UNICEF resumes its commitment of support to Hela

PORT MORESBY, 22 JUNE 2018 - UNICEF is preparing to resume response and recovery support to earthquake affected communities in Hela after conflict and violence forced UNICEF, aid and relief workers, and other UN agencies to briefly relocate in April as a security precautionary measure.

Aid nurse with UNICEF, Martina screens two-year-old Shenilda’s arm for malnutrition at Tate village, Southern Highlands.  UNICEF is supporting a child health programme that has screened more than 8000 children for severe acute malnutrition. The programme is ongoing in two districts of Southern Highlands: Mendi-Munihu and Nipa-Kutubu, where 32 children have been identified and  are being treated.UNICEF is supporting a child health programme that has screened more than 8000 children for severe acute malnutrition. The programme is ongoing in two districts of Southern Highlands: Mendi-Munihu and Nipa-Kutubu, where 32 children have been identified and  are being treated.

Over 115,000 children under the age of 18 including some 32,000 under five years and close to 8,000 infants are expected to directly benefit from health, nutrition, education, child protection and water, sanitation and hygiene activities that UNICEF will support the Government to implement in Hela.

At a partnership review meeting held on June 8 with local partners - Catholic Diocese of Mendi, Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority, Caritas, Provincial Child and Family Welfare Services and the Provincial Education Department - UNICEF reiterated its commitment to fulfill its humanitarian obligations to the children of Hela and Southern Highlands provinces.

UNICEF and partners pose for a photo following the review meeting held at the Catholic Diocese of Mendi on Friday, June 8, 2018.

“We are happy to be able to go back to Hela where we will continue to work with the Government and our partners to provide much needed assistance to the children who desperately need help.

"We have been working together since the earthquakes devastated communities and destroyed li)velihoods and we intend to continue our support,” UNICEF Representative, David Mcloughlin said after the review meeting.

Mcloughlin added that a two-month integrated child health campaign planned to kick off in mid-July will provide immunisation and nutrition services for.children while the establishment of Child Friendly Spaces will offer psychosocial support to children who have been traumatised by the earthquakes.

“Children from badly damaged schools will be able to continue their education through Temporary Learning Spaces that we will support our partners to set up.

"We will also provide water tanks and
construct Ventilated Improved Pits (VIP) latrines in these schools to promote good hygiene and sanitation practices,” Mcloughlin said.

Aye Win (UNICEF WASH Specialist), Sam ­Walne (Catholic Diocese of Mendi programme manager) discussing pit latrine construction issues with John Wanpis, the teacher in charge at Kundaka Elementary School, during the inspection of the new latrines under construction. Kundaka is one of 10 schools in the province to have recently benefited from the partnership between UNICEF and the Catholic Diocese of Mendi.

To date, UNICEF’s on-going response and recovery support in Southern Highlands and Hela provinces has seen more than 2000 children continue their education in 20 Temporary Learning Spaces with education supplies that UNICEF provided for teachers and students.

Over 8000 children have been screened for Severe Acute Malnutrition, and more than 9000 children vaccinated while 12,000 children received deworming tablets.

More than 3000 children now have access to safe water and proper toilets after UNICEF distributed water tanks to 10 schools and constructed VIP latrines for students.

Many more children and women received psychosocial support and referral services under a Learning and Empowerment project that the UN in partnership with the Australian Government supports.

UNICEF has been providing ongoing response and recovery support in Southern Highlands since March following February’s 7.5 magnitude earthquake and numerous aftershocks that hit four provinces and caused major devastation in Southern Highlands and Hela provinces killing more than 100 people and injuring many more.

Hela has many mountains of underdevelopment to climb：A message to the people.of Hela from James Marape

by JAMES MARAPE

I appeal to our citizens in Angore , Hides and Komo areas to cease the use of threats, intimidation and guns as a means of getting your grievances heard and settled, 

I say this in light of the blockage and looting that took place on the fringes of Angore and Hides gas fields yesterday.

I know the present issue they have is a K20 million claim for Angore township and another K12 million for their business development grant allocated in 2011, which is presently locked in court by the doing of one of their own tribesmen.

Our people must restrain from threats and intimidation.

 if genuine issues remain outstanding, then civilised dialogue is the way to go for us now and into the future.

Whilst there might be some elements of genuineness in those issues raised, the continuous use of unlawful means to secure attention is repulsive.

This in the face of many issues our Government must handle not only for Hela and Southern Highlands, but the entire country.

The O’Neill-Abel Government is not far from you landowners.

In fact, on record we are the most-fulfilling Government in the history of our nation responding  to the plight of many of our landowner issues.

This not only in oil and gas areas but mining as well in terms of delivering to outstanding commitments.

The  O’Neill Gvernment has signature policies like greater free carry equity empowerments.

For Hela and Southern Highlands, our gas and oil fields have been producing since 1990.

Yet,only after 2012 are we seeing serious signs of development happening or about to happen. 

Has Tari ever seen a sealed road?

 No,but it started to happen after 2012.

From what I am told, the Halimbu-Nogoli Road sealing was to have seen its first laying of bitumen yesterday but the uprisings of Angore forced its closure again. 

This project was awarded in 2015, but lawlessness continues to hamper work.

I appeal to our local leaders of youths, clans, and PDLs as well as leaders of facility site areas like Komo and the Pina plant site：Use myself and my two colleague MPs and our Governor to be your middlemen with National Government in a peaceful way to get your grievances out to National Government. 

