October 23, 2009 The Marshall Islands proudly hosted the 2nd Pacific Climate Change Roundtable (PCCR) and the UNFCCC Consultations from October 19-23, sponsored by the RMI Government and the Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) with financial support from Governments of Switzerland, Australia and Republic of China-Taiwan.  The islands welcomed approximately 50 delegates, educators and media from various islands in the Pacific including Australia, United States, ROC Taiwan and Japan.  It is anticipated that the outcomes of the meetings will “feed in to the regional preparatory process for climate change negotiations in the region, in particular the Pacific Islands Forum, the SPREP Annual Meeting and the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, make specific recommendations on capacity (human, financial and institutional) constraints, inadequacies in policy making, assessment and enforcement mechanisms, lack of public awareness and understanding are some of the shared concerns affecting national and regional climate change response strategies and provide for an opportunity for the Pacific Island States (PICs) to discuss the progress in negotiations for COP-15 in Copenhagen, and to bring any particular concerns from the PCCR into that process.”

October 19, 2009 The Marshall Islands was represented by Mio Candle, Lucia Guavis and Iolani Alfred of the Marshall Islands Association of Handicraft Businesses, at the 22^nd Guam Micronesia Islands Fair which was held from October 16-18 on the beautiful island of Guam in Magnificent Micronesia.  Participants from all over Micronesia attended the annual event bringing in arts, crafts, local products and food from the islands.  The event was organized by the Guam Visitors Bureau through Ruder Integrated Marketing Strategies.  For more information, please contact Sally Malay, salmalay@gmail.com

Pictured here is Lucia Guavis of the ELEFA Handicrafts Shop located in Majuro, RMI.

ENTERTAINMENT MANAGER FOR PACIFIC PAVILION – SHANGHAI WORLD EXPO 2010
 
This is another exciting opportunity for a Pacifican at the Pacific Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai – an event that promises to be one of the greatest ever with 70 million visitors expected to pass through its’ gates next year.
 
Shanghai is at the centre of China’s stunning economic development and with emerging air links and other opportunities, Expo 2010 is in the right place at the right time to boost the profile of the Pacific’s tourism, trade, and cultural strengths.
 
south-pacific.travel is seeking applications from suitable individuals from the Pacific region to fill the role of Entertainment Manager – managing the 15 member  country entertainment programme for the Pacific Pavilion and, the Pacific entertainment programme at the Oceania Square at Expo 2010, Shanghai, from May 1st to October 31st.
 
The appointed person will be expected to have a proven and solid background in the performing arts, either as an entertainer, musician, artist, teacher or manager.  Ten years experience in the field would be preferred and a formal qualification would be an advantage.  The entertainment manager will be responsible for managing the performances of all cultural groups engaged by the 15 Pacific country participants at the Pacific pavilion during the 6 month period of this international event. 
 
The groups will range in number from 10 persons to 31 per group per country, with some countries hoping to send a different group each month.  Performers will consist of singers and dancers, weavers, carvers, flower makers and other artisans.
 
The entertainment manager will ensure that rosters are in place for the 12 hour and 7 day operation period of Expo, that attendance of performers is punctual and recorded and that all necessary facilities are in place before and after each performance.  Priority will be given to the entertainment programme at the Pacific Pavilion, however Expo Park parades and daily shows will also be organised at the Oceania Square venue in concert with the Events Department.  Media experience would also be advantageous to the applicant. 
 
Tasks will include the recording and reporting of entertainers performances and attendances,  arranging of National Days entertainment for each country in association with the Pacific pavilion director and the celebrating country, assisting with entertainment promotions within the Pacific pavilion in association with the media and trade workshops, organising entertainment for the pacific pavilion’s VIP programme, monitoring the welfare of the performers outside of Expo Park, particularly in their halls of residence.  The entertainment manager will report to the Pacific pavilion director.   Knowledge of the People’s Republic of China and Chinese (Mandarin) language would be an advantage.
 
Interested parties are invited to submit applications with all relevant details of their entertainment background and qualifications with at least 3 references or names and contact details of 3 referees.  The successful applicant is expected to reside in Shanghai from April 25th 2010 to November 5th 2010.  All applications should be addressed to:
 
The Commissioner General of Pacific Pavilion Shanghai Expo
C/ south-pacific.travel
P O Box 13119
3rd Floor FNPF Place
Suva, Fiji Islands,
 
Or emailed to brganilau@spto.org (please restrict email size to maximum 500kbs).
 
