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Help loan is still in effect this year. Instructions to apply for the help loan including loan forms will be provided by tertiary institutions on behalf of the DHERST. For any further information on help, you can check DHERST main office in POM if you are in POM. Otherwise, visit this site: https://web.dherst.gov.pg/help Thanks

Any tertiary loan scheme for this year? Can I apply? Or how can i apply for loan to help my grand daughter for her tuition fee for 2021. She scored all straight A's and one B.

This is a sad reality in the Philippines and perhaps there is hope for all children. Poverty, lack of knowledge on the rights of a child are some of the root causes of this issue. I know that there is an organization in the Philippines, Hope for All Children, that helps children in the same situation, particularly they are giving hope to children who are orphans, child sex slaves, and starving children.. If you are interested to help them, you may visit their website, https://hopeforallchildren.org/. You may see the works that they do on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/hopeforallchildren/), Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/hopeforallchildren/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/HopeForAllChild).

Hi Bernard, Thanks for your comment. PNG famously produced its Vision 2050. You can debate the value of that, but at least it didn't try to produce a Strategy 2050 - which is what the Pacific Islands Forum is now trying to do. It is really hard to see the value of that - especially at this current time of great uncertainty.

I totally agree with your commentary. PNG is a typical case where government rushes to draw up new policy & plans but never implement them. It 's good to raise awareness to these domestic and regional failures. It would be good to involve the private sector more in these debates as policies and development plans affect investment etc.

Dear Roderick - thanks for this additional piece of info on the rising scarcity of ag scientists in the ag value chains. The need for adequate skills is also pertinent in developing the ag chains in developing countries. It highlights the role of agriculture related education, something we could have highlighted more. We do so in the full Food Policy article. Best wishes and feel free to share any additional insights. Luc

Any tertiary loan scheme for this year? Can I apply? Or how can i apply for loan to help me for my tuition fee.

Recent Developments – Barrick (Niugini) v. Papua New Guinea (ICSID Case No. CONC/20/1). The Chairman of the ICSID Administrative Council announced on 7 Jan 2021 that Anne-Karen Grill (Austrian) had accepted the Council’s appointment of her as conciliator. Ms Grill joins the Barrick appointed conciliator Mr Menon. The ICSID rules (Article 29) require one or an uneven number of conciliators. The two parties, Barrick and Papua New Guinea, must now agree on the selection and appointment of a Chairman conciliator. In the event that the two parties do not agree then the reponsibility for the choice of a Chairman conciliator falls on the Chairman of the ICSID Administrative Council (Article 30). Ms Grill is known for her alternative dispute resolution and commercial mediation expertise. Vailala

Thanks for a great article Luc, Zachariah and Edward. The shortage of farm labour is of great concern in many countries. Paradoxically, it coincides with a time where jobs in agribusiness in Australia are booming. As an ag scientist, I have been waiting 40 years to be able to say that! In June last year, the Australian government reduced student fees (known as HECS here) to just $3,700 p.a for ag science degrees, while the government subsidy of the ag degree course increased to the same level as medicine and dentistry. Many international development workers started out as ag scientists. In the words of our former Prime Minister 'there has never been a better time to be' ... an ag scientist (in Australia anyway).

Sarah, on point. There is no reflection of those big aids coming into the country on the ground.

Thanks Mel, Both for the comment and for two very good questions. On the first, I really think the different approaches are complementary. Studies like Richard Moore's and the Stakeholder Surveys identified issues that would not be easy to spot in a study of aid flows. At the same time, the aid flows study has picked up issues (and strengths) that may well have drifted under the radar otherwise. That said, one area where the Stakeholder Surveys and the findings of this aid flow paper touch upon a common theme is the much appreciated focus on gender. The aid flow data also offer suggestive evidence that the increased focus was thanks to Julie Bishop (at least initially). This appeared to be the view of many stakeholders in the Stakeholder Survey too. On the second, I share your view and do not have a preferred modality for aid work, although a precipitous drop in funding to NGOs or multilaterals would worry me. The sense I get is that the NGO spend that is not counted in the DFAT data owing to money being given to other actors who many then contract NGOs is probably small. Thanks again. Terence

Terrence, and team. This is a great piece of work. As an industry participant I am grateful for this analysis. Many aspects interest me in this report. I am pleased that (as I read it) there is a positive tilt towards the efforts of the Australian aid program, and that this is balanced by a very clear call to action. There are two specific items that interest me for which your thoughts would be valued. First, you open with commentary about the various ways in which the aid program has been analysed, one being perceptions. I wonder how this data relates to those perceptions. Secondly, noting I am on record through this blog as an advocate that all actors in supporting the directions of the Australian aid program (and all aid and development programs) should be in this together (and nothing has swayed me from this), your commentary about the NGO trends do stimulate interest. As graphically presented, a clear narrative is painted, though footnotes to this representation acknowledge that there might be more to the picture if involvement other than directly to DFAT were factored. I wonder if your work is looking to address this more completely than a footnote might satisfy. Fundamentally, I do not care about who does what. If the intent is delivered and what the aid program seeks is achieved, or exceeded, then that is what is important. So, this last query is pure curiosity. Again, terrific work and another demonstration of the value the Development Policy Centre delivers to the development discourse.