease.
In January New Zealand's Ambassador, James Kember, signed a funding arrangement between NZAID and the UN Development Programme, committing NZ$443,538 to the UN-Government Joint Programme on Avian Influenza. New Zealand's grant will help to strengthen the Vietnamese government's veterinary services, fund surveillance activities and enable the government to investigate the spread of avian influenza within Viet Nam.
In June 2006, NZAID offered four post-graduate scholarships for staff in the Department of Animal Health, enabling Viet Nam to build the capacity of its staff in veterinary epidemiology. In March 2007, NZAID plans a mission to explore how we might provide further assistance in surveillance and epidemiological investigations.
The first ever national crime prevention workshop, aimed at promoting discussion amongst community leaders will be held in Honiara at the end of February. Funded by NZAID and conducted by Save the Children, the workshop is part of the three year 'Children In Conflict with the Law' project.
As part of the workshop, those involved in the law and justice sectors will participate in a forum to analyse the current challenges faced with the development and operation of Crime Prevention Committees in Solomon Islands with the view of finalising guidelines for setting up harmonised committees in communities.
Solomon Islands currently does not have a National Crime Prevention Strategy and until now, isolated projects have been delivered in an effort to promote crime prevention with little or no collaboration amongst stakeholders.
It is hoped that during the workshop, a reference group will be formed to guide discussions that will lead to the development of a National Crime Prevention Strategy. This strategy will aim at ensuring that an effective and long term impact could be made within communities
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