The applications should be received by close of business on 15th November  2009. The Commissioner General’s decision on a successful applicant is final and no further correspondence will be entered into.
 
For further information, feel free to contact the Pacific Pavilion Director, Mrs Bernadette Rounds Ganilau on brganilau@spto.org or on telephone (679) 330 4177 or fax (679) 330 1995 
 

July 2009

This year the Marshalls Billfish Club board appointed All Micronesia Tournament Committee will be hosting the 17th Annual Budweiser All Micronesia Fishing Tournament here in Majuro Republic of the Marshall Islands.  The major sponsor of this 17th annual tournament is Budweiser (Ambros-Guam) with co-sponsorship by Deloitte and Ching Fu.  Other sponsors include ALRO, ACE International, Bank of Marshall Islands, Do it Best, ePacific, JoeMar Construction, KOOs, MALGov, Matson, MEC, MI Shipping Corporation, MIDB, MIMRA, MIR, MIVA, NTA, Office of the President, Pepsi, PII, RMI Ports Authority, RRE Hotel, Republic of China Taiwan, TCMI, V7AB.  Both the RRE Hotel and the Marshall Islands Resort are offering discount packages for our visitors which really help make traveling to Majuro a success.
 
At the moment visiting teams from Japan, Taiwan, Guam, Saipan, Pohnpei, Yap, Kosrae, Kwajalein and Samoa are set to compete in this event.  The team representing Majuro and the Marshalls Billfish Club will be the 2009 Atjang Paul Memorial Trophy winner Mr. Wally Milne Captain of Team Marah.
 
All teams will be competing for cash prizes totaling $6000.  Additionally, the teams will competing to see who will be the 17th Annual Budweiser All Micronesia Fishing Tournament Team Champions, the current tournament champions is held by Pohnpei.  In speaking with the Pohnpei team, they are determined to hold their title as the All Mike champions once again this year. With the All Micronesia Billfish record and all-around Marshall Islands record with there 794 pound pacific blue marlin on the last day of fishing of the 16th All-Mike last year you can be sure that the are itching to protect there record.
 
The challenge this year is to catch the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd biggest fish of marlin, tuna, wahoo, and barracuda.
 
The schedule for the event is as follows:
 
Friday September 4th 8:00 p.m.  Registration / Opening / Boat Draw / Meet
the Teams and Captains (RRE Boknake)
 
Saturday September 5th 7:00a.m. – 5:00p.m Shotgun Start / Fishing Day 1 (Uliga dock
Sunday September 6th 7:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. Shotgun Start / Fishing Day 2 (Uliga dock)
Monday September 7th 7:30p.m. Awards Banquet at the Marshall Islands Resort.
 
We invite the Majuro community to come out to the Shotgun starts as well as the weigh- in that will take place at Uliga dock on both Saturday and on Sunday.

PRESS RELEASE
                                                                 
PATA Micronesia Chapter 2nd Tri-Annually Meeting Announcement

Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands June 29, 2009 – The PATA Micronesia Chapter will hold its 2nd Tri-Annual meeting in the Republic of the Marshall Islands on July 13-14, 2009.  The meeting will be held in conjunction with the 11th Micronesia Chief Executives and 9th Presidents’ Summits, scheduled for July 13-17, 2009.  The PATA Micronesia Chapter was identified by the government leaders as the vehicle for regional tourism promotions and marketing therefore leads the Regional Tourism Committee. 

About the PATA Micronesia Chapter

The PATA Micronesia Chapter is one of more than 80 chapters internationally of travel and hospitality management companies. This network was formed in 1983 after many years as the Micronesian Regional Tourism Council, a collection of government tourism officers.  The birth of the PATA Chapter in Micronesia allowed it to recruit members of private tourism enterprises to further strength destination management practices across all segments of an island’s tourism industry.
The Micronesia chapter has 55 members in good standing who meet quarterly throughout the Micronesia region.  All costs are provided by members themselves with hosting or discounted hotel and lodging accommodations and airfare provided by chapter members.  The chapter has as its main mission the development of human resources in each member and launching marketing promotions applicable to all nations.

Further information may be obtained about the chapter by visiting its website: www.magnificentmicronesia.com

JAKI-ED:  MARSHALL ISLANDS CLOTHING MATS
 Second Annual Exhibition and Auction
September 24, 2008
Majuro, Marshall Islands, Micronesia
 
Upholding the tradition of being among the finest weavers in the Pacific islands this year’s  Jaki-ed clothing mat exhibition showed even finer weaving and a greater variety of designs than in 2007.
 
