THE LIMITS of SELF-DETERMINATION in OCEANIA Author(S): Terence Wesley-Smith Source: Social and Economic Studies, Vol

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

THE LIMITS of SELF-DETERMINATION in OCEANIA Author(S): Terence Wesley-Smith Source: Social and Economic Studies, Vol THE LIMITS OF SELF-DETERMINATION IN OCEANIA Author(s): Terence Wesley-Smith Source: Social and Economic Studies, Vol. 56, No. 1/2, The Caribbean and Pacific in a New World Order (March/June 2007), pp. 182-208 Published by: Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies, University of the West Indies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27866500 . Accessed: 11/10/2013 20:07 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of the West Indies and Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Social and Economic Studies. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 133.30.14.128 on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 20:07:57 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Social and Economic Studies 56:1&2 (2007): 182-208 ISSN:0037-7651 THE LIMITS OF SELF-DETERMINATION IN OCEANIA Terence Wesley-Smith* ABSTRACT This article surveys processes of decolonization and political development inOceania in recent decades and examines why the optimism of the early a years of self government has given way to persistent discourse of crisis, state failure and collapse in some parts of the region. It argues that the to essential context for understanding .these trends lies in the limits genuine self-determination imposed by theprocess of decolonization itself it and by the universalized ideas of state and nation introduced. Despite their awkward fit with indigenous institutions and practices, these institutions are continually reinforced through significant international pressures including intervention. in Generations of students have viewed political developments An Oceania through the lens of national self-determination. on influential account in this genre is David Robie's Blood their in Banner: Nationalist Struggles in the South Pacific, first published the of 1989. Challenging media coverage informed by trope a Paradise, the book explored the "ugly side of Oceania" through survey of violent conflicts in East Timor, West Papua, New For Caledonia, French Polynesia, Palau, Vanuatu, and Fiji. Robie, these events reflected the inevitable confrontation between colonialism and the liberation movements itprovoked, "a quest for more than national sovereignty that takes into account the legacy of two centuries of colonialism" (Robie 1989: 23). Here Pacific peoples as a of are represented latecomers in grand narrative anticolonial to blood struggle, complete with references Che Guevara, sacrifice, a new and nationalist banners symbolizing "the dawn of hope and future" (Robie 1989: 23). This is a narrative that seeks salvation for a of decolonization at least oppressed peoples in global process and, * was at the Sixth Conference of the An earlier version of this paper presented 6-8 2005. Thanks to the European Society for Oceanists, Marseille, France, July on the submission. anonymous reviewers for extremely useful comments original This content downloaded from 133.30.14.128 on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 20:07:57 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions The Limitsof Self-Determination 183 of "modernization" by implication, vigorous post-colonial projects and "development." used to make sense of the The conceptual framework Robie events of the 1980s appears distinctly problematic today. Even if there was a time when "nationalist aspirations" defined regional moment has and The politics, then that well truly passed. optimism to a of the early years of self-government has given way persistent discourse of crisis, state failure and collapse in some parts of state Oceania. By early 2003, after 25 years of independence, institutions in Solomon Islands had effectively ceased to function, of the Australian and today the country remains under the control to Solomon Islands led Regional Assistance Mission the (RAMSI). as decades of Writing in 2005 Papua New Guinea marked three Guinea Professor of sovereign statehood, University of Papua New Politics Allan Patience described debauched political institutions, human collapsed essential services, gratuitous rights violations, and "thousands of people suffering needlessly and dying 2005: senior Australian prematurely" (Patience 1-2). Meanwhile, that "itwould take two or journalist Graeme Dobell speculated only a three years of bad luck and bad leadership" to push Vanuatu into more 25 similar downward spiral towards state collapse than years after the colonizers withdrew (Dobell 2005: 8). not its The problem with Robie's approach is necessarily on If he underestimates emphasis colonialism. anything and even colonialism's ability to redefine lifeways and aspirations, to determine the essential characteristics of the political community (or "nation") waiting to be liberated. More important, Robie misunderstands the United Nations-organized process of decolonization that commenced afterWorld War II. Significant as it was, that initiative could not represent a definitive break from the were colonial past, since the traces of that past too deeply etched even into the economic, political, cultural, and physical landscapes was a of Oceania. Indeed, the process not designed to achieve such rupture. Nor did decolonization reflect the spontaneous emergence of new national communities somehow awakened by the inevitable pull of modernity, as Benedict Anderson (1991) and others have suggested. Control and conformity, rather than spontaneity and innovation, have been the hallmarks of the international system of states over the last half-century. This content downloaded from 133.30.14.128 on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 20:07:57 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 