UNDP Samoa welcomes Mr Vineet Bhatia 28 March 2012, Samoa – The staff of United Nations Development Programme in Samoa welcomed the Chief of South East Asia and Pacific Division (SEAPD) of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Mr Vineet Bhatia with a kava ceremony at the UNDP Matautu Office yesterday. The ceremony was conducted by management, programme staff and support staff in honour of Bhatias arrival to Samoa. He was welcomed by UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Nileema Noble who introduced both local and international UNDP staff to Bhatia. In his introductory speech at the ceremony, Bhatia thanked the staff for the welcoming, saying it was the first traditional Kava ceremony he had experienced. Bhatia Will meet with Government officials and visit the sites of UNDP projects, as well as engage with local officials and communities on the progress of UNDP work and future collaborative efforts.   
| Rural women key in fighting hunger Statement by Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme 08 Mar 2012 A few weeks ago I spoke with women farmers in Niger who are growing vegetables in some of the harshest climatic conditions on earth. With severe drought a recurring problem in their country and across the Sahel, access to water for irrigation and to appropriate seeds, fertilisers, advisory services, and credit are all important for overcoming food shortages and malnutrition. Rural women account for nearly half the agricultural labor force and are custodians of traditional knowledge about the land and their local environment. Backed by small development investments, rural women can lead the way in building food and nutrition security for their families and communities, and thus in building resilience to future extreme weather events. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that if women farmers have equal access to fertilizers, seeds, and tools, the number of hungry people in our world could reduce by as many as 150 million, and the total agricultural output in developing countries could rise by up to four percent. Read more in pdf | RC Annual Report highlights MDGs progress in Samoa
 13 February 2012, Samoa – Samoa is on track to achieve most of the Millenium Development Goals, according to the Resident Coordinators’ Annual Report for 2010 from the Pacific. The report from Resident Coordinators for both United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) based in Apia, Samoa and Suva, Fiji highlighted the work of the United Nations in 14 Pacific island countries. The Report noted that MDG developments in Samoa were highlighted in the second MDG progress report produced for the MDG Summit in New York in September 2010. In her introduction of the Samoa MDG Report 2010 UN Resident Coordinator for Samoa, the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau, Ms. Nileema Noble commended the Samoan Government for its strong commitment to the achievement of the MDGs, as evident in the significant reflection of the MDGs in its National Strategy for the Development of Samoa (SDS 2008- 2012). The Samoa Second MDG Report noted that Samoa on was on track with Goal 1 on poverty eradication, 3 on gender equality, 4 on reduction of chil mortality, 5 on improved maternal health and 6 on combating HIV/AIDS. The report notes that Samoa is generally on track with Goal 2 on education, 7 on environmental sustainability and 8 on development partnerships for development. Noble concluded: "I am especially impressed with the Government’s determination to work collaboratively with its development partners including the UN system to address the obstacles and gaps in MDGs achievement and we look forward to working closely with the Government and development partners to fulfill the promises of the MDGs by 2015." More Information:
The Resident Coordinators’ Annual Report for 2010 can be found at: http://www.undg.org/rcar2010.cfm?fuseaction=RCAR&ctyIDC=SAM&P=1507
The Government of Samoa MDG Second progress report 2010, can be found at: http://www.mof.gov.ws/Portals/195/Services/Aid%20Coordination/mdg_report.pdf 
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