Australian Federal Police ODA expenditure in 2015-16: $100.4 million
In 2015-16, Australian Federal Police (AFP) programs maintained their commitment to the capacity development of partner police agencies in the Pacific Region. AFP continued to advocate and encourage an increased regional focus on combatting Transnational Serious and Organised Crime (TSOC) particularly through the Pacific Transnational Crime Network (PTCN) which has expanded its reach during this time. The PTCN was established in 2002 to enable the coordinated exchange of intelligence in support of efforts to combat transnational crime in the Pacific, and now has a presence in 16 member countries and manages 24 Transnational Crime Units (TCUs). In 2015-16, American Samoa, Tuvalu and Nauru became members of the PTCN and, under AFP support and guidance, established their own TCUs. Also during the period, the PTCN capability was extended in Vanuatu (Santo), Kiribati (Kiritimati Island) and Papua New Guinea (Madang), where additional TCUs were established.
In addition to the PTCN and its increased focus on TSOC, AFP police capacity development programs continued to provide support to partner police agencies to enable the delivery of legitimate, responsive and accountable policing in support of effective rule of law.
Police Capacity Development Programs in 2015-16 included:
• Papua New Guinea Australia Policing Partnership (PNG-APP) continued to provide support to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) to develop and enhance their community policing capabilities as well as increasing focus on RPNGC planning and preparation for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2018;
• The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) continued to support the development of a credible policing capability throughout the Solomon Islands;
• Pacific Police Development Program supported community policing and investigative development programs in Nauru, Samoa and Tonga;
• Pacific Police Development Program – Regional continued their police capacity development work with partner police forces in Kiribati, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Republic of Marshall Islands, Fiji, Niue, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia;
• The Timor-Leste Police Development Program continued a focus on enhancing the capability of front-line policing services of the Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste;
• The Vanuatu – Australia Police Partnership (VAPP) focusses on professionalising the Vanuatu Police Force and operates in conjunction within the broader DFAT Law & Justice program
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) ODA expenditure in 2015-16: $91.1 million
As Australia’s specialist agricultural research-for-development agency, ACIAR actively contributed to the overall aid objectives by improving the productivity and profitability of agricultural systems in countries of the Indo–Pacific region. ACIAR supported economic and public diplomacy through improving agricultural competitiveness and sustainability, increasing value chain efficiency and effectiveness, alleviating regulatory impediments in relation to domestic and international markets and capacity building. ACIAR managed research partnerships in the areas of crops, livestock and fisheries, natural resources and forestry, and socioeconomics and policy which generated new technologies and systems, innovation at the farm level, and greater capabilities in research and production.
A number of examples highlight ACIAR’s contribution. In Timor-Leste, a collaborative activity involving scientists from Indonesia has introduced better forages and tree legumes for smallholder cattle, following the lessons of successful implementation in similar dryland areas in Indonesia. The introduction of versatile multicrop planters and conservation agriculture technologies in Bangladesh has led to higher crop yields and profit compared with the traditional system. An ACIAR project is turning the stems of old, non-productive coconut palms in Pacific Island countries into a high-value product cocoveneer. This product has the potential to bring benefits along the supply chain from coastal communities who own the plantations, to timber mills, furniture makers, retailers and exporters. In Myanmar, the ACIAR project MyRice has demonstrated approaches to improving rice productivity through introducing better agronomy, modern rice varieties and improving post-harvest management of rice to improve quality. Best practices post-harvest reduced physical losses by 10–13 per cent. In Tanzania, women have been trained as community vaccinators to protect village chickens from the devastating Newcastle disease. Since the introduction of vaccination and the associated increase in the consumption of poultry and eggs, maternal and child health is improving, with height-for-age Z-scores of children from households owning chickens significantly higher than those from households without chickens.
Treasury ODA expenditure in 2015-16: $58.2 million
Treasury supported international financial institutions that make significant contributions to development outcomes. This included payments of previously agreed capital increases to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), as well as contributions to the World Bank’s Global Infrastructure Facility and the ADB’s Asia Pacific Project Preparation Facility.
A range of agencies in the Treasury portfolio assisted in training officials and regulators in partner countries. These agencies include the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Department of Health ODA expenditure in 2015-16: $7.0 million
The Department of Health’s contribution to official development assistance is primarily made through its contribution to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Department’s annual assessed contribution to the WHO enables Australia to participate in the World Health Assembly and technical fora and shape regional and global health priorities.
Department of Immigration and Border Protection ODA expenditure in 2015-16: $0.8 million
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) funded a range of activities to strengthen the migration and border management capabilