Niue Elections: Drumming Up Support on Niue

Niue Blog - The dash to impress voters is on. In the last few days lead-up to the islands general election several candidates have purchased TV air time. Promises include baby payments, annual cost of living  adjustments for public servants and more money allocated for health, education and alternative energy projects. Popular marketing methods include T-shirts, brochures and posters.None of the 17 common roll nor village candidates withdrew from the contest during the statutory time allowed. Broadcasting Corporation Niue is offering candidates a 1-5min one-off advertisment free but additional broadcasts must be paid for.
Polling booths will be set up in each village around the island and open Saturday May 7th 9am to 6pm.

Niue Elections: You Decide Who You Want To Govern.

Niue Blog - With the list of nominations announced for the upcoming Niue Island general elections there is unlikely to be many changes in the island's legislative assembly.
About 650 voters will go to the polls on May 7 to choose six common roll members and elect village members where a vote is required.
Unless any nominations are withdrawn it looks like  Tamakoutoga, Avatele, Vaiea, Liku, Namukulu  and Tuapa seats are safe for the sitting candidates.
In Alofi South, Dalton Tagelagi is being challenged by long time resident plumber Charlie Tongahai - the size of his family may ultimately test the result.
Former premeir Young Vivian will have his camapigning cut out in Hakupu to ensure defeat of former MP and newspaper owner Michael Jackson and Niue Public Service member Malua Jackson. However family allegiences to the challengers are likely to split the vote.
In Lakepa, Kupa Magataogia the sitting MP who has worked hard to develop a community centre and accommodation facility, will be hard to topple although there are two factions in the village. The combatant is Togalilo Konelio.
Mutalau's Bill Vakaafi faces police prosecutor Makaseau Ioane in a shake down. Vakaafi is a former Cabinet Minister and has been active in village farming development.
Past MP Lilivika Muimataga who defeated Dion Taufitu in the Toi constitutency by one vote in the 2005 vote and quit at the last election is back on the hustings along with Hamouli Kaulima a great boxer in his day.
Makefu's ulumatua Charlie Tohovaka , long time public servant, is picked to get favoured over sitting MP Tofua Puletama and Salilo Tongia.
In Alofi North Vaainga Tukuitoga who has held the seat for many years is predicted to be returned although Rozzlyn Hipa a fitness trainer will no doubt give her a good work out.
The common roll with 17 nominees is unlikely to change too much with punters picking Toke Talagi, Terry Coe, Grace Sisilia Talagi, Esther Pavihi and Togia Sioneholo, and Maihetoe Hekau  back in the Assembly benches.
The interest will then turn to the election of a premier... but don't expect any miracles. Hopefully there will be some serious challenge  for the leadership just to add a bit of interest to the election. The leader is chosen by the Assembly as is the Speaker who will be a new face following the retirement of Atapana Siakimotu.

*Special coverage of Niue Elections by Niue Blog

MDGs and development journalism

by Susan Alexander |

As a communicator, the Millennium Development Goals have been both a blessing and burden. The Goals have taken a long time to get any traction in the media. After the 2005 Gleneagles Summit they penetrated the discourse of the “international community”. Amongst activists popular understanding and support for the MDGs was generated through actions like the Stand Up mobilizations, with massive involvement by Southern citizens. IPS worked intensively in its capacity as a development-focused news agency to use the MDGs as a way to get more space and attention for the core issues, and worked with journalists, partners and other media to strengthen communication capacity and impact.
Today such vanguard efforts are being replicated by other news outlets and partners, but with much still to be achieved. For general audiences the MDGs are, at best, jargon to be explained. A recent study of mainstream European newspapers showed just 3.5% of total coverage devoted to development co-operation, and most of that about disaster relief. Using the MDGs as an entry point for development journalism is a good approach but it is still a formidable challenge to get space and attention for development.
On the one hand they provide a simple story hook and a straightforward benchmark.  However, since the underlying issues, debates and measurements are necessarily complex, contested and contentious the headline achievements are only ever that – the headline. Reporting substantively on poverty, health, education and empowerment is as challenging as it ever was.
In 2010 it is hard to hear a shared narrative coming through. What is the story of success and failure that the “international community” wants to tell and what does the future hold? As the 2015 deadline approaches the Goals themselves are less compelling as a framing device and so the question is really what next?

Susan Alexander is Director of Operations at Inter Press Service (IPS).

PADJ partners up with APJC

PADJ has forged a partnership with the Asia Pacific Journalism Centre based in Melbourne, Australia to assist the training of journalists to report on development issues. The first training will be on climate change and the environment.
Interested participants can email PADJ at padjournalists@gmail.com.

PADJ in UN REDD consultation

PADJ was invited to take part in consultations by the UN on UN REDD.

About the UN-REDD Programme

The UN-REDD Programme is the United Nations Collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries. The Programme was launched in September 2008 to assist developing countries prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies, and builds on the convening power and expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Support to Countries
The Programme currently has 29 partner countries spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, of which 13 are receiving support to National Programme activities. These 13 countries are: Bolivia, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ecuador, Indonesia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Viet Nam and Zambia. To-date, the UN-REDD Programme’s Policy Board has approved a total of US$55.4 million for its nine initial pilot countries and four new countries (Cambodia, Ecuador, the Philippines and Solomon Islands). These funds help to support the development and implementation of national REDD+ strategies. National Programmes in seven UN-REDD Programme countries are now in their implementation phase (Bolivia, DRC, Indonesia, Panama, Tanzania, Viet Nam and Zambia).
UN-REDD Programme countries not receiving direct support to national programmes engage with the Programme in a number of ways, including as observers to the Programme's Policy Board, and through participation in regional workshops and knowledge sharing, facilitated by the Programme’s interactive online workspace. These countries are: Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Gabon, Guatemala, Guyana, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka and Sudan. 

PADJ takes part in UN Gender consultation

PADJ participated in the Pacific consultation on the role of the media in gender issues in the Pacific. According to UNWomen, in Asia and the Pacific region, UN Women’s work focuses on achieving gender equality in democratic governance and on reducing feminized poverty and exclusion through the realization of women's human rights and human security. Particular emphasis lies on migrant women workers in the whole region, women's political participation in the Pacific, and human trafficking as well as HIV and AIDS in South East Asia and the Pacific.

PADJ member wins MDG story award

Selina Navuso, a Member of the Pacific Alliance of Development Journalists  won a United Naitons development journalist prize last week for a development story on Fiji. The MDG Story awards were judged by the heads of the United Nations Pacific Centre as well as the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

PADJ Founding Member Cherelle Jackson also won an award for MDG story in the print category.