184 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES was so Decolonization not much the natural expansion of an established global political order as the deliberate construction of a new one. This is a global system based on ideas of state, nation, and sovereignty that took on novel forms afterWorld War II. Since then, local social processes and practices have everywhere unfolded within the context of a universalized model of the nation-state. Not as only is this model projected normal and desirable, "the natural choice of every people modern and free, past, present, and future," are but its precepts and protocols continually reinforced through one or significant international pressures of sort another (Kelly and Kaplan 2001, 20). The recent history of the postcolonial entities of Oceania is not really about the linear quest for national sovereignty informing or even Robie's account, the dialectical struggles between "traditional" and "modern" forms of politics and economy that continue to structure much analysis of the "developing" world. Rather, it is about the constant renegotiation of the awkward fit on one or between, the hand, local institutions and practices formed era on reformed during the colonial and, the other, superimposed, externally monitored ideas of state and nation. The result is the wide variety of political forms found across the vast reaches of Oceania. These forms might be considered hybrid except for the significant power imbalances involved; they emerge within the strict limits established by the intrusive model of the nation state. as They can, however, be seen more-or-less functional in the ways they maintain day-to-day order and distribute resources, and in some cases political tensions have burst through the patchwork of local and global constraints to produce disorder and violence. The essential context for understanding the "ugly side of Oceania" does not in today lie the quest for national sovereignty, although elements of this persist, but in the limits to genuine self determination encountered after independence has been achieved. Self-Determination in Oceania Although undoubtedly "one of the most important political developments in the twentieth century," decolonization was not necessarily driven by the noble principle of self-determination as Robie and others would like to believe (Duara 2004: 1). Indeed, the idea was of self-determination recently described by Marc Weiler as This content downloaded from 133.30.14.128 on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 20:07:57 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions The Limitsof Self-Determination 185 for the international a for a "legitimizing myth" system and "trap" those seeking to free themselves from oppression and exploitation the that (Weiler 2005). If anything, proposition self-defined human to own communities should be allowed determine their political a futures has been used to add moral weight to process motivated more concerns. by other, pragmatic, In a celebrated resolution in December 1960 (1514 XV), the United Nations General Assembly condemned colonialism in no terms uncertain before declaring that "All peoples have the right to virtue of self-determination; by that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development" (United Nations 1960). This is an extraordinarily bold statement if only because an untrammeled to right self-determination conflicts with key provisions in international law to the designed protect territorial integrity of existing states (Emerson 1960: 295-328). In fact those who voted for this resolution were well aware of the radical nature of what they ? proposed and took explicit steps elsewhere in the resolution and in international to a subsequent practice limit its impact. As legal right, self-determination is largely confined to specific colonial and territories as or populations designated non-self-governing trust territories by the United Nations after World War II. Those privileged entities, whose names are inscribed on a master list,have a one-off opportunity to choose a new political status, and independent statehood has always been the preferred outcome (Weiler2005:10).
Recommended publications
  • North America Other Continents
    Arctic Ocean Europe North Asia America Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean Africa Pacific Ocean South Indian America Ocean Oceania Southern Ocean Antarctica LAND & WATER • The surface of the Earth is covered by approximately 71% water and 29% land. • It contains 7 continents and 5 oceans. Land Water EARTH’S HEMISPHERES • The planet Earth can be divided into four different sections or hemispheres. The Equator is an imaginary horizontal line (latitude) that divides the earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres, while the Prime Meridian is the imaginary vertical line (longitude) that divides the earth into the Eastern and Western hemispheres. • North America, Earth’s 3rd largest continent, includes 23 countries. It contains Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, the United States of America, all Caribbean and Central America countries, as well as Greenland, which is the world’s largest island. North West East LOCATION South • The continent of North America is located in both the Northern and Western hemispheres. It is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean in the north, by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and by the Pacific Ocean in the west. • It measures 24,256,000 sq. km and takes up a little more than 16% of the land on Earth. North America 16% Other Continents 84% • North America has an approximate population of almost 529 million people, which is about 8% of the World’s total population. 92% 8% North America Other Continents • The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of Earth’s Oceans. It covers about 15% of the Earth’s total surface area and approximately 21% of its water surface area.
