However, for brick manufacturers, adopting other forms of kiln technology has meant reducing brick quality and overall productivity. So, how to resolve this issue?

In Kathmandu this week, brick manufacturers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan met to exchange ideas and practices about the design and construction of zigzag kilns – a new configuration that produces high quality bricks at lower costs and with fewer harmful emissions.

Currently, the Fixed Chimney Bull’s Trench Kiln (FCBTK) is the most common design of brick kiln and it contributes significantly to poor air quality that adversely impact human health and vegetation. For three days, conference participants discussed means to convert existing FCBTKs to zigzag kilns, which are also more earthquake resistant.

The event was jointly organized by the International Centre for Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Federation of Nepal Brick Industries (FNBI). The 20-plus participants also made field visits to examine zigzag kilns in Bhaktapur, Dhading, and Biratnagar to gain first-hand experience and testimony from current operators.

The conference was organized as part of ICIMOD’s DFID-funded Brick Kiln Initiative to help rebuild Nepal’s brick sector after the earthquake of April 2015. Programme coordinator, Bidya Banmali Pradhan, says the initiative has achieved much success in a short period: “We are encouraged to learn that progressive brick entrepreneurs in Nepal have converted their FCBTKs to zigzag kilns. As we want to see more and more brick entrepreneurs in South Asia follow suit, we’ve been working hard to spread the word about improved zigzag kiln designs and facilitating exposure visits for interested brick entrepreneurs from the region and beyond.”

Mahendra Bahadur Chitrakar, the FNBI President, said the brick kiln idea spread from India to Nepal and now Nepal is moving to share this technology with the region. “We adapted [the zigzag kiln] to our context and further developed it. Air pollution is a complex problem that no single country can solve. There are about 138,000 brick kilns in South Asia, and we have decided to form a Federation of Asian Brick Kiln Associations to address multiple challenges, including growing environmental and health concerns through regional cooperation and collaboration. We think this is the way forward that gives us the best shot.”

ICIMOD’s deputy director general, Eklabya Sharma, reiterated his institution’s dedication to improving air quality in South Asia through initiatives like these: “Emissions from brick kilns are having adverse effects on the mountains far away and people living downstream. The challenge is to modernize South Asia’s brick sector through reductions in costs and emissions. ICIMOD serves all eight countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya, we stand ready to help in any way we can.”

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Lindex and its suppliers’ factories signed this MoU for including gender policy in the mainstream work force, gender issues in human resources and management systems of the ten pilot factories in the Ready-Made Garments (RMG) industry of Bangladesh.

The project named ‘A New Business Driven Approach to Women’s Empowerment in the Ready-Made Garment Industry’ works to institutionalise women’s empowerment in the RMG industry. This project is implemented by GIZ in cooperation with Lindex. Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and Network for Research and Training (NRT) joined hands to implement this project.

The purpose of this event was to introduce pilot factories and inform them about the project’s objective, ‘To empower female workers through mainstreaming of gender issues in the Human Resource Management Systems of the factories in the RMG industry of Bangladesh’.

Werner Lange, Cluster Coordinator, GIZ, addressed in his welcome speech that “The driving force of RMG industry is female workers, who make a living and support their workplaces, families and communities alike.

All stakeholders, especially the private enterprises need to rethink on how to empower these female workers and make business cases, so that they can make even more significant contributions to their workplaces as well as enhance their own lives.”

Anna-Karin Dahlberg, Corporate Sustainable Manager, Lindex, emphasised that Lindex has an ambitious goal to empower female workers in its supply chain by building inclusive workplaces. She highlighted the importance of collaboration, commitment for empowerment and equal opportunities for female workers.

In order to encourage its wider uptake and achieve the necessary mainstreaming effect, Lindex and GIZ will present the results of the pilot measure to the government and to other industry players.

As a provider of international cooperation services for sustainable development and international education work, we are dedicated to building a future worth living around the world. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and the environment, and peace and security. The diverse expertise of our federal enterprise is in demand around the globe, with the German Government, European Union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector and governments of other countries all benefiting from our services. We work with businesses, civil society actors and research institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy fields and areas of activity. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is our main commissioning party.