Created from pandanus, with overlays of banana, hibiscus and beach burr (ata ata) fibers these mats are condensed texts, aesthetic expressions of family rank, genealogy, wealth, spiritual and religious beliefs. Diamonds with crosses (star of the eye), parallel stripes (man and woman), zigzag lines (the wavy land of islands), lozenges (under belly of  turtles) symbolize social and economic relations, as well as the natural world surrounding these small atolls in the middle of the great Pacific Ocean.
 
 
The revitalization of weaving clothing mats Jaki-ed) started in Nov. 2006. Maria Kabua Fowler a traditional leader and activist and Dr. Irene Taafaki, Director of the Marshall Islands Campus of the University of the South Pacific, with the assistance of Mary Lou Foley in Honolulu, viewed the Bishop Museum’s collection of Marshallese mats. The resulting workshops, where traditional weavers shared their skills, culminated in a revitalization of Jaki-ed mats which were exhibited with a sold out auction in 2007.
 
The 32 mats from 23 weavers on exhibit this year incorporated an increasing number of traditional designs from the old mats as well as innovative fringes and combinations of fibers. A woven highly decorated colorful bed cover mat loaned by Iroij Michael Kabua was a special feature.  Money from this year’s sold out auction and prizes gave a substantial return to the participating weavers.  Congratulations to Neiran, first place winner from Wotho!   Thanks to all whose contributions made the evening such a success including Continental Airlines, Bank of the Marshall Islands, Marshall Islands Visitors Authority, University of the South Pacific and Marshall Islands Resort.
 
This year a related workshop with Master Weavers and High School students is helping to ensure the mat weaving tradition continues as part of traditional Marshallese culture. We hope to see these students entries in future exhibitions and that the names of Ailinglaplap, Ujae, Arno, Wotho Namdrik, Likiep, Mejit and other in the Ralik and Ratak chains of the Marshall Islands will continue to be synonymous with great weavings of the future as well as of the past.
 
Caroline Yacoe
Majuro, Marshall Islands

For immediate release:
 

September 2, 2008 Majuro, Marshall Islands – The Budweiser 16th Annual All-Micronesia Fishing Tournament hosted by the Marshalls Billfish Club was held this past weekend in Majuro, Marshall Islands.  This year’s tournament was a record-breaking event for the All Mike tournament with two record Pacific Blue Marlins caught in both days.
 
On Saturday, August 30th Team Marshall Billfisb Club I (MBC # 1), led by Captain Anja Andy on MEC Brits Too, caught a 643lbs marlin, breaking the All-Mike fishing record of 597lbs held by Captain  Ben Reimers Team MBC # 2  from last years’ 15th All Micronesia fishing tourney. 
 
Surprisingly, on Sunday, August 31, Team Pohnpei Sportfishing Club # II, led by Alex Tretnoff, aboard Lorraine K with Captain Gabriel Capelle, reeled in  a 794lbs Pacific Blue Marlin, the biggest ever caught in RMI waters, topping both All Mike and July Billfish tournament records(719 lbs Captain Kyle Aliven in July 2001).  It took the team over three hours to fight the huge monster!  The winner raked in a cool $6500.00 with their record breaking billfish of which $2500.00 was sponsored by Senator John Silk former Minister of  Resources and Development along with the world’s worst newspaper the Marshall Islands Journal.   Team Pohnpei continues to dominate the tournaments winning it’s seventh tournaments in a row.  Go “sakau magic”!
 
The Marshalls Billfish Club is a non-profit organization which was established in 1982.  The club holds monthly mini-fishing tournaments with two major annual events, Annual July Billfish Tournament in conjunction with the National Fishermen’s Holiday, and the Annual All Micronesia Fishing Tournament with participants from all over Micronesia, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and the U.S.  Check out www.billfishclub.com for information and results of the  Budweiser 16th All-Micronesia Fishing Tournament.

 
Marshallese women are considered the finest and most productive weavers in Micronesia. 
Since World War II there has been a gradual loss of knowledge of the traditional form of fine weaving and the beautiful symmetrical designs that characterized Marshallese clothing mat-making artistry.  
 
