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NZAID has given $500,000 to help relief efforts following the recent earthquake in the coastal province of Ica, Peru that has killed hundreds and left thousands more homeless.
New Zealand’s contribution was channelled through the United Nation’s World Food Programme, which is taking the lead role in distributing food. By working through United Nations channels, New Zealand’s assistance will get quickly and reliably to those who need it most.
Once the immediate food requirements of the most at-risk groups are met, the World Food Programme will continue to provide food aid to assist communities as they rebuild essential infrastructure.
For more information contact deborah.collins@nzaid.govt.nz
$18 million has been allocated to New Zealand non-government organisations (NGOs) for work in developing countries in the August round of the Humanitarian Action Fund (HAF) and Kaihono-hei-Oranga-Hapori o te Ao / Partnerships for International Community Development (KOHA-PICD) fund.
This work plays a crucial role in sustainable development and addressing humanitarian needs worldwide. NGOs supported by NZAID by this grant in 2007/08 include ADRA (Adventist Development & Relief Agency International), Caritas, ChildFund, Christian World Service, Family Planning International, Oxfam, the Leprosy Mission, Save the Children NZ, Tear Fund and World Vision.
For more information contact mike.bird@nzaid.govt.nz
Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Karen Koning AbuZayd, will visit New Zealand in early October to discuss with New Zealand Ministers and Officials the role and work of UNRWA.
Established following the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948, UNRWA fed, housed and clothed tens of thousands of fleeing refugees and at the same time educated and given health care to hundreds of thousands in the Occupied Palestine Territories (Gaza Strip and West Bank), Lebanon, Syria and Jordan and elsewhere in the Middle East.
While set up as a temporary organisation, UNRWA’s mandate has been repeatedly renewed by the United Nations General Assembly.
UNRWA has adjusted its programmes to meet the changing needs of the refugees. Today it is the main provider of basic education, health, relief and social services to over 4.4 million registered Palestine refugees in the Middle East.
Gain an insight into NZAID’s work over the last year and see how New Zealand’s commitment to creating a safe, just world free of poverty is being put into action.
If you would like a copy of the review please visit our website or email communications@nzaid.govt.nz.
Find out about how the Cook Islands are working to protect and maintain their rich ocean resources, read about the difference Vanuatu’s Wan Smolbag theatre group is making in the lives of young people, and discover how Kiribati is overcoming the challenges of urbanisation. You’ll find all this and much more in issue five of Currents – out soon!!
The magazine is a great way to find out more about how New Zealand is helping to alleviate poverty and development challenges more broadly.
To receive a copy of the magazine please contact Melanie Heaphy on melanie.heaphy@nzaid.govt.nz with your mailing details or visit www.nzaid.govt.nz/library/
publications/currents.html
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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.
 - New Zealand, Australian and French participants met in Wellington to discuss ways of collaboratively responding to natural disasters in the Pacifc
On 12 and 13 September, 28 participants under the FRANZ (France, Australia and New Zealand) Arrangement met in Wellington to share ideas on ways of responding to requests for international assistance following Pacific natural disasters.
Signed in 1992, this Arrangement commits all three countries to ‘exchanging information to ensure the best use of their assets and other resources for relief operations after cyclones and other natural disasters in the region.’
While cyclones remain the most common natural disaster across the Pacific, FRANZ has in practice been used very effectively across a broad range of disasters – most recently the earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of the Solomon Islands.
Over the two-day exercise, participants worked through a scenario based on Cyclone Heta (2004) and came up with a series of recommendations designed to strengthen the partnership and to ensure a level of consistency between the countries. This in turn ensures that the partnership is based on mutual trust and respect, and means that responding to disasters in the Pacific is achieved as timely and as effective as possible.
Participants gained a greater appreciation of the benefits of jointly sharing information and coordinating assets as well as an increased familiarisation of the FRANZ Arrangement and how it might be used to assist our Pacific neighbours when faced with the all too common devastation caused by natural disasters.
NZAID has coordinated New Zealand’s contribution to FRANZ since 2004.
For more information contact michael.hartfield@nzaid.govt.nz
A new Pacific Counselling and Social Services (PCASS) unit providing general counselling as well as a specialized antenatal HIV Voluntary testing service was opened at Nadi Hospital in Fiji at the beginning of August.
Dedicated to the fight against HIV in Fiji, especially the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and providing much needed mental health services, the NZAID-funded unit is a step towards providing a national service.
With the opening of this Nadi office, PCASS aims to provide quality hospital-based counselling services at the Nadi Hospital as it already does at Lautoka Hospital. The aim is to set up similar offices in all major divisional hospitals in Fiji including the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva and the Labasa Hospital.
“By early 2008, it is anticipated that each hospital will have an established and fully-functional hospital based professional counselling system, incorporating specialised HIV and other social work interventions” said Joanne Cohen, Director of PCASS.
Recent regional recognition of PCASS counselling services has resulted in trainees from a number of Pacific countries being placed with them to enhance their skills and subsequently contribute to the development of professional counselling in their own countries.
The funds come from NZAID's bilateral programme with Fiji. Due to the coup, sanctions are in place which are aimed at activities that provide assistance to or through the Fiji Government.
This allows NZAID to continue providing assistance to selected non-government and other civil society organisations for programmes that directly benefit the people of Fiji.
For more information contact don.will@nzaid.govt.nz
 - NZAID Evaluation Team leader Penny Hawkins (right) with Zita Unger (AES Awards Committee) and Jenny Neale (AES President) at the award presentation in Melbourne
NZAID Evaluation Team Leader, Penny Hawkins has recently been awarded the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Evaluation (Evaluation, Training and Service - ET&S) Award 2007, presented in Melbourne by the Australian Evaluation Society.
The Award was presented with the following comment:
"Penny has a long history of service and commitment to the profession of evaluation. She has made a significant contribution to evaluation in many contexts: within the New Zealand public sector, training for evaluation, building capability, leadership at the helm of the AES, and internationally. She has strongly encouraged public sector users of evaluation to participate in evaluation as well as marginalised communities, especially indigenous and aid recipients. Her contribution is truly Australasian: New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific and Asia."
The New Zealand Government Agencies Fund supports New Zealand government agencies to carry out development activities aligned to government Official Development Assistance (ODA) priorities and are outside the focus of NZAID.
The fund offers government departments, agencies and statutory authorities undertaking non-commercial activities the opportunity to access funding to undertake activities that: - Contribute to capacity development through transferring skills and expertise to developing country partners, in particular public sector counterparts
- Support the development of long-term strategic partnerships between New Zealand government agencies and their counterparts in partner countries
- Provide technical assistance to developing country partners, in particular public sector counterparts to improve delivery of their core services
The primary focus for the fund is the Pacific, however initiatives benefiting other countries, regions, sectors and/or relationships that are developmentally important to New Zealand may also be supported.
NZAID is now accepting bids for the fifth round of the New Zealand Government Agencies Fund.
Full guidelines, criteria and application forms can be found on the NZAID website at www.nzaid.govt.nz. Proposals must be submitted by Friday 26 October 2007.
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