All these commissioning parties and cooperation partners place their trust in GIZ by working together with us to generate ideas for political, social and economic change, develop these into concrete plans and implement the envisaged change processes. As a public-benefit federal enterprise, German and European values are central to our work. We are committed to meeting our clients’ high standards with regard to transparency and accountability. This makes us a reliable service provider that people can trust. Together with our partners, we work to deliver flexible, effective and cost-effective solutions that offer people better prospects and sustainably improve their living conditions.

The registered offices of GIZ are in Bonn and Eschborn. In 2016 our business volume was around EUR 2.4 billion. Of our 18,260 employees in some 120 countries, almost 70 per cent are national personnel working in the field. In our capacity as a recognized sending organisation, we currently have 643 development workers in action in partner countries. In addition, the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM), a joint operation of GIZ and the Federal Employment Agency, placed 847 integrated and returning experts with local employers abroad in 2016 while providing them with financial support and advisory services.

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Activities of Blood Transfusion Services run by the By-Law framed by the then Ministry of Health (MOH) from 1954 (16-05-1954).Diploma course (DBS&T) in Transfusion Medicine started in IPGM&R From 1972 with the initiative of present president Professor Dr. Mujibur Rahman, the then Head, Dept. of Blood Transfusion, IPGMR.

Till date more then 90 doctors received this degree are working in different Blood transfusion centers of which mostly in the Government centers.

Bangladesh National Council of Blood Transfusion established in 1976 with active initiative of present president Professor Dr. Mujibur Rahman.

To meet the National demand MD and Master course in Transfusion Medicine started in 1997 with the initiative of Blood Transfusion Society of Bangladesh formally in 1989 with Professor Musharraf Husain as president of the society.

FCPS (Fellow of the College of Physician and Surgeon) course in Transfusion Medicine started in July 2007 at Bangladesh College of Physician and Surgeons (BCPS) with the initiative of the BTSB.MCPS course will be started at BCPS very soon. MTM one year course will be converted into two year course.

Formation of Blood Transfusion Society of Bangladesh (BTSB) as registered society on 1st March 1995 through the ministry of Social Welfare.21 Executive Committee member with Professor Musharraf Husain the then Head, Department of Blood Transfusion Center of IPGMR as President of the Society.

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The formation of the national alliance was announcement at a seminar at CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka on Thursday (Nov 16). Abdul Matin Kashru MP, Convener of the Parliamentary Caucus on Disability, unveiled the logo of the alliance.

Members of the alliance include Sightsavers, ADD International, Access Bangladesh Foundation, CBM, Turning Point, Centre for Disability Development, National Disability Forum and HelpAge International.

Khondoker Ariful Islam, Country Director of Sightsavers for Bangladesh, has been made convener of the alliance.

Speaking at the seminar as the chief guest, Abdul Matin Kashru, a former law minister, said the present government is working relentlessly for the development of the people with disabilities.

Professor Dr Shamsul Alam, Member (Senior Secretary) of General Economics Division under the Planning Commission, Quazi Rosy PM, Vice-president of Parliamentary Caucus on National Planning and Budget, and Sushanta Kumar Pramanik, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Social Welfare, attended the event as special guests.

Speakers suggested meaningful engagement of the people with disabilities in the national development to attain SDGs.

They said though the government is making changes in policies and programmes to attain the goals, still there are concerns such as inadequate budgetary allocations for lasting changes and unavailability of disaggregated data on disability.

Newly formed Disability Alliance on SDGs, Bangladesh organised the seminar titled ‘SDGs and Disability: Bangladesh Perspective’ Representatives of organizations working for people with disabilities, local and international development experts, academics, NGOs and donor community participated in the seminar.

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Speakers at a seminar have suggested meaningful engagement of the people with disabilities in the national development to attain the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

They said though the government is making changes in policies and programmes to attain the goals, still there are concerns such as inadequate budgetary allocations for lasting changes and unavailability of disaggregated data on disability.