If genuine legitimate commitments aren’t responded to, then I will be the first to support you tribesmen for court action as a final resort but not the use of violence and destructions.

So far, I have received no invitation personally to hear your issues and relay to Government.

How then can you say Government has not been responsive,hence your resort to lawlessness?

I am again opening my office to our people in Hela to channel your issues through,  instead of your continuous use of threats.

One day soon your guns will be rendered useless.

Mark my word as the hand of Government is much much longer then what many of you think.

In July I will take officers from national departments through our project areas in Hela to hear you again.

We will also tell you all how we are going in as far as getting your due benefits in royalties and equities.

One-off payments like outstanding commitments will disappear.

You only have to see how your cousins from PDL 1 and 7 have used up K20million and K15million respectively into thin air just this year.

I ask you all to be fair to the Government, assist us get the clan-vetting complete and we start to get your entitlements out to you all. 

For your other issues, please channel through me and Governor Philip Undialu plus our two other colleagues in Minister Petrus Thomas and Vice -Minister Manase Makiba to pass on to Government. 

Our Government is in office, hence why are you evading us?

I ask you all to remove blockages and we work through the normal channels of dialogue again. 

This Thursday my office will facilitate a meeting between all concerned leaders of project areas.

 I encourage you all to meet us to air issues of common concerns and we collectively map a way forward. 

Sometimes,answers may be right in front of us yet our differences of opinion, including politics, continue being blockages.

Hela has many mountains of underdevelopment to climb.

Hence we all cannot afford the luxury of differences to hinder us.

There is no long-term winner in an environment of differences.

Marape commends leaders for working for peace in Tari-Pori

Tari- Pori leaders are showing partnership and teamwork to bring peace and also arrest of murderers and associates of crime at the community level，says MP James Marape.

Tari-Pori MP James Marape (third from left in front row) with local leaders during one of a series of meetings in the district.

He is back in the district to witness handing over of five suspects of the murder of late Lae Tagobe, a councilor of Ajukali Ward 1 in Pori.
”Real work and effort was put in by the local leadership of other village leaders and youths,” Marape said.
“Other councillors of Pori LLG - Cr Pipe, Cr Agiru, Cr Hebale and Cr Belo - led by local Tade councillor Timothy Lembo and Pori President Charlie Apalu were also instrumental.
“Great commendation to leaders and people of Pori for working for peace in their district.“
Marape is  spending a week  in his electorate linking up with village elders from all over Tari-Pori  who have been working to bring warring factions to the table.
This  includes bringing to police various murderers in the electorate.
“Iam now mobilising elders and youths of electorate who want peace，” Marape said.
" Hulis have traditional dispute resolution methods，yet these are not being embraced in Hela， with fullest working of modern law and justice sector.
"The basic structure of peace resolution in my electorate is to be restored with 79 ward  structures, which should link to modern village courts and higher courts， including ensuring that police and Correctional Service are correctly functioning in Hela."

LinkPNG resumes flights to Tari on Monday

The people of Tari and Hela have been urged to take ownership of Tari Airport as it reopens to larger aircraft on Monday.

Hela Provincial Administrator William Bando,National Airports Corporation Deputy Chairman Jerry Agus, Link PNG General Manager Bruce Alabaster and NAC CEO Richard Yopo at the annoucement of resumption of flights to Tari.

Deputy National Airports Corporation chairman Jerry Agus made the call yesterday in front of Hela provincial administrator William Bando, LinkPNG (Air Niugini subsidiary) general-manager Bruce Alabaster, NAC chief executive officer Richard Yopo and contractor Micah Vines of Parohu Engineers..
Tari Airport has been closed to Dash-8 aircraft for the last three months because of ongoing lawlessness in the Hela capital, as well as damage caused by the Feb 26 earthquake.
“Airport infrastructure is important for all of us,” Agus said.
“This is especially so for the citizens of this country.
“Due to the unforgiving terrain of the country, air transport is very important.
“Those of us who already have airports really need to look after them, because airports, and the aerodrome area, is highly-regulated area.
“There must not be any interference or disturbance around the airport area.
“It is very important for all stakeholders, especially the landowners, and people living in and around the airport, to really look this facility.
“National Airports Corporation cannot compromise the safety and security of all our operators who are operating on these airports, and the safety and security of our passengers.
“If we get any reports, or anything of any nature about disturbance of anything around the airport, we have no choice but to put a temporary closure or stop.”
Alabaster said LinkPNG operated by rules and safety.
“As an example, Air Niugini cancelled flights to Buka for quite an extended period of time because the approach lights had been vandalised,” he said.
“It’s the people of Buka who suffered because of that vandalism.
“This is right through across the country.
“If you feel frustration, or feel anger, don’t take it out on the State assets.
“State assets are there for you, your community and wantoks.”
Alabaster commended NAC and the Hela government for making it possible to resume flights to Tari.
“We’ll now recommence flights back into Tari on Monday,” he said.
“Flights are back to normal schedule on Monday.
“We’ll be operating our Dash-8 aircraft back into Tari again.”
Bando thanked NAC and Link-PNG for restoring air services to Tari.
He said the Hela government spent K160,000 to upgrade the airport.
“I appeal to our people to look after airport infrastructure and temporary fencing,” Bando said.
“Bigger things will only happen when we look after smaller things.”