    [Show full text]
  • From Operation Serval to Barkhane
    same year, Hollande sent French troops to From Operation Serval the Central African Republic (CAR) to curb ethno-religious warfare. During a visit to to Barkhane three African nations in the summer of 2014, the French president announced Understanding France’s Operation Barkhane, a reorganization of Increased Involvement in troops in the region into a counter-terrorism Africa in the Context of force of 3,000 soldiers. In light of this, what is one to make Françafrique and Post- of Hollande’s promise to break with colonialism tradition concerning France’s African policy? To what extent has he actively Carmen Cuesta Roca pursued the fulfillment of this promise, and does continued French involvement in Africa constitute success or failure in this rançois Hollande did not enter office regard? France has a complex relationship amid expectations that he would with Africa, and these ties cannot be easily become a foreign policy president. F cut. This paper does not seek to provide a His 2012 presidential campaign carefully critique of President Hollande’s policy focused on domestic issues. Much like toward France’s former African colonies. Nicolas Sarkozy and many of his Rather, it uses the current president’s predecessors, Hollande had declared, “I will decisions and behavior to explain why break away from Françafrique by proposing a France will not be able to distance itself relationship based on equality, trust, and 1 from its former colonies anytime soon. solidarity.” After his election on May 6, It is first necessary to outline a brief 2012, Hollande took steps to fulfill this history of France’s involvement in Africa, promise.
    [Show full text]
  • MICTTD MSP 2021-2023.Pdf
    MICTTD STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-2024 Ministry of Information, Communications, Transport, and Tourism Development (MICTTD). Betio, Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati. Website: micttd.gov.ki I Acronyms AKL Air Kiribati Limited APHoMSA Asia Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies ATHKL Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Kiribati Limited BNL BwebwerikiNet Limited BPA Broadcasting Publication Authority BSL Betio Shipyard Limited CAANZ Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand CAAK Civil Aviation Authority of Kiribati CASP-AP Civil Aviation Security Programme for Asia Pacific CCK Communications Commission of Kiribati CES Central Electronic System for Marine Division CSO Community Service Obligation (Government Subsidy) CTO Communications Telecommunications Organisation DCA Director of Civil Aviation DCC Development Coordination Committee EMS Express Mail Services EDTO Extended diversion time operations GMDSS Global Maritime Distress Safety System GoK Government of Kiribati GP Government Printery HR Human Resource IALA International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities IHO International Hydrographic Organisation IATA International Air Transport Association ICAO International Civil Aviation Organisation ICT Information and Communication Technology IMO International Maritime Organization INMARSAT International Maritime Mobile Satellite IPS International Postal System KDP Kiribati Development Plan KLTA Kiribati Land Transport Authority KNSL Kiribati National Shipping Line KNTO Kiribati National Tourism Office KPA Kiribati Ports Authority
    [Show full text]
  • The Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Namibia's Colonization Process
    The Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Namibia’s Colonization Process By: Jonathan Baker Honors Capstone Through Professor Taylor Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa Baker, 2 Table of Contents I. Authors Note II. Introduction III. Pre-Colonization IV. Colonization by Germany V. Colonization by South Africa VI. The Struggle for Independence VII. The Decolonization Process VIII. Political Changes- A Reaction to Colonization IX. Immediate Economic Changes Brought on by Independence X. Long Term Political Effects (of Colonization) XI. Long Term Cultural Effects XII. Long Term Economic Effects XIII. Prospects for the Future XIV. Conclusion XV. Bibliography XVI. Appendices Baker, 3 I. Author’s Note I learned such a great deal from this entire honors capstone project, that all the knowledge I have acquired can hardly be covered by what I wrote in these 50 pages. I learned so much more that I was not able to share both about Namibia and myself. I can now claim that I am knowledgeable about nearly all areas of Namibian history and life. I certainly am no expert, but after all of this research I can certainly consider myself reliable. I have never had such an extensive knowledge before of one academic area as a result of a school project. I also learned a lot about myself through this project. I learned how I can motivate myself to work, and I learned how I perform when I have to organize such a long and complicated paper, just to name a couple of things. The strange inability to be able to include everything I learned from doing this project is the reason for some of the more random appendices at the end, as I have a passion for both numbers and trivia.
