2010 Will Be an Exciting Year

Inside this issue 2010 will be an exciting year 1 PIDC celebrates International 2 Womens Day PIDC Board donates to 3 PIDC Board meeting in Rarotonga (Front L-R), Margot Clifford, Susan Pullar (Australia), Tessie Lambourne (Kiribati), Cyclone appeal Janet Ravula (PNG), Hannah Malloch (New Zealand); Back (L-R) Matt Caper (Secretariat), Api Fiso (New Zealand), Henry marks 30 years with 3 George Bogiri (Vanuatu), Auseugaefa Poloma Komiti (Chair), Reg Sanday (Hos), Akuila Ratu (Secretariat), Kave Ringi Samoa immigration (Head of Cook Islands Immigration). Missing: Ernest Stevens, representative of small island states. World Refugee Day marked 4 PNG immigration service now 4 independent 2010 will be an Indentify theft awareness 5 workshop in the Cooks Intelligence workshops in 6 Micronesia and New Zealand exciting year PIDC advocacy and outreach 7 2010 is so far proving to be busy, Komiti, as the most productive board programme challenging and also very rewarding for opmeeting he has attended, Credit for First operational secondments 7 your secretariat and our network. In this can go to the hard work put in by to Australia immigration February, we welcomed our new Head Secretariat staff in preparing substantive Sport, a window to migration 8 of Secretariat, Mr Reg Sanday of Fiji papers for Board decisions. Another issues who two weeks after he started work contributing factor to the high level of Immigration’s role in 8 attended the PIDC Management Board discussion was the active participation responding to dissters meeting, the first for the year, that was of our new Board members comprising Calendar of events held in Rarotonga, the Cook Islands on Kiribati, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and 1. Second Management Board meeting: 16-17 February 2010. The meeting went Nauru, the latter representing Small Island 28th - 29th July, Vanuatu. exceedingly well and was described by States. Board members from Samoa and 2. Pacific Islands Chiefs and Police PIDC Chairman, Auseugaefa Poloma Tonga were unable to attend but both conference: 24th - 25th August, Australia. 3.Document Examination Principles PIDC Secretariat, c/- Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat ~ Private Mail Bag ~ Suva ~ Fiji Islands and Applications training: 22nd - 24th Ph: +679 322 0363 ~ Fax: +679 331 2113. Email: [email protected] ~ Web: http//www.pidcsec.org September, Fiji. have stated their strong support for future meetings of the Board. 2010 will be an exciting year for the PIDC membership as we move towards implementing the 30 recommendations of the recent Institutional Review of PIDC that was carried out by a team of consultants. You recall that these recommendations were approved in principle by the 2009 Conference.Among the recommendations of note was one that would see PIDC move from comprising a small secretariat servicing our annual Conference to a more formally structured organization Ms Mereia Volavola, Head of PIPSO and PIDC HoS, Reg Sanday enjoy a cuppa to mark International Womens Day with some degree of autonomy over our annual budget, with fully-funded PIDC Secretariat Celebrates programs addressing members’ needs and with Management Board approval, a mandate to attract additional extra- International Womens Day budgetary financing for programs from International Womens Day (IWD) falls He said the Secretariat tries to ensure non-traditional donors. At the Cook each year on March 8th. On this day each women are equally represented at Islands meeting the Management Board year, hundreds of International Women’s training workshops and other PIDC established a series of sub-committees Day events occur all around the world. events and so ensure that they have equal to address the recommendations of the The events range from small random opportunities to excel. informal gatherings to large-scale highly organised events. All celebrate women’s advancement and highlight the need for continued vigilance and action to uplift the status of women around the world. This year PIDC staff were invited to celebrate IWD at a morning tea hosted by staff of the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO) who occupy an office next door to PIDC at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Suva. The theme of this year’s IWD was “Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all” At the morning tea the Head of PIPSO, Ms Mereia review. Membership and Chairs for the Volavola and PIDC HoS, Reg Sanday spoke sub-committees are shown in the table on the theme in which he highlighted above. the contribution women are making to The secretariat has been working hard border management systems in the region to prepare discussion papers for the sub- with many occupying senior positions in committees whose recommendations various national services, and also in the will be discussed at the next Management composition of PIDC’s Management Board which has a roughly equal participation Board meeting to be held in Port Vila, Ms Rachael Varea, PIDC Office Manager