Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Upcoming Event: Rock Hopper Race in Kosrae


The streets in Kosrae is expected to be clear of motorists as participants gather for the upcoming 3rd annual Rock Hopper race that takes place on Monday, October 12, 2015.  The event that first took off in 2013 is recognized for its stunning tropical landscape, unique for divers and travelers to enjoy in a new way.

Taking off annually, the Rock Hopper race is becoming one of Kosrae’s most popular events. With the race only months away, the route will begin in front of the Pacific Tree Lodge Resort at 7am which course travels through a local village, going past landmarks. Apart from the beautiful scenery, take advantage of Kosrae’s surrounding nature with a 5.7 mile run which includes an on-road and off-road terrain.

On the course, water stations will be available along the way and signs for course direction. There will be a pre-race local style banquet and post race refreshments, among other amenities at the finish. Registration is now open as participants from all levels are welcome to sign up.

Registration: Click here

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

President Christian receives Esther P. Kia’aina, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Areas



FSM President Peter Christian with Assistant Secretary Esther Kia'aina of the Department of Interior and US Ambassador Doria Rosen
In a courtesy call held in the morning of Tuesday June 9th, His Excellency Peter M. Christian, President of the FSM, received Assistant Secretary Esther Kia’aina of the Department of Interior on the occasion of her first official visit to the Federated Stated of Micronesia since her appointment to the post of Assistant Secretary.

The occasion provided an opportunity to affirm personal and professional acquaintances, and also for exchanges and discussions on important issues and common interests; specifically, as it relates to the role of the Department of Interior in Compact management and implementation.

President Christian confirmed that Assistant Secretary Kia’aina’s visit to the FSM was very timely given the renewed interest of the country to accelerate progress towards strengthened and effective infrastructure development. The President expressed his concern on how much time and effort has been devoted to process, with little movement in obtaining tangible results.  As was the general and mutual understanding among negotiators of the Amended Compact, he went further to describe that flexibility and periodic review was, and still is, the key to successful implementation of the goals and objectives of the Compact.  For the FSM, the goals and objectives have always been economic improvement, and growth through infrastructure project development; creating an environment conducive to employment opportunities, active private sector participation, and improved public service delivery to FSM citizens.  For the US, it was for continued military and security defense rights over the region.

Last, but not the least, the President acknowledged and recognized possible FSM contributions to the reduced pace of implementation.  Towards this end, the President affirmed the need for both parties to work together and to move forward in the collective and collaborative spirit of a good-faith partnership that has always been the foundation of the FSM – U.S. relationship.  The President affirmed his commitment towards this effort.

In response, the Assistant Secretary conveyed sentiments of appreciation for the welcome to the FSM, and described the introductory nature of her visit. Among others, she highlighted some initiatives in current contemplation and implementation by her office that are aimed towards providing better services to citizens of the FSM living in the United States.  She made specific reference to medical health services, a “one stop shop” service for FSM citizens arriving in the U.S., and a concerted effort to revitalize U.S. Government Inter-Agency cooperation in recognizing, and assisting citizens of the Freely Associated States (FAS).  Assistant Secretary Kia’aina confirmed her interest to work together, and displayed a proactive desire to work towards this end.



Thursday, June 11, 2015

Pacific Islands Forum: Corporate Lawyer

Pacific Islands Forum Update
11 June 2015
Corporate Lawyer


About the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat:

The Pacific Islands Forum was founded in August 1971 and currently comprises 16 independent and self-governing states in the Pacific. Forum Leaders meet annually to develop collective responses to regional issues.

The Forum’s administrative arm is the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, based in Suva, Fiji. It acts as the Secretariat for Forum-related events, implements decisions by the Leaders, facilitates the delivery of development assistance to member states, and undertakes the political and legal mandates of Forum meetings. The Forum Secretariat is also mandated to coordinate the implementation of the Framework for Pacific Regionalism.
 
About this Opportunity:
An exciting opportunity exists for a Corporate Lawyer. Reporting to the Director Corporate Services, the position exists to provide comprehensive in-house legal services for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
Responsibilities will include (but not limited to):
  • Being the principal legal counsel to Management;
  • Providing legal services to Staff in the implementation of Programme activities;
  • Reviewing and maintaining the Secretariat’s legal templates;
  • Overseeing the Secretariat’s purchasing, procurement and grants; and
  • Developing the Legal Services Component.
We are looking for candidates with a Graduate degree in law with admission as a legal practitioner in a Forum Member State. Candidates must have substantial relevant experience working as in-house legal counsel with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, have strong analytical and problem solving skills and must have the ability to organise, coordinate andprioritise conflicting demands. Candidates with a Post Graduate degree in law with experience working on administrative issues within an international organisation or a regional intergovernmental organisation would have an advantage over other candidates.
 
About the Benefits:

The appointment will carry a competitive remuneration and benefits package including medical and life insurance. The starting salary will be in the range of SDR34,537 to SDR 38,854 per annum. At the 1 May 2015 exchange rate this salary range was equivalent to FJD97,950 to FJD110,193. For non-Fijian nationals, this salary may be tax-free. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply here where an information package containing the job description and remuneration details is also available.
To be eligible for this position, the applicant must be a national of a Forum member country.* Deadline for applications is at5pm (Fiji time), 10 July 2015.
*Member States of the Pacific Islands Forum: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is an equal opportunity employer and encourages both men and women to apply.

