Latest news with #HKH
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
HKH Constituency Submits 2024 CDF Expenditure Report, Reinforces Accountability & Compliance With CDF Act 2023
Press Release – Solomon Islands Ministry of Rural Development The report submitted comprised of the records of the total CDF allocation of about 3.88m disbursed to each constituency at the end of the Financial Year 2024. The Hograno-Kia-Havulei Constituency (HKHC) on Monday this week submitted its 2024 CDF Expenditure Report to the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), reinforcing accountability and compliance with the reporting obligation under Section 29 of the CDF Act 2023. The report submitted comprised of the records of the total CDF allocation of about 3.88m disbursed to each constituency at the end of the Financial Year 2024. The presentation was done by the Constituency Development Officer for HKH Constituency, Mr Apollos Manegere on behalf of the Member of Parliament for the Constituency, Honourable Jeremiah Manele. Receiving the report on behalf of the Ministry of Rural Development, PS John Misite'e, said that this is a reassuring pace, as the Ministry continues to implement the CDF legislation and bringing guidance in the administration of the constituency program under this legal framework. PS Misite'e emphasised that Annual Reports inclusive of the financial expenditures' reports are important processes and documents within any organisation and more so when public resources are being utilised in service delivery. These reports re-enforce transparency and demonstrated accountability in the use of public resources and funds. PS Misite'e thanked the HKH constituency for its diligent efforts in complying with the reporting obligations and also thanked other constituencies that already made their submissions on this 2024 CDF disbursement. PS Misitee reiterated calls on other constituencies who are yet to submit their reports to do so as soon as possible. By law all constituency annual reports and expenditure reports should be submitted by February each year and to be compiled by MRD by March of any financial year. 'I am now calling on these constituencies to come forward with their reports soon'. PS Misite'e reiterated. The HKH Constituency Development Officer (CDO), Manegere on behalf of the Honourable Member of Parliament, Jeremiah Manele and its Constituency Officers was very delighted with its office for submitting their report and pledge to support MRD in the process annually to satisfy the legal requirements for reporting. The CDF Act 2023 was passed by Parliament on 22nd December 2023 and came into commencement/enforcement on the 5th of January 2024. This means that whatever offence (s) committed by a recipient (s) of the CDF program after the commencement date of the new Act will be subject to penalties. Penalties apply to constituents, Members of Parliament (MPs), and Public Officers if they commit an offence (s). A Member of Parliament (MP), or a Public officer or a fund (CDF) recipient commits an offence if he or she: Misappropriates any funds or assets from the fund; or Advances materials and cash from a supplier without prior approval from the responsible ministry; or Fraudulently converts project assets or materials to his own use or to the use of some other person; or Deliberately victimises non-voters by excluding them from receiving Constituency Development Funds projects and funds without justifiable grounds; or Assists or causes a person to misappropriate or apply the funds otherwise than in the manner provided in this Act and Regulations. Now that we have a new CDF Act, the responsibility is on all of us to take responsibility and comply with the new CDF law to avoid legal penalties. We (constituents) should not be fearful of this legislation as it is there to act as a guide to our conduct in working with and applying the CDF in our development processes. The purposes of the new CDF Act 2023 are;
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
HKH Constituency Submits 2024 CDF Expenditure Report, Reinforces Accountability & Compliance With CDF Act 2023
The Hograno-Kia-Havulei Constituency (HKHC) on Monday this week submitted its 2024 CDF Expenditure Report to the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), reinforcing accountability and compliance with the reporting obligation under Section 29 of the CDF Act 2023. The report submitted comprised of the records of the total CDF allocation of about 3.88m disbursed to each constituency at the end of the Financial Year 2024. The presentation was done by the Constituency Development Officer for HKH Constituency, Mr Apollos Manegere on behalf of the Member of Parliament for the Constituency, Honourable Jeremiah Manele. Receiving the report on behalf of the Ministry of Rural Development, PS John Misite'e, said that this is a reassuring pace, as the Ministry continues to implement the CDF legislation and bringing guidance in the administration of the constituency program under this legal framework. PS Misite'e emphasised that Annual Reports inclusive of the financial expenditures' reports are important processes and documents within any organisation and more so when public resources are being utilised in service delivery. These reports re-enforce transparency and demonstrated accountability in the use of public resources and funds. PS Misite'e thanked the HKH constituency for its diligent efforts in complying with the reporting obligations and also thanked other constituencies that already made their submissions on this 2024 CDF disbursement. PS Misitee reiterated calls on other constituencies who are yet to submit their reports to do so as soon as possible. By law all constituency annual reports and expenditure reports should be submitted by February each year and to be compiled by MRD by March of any financial year. 'I am now calling on these constituencies to come forward with their reports soon'. PS Misite'e reiterated. The HKH Constituency Development Officer (CDO), Manegere on behalf of the Honourable Member of Parliament, Jeremiah Manele and its Constituency Officers was very delighted with its office for submitting their report and pledge to support MRD in the process annually to satisfy the legal requirements for reporting. The CDF Act 2023 was passed by Parliament on 22nd December 2023 and came into commencement/enforcement on the 5th of January 2024. This means that whatever offence (s) committed by a recipient (s) of the CDF program after the commencement date of the new Act will be subject to penalties. Penalties apply to constituents, Members of Parliament (MPs), and Public Officers if they commit an offence (s). A Member of Parliament (MP), or a Public officer or a fund (CDF) recipient commits an offence if he or she: Misappropriates any funds or assets from the fund; or Advances materials and cash from a supplier without prior approval from the responsible ministry; or Fraudulently converts project assets or materials to his own use or to the use of some other person; or Deliberately victimises non-voters by excluding them from receiving Constituency Development Funds projects and funds without justifiable grounds; or Assists or causes a person to misappropriate or apply the funds otherwise than in the manner provided in this Act and Regulations. Now that we have a new CDF Act, the responsibility is on all of us to take responsibility and comply with the new CDF law to avoid legal penalties. We (constituents) should not be fearful of this legislation as it is there to act as a guide to our conduct in working with and applying the CDF in our development processes. The purposes of the new CDF Act 2023 are;