Traditional leader and activist Maria Kabua Fowler and Dr. Irene Taafaki, University of the South Pacific RECOGNIZED THAT IT WAS critical to revive and share traditional mat designs. They shared photographs from the Bishop Museum collection with local weavers and held an exhibit/auction of 19 mats in April 2007. Namdrik weaver Patsy Herman took first place receiving $1340 in prize money and auction proceeds. All mats were sold, one purchased by the Bishop Museum and one mat on display at Outrigger Reef hotel in Honolulu.
 
Based on the overwhelming success of the 2007 event, the 2nd exhibition and auction of mats has been rescheduled for September 25, 2008 at the Marshall Islands Resort in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands.
 
More than 20 mats from Namdrik, Arno, Ailinglaplap, Ujae, Mejit, Kwajalein and Majuro atolls will be on exhibit and available at the auction. Iroij (high Chief) Michael Kabua will exhibit family heirloom mats and the Bishop Museum photos will be on display.  Honolulu based collector/dealer Caroline Yacoe will assist with the exhibit and facilitate sales of the mats to private collectors and museums. 
 
Admission is free.  Donations accepted for cash prizes for the weavers.
 
This event is part of a series of collaborations between Maria Kabua Fowler and Dr. Irene Taafaki.  The first collaboration began in 2001 with a Marshallese Herbal Plant Workshop and culminated in their recent book Traditional Medicine of the Marshall Islands- the Women, the Plants, the Treatments (University of the South Pacific Press and available at Na Mea Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii).
 
The Republic of the Marshall Islands is located just north of the equator and 2400 miles southwest of Hawaii.  1,225 tiny islands form 29 atolls and five single low islands.  The Marshall Islands is served four times a week from Honolulu by Continental Airlines.  The largest hotel, formerly operated by Outrigger, is the Marshall Islands Resort, www. marshallislandsresort.com.
 
For  further  information:
About the Project, Exhibit and Auction, contact: Dr. Irene Taafaki: Taafaki_i@usp.ac.fj
Travel information: Marshall Islands Visitors Authority: www.visitmarshallislands.com
Bill Weza,General Manager, Marshall Islands Resort: mirhtl@ntamar.net  (692) 625-2525
For photos of the 2007 exhibit: Caroline Yacoe:cyacoepp@aol.com or Marylou.foley@outrigger.com

February 18, 2008: The Marshall Islands Visitors Authority (MIVA) has designated the week of March 10-15 as Tourism Awareness Week.  “This is the first ever of its kind to take place in the Marshall Islands and we are hoping for full community support and participation,” says Dolores deBrum-Kattil, General Manager.  Activities to take place will include an essay contest for all 8th grade students in Majuro schools on the importance of protecting our marine resources and how tourism can help, a “Crisis Management in Tourism” training seminar in collaboration with Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Micronesia Chapter and RMI Small Business Development Center, school and community visits, a tourism job fair, clean-up and tree planting project, a local products fair, Marshalls Billfish Club mini-tournament  and other activities.  The opening ceremony will take place on March 10 at the International Conference Center with a guest speaker from the PATA Micronesia Chapter.
 
The Jaki-ed Exhibition and Silent Auction (Traditional Marshallese woven dress mats) was also to take place during this week but due to lack of transportation and limited materials, the organizers and weavers have decided to conduct a Weaver’s Workshop instead during this week, and postpone the actual event to early September 2008.  The community will have a chance to see the weaver’s in action on Friday, March 14, during the local products fair to be held at the Marshall Islands Resort.  For more information on the jaki-ed project, please contact Maria Fowler or Dr. Irene Taafaki at the University of South Pacific here in Majuro. 
 
MIVA will be working very closely with its local partners such as the Marshall Islands Tourism Association, Marshall Islands Chamber of Commerce, Marshall Islands Conservation Society, College of Marshall Islands, Majuro Atoll Waste Company, National and Local Governments, Mieco Beach Yacht Club and Marshalls Billfish Club, among others, in a collaborative effort to increase tourism and environmental awareness to improve living conditions in the community of the Marshall Islands particularly in Majuro. 
 
The Marshall Islands Visitors Authority (MIVA) is a statutory government corporation established in October 1997 tasked with the overall development of tourism in the Republic of the Marshall Islands through planning and product development, marketing and promotion, human resources development, maintaining visitor statistics, and tourism and environmental awareness. It’s seven-member, predominantly private sector Board of Directors guides the MIVA Secretariat in fulfilling these objectives. Office hours are from Monday through Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm. POC: Dolores deBrum-Kattil, General Manager.