Friday, June 5, 2015

The 2015 FSM Investment Guide completed and ready to be launched


(Palikir, FSM Department of Resources and Development)
After one year of national and state consultations, the Division of Trade and Investment has recently completed the publication of the 2015 FSM Investment Guide, a promotion and marketing document that aims at providing useful information on investing in the FSM and guiding any potential local or foreign investor in setting up a business in the FSM. The Investment Guide was designed and printed in Guam and delivered to the FSM Consulate General in Guam on May 27, 2015. In the welcome message, Secretary Marion Henry of the FSM Department of R&D highlighted the distinctive features of the 2015 edition of the FSM Investment Guide, which comes nearly 10 years after the last investment guide was published. In effect, unlike the 2006 edition, the 2015 FSM Investment Guide goes beyond the traditional sections on basic information about the FSM and the business enabling environment by providing updated detailed information on the main investment opportunities in the FSM, including tuna processing; fishing vessels and fishing nets repair and maintenance; tourism development around historic and archaeologic sites; protected areas and water-based sport activities; production of poultry products and drinking water; production of exotic agriculture products and small scale agro-processing; international transportation; and production of renewable energy, to name just a few. In addition, the guide offers a snapshot of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives available to investors, all the relevant information on starting a business in the FSM, with detailed information on the steps and competent agencies, and  a list of useful addresses to make the entire process business friendly than ever.

With the publication of the 2015 FSM Investment Guide, the FSM Department of R&D has now fully implemented one of the key recommendations arising from the Symposium on Investment Facilitation in the FSM held in May 2013 in Palikir, which recommended, among other things, that information on investment opportunities, procedures and steps to investing in the FSM, and relevant agencies involved in the process should be collated and published in an investment guide and be made available on a website. The date, time, and venue of the launching of the long-awaited document are being finalized by the FSM Department of R&D.

“This is the very first professional investment guide that the FSM has produced and it is a reflection of the new pro-active approach that we want to take with respect to promoting investments into the FSM as part of the government overall strategy as the Nation gears up towards 2023; there is more coming up”, says Secretary Henry. Following the launching of the 2015 FSM Investment Guide, the FSM Department of R&D will turn to other key projects and reforms needed to further improving the business enabling environment in the FSM, including the “big elephant in the house.” On top of the list is the drafting of proposed amendments to foreign investment laws and regulations as well as policies to further enhance transparency, harmonize, and streamline the processes (the first round of consultations for this project was conducted last march and April 2015 with the technical assistance of the World Bank-IFC), followed by the establishment of an investment promotion agency at the national level. In parallel to those two major projects, the FSM Department of R&D will continue to build and strengthen the capacity of producers, produce and disseminate a guide to assist producers to export to regional and international markets, and finalize the translation of key sections of the 2015 Investment Guide into the Japanese and Chinese languages.

The publication of the 2015 FSM Investment Guide is a joint effort of the National and State Governments with the support of several stakeholders and development partners. In this regard, Secretary Marion Henry observed that “the collaborative efforts of national and state agencies as well as the private sector was critical and facilitated the realization of this important document, considering that it cuts across all sectors of the FSM society. The FSM Department of R&D could not have accomplished it alone”. Secretary Henry also highlighted the critical role of the technical assistance received from the Commonwealth Secretariat-EU funded Hub & Spokes Programme II through the advisory services of the National Trade Adviser; as well as the valuable inputs provided by other technical agencies and development partners, including the Pacific Trade & Investment network and the US Embassy to the FSM.

For more information, please contact: FSM Investment Unit, Division of Trade and Investment, FSM Department of Resources and Development; telephone (691) 320-2646/5133; fax: (691) 320-5854; e-mail: fsmrd@fsmrd.fm. You can also visit our website http://www.fsmrd.fm for more information.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

A grant assistance of up to $5 Million for solar project in Pohnpei State, and other grants

FSMIS (June 3, 2015): On May 30th, the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia adopted a submitted resolution from the Executive Branch, requesting approval of a grant from the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-Pacific Partnership Fund in the amount of up to $ 5,000,000. 

Access to the grant is made possible to the FSM as a member state in the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). 

The resolution states that "the UAE Pacific Partnership Fund Steering Committee reviewed a 600kw Solar PV Project for Pohnpei State and determined that it is in line with the Fund's objectives and criteria as other Pacific countries participating in the Fund". 

Section 210(2) of Title 55 of the FSM Code requires Congressional approval by resolution over grant assistance such as this in order to be valid. 

On the same day, Congress also adopted two grant assistance resolutions - one in the amount of $6,687 from the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) for implementation of the Montreal Protocol, as well as a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services in the amount of $389,660 to fund capacity building for epidemiology and laboratory capacity for infectious diseases. 

The UAE-Parcific Partnership grant resolution is linked below. 


For further information, email fsmpio@mail.fm. 

Monday, June 1, 2015

President Christian declares a state of emergency for Pohnpei State

FSMIS (June 01, 2015): Today, Federated States of Micronesia President Peter M. Christian declares a State of Emergency for the State of Pohnpei, following a declaration made by Governor John Ehsa on the 29th of May.

The Declaration specifies the National Government's tasks in addressing disaster responses to support affected communities in the State of Pohnpei as s result of Typhoon Dolphin, which passed through the area earlier last month.

The FSM Office of Environment and Emergency Management has been directed to coordinate a Disaster Taskforce with assistance from all Departments.

The Declaration is linked below.


http://fsmpio.fm/declarattion/christian/declaration_dolphin.pdf