MCT's Executive Director Willy Kostka and Senior Grants Officer Jo Lynne Gallen-Mori were at the 42nd US Coral Reef Task Force Meeting last week in Koror, Palau in support of the Micronesia Challenge (MC) and its Coordinator, Ms. Geraldine Datuin as well as the Pacific Islands Managed and Protected Areas (PIMPAC).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) supports coral reef monitoring and the Marine measures of the Micronesia Challenge through a Cooperative Agreement to MCT.
Through this exchange, representatives from the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Coral Triangle, Micronesia, Hawaii and international organizations and NGO's such as the NOAA, the Nature Conservancy, the WorldBank and the GEF are establishing a Community of Practice for those working to capacitate protected areas and resource managers connected through the CRCP program. On Wednesday morning, 21 August 2019, the Republic of the Marshall Islands contributed a check worth 25,000 US dollars to the Bill Raynor Micronesia Challenge (BRMC) Scholarship Fund. This contribution will secure a 1:1 match from a US based donor.
The Vice Chairperson of the National Board of Education (NBOE), Mr. Helmer Lang, presented the check to the RMI Board Member on Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT) Board of Trustees, Ms. Rhea Moss-Christian, at a short ceremony held at Minister Wilbur Heine’s Office at the Ministry of Education, Sports & Training. Also, present to witness the handover were MCT Board member, Francis Carlos Domnick, Minister of Education, Wilbur Heine, NBOE Member, Molly Helkena, PSS Commissioner Kanchi Hosia, Associate Commissioner Sally Ann deBrum, and Associate Commissioner Gee Bing. This contribution is to support a target goal that MCT and its partners established to raise an endowment fund of approximately $1.2 million dollars, generating an at least 5% earnings per year, to support two full time students at up to $30,000 per year. This endowment fund is to support graduate students in natural resources management fields who are citizens and/or long-term residents of the five jurisdictions of Micronesia, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of Palau (ROP), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), US Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) pursuing their graduate degrees in biodiversity conservation and other related sustainable development at universities within the Pacific region or in the US mainland. To date the fund has supported 13 students from all over Micronesia, with three graduating with master degrees this past month. For more information Contact: Erbiland Mandira PSS Public Relation’s Officer Telephone: 625-5261 or 5262 Extension: 345 Mobile: 456-7016 Email: emandira@pss.edu.mh or publicrelations@pss.edu.mh The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to protect critical habitat for 23 endangered species in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Territory of Guam, the Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.(Read more here)
https://biologicaldiversity.org/…/lawsuit-launched-protec…/… Based at DMR, Ms. Fred will be working with all stakeholder and partner agencies on all aspects of the PAN for the state and in conjunction with the National PAN Network. Congratulations, Bev Danis Fred!
Beverlyn (Bev) Danis Fred is from Chuuk but grew up in Pohnpei. In 2016, she moved to Chuuk with her husband and children, when she accepted a position with Micronesia Red Cross Society as a community officer, working on Red Cross’ Community Resilience and Capacity Development (CRCD) Project. For two years, Bev worked with selected communities in Chuuk, and helped implement the Coastal Rehabilitation Program (as part of the CRCD project), planting over 20,000 mangrove seedlings in seven communities. During her tenure with Red Cross, she served as a member of the Resource Managers’ Group under the Chuuk State Ridge to Reef program. The Resource Managers’ Group focuses on the implementation of activities under the Ridge to Reef program. She is also a member of Island Pride, that focuses on Youth and Women Empowerment, through capacity development and education. Because of her passion to help her home state, she applied and accepted the position for Chuuk State Protected Areas Network Coordinator, in hopes to help Chuuk conserve its natural resources for a better future, for a better Chuuk. Today is the third day of the Global Programming Conference at the Green Climate Fund (GCF) headquarters in Songdo, South Korea. We will be meeting with the GCF Secretariat, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), and the National Designated Authorities (NDAs), or their representatives, of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau to discuss our second GCF proposal "Preparing the Enabling Environment and Building Organizational Capacity for Implementing and Executing Agencies in Micronesia". This is another $10M project that is focused on capacity building for our national, state and local executing agencies in the three counties mentioned above. Also included in the project proposal is a small grants facility which will allow us to provide grants to our local organizations working on climate adaptation projects across our three countries. Again, I ask for your prayers and to keep your fingers crossed so we can have a fruitful discussion today in order to advance our second proposal.
Mr. Kostka wrote to MCT about his experiences: "Currently attending the Global Programming Conference at the Green Climate Fund (GCF) headquarters in Songdo, South Korea. The highlight of my trip was the keynote speech by Ban Ki-Moon, former Secretary General of the United Nations and current President of the Global Green Growth Institute. One of the main reasons for my attendance is to share and to discuss our project “Climate resilient food security for farming households across the Federated States of Micronesia”. This is a $10M project that our organization, the Micronesia Conservation Trust, has been working with the FSM Government and other partners to finalize and submit to the GCF. Please pray/keep you fingers crossed that we can get this proposal approved soon so we can support our most vulnerable communities in the FSM."
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