The Disability Alliance on SDGs, Bangladesh, organised a seminar titled ‘SDGs and Disability: Bangladesh Perspective’ at CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka on Thursday (Nov 16).

Abdul Matin Kashru MP, Convener of the Parliamentary Caucus on Disability, was present at the event as the chief guest. Professor Dr Shamsul Alam, Member (Senior Secretary) of General Economics Division under the Planning Commission, Quazi Rosy PM, Vice-president of Parliamentary Caucus on National Planning and Budget, and Sushanta Kumar Pramanik, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Social Welfare, attended it as special guests.

Representatives of organizations working for people with disabilities, local and international development experts, academics, NGOs and donor community participated in the seminar.

“Voluntary National Review 2017 on Sustainable Development – Issues and Concerns of Persons with Disabilities” prepared by the Disability Alliance on SDGs, Bangladesh was revealed at the seminar.

The concerns of persons with disabilities have been reflected in the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) document – 2030 Development Agenda. The issue has been mentioned 11 times in the document, including 7 mentions in 5 of the 17 goals.

The SDGs, targets and indicators have established the essence of leaving no one behind by calling for meaningfully engaging the vulnerable population in national and international development.

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The Unnayan Onneshan (UO), an independent multidisciplinary think-tank, in its monthly publication of the ‘Bangladesh Economic Update’ October 2017, fears so.

Taking account of the increasing trend in inflation rate, the research organization projects that at the end of the current fiscal year, food inflation is likely to stand at 9.4 percent in the absence of immediate price stabilization measures.

Such increase in price in the commodity market coupled with reduced production of food grains, decline in real wage, and lack of employment opportunities is likely to adversely affect people’s standard of living on the one hand and threaten overall food security in the country, comments the research organization.

Urging for the expansion of country’s productive capacities that enhance utilization of available resources through efficient entrepreneurial capabilities and increased production linkages, the UO recommends adoption of measures to stabilize price in the short run and strategies to foster employment augmenting growth in the medium run.

Referring to the monumental increase in Letter of Credits (LCs) for the consumer goods, e.g. rice, and consequential price hike in recent time, the think tank evinces that during the period of July-August, 2017, fresh opening, settlement and outstanding of LCs increased by 74.27 percent, 77.14 percent and 41.32 percent respectively compared the corresponding period of the previous year.

On point-to-point basis, food and general inflation stood at 7.87 and 6.12 percent respectively in September 2017, which are the highest monthly inflation rates since July 2016. Comparative statistics suggest that food inflation became 6.95, 7.32 and 7.87 percent in July, August and September of 2017 respectively compared to 4.35, 4.30 and 5.10 percent in the corresponding months of 2016.

With increasing export concentration of readymade garments (RMG), growth in total export earnings exhibit a significant decline by 8.67 percent in September 2017 compared to August 2017. Total export stood at 2.03 USD in the month of September which is, in fact, lower than the first two months of the current fiscal year, finds the think tank.

In view of the target of export earnings of 2.78 billion for September 2017, the actual earnings fell short by 26.72 percent, signalling the continuation of failure in mobilizing revenue at the end of the fiscal year. In addition, non-diversification of export markets and lack of export competitive products may pose serious challenge to the performance of external sector, cautions the UO.

Referring to declining rate of growth in inflows of wage earner’s remittance, the think tank shows that the inflow of remittance stood at USD 853.73 million in September 2017, declined by 39.82 percent against August 2017 and 19.20 percent against September 2016. On yearly basis, the inflow of remittance also declined by 14.48 percent and stood at USD 12769 million in FY 2016-17 compared to the previous fiscal year.

Decline in the inflow of remittance coupled with recent inflationary pressure is likely to upset the rural economy since the remittance-recipient households in rural areas expend a significant portion of their income on consumption, health and education. Given the informal system for transferring money induced by gap in the rate of US Dollars in banks and curb market, it is imperative that a conducive atmosphere for higher inflow of remittance be maintained through effective regulatory measures and diplomatic negotiations, urges the UO.