    [Show full text]
  • West Papua Indonesia
    JURISDICTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY PROFILE WEST PAPUA INDONESIA FOREST NO FOREST DEFORESTATION LOW-EMISSION RURAL (1990-2015) DEVELOPMENT (LED-R) AT A GLANCE MANOKWARI • Forests cover 90% of West Papua (WP) with lowest historical DRIVERS OF Illegal logging deforestation rates in Indonesia; WP commits to maintain at DEFORESTATION Legal logging least 70% as protected areas through Manokwari Declaration Large-scale agriculture (MD) & Special Regulation on Sustainable Development Infrastructure development (incl. for transportation) • Special Autonomy (SA) status allows provincial government Data sources: AVERAGE ANNUAL 7.08 Mt CO2 (2010-2015) Socio-economic: BPS regulation-making abilities, more decision-making authority EMISSIONS FROM Includes above-ground biomass Deforestation: Derived & peat decomposition from Ministry of considering local context & access to funding from central DEFORESTATION Environment and government through 2021 AREA 98,593 km2 Forestry data (2018) • ~13% provincial GDP growth from 2003-2012, due in part to POPULATION 937,500 HDI 62.99 (2017) growth in natural gas industry [BP Indonesia Tangguh liquid 57 GDP USD 4.38 billion 3 natural gas (LNG) project] & related sectors, & government (2016, base year 2010) 2 Deforestation spending following creation of province GINI 0.390 (2017) GDP TRILLIONS IDR FREL 40 • WP rural poverty rate (35%; 2017) is more than 2x the MAIN ECONOMIC 2 Manufacturing & national average & wealth is concentrated in urban areas; ACTIVITIES other industry Extraction of infrastructure development aims
    [Show full text]
  • American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
    Approved in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic June 14, 2016 During the Forty-sixth Ordinary Period of Sessions of the OAS General Assembly AMERICAN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Organization of American States General Secretariat Secretariat of Access to Rights and Equity Department of Social Inclusion 1889 F Street, NW | Washington, DC 20006 | USA 1 (202) 370 5000 www.oas.org ISBN 978-0-8270-6710-3 More rights for more people OAS Cataloging-in-Publication Data Organization of American States. General Assembly. Regular Session. (46th : 2016 : Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples : AG/RES.2888 (XLVI-O/16) : (Adopted at the thirds plenary session, held on June 15, 2016). p. ; cm. (OAS. Official records ; OEA/Ser.P) ; (OAS. Official records ; OEA/ Ser.D) ISBN 978-0-8270-6710-3 1. American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2016). 2. Indigenous peoples--Civil rights--America. 3. Indigenous peoples--Legal status, laws, etc.--America. I. Organization of American States. Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity. Department of Social Inclusion. II. Title. III. Series. OEA/Ser.P AG/RES.2888 (XLVI-O/16) OEA/Ser.D/XXVI.19 AG/RES. 2888 (XLVI-O/16) AMERICAN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (Adopted at the third plenary session, held on June 15, 2016) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, RECALLING the contents of resolution AG/RES. 2867 (XLIV-O/14), “Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” as well as all previous resolutions on this issue; RECALLING ALSO the declaration “Rights of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas” [AG/DEC.