News.com.au
27-04-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
‘23 year low': Freak climate event spells catastrophe
It has stopped snowing in the Himalayas. As a result, the water supply two billion people is under threat. The mountain range reaches 2500km from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east. Its high peaks and valleys are covered in ice – or should be. The annual cycle of melting snow feeds 12 major river basins that wind their way across the Central and East Asian landscape. These are the major water sources for a dozen nations But measurements have revealed a steady decline in snow falling across the Himalayas in recent decades. This season, it tumbled to an overall 23-year low. 'This is an alarming trend,' says International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) scientist Sher Muhammad. 'We are observing such deficit situations occurring in continuous succession.' Some rivers are suffering more than others. The HKH Snow Update 2025 report reveals snow catchments for the Mekong and Salwen Rivers that feed into Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia are worse than 50 per cent lower than average. China's Yangtze catchment has 26 per cent less snow. The Ganges River of India and Bangladesh is down 24 per cent. As is the Indus that feeds Kashmir and Pakistan. The reduced snowfalls would not be a problem if it were a one-off event, but the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) says this has happened in five out of the past six years. It's an acceleration of a trend observed over the past quarter century and the implications of this trend are enormous. 'Australian policymakers are vastly underestimating how climate change will disrupt national security and regional stability across the Indo-Pacific,' warns Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) analyst Mike Copage. Drying Up Less snow in the Himalayas means less spring melt and less insulation for any ice or glaciers beneath. Less spring melt means less water flow and that, in turn, means less soak to refill groundwater basins. Snow isn't the only source of water for the major Himalayan rivers. While every river differs, snow, on average, contributes to about a quarter of all annual water runoff. But researchers say there is no doubt that ongoing snow deficits are contributing to changing flow patterns and falling water levels. '(This means) early-summer water stress, especially for downstream communities, already reeling under premature and intensifying heat spells across the region,' ICIMOD says. China's Yellow River Basin is a case in point. Its snow persistence (how long snow remains on the ground) fell from 98 per cent above average in 2008 to -54 per cent in 2023. 'The basin continues facing deficits (albeit at -18.6% in 2025),' the report states. 'Such sustained deficits strain agriculture, hydropower, and water availability.' It's a similar story for China's Yangtze Basin. This year's snowfall vanished 26 per cent faster than average. 'Steadily declining snowpack jeopardises hydropower efficiency of the Three Gorges dam,' the report warns. It's a similar story for all Himalayan-fed hydropower projects and agricultural regions. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is urging Asian nations to take immediate action. And spending billions on improved water management systems, stronger drought preparedness, better early warning systems, and greater regional co-operation is just the first step. 'Carbon emissions have already locked in an irreversible course of recurrent snow anomalies in the (Himalayas),' warns ICIMOD Director General Pema Gyamtsho. 'We urgently need to embrace a paradigm shift toward science-based, forward-looking policies and foster renewed regional co-operation for transboundary water management and emissions mitigation.' But the experience isn't unique to Asia. The Aral Sea between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has shrunk to a fraction of its original size in recent decades. Russia's Caspian Sea – the world's largest lake – is in rapid retreat and Lake Chad in central-west Africa has evaporated by up to 90 per cent.' Worse to Come The vast Himalayan snow and rainfall catchments are subject to various climate influences. Previously, more predictable weather patterns offer little hope of improvement in Southeast Asia's water supplies. This year's La Niña weather pattern vanished after just a few months. This is the cold phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle, a long-observed natural temperature exchange across the Pacific Ocean. A warm El Niño generally switches to a cold La Niña every two to seven years. La Niña was due to replace the last El Niño in mid-2024. It didn't arrive until December. Now, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports it evaporated in March. 'After just a few months of La Niña conditions, the tropical Pacific is now ENSO-neutral, and forecasters expect neutral to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer (Australian winter),' says University of Miami researcher Emily Becker. Historically, La Niña is associated with increased rainfall in Southeast Asia and Indo-China. An ENSO neutral phase generally brings much less predictable weather, NOAA warns. 'El Niño events can include drought and extreme heat, while La Niña events can include extreme rainfall and severe flooding,' a Perth USAsia Centre report states. 'It is predicted that even 1.5C of global warming will double the frequency of extreme El Niño events and magnify the rainfall variability of the El Niño – La Niña weather cycle.' Asia is suffering the most from global climate change, observes the UN's World Meteorological Organisation. Successive droughts have produced a particularly high number of damaging heatwaves. These have been topped off by destructive storms and flood and it's turning into a relentless trend. The Asian Development Bank has predicted that rice yields from Indonesia to Vietnam will fall 50 per cent by 2100 without urgent and expensive climate adaptation measures. 'While the physical impacts of climate change are already intensifying, the most concerning outcomes globally will arise from social, economic and political disruptions which are far more difficult to predict or manage than isolated disaster events,' warns ASPI's Copage. 'Given an already unstable global context of rising geopolitical tensions, climate impacts will only magnify this volatility.'