With decline in the inflow of remittance and export growth, rise in import payables along with shortfall in the primary income and income from the service sector, the current account balance exhibits a deficit of USD 451 million during July-August of 2017 compared to a surplus of USD 812 million during the corresponding months of 2016. As a consequence, the total balance of payment experiences a deficit of USD 206 million in July-August of FY 2017-18 compared to a surplus of USD 1176 million in the corresponding period of FY 2016-17.

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New Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says the US withdrawal should be seen as an opportunity for action, and not inaction. “Over the past 25 years, the US has been an obstruction to an ambitious climate deal. Today, we are in a state of climate crises, with the world reeling from a series of climate change-induced extreme weather events. The US withdrawal should be taken as an opportunity and a call for greater and more ambitious action, and not a call for inaction,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general of CSE and the head of its climate change programme.

The Bonn meeting would be the first COP after the Trump administration-effected US pullout from the Paris Agreement. Even after the pullout, the US would continue to participate in the climate talks till 2020.

“It is crucial to ensure that the US does not continue to keep the world hostage to its inaction. The rest of the world must come together to make sure the US does not obstruct or dilute the Agreement any further,” added Bhushan. Bhushan was speaking at a pre-COP23 media briefing organised here today by CSE.

At Bonn, Parties would negotiate the rules and guidelines for many provisions under the Paris Agreement, namely transparency framework, New Market Mechanism, facilitative dialogue (FD) and global stocktake (GST).

While transparency framework (monitoring and reporting of climate actions and support) and New Market Mechanism (carbon markets) are expected to be built on and/or take the learnings of similar mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, FD and GST are meant to assess the progress of climate actions.

Other key agenda actions include loss and damage, adaptation and finance. Finance has always been a bone of contention between developed and developing countries, with the rich countries failing to fulfill their mandate of providing finance and technology to the developing countries to address climate change.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF), to support developing countries, needs to fulfill the mandate of US $100 billion by 2020. Parties also need to come up with clearly defined guidelines on how to report on adaptation actions domestically. At the end of the Summit, Parties must come up with a draft rule book to be finalised by 2018, as per the mandate.

“It is crucial that the rule book for implementation of Paris Agreement be fair, effective, strong and equitable and under no circumstances should the global community allow the US to dilute the Paris Agreement further,” said Vijeta Rattani, climate analyst, CSE.

Climate impacts: rising and unprecedented
According to recently published research, in 2016, CO2 concentration in the earth’s atmosphere was 403 parts per million (ppm), the highest ever. 2016 was also the warmest year on record. The developing world has been the worst hit. In the list of top 10 countries representing the global vulnerability index, nine were from the developing world, indicating their limited capability and capacity to withstand climate fury.

This year, India had a below-normal monsoon, with central India facing severe droughts. On an average, climate impacts cause a loss of about 1.5 per cent every year in the GDP in India. The South Asian floods in August this year in India, Nepal and Bangladesh left 1,200 dead. Developed countries have not been immune either — in the US alone, 15 weather and climate disaster events in 2017 caused losses exceeding US $1 billion each.

The UN Emissions Gap Report 2017 (https://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/
content/448716/the-emissions-gap-report-2017/), which was released recently, warns that the emissions gap needs to be closed by 2030. If the world fails to do that, limiting the temperature rise to the 2 degree Celsius target, as endorsed in the Paris Agreement, seems highly unlikely.

“Considering that the poor are the biggest sufferers of the impacts of climate change, it is ironical that issues central to developing countries such as adaptation, loss and damage and agriculture are highly marginalised at COP and fails to draw finance from developed countries. India, itself a victim of climate impacts, must shift its negotiating strategy to focus on real issues that affect its own people,” said Rattani.

Even though climate change requires global efforts, the burden of addressing climate change cannot continue to be on developing countries. “Urgent and ambitious climate action is needed but it needs to be equitable and other developed countries of G-20 must come forward and set a positive tone,” said Chandra Bhushan.

