Samoa UN Joint Young People’s Programme – TALAVOU
Through the UN joint programme focusing on the development of young people in Samoa, UNDP supports youth development through income generation initiatives, capacity building and skills training; all of which also lead to increasing self-esteem. Extremely high unemployment rates, high suicide rates, rising incidences of sexually transmitted infections, teenage pregnancies and growing crime have been compelling reasons to approach issues affecting young people in a multidisciplinary way. The programme, called the UN Joint TALAVOU (Towards a Legacy of Achievement, Versatility and Opportunity through Unity) Young People's Programme, is an excellent way for the UN to coordinate its development agenda around common initiatives with the ultimate goal of achieving the MDGs.
Private Sector Support Facility (PSSF) Phase II
As highlighted in the Government’s Strategy for the Development of Samoa (SDS), the private sector is the engine of growth for the country’s economy and moves will be put in place, with the assistance of UNDP and NZAID, to ensure that resources are readily available to people to strengthen and augment the efforts of environmentally sustainable and gender sensitive enterprises to improve their performance and profitability. A Private Sector Support Facility (PSSF) was therefore designed and set up by the government for this purpose. The PSSF is essentially a mechanism for the pooling of donor funds to be channelled to small and medium-sized enterprises in the rural and urban areas for strengthening their businesses and enterprises using grants, with specific attention to promoting gender equality and the equitable distribution of development aid.
Samoa Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance (IF)
The Integrated Framework (IF) forms a component of the PSSF, and lays the foundation for the formulation of a Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) for the country, funded separately by the IF Trust Fund managed by the Trade and Human Development Unit of UNDP in Geneva. This projects aims to increase the number of selected government staff participating in trade-focussed training held locally on an annual basis. In addition to the local trade training focus, the project aims to increase the number of selected government and civil society trade negotiators receiving specialist international trade training by 2012. The resulting output will then be increased capacity of government officials, traders and negotiators to more effectively participate in regional and international trade negotiations.
National Human Development Report
The annual publication of the global UNDP Human Development Report provides an excellent platform for broadening people’s appreciation of internationally recognised issues. National Human Development Reports (NHDR) for Samoa, Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue will be updated and/or newly published during the new cycle, aiming to provide holistic analyses and policy recommendations to national authorities (government and civil society) on a range of issues affecting the achievement of the MDGs and sustainable human development (SHD).
Engendered National Sustainable Development Plans in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau
This project responds to the expressed need of the 4 governments served by the Samoa-based UNDP Multi-Country Office for support in MDG-based national strategic planning and budgeting, as well as tracking of results. The Poverty Reduction Thematic Trust Fund will support the Multi-Country Development Document (MCDP), 2008-2012 by ensuring pro-poor national development plans and strategies are developed and are aligned with the MDGs.
Samoa Qualifications Authority Project
The establishment of the Samoa Qualifications Authority has been supported by a two year project funded by the UNDP and the ILO. The Government of Samoa has contributed significantly to the establishment of the new agency through the provision of accommodation and furniture and appropriations in Budget 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. This new agency provides policy advice on post-school education and training to Government and other stakeholders. The agency also has a coordination role across the post-school education and training sector and provides quality assurance services for post-school education and training providers.
Information & Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D)
The geographic isolation of Pacific Island nations poses an excellent opportunity to employ the latest technologies for overcoming vast distances. Through e-governance and e-government initiatives, UNDP is continuing its work on strengthening democratic governance in the Cook Islands outer-islands, Tokelau, Niue and Samoa. E-government projects implemented in the Cook Islands and Niue aim to enhance efficiencies in government public services, e-tourism to boost Niue's tourist marketing strategy, and e-learning to increase the accessibility of rural villages and outer islands to information through ICT4D.
Vaitele Urban Governance Pilot Project
Urban governance initiatives in Samoa will focus on the emergence of non-traditional villages, beginning with the Vaitele area on the periphery of Apia. A programme will be undertaken with technical assistance from the Regional GOVPAC programme to develop a suitable rights-based governing system for such an area and will be implemented by the Samoa Planning and Urban Management Agency (PUMA), as a pilot project for the region.
Sub-regional Project to Cope with Violence against Women and the Girl Child
This project aims to address the prevalence of violence against women (VAW) in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau, as well as improve the ability of the UNDP Multi Country Office (MCO) to implement gender sensitive programmes. The strategy for the project involves three approaches: a) improving the capacity of CSOs and NGOs to plan for and deal with VAW, through strengthened referral networks for survivors of VAW; b) Advocacy and raising awareness among the public and government about VAW, through improving handling of complaints by police and judiciary, and recruitment of National UNVs (NUNVs) where requested, to be placed with CSOs and NGOs; and c) Strengthening UN capacity for gender mainstreaming. The approaches will need to be implemented in coordination with other ongoing programs supported by other development partners. This project provides direct support for the goals expressed by governments in their development plans to address issues of gender disparities, and reflected within the UNDAF for the Pacific Region and the UNDP Samoa MCO Multi-Country Programme Document (MCPD). Activities undertaken aim to reduce violence against women and children, develop capacities of governments and civil society in gender mainstreaming among other areas, increase human rights awareness and enhance South-South Cooperation.
Sub-regional Youth Parliamentarians for Tokelau and Niue Project
The MCO in 2008 was successful in applying for funds through the Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund, and so the Sub-Regional Youth Parliamentarians for Niue and Tokelau Project was developed. The project aims to give young people the opportunity to learn how government and government systems operate through training, and build capacity of young people to engage meaningfully in their communities to influence policy decision-making. It also aims to provide young people with an opportunity to discuss and advocate on relevant issues affecting youth; and will promote the active and equal participation of both young women and men in the training that will be conducted and the selection of the National Youth Officers.
Sub-regional UN Joint Disaster Risk Reduction Programme
With disaster mainstreaming at the national level a priority for the UNDP Pacific Centre, the MCO in Samoa is turning to community level DRR/DRM initiatives to better prepare local people for the risks of natural disaster and climate change. The Joint Programme in Community Based Disaster Risk Management aims to strengthen the capacity at the local level to cope with natural disasters. This programme will cover all four countries under the UNDP MCO, beginning with Samoa with Village-Based Workshops on disaster preparedness, an initiative spearheaded by the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO).
Sub Regional Community-Centred Sustainable Development Programme
The overall objective of the Sub-regional Community-Centred Sustainable Development Programme initiative is to strengthen community capacity to be able to drive the planning and implementation of their own sustainable development priorities towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, taking into account human rights approaches and gender issues. A holistic multi-sectoral approach will be adopted involving key donors, the UN system and governments to focus on alleviating poverty and protecting the environment for future generations to come.