    [Show full text]
  • Concept Note and Agenda REGIONAL MEETING on ETHNICITY and HEALTH in the AMERICAS 7-8 December 2015 Introduction Available Data
    Concept note and agenda REGIONAL MEETING ON ETHNICITY AND HEALTH IN THE AMERICAS 7-8 December 2015 Introduction Available data indicates that indigenous and afrodescent peoples are amongst the most marginalized populations of the region, encountering considerable challenges with regards to social and health conditions and with higher levels of rurality or urban marginality, unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy. They have less access to, and lower utilization of, health services, particularly quality health services, as compared to the rest of the population. Therefore, their health outcomes are poorer, presenting greater morbidity and mortality both from communicable and chronic diseases as well as external causes. Since 1993, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) approved significant Resolutions to address these challenges and to advance the work on ethnicity and health in the region. In 1993, Member States reached consensus in recognizing the deficits in both living conditions and health among the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The Resolution 1 aimed to implement the SAPIA initiative (Health of the Indigenous Peoples Initiative of the Americas) and was reinforced by other two Resolutions on indigenous peoples approved in 1997 and 2006 2. The Strategy for Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage, approved in 2014, specifically refers to indigenous and afro-descendant as some of the most affected groups facing problems of exclusion and lack of access to appropriate quality services. In addition, at global levels, there has been increasing attention to indigenous and afrodescent issues: the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) was held at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2014.
    [Show full text]
  • KNOTLESS NETTING in AMERICA and OCEANIA T HE Question Of
    116 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [N. s., 37, 1935 48. tcdbada'b stepson, stepdaughter, son or KNOTLESS NETTING IN AMERICA daughter of wife's brother or sis­ AND OCEANIA By D. S. DAVIDSON ter, son or daughter of husband's brother or sister: reciprocal to the HE question of trans-Pacific influences in American cultureshas been two preceding terms 49. tcdtsa'pa..:B T seriously debated for a number of years. Those who favor a trans­ step~grandfather, husband of oceanic movement have pointed out many resemblances and several grandparent's'sister 50. tCLlka 'yaBB striking similarities between certain culture traits of the New World and step-grandmother, wife of grand­ Oceania. The theory of a historical relationship between these appearances parent's brother 51. tcde'batsal' is based upon the hypothesis that independent invention and convergence step-grandchild, grandchild of speaker's wife's (or speaker's hus­ in development are not reasonable explanations either for the great number band's) brother or sister: recipro­ of resemblances or for the certain complexities found in the two areas. c~l to the two preceding terms The well-known objections to the trans-Pacific diffusion theory can 52. tsi.J.we'bats husband Or wife of grandchild of be summarized as follows: speaker or speaker's brother or 1. That many of the so-called similarities at best are only resemblances sister; term possibly reciprocal between very simple traits which might be independently invented or 53. tctlsxa'xaBll son-in-law or daughter-in-law of discovered. speaker's wife's brother or sister, 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Kiribati National Voluntary Review and Kiribati Development Plan Mid
    Formatted: Justified Kiribati Voluntary National Review and Kiribati Development Plan Mid-Term Review New-York, July 2018 FOREWORD I am honoured to present this first Kiribati Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Voluntary National Review Report (VNR). The VNR has provided us with an opportunity to take stock of our current stage of development and assess where our future plans will take us. It is a chance for us to engage all the people of Kiribati in helping to shape our development story to the world. It is for this reason that we have made extensive efforts to engage with our community and service organisations, the private sector, religious bodies, development partners, and all levels of government. This report is truly a product of collaboration and partnership. Effective implementation through partnership is respected by Government. Government engages NGOs, CBOs and the private sector in many of its national committees and task forces. This is also enabling ownership of development by the community. International and Regional partnership is equally important for Kiribati, and is partner/signatory committed to a number of regional and international conventions such as the Istanbul Plan of Action, the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway and the Framework for Pacific Regionalism. Our national scorecard, embodied in the Kiribati Development Plan (KDP) 2016-2019, is fully integrated with the SDGs, and groups goals into six Key Policy Areas as a way of localising the SDGs into Kiribati activities. Now that we are at the mid-point of implementing the KDP it is an opportune time to review our progress on our development agenda thus far.