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The seminar was moderated by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD and key note presented by Syed Aminul Hoque from same organization. Dr. Qazi Kholikuzzaman, Chairman-PKF and official Coordinator of Bangladesh Government Climate Negotiation Team has chaired the seminar. Dr. Hasan Mahmud MP, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoE&F) has participated as chief guest. Among other speaker Dr. Atiq Rahman of BCAS,  Md. Raseduzzaman, Director,  Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Mr. Qumrul Islam Chowdhury of FEJB (Forum of Environmental Journalist in Bangladesh), Mr. Tanvir Mahmud from British Council, Mr. Prodip K Roy from CSRL (Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihood) spoke in the seminar.

In the key note presentation Aminul Hoque said that Bangladesh frequently suffer of climate change impact but getting very less support from the developed countries and different multilateral fund that what they have pledged in different climate conferences. He made four key demands (i) Developed countries must increase their ambition target based on science toward reducing global warming, (ii) Ensure easier access to GCF for most vulnerable countries without any condition of co-financing, (iii) Include new text on “Country goal on Adaptation” instead of so called global goal of adaptation and (iv) Include climate migration issues in the process of Loss & Damage work stream.

Dr. Qazi Kholikuzzaman said that GCF has been changing their rule & process frequently bypassing their funding principle which is problem for MVCs. Now access to GCF is very complicated and we off course take position on this issue in CoP 23. He also said that Bangladesh has position especially will give stress to implement the commitment those given by developed countries through Paris Agreement (PA).

Dr. Atiq Rahaman said that we have been suffering and paying most despite have no responsibility for changing our climate. PA is become a loose agreement as there CBDR policy (Common but Differentiate Responsibility) has not included. He urged for our interest, govt. should develop special ministry of climate change who will continue the chronology of global negotiation and get expected output over time.

Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that global temperature may go  up to more than three degree centigrade if the present INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contribution), which is in fact not at all sufficient to save mother earth. He urged developed countries must raise their ambition in respect of mitigation. He urged global CSOs to raise voice in this regard.

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This project works on behalf of German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). ABDC is committed to improve the urban health system in cooperation with the Health and Family Planning departments of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) & local government bodies of Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (MoLGRD).

Dr. Salina Hayat Ivy, Honourable Mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation graced the event as Chief Guest, while Honourable Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, Mohammad Mossaddique Hossain Bulbul and Prof. Dr. Abul Kalam Azad, Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) were present as Special Guests. Andreas Hartmann, Head of Development Cooperation, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bangladesh, also graced the occasion. The event was chaired by Werner Lange, Acting Country Director of GIZ Bangladesh.

In her address as the Chief Guest, Honourable Mayor Dr. Ivy thanked GIZ and EPOS for being a constant support for the last five years and earlier through other projects and for organising this event. She also said, “Although this project is coming to an end, it is a great starting point for us as this project has helped us identify the health challenges in health sector, especially at the slums, within the hospitals and at the overall governance level. It is true that Bangladesh is rapidly urbanising and at times it is difficult for us to cope with such rapid urbanisation. With help from donor organisations such as GIZ we are able to keep up with the challenges of rapid urbanisation and this inspires us to work better.”

The speeches of Chief Guest and Special Guests were followed by a book launch event of ABDC photobook titled ‘Towards Healthier Lives’. This photo documentary captures the essence of the project’s work in the last five years.

ABDC is being implemented in the urban areas of Sylhet, Rajshahi and Narayanganj City Corporations since 2012 and the project will successfully close on December 2017. In this regard, the project organised the day-long dissemination event for partners in the health sector.

During the 5-years of implementation, the project’s aim was to improve health seeking behaviour and access of urban slum population to quality reproductive healthcare services among low-income population of Sylhet, Rajshahi and Narayanganj cities. For this, the project worked with government health institutions and health facilities to improve the practical pre and in-service training for maternity care through knowledge and skill development of individuals and institutions, while also introducing 5S-Kaizen and Quality Standards into the maternity wards to enhance quality of service.

The project worked with the urban slum population to improve health seeking behaviour by enhancing knowledge on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) amongst women in child bearing age and adolescent boys and girls. To integrate all these together for holistic healthcare services, the project worked with the City Corporations to build systems and capacities of urban local bodies and health centres for improved quality of data and evidence-based decision-making.

