Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States - Vanuatu

“It’s for building the Vanuatu that we want”

HSASS — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 15:37:11 +0000

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Georgilla Worwor and Anthea Arukola are interviewed for the UN-OHRLLS Island Voices podcast

Virginia (Ginny) Stein

UN-OHRLLS has turned to audio to tell the stories of the lived experience of people living in small island developing States (SIDS) whose voices may otherwise go unheard.

The three-part series of Island Voices, recorded on the island nation of Vanuatu and released over the week leading into International Women’s Day 2021, delves into the challenges and aspirations of women pioneers fighting for gender equality across their society.

The stories are told by the protagonists themselves and are infused with sounds and music by local artists.

The first episode tells the story of how surfing unites a group of young women who are taking their long boards to the water, refusing to accept the idea that surfing is only for men.

Stephanie Mahuk, a lawyer and avid surfer recognizes the value of sports in elevating women across society. “If you get girls to participate in a sport that a majority of the time, in surfing, or in any other sport, is male dominated, that breaks the barriers for women’s rights and women’s recognition and setting up women to beat the expectation of men.” Vanuatu remains one of a handful of countries without any women in parliament.

Episode 2 delves into the experience of two generations of women activists aiming to make history in Vanuatuan politics. Georgilla Worwor, a law student and community activist reflects on what drew her to politics, “My political ambition grew out of what I saw in my community. Every time I go back to the island there’s a lack of basic facilities and services. To get to hospital we would have to trek a long way, up a steep hill through an overgrown path. And I thought to myself what are we doing, what have we been doing?”

Today, women are still in the minority across Vanuatu’s Police Department, but times are changing. When Sergeant Bianca Simeon joined the Vanuatu Police Maritime wing 11 years ago, she was their first woman recruit. Inspector Lili Joel is one of only two women superintendents, and Sera Bula Joseph is one of the rare women police engineers. In episode 3 of Island Voices, Sergeant Simeon and her colleagues describe the challenges they face, and the commitment needed to succeed in the Police Force.

Island Voices is hosted on the UN’s flagship podcast The Lid is On and is available across multiple platforms including Sound Cloud, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The podcast producer, mixer and sound engineer is Ginny Stein of Blue Sky Vision Vanuatu. The series’ executive producers at UN-OHRLLS are Damien Sass and Conor O’Loughlin.

The Island Voices podcast is part of UN-OHRLLS’ Island Voices campaign funded by the Government of the Netherlands.

Front Page Article:

Vanuatu Graduates from Least Developed Country Status

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 15:52:00 +0000

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In all its cultural vividness, performers from Futuna island, Vanuatu, celebrate their traditional dance.

Graham Crumb / DFAT

NEW YORK 4 December 2020 – The small island nation of Vanuatu is celebrating today as it is officially no longer classified as one of the world’s least developed countries, or LDCs.

Despite the compounding threats of COVID-19, natural disasters and climate change, the Vanuatu government sees graduation as a positive sign that the country is increasingly able to build resilience and meet its citizens’ needs.

Vanuatu is the sixth country to graduate out of the LDC category, an achievement that the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, called “historic” and the result of years of effort resulting in hard-won sustainable development gains.

In a video address to the people of Vanuatu, Mr. Guterres said:

“It is admirable that Vanuatu’s graduation will move forward despite the setbacks it has suffered from the ever-worsening impacts of climate change and natural disasters, and the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, on tourism, trade and remittances.“

He continued,

“Let me assure you of my full and undivided support to weather these challenging times, to combat climate change and to defeat the pandemic and recover better from its impacts.”

Repeated natural disasters, including Cyclones Pam and Harold, and recent volcanic eruptions, have decimated food stocks and forced mass displacement in Vanuatu over the last five years.

And while Vanuatu only recorded its first COVID-19 case in November 2020 - much later than the rest of the world - the small island State has still been seriously impacted by the pandemic, especially by the collapse in tourism from nearby countries like Australia and New Zealand.

Congratulating the people of Vanuatu, Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, United Nations High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, called upon the international community to provide their full support to Vanuatu after graduation:

"The people of Vanuatu have always been resilient, and graduation is a sign that their economy is increasingly so too. Graduation is a major achievement but also a major challenge. Development and trading partners, and the entire UN system, must commit to providing their full support to ensure a smooth and sustainable transition for Vanuatu.”

H.E. Mr. Odo Tevi, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Vanuatu to the United Nations, expressed confidence in his country’s ability to weather the storm:

"Graduation shows the world Vanuatu’s potential and its ability to achieve its development goals and visions. We will adopt a route of sustainable, resilient and inclusive development that protects our serene ecology and ensures that our children grow up with a new world of opportunities, and a safe and healthy environment.”

46 countries remain classified as least developed, with eleven on, or about to join, the path to graduation. This reflects significant progress over the past number of years. Angola is due to graduate early in 2021, followed by Bhutan in 2023 and São Tomé and Príncipe and the Solomon Islands the following year.

Graduation from the category of Least Developed Countries continues to be a high-priority development objective for LDCs, development partners and multilateral organisations. But it brings important challenges. Ensuring smooth graduation requires transitioning away from LDC-specific support measures, including preferential market access for exports and access to some concessional financing instruments.

Front Page Article:

Leveraging Investments in Broadband for National Development: the Case of Vanuatu (2018)

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 16:37:00 +0000

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A fisherman can now text for help in Vanuatu.

Tom Perry / World Bank

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) typically encounter many challenges in the development of broadband infrastructure and services to encompass all communities regardless of geographic and socio-economic circumstances. In Vanuatu, communities relying predominantly on subsistence agriculture are spread over some 65 islands in an area of the Pacific particularly prone to regular natural disasters. Many communities do not have ready access to basic infrastructure (including roads and electricity), transport and health services. The isolated location of communities, coupled with a lack of resources, contributes to the difficulties in providing universal high-quality education, and only primary schooling is offered free of charge. In this setting, the availability and accessibility of reliable broadband communications can potentially support profound developmental change.The case studies document how the selected LDCs are leveraging investment in broadband to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development.

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Broadband for National Development in four LDCs: Cambodia, Rwanda; Senegal, Vanuatu (2018)

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 16:46:00 +0000

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The arrival of improved mobile phone services has dramatically improved emergency services in Vanuatu.

Tom Perry / World Bank

The report outlines challenges and successes encountered by four countries and is a summary of the four reports prepared by the Broadband Commission’s Working Group on Broadband for the most vulnerable countries. Lessons learnt are presented from four evidence-based country studies in Cambodia, Rwanda, Senegal and Vanuatu. This summary report also incorporates lessons learnt from related recent reports.

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