    [Show full text]
  • Indigenous Navigation in the Pacific
    Hokkaido Vladivostok New York Philadelphia Beijing North Korea Sea of Tianjin Japan P'yongyang Sacramento Washington Seoul Japan Honshu NORTH San Francisco United States of America China South Tokyo Nagoya Korea Pusan Osaka Los Angeles PACIFIC Cheju-Do Shikoku San Diego Shanghai Kyushu OCEAN New Orleans Guadalupe Island (Mex.) Midway Baja Ryukyu Ogasawara- Islands (US) California Trench Okinawa-Jima (Jap.) Gunto (Jap.) Gulf of Miami Minami-Tori- Hawaiian Islands (US) Shima (Jap.) Mexico Havana Taiwan Kauai Cuba Oahu Mexico Hainan Dao Honolulu Guadalajara Jamaica Mariana Mexico Northern Wake Island (US) Hawaii Revillagigedo Island (Mex.) Kingston Philippine Ridge Belize South Luzon Mariana Islands Johnston Atoll (US) China Sea (US) Guatemala Honduras Manila Saipan Sea Guam (US) Marshall Islands El Salvador Nicaragua Philippines Enewetak Managua Costa Rica Panama Yap Islands Micronesia San José Palawan Ratak Clipperton Island (Fr.) Mindanao Pohnpei Chain Davao Melekeok Satawai Panama Chuuk Palikir Majuro Palmyra Atoll (US) Ralik Cocos Islands (CR) Brunei Palau Kosrae Chain Malaysia Line Malpelo Island (Col.) Federated States of Micronesia Gilbert Islands Howland Island (US) Islands Colombia Halmahera Kalimantan Tarawa Baker Island (US) Bismarck Archipelago Quito Jarvis Island (US) Galapagos Islands (Ec.) Sulawesi New Ireland Nauru Guayaquil Phoenix Islands Kiribati Malden Rabaul Ecuador Seram New Guinea Papua Bougainville Solomon Nanumea Vaiaku Indonesia New Guinea New Britain Santa Isabel Islands Polynesia Surabaya Funafuti Marquesas Islands
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Final Act of the Multilateral High-Level
    FINAL ACT OF THE MULTILATERAL HIGH-LEVEL CONFERENCE ON THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF HIGHLY MIGRATORY FISH STOCKS IN THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL PACIFIC I. INTRODUCTION 1. Following the entry into force, on 16 November 1994, of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency, in December 1994, convened a multilateral high-level conference on South Pacific tuna fisheries. The broad objective of the conference was to promote responsible fishing operations for fishing vessels operating in the South Pacific region, particularly in the light of the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks and the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Subsequently, following the adoption, in 1995, of the United Nations Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 Relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, a second multilateral conference was convened in June 1997 in order to consider issues relating to the establishment of a regional mechanism for the conservation and management of highly migratory fish stocks. That conference agreed that further sessions of the conference should be convened with a view to the establishment of a regional mechanism for conservation and management of the highly migratory fish stocks of the Western and Central Pacific within an overall time-frame of three years from June 1997.1 II. SESSIONS
    [Show full text]
  • Post Office Box 21, Vavaya Ridge, Honiara, Solomon Islands
    NATIONAL SITUATION REPORT 02: Tinakula Volcano Print NATIONAL DISASTER COUNCIL National Disaster Management Office Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology Post Office Box 21, Vavaya Ridge, Honiara, Solomon Islands Phone: (677) 27937, Mobile: 7410874, Fax: (677) 24293 or 27060 E-mail : [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) NATIONAL SITUATION REPORT 02 Event: Tinakula Volcanic Eruption Date of Issue: 26th October 2017 Time of Issue: 15:30 PM Approved by: N-DOC Chair Issued By: SLB NEOC Next Update: As information become available Sitrep Ref: SR261017002 A. HIGHLIGHTS Volcanic Ash fall is concentrated on Tinakula Island, however, spread over nearby Islands because of the influence of the wind direction Uncertainity on the usage of rain water and bore catchment for household purposes. Signs of complication are now initially reported from some of the villages,this includes, diarrhoea, red eye, skin rush, vomit, and Cough. An Initial Situation Overview (ISO) report has been completed and will be distributed. Outcomes focus on water, health, livelihood, Education and Protection. Water bottles are planned to be shipped to affected communities. A Geologist are deployed to Temotu to monitor the activity SIG Met aviation warning is lifted. N-DOC Health committee are activated and currently supporting the response The estimated population which are expected to be affected is 11,500, however, this can be varied in the coming days as verification continues. Reef Islands and the Polynesian outlayers are most the most vulnerable. 40 Tons of food supply was deployed to Tikopia, Duff and Anuta due to the ongoing food security issues due to the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Donna early this year.
    [Show full text]