After sharing the learnings from the project during the past few years, a panel discussion was held on the topic of ‘Urban Health Challenges: Learnings and Way Forward’. The panel discussion was led by national and international experts in the health sector. Dhiraj Kumar Nath, Urban Health Specialist from Asian Development Bank chaired the discussion; while Dr. Shamim Jahan, Director – Health, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS, Save the Children; Ms. Angela Bommer, Health Delegate, Swiss Red Cross; Dr. Nitish Kanti Debnath, Divisional Director of Health, Dhaka, DGHS and Dr. F.A.M Anjuman Ara Begum, Chief Health Officer (CHO) of Rajshahi City Corporation took part in the panel discussion.

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In all, 35 different migratory species have been proposed for protection at the Twelfth Conference of the Parties (CMS COP12) now underway in Manila. One of these is the blue shark, the world’s most heavily caught and traded shark, with an estimated take of 20 million animals each year.

“The conservation status of the blue shark, its migratory nature and the lack of global management make this exactly the type of species CMS was designed to help protect from overexploitation,” said Ms Maria Satoa of the Ministry of Natural Environment and Resources of the Government of Samoa.

“There is no formal management or binding, impactful international co-ordination to ensure sustainability – CMS Appendix II listing can help deliver that action in the years to come.”

There are two different Appendices under the CMS. Appendix I lists migratory species that are endangered and Appendix II lists migratory species which have an unfavourable conservation status requiring international agreements for their conservation and management.

Standing before a full room at a special event during the CMS COP12, Samoa spoke of the significance of the sharks in the Pacific, highlighting why blue sharks should be protected.

“Sharks are an important part of our culture, they are symbolic features in our songs and artefacts, and traditional tattoos. We have their patterns on our national clothing and they are part of our traditional proverbs,” said Ms Satoa. “Sharks also play a crucial role in helping to maintain the health of our reef and coral habitats, bringing a positive impact on our commercial fisheries including our tuna stocks.”

The blue shark proposal by Samoa and Sri Lanka also calls upon the CMS Parties to show their commitment towards a proactive approach to conservation given the blue shark is a highly reproductive species birthing on average 34 pups every two to three years.

Fisheries data show that landings of blue sharks tripled between 1998 and 2011, increasing from four to 14% of global shark landings. According to the IUCN Red List of threatened species, the blue shark has a Near Threatened status globally, and is Critically Endangered in the Mediterranean.

Before the Samoa and Sri Lanka proposal was presented to the COP it was reviewed by the CMS Scientific Council who determined that the blue shark fully meets all the CMS listing criteria in terms of both conservation status and migratory nature. The Scientific Council noted in its discussions that a fish species would not necessarily have to be overfished to meet these criteria.

If approved by the CMS COP12, this will be the only framework or plan in place to sustainably manage and conserve blue sharks globally.

“We are merely custodians of the land and ocean and therefore we have a responsibility to ensure that any fishing taking place is sustainable – yet for blue sharks this is not the case. There are no management frameworks or plans in place whatsoever, no protection through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), or management measures through the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations to ensure they are harvested sustainably,” said Mr Daniel Fernando of the Government of Sri Lanka. “There is no management of blue sharks whatsoever, despite it being one of the most heavily fished of all shark species. No management at all despite it being among the most traded shark species in the global fin industry.”

Now in the hands of the CMS COP12, the success of this proposal will be made clear on Saturday 28 October when the Conference ends.

“We must act now before the blue shark is so over exploited that the population crashes. We must act now,” said Mr Fernando.
Ms Satoa and Mr Fernando presented at a special event during the CMS COP12 titled “Leading Shark Conservation: Shark Species Proposals for CMS”, featuring other shark proposals submitted for consideration to be listed on the CMS appendices. These included the dusky shark proposed by Honduras, the whale shark proposed by the Philippines and the white spotted wedge fish proposed by Senegal

The CMS COP12 is held from 23 to 28 October, 2017 in Manila, Philippines. The Pacific islands is part of the Oceania Region which consists of Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Palau, Philippines and Samoa.

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