COVID-19

2021 Pacific Update – Day 2

Crawford School of Public Policy | Development Policy Centre
2021 Pacific Update

Event details

Conference

Date & time

Thursday 23 September 2021
9.00am–3.30pm

Venue

Online via Zoom

Speaker

Various speakers

Contacts

Arichika Okazaki
02 6125 6805

Hosted by the Australian National University’s Development Policy Centre and The University of the South Pacific’s School of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Pacific Update is the premier forum for discussion of current economic, social, political, and environmental issues in the region.

» download PDF program
» view abstracts

Presentations

Day 1 – Wednesday 22 September

Welcome

Pal Ahluwalia, Vice-Chancellor, The University of the South Pacific
» watch livestream replay (1:25–7:30)

Politics and regionalism

» watch livestream replay (12:15–1:09:20)

Chair: Terence Wood, Research Fellow, Development Policy Centre, ANU

2022 PNG elections: Expectations, predictions, and concerns from participants
Michael Kabuni, Russel Kitau Jr, and Minetta Daniella Kakarere, The University of Papua New Guinea
» view presentation

Fault lines for unrest in the Pacific: Youth, livelihoods and land rights in driving and mitigating conflict
Aidan Craney, La Trobe University
» view presentation

Declaration on preserving maritime zones in the face of climate change-related sea-level rise
Henry Puna, Secretary General and Filimon Manoni, Deputy Secretary General, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
» read speech

Arts Presentation from The University of the South Pacific’s Oceania Centre of Arts and Culture

Cultural industries : Contemporary art in small island nations
Lingikoni Vaka’uta, followed by a virtual exhibition
» watch livestream replay (1:12:25–1:31:51)

Food security and supply chains

» watch livestream replay

Chair: Vijay Naidu, The University of the South Pacific

Understanding changing land use patterns in response to disaster on the peri-urban fringe of Port Vila
Andrew MacKenzie, The University of the South Pacific – Vanuatu Campusa
» view presentation

Factors affecting food choice and food environment during COVID-19 – A cross sectional study in Samoa
Ramona Boodoosingh, National University of Samoa, Sarah Burkhart and Dana Craven, Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research at University of the Sunshine Coast, Leslie Panapa, National University of Samoa
» view presentation

COVID-19, domestic agricultural supply chain and food security: The case of Fiji
Salesh Kumar, Fiji National University and Neelesh Gounder, The University of the South Pacific
» view presentation

Day 2 – Thursday 23 September

Welcome and keynote

» watch livestream replay (0:25–32:00)

Stephen Howes, Director, Development Policy Centre

Building a secure, inclusive Pacific – addressing gender inequality in COVID-19 times
Fiona Hukula, Gender Specialist, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
» read speech

Gender

» watch livestream replay (32:00–1:40:25)

Chair: Sandra Tarte, Acting Head, School of Law and Social Sciences, The University of the South Pacific

Voters’ perceptions of women as leaders in leadership in Tonga
Ungatea Kata, Tupou Tertiary Institute, Vanessa Lolohea, Tonga National Youth Congress, and Mereani Rokotuibau, Balance of Power
» view presentation

Leadership Matters: Benchmarking women’s business leadership in the Pacific
Sarah Boxall, Asian Development Bank, Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative
» view presentation
» download PDF report

Factors that instigate intimate partner violence in the National Capital District, PNG
Minetta Daniella Kakarere, The University of Papua New Guinea
» view presentation

Arts Presentation from The University of the South Pacific’s Oceania Centre of Arts and Culture

Representations of artists from the islands versus Pacific artists in the diaspora
Lingikoni Vaka’uta, followed by a virtual exhibition
» watch livestream replay (1:40:40–1:54:38)

Economics

» watch livestream replay

Chair: Ryan Edwards, Deputy Director and Fellow, Development Policy Centre, ANU

The private sector in a pandemic – a Vanuatu case study
Liz Pechan, International Finance Corporation
» view presentation

Reducing poverty through cash transfers in the Pacific
Christopher Hoy, World Bank

Fiji economy: Challenges and path to recovery
Janesh Sami, The University of the South Pacific
» view presentation

Day 3 – Friday 24 September

Welcome and keynote

» watch livestream replay (0:20–34:20)

Charlotte Blundell, Acting First Assistant Secretary, Pacific Economic and Development Division, Office of the Pacific, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

COVID-19 in the Pacific: where to from here?
Meru Sheel, Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
» view presentation

Agriculture

» watch livestream replay (34:55–1:39:05)

Chair: Charlotte Bedford, Research Fellow, Development Policy Centre, ANU

Agri-food systems knowledge and skills exchange between Australia and the Pacific through circular migration: Experiences from Seasonal Worker Programme participants
Federico Davila, Institute for Sustainable Futures at University of Technology Sydney, Olivia Dun, The University of Melbourne, Carol Farbotko, CSIRO, Brent Jacobs, Institute for Sustainable Futures at University of Technology Sydney, and Natascha Klocker, University of Wollongong
» view presentation

Impact of COVID-19 on production and trade direction of high value ‘niche’ crop products in small Island countries: A case study of Fiji
Nandakumar M. Desai, Abdul Kader, Sonny Lameta, The University of the South Pacific – Samoa Campus, Vinod Naik, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, India, Leslie T. Ubaub and Irene R. Chand, The University of the South Pacific – Samoa Campus
» view presentation

Local coalitions for economic recovery and food security – experiences from Vanuatu
Ellis Silas and Jilda Shem, Vanuatu Skills Partnership
» view presentation

Arts Presentation from The University of the South Pacific’s Oceania Centre of Arts and Culture

What is the inspiration of creativity in the islands and the notion of quality
Lingikoni Vaka’uta, followed by a virtual exhibition
» watch livestream replay (1:39:05–1:55:45)

Health systems

» watch livestream replay

Chair: Colin Wiltshire, Research Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, ANU

Strengthening fragile health systems: The case of Fiji
Neil Sharma, Medical Practitioner, Suva
» view presentation

COVID-19 in PNG
Shane Stockil and Natalie Gray, International SOS
» view presentation

Reversing the NCD trend in the Pacific: Promising results from a three-year pilot, testing behaviour science applications and ‘edutainment’ to address Pacific’s most intractable problem
Simona Achitei, DT Global, and Aya Vang, Busara Centre for Behaviour Economics
» view presentation

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