at International Vanuatu in July. rate between men and women. Women’s Day celebrations 2 3 Henry Taefu Henry marks 30 years with Samoa Immigration Chairman Asuegafa Poloma Komiti presents cash donation to, George George, President of Aitutaki Island Cyclone Relief Committee HenryTaefu, Principal Immigration Officer – Border Operation and Citizenship with Samoa’s Immigration PIDC Board donates to Division achieved a milestone by fulfilling 30-years of uninterrupted service on April 21st 2010. Here he Cyclone Appeal is seen standing next to the server for Samoa’s computerized border On the final day of the Management recovery efforts on the devastated island. management system.To mark his Board meeting in the Cook Islands In his response, Mr George said the achievement Samoa Immigration Management Board Members passed donation was testament of the Pacific organized a staff tea party for the hat around and contributed a sum spirit that “when one of us is down and Henry at which the Head of Samoan of NZ$700 for cyclone relief on Aitutaki needs help, we are always there to lend Immigration, Togatalima Faafouina Island in the wake of destruction caused a helping hand to our neighbors to get Milford praised Henry’s dedication by Cyclone Pat. In presenting the donation back on their feet.” The Cook Islands and contribution to his country’s to Aitutaki Cyclone Appeal Chairman, Mr daily newspaper, Cook Island News paid border control system. PIDC sent George George, Chairman Auseugaefa tribute to the gesture by our board a congratulatory note to Henry Poloma Komiti said the Board hoped the members. wishing him 30 more years service cash would contribute in a small way to to his country. 2 3 World Refugee Day marked As the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) marked World Refugee Day on 20 June, a new report found the number of people forcibly displaced by persecution, conflict and instability around the world had risen by 1.3 million to some 43.3 million - the highest level since the mid-1990s. The figures, in UNHCR’s 2009 Global Trends Report, include 15.2 million refugees and 983,000 asylum-seekers. The report shows that one out of four refugees in the world is from Afghanistan, with 2.9 million - most of whom are hosted in Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran. 2010 WRDay poster PNG immigration services now independent PNG’s Immigration Services became that the country will benefit by that experienced before. There are some an independent entity when Parliament person’s presence. 50,000 applications for visas pending. approved its separation from the Likewise, the doorman is there to say The service will require additional Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in goodbye to all who depart, ensuring that staff, funding and equipment to perform May. Foreign Minister, Mr Sam Abal said the they are leaving with nothing that is of its functions well. As a statutory authority, separation of the two entities was part of value to the country. it is hoped that that can happen. At the reforms to improve service levels at the Of course, the departing or returning same time, the service can turn over PNG Immigration Services. The new entity, citizen must pass through the doorman substantial revenue in the various fees now known as the PNG Immigration and and suffer checks to ensure he or she applicable. Once, this used to be diluted Citizenship Service, is an independent too is not bringing threats or taking away into departmental revenue. Now, it will statutory authority with is own budget and valuables from the country. It is from have to be fully accounted for and that whose Minister remains the Minister for immigrations that a citizen gets travel will tell the nation what it might have Foreign Affairs and Trade. documents such as passports and travel been missing out on in the past. Speaking at the 26th Australia-Papua permits. The change should allow the New Guinea Business Forum, Minister This process, which begins at the organisation to grow to meet increased Abal told participants that as a part of lodging of visa applications and involves demands while, at the same time, providing the Department of Foreign Affairs, the cross agency checks with Labour an environment of professionalism Immigration service did not get the Department’s Work Permits Division, and integrity as minister Sam Abal told attention it deserved as an important National Intelligence Organisation and, Parliament. service of the Government. if necessary, police, Internal Revenue The timing is spot on and Abal and his Immigration “the security guard Commission and the Investment team have to be congratulated for taking of a nation,” the National Newspaper, Promotion Authority on the domestic the bold initiative., so says the National. PNG level as well as with PNG’s foreign PIDC adds its congratulations to the new In a rare editorial on immigration, the missions and, possibly, international Immigration and Citizenship Services.

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