The Ministry of Agriculture has today received a funding of $109,589.30 to facilitate rehabilitation works for Tropical Cyclone Mick in the form of seedlings, weedicides and planting materials from the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP).

Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Mason Smith said a total of 15,000 farmers in the Central and Western Divisions respectively will benefit from this rehabilitation program.

"The provision of the funding assistance was also used to procure 360,000 kumala cuttings at a cost of $18,000,

This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2009

In brief

Programme summary: The Pacific region experienced both large and small disasters in 2009. In the first two months of the year, Pacific Red Cross national societies responded to flooding in Fiji caused by a tropical depression; flooding caused by sea swells in Papua New Guinea and Kiribati; and devastating bushfires in Australia. Later in the year, teams were mobilized to provide immediate relief and ongoing psychological support to survivors of the sinking of the Princess

Ministry of Information

The Ministry of Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will conduct a training for trainers for Gender, Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change at Tanoa Plaza today.

The training is targeted at Government ministries working in the areas of disaster risk management, vulnerable communities, and community outreach officers affiliated to these departments.

The objective of the training is to familiarise Government officials and field staff with key concepts associated with

An American visitor to Fiji donated $4000 to the Prime Minister's Cyclone Relief fund.

Mr Jimmy Phong, owner of the Welco Supermarket in Sacramento, California recently visited Fiji during the height of Cyclone Mick and saw the devastation it had caused.

Touched by the friendly hospitality of Fiji, Mr Phong returned to America and immediately sent the donation to his business associate Mr Yaswant Singh who together with Fiji's Consular to San Francisco Dr Narayan Raju presented the donation to Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.

Mr Singh told PM Bainimarama that fund

This report covers the period 1 July 2009 to 31 December 2009

In brief

Programme summary:

The last six months have been marked by a number of small and large scale disasters in the Pacific region. The Red Cross Societies of Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji have responded to the needs of communities affected by a devastating earthquake and tsunami, a sunken Ferry, a triple epidemic (cholera, dysentery and influenza), a volcano eruption, floods and a cyclone. Pre-positioned emergency relief items in each country meant that help was immediately at hand for

S'inscrivant dans l'effort de solidarité qui s'est manifesté en Océanie suite aux dégâts majeurs causés par le passage du cyclone MICK sur les Iles Fidji le 15 décembre dernier, le gouvernement français a décidé de l'attribution d'une aide d'urgence d'un montant de 50 000 euros au bénéfice de la Croix-Rouge des Iles Fidji.

Cette aide directe du gouvernement français à l'effort de reconstruction et de réhabilitation des zones sinistrées vient en complément au soutien aérien apporté par les Forces françaises en Nouvelle-Calédonie (FANC), qui avaient effectué dès le samedi 19 décembre

Australia will provide $100,000 in assistance to Fiji for the adverse consequences of the impact of Cyclone Mick, which caused significant damage to Fiji's main island, Viti Levu, on 14 December.

The cyclone caused heavy rainfall, strong winds and some flooding.

Fiji authorities have reported that four people have died.

Australia is concerned for the welfare of all those affected by Cyclone Mick and will offer appropriate assistance to help the people of Fiji.

This funding will provide for the immediate distribution and replenishment of relief and sanitation supplies and to

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No.1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid, and in particular Article 2(f) and Article 15(2) thereof;

Whereas:

(1) The Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world, particularly exposed to natural disasters such as cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tidal surges, landslides, flash floods, droughts, forest fires, volcano eruptions, as well as epidemics;

(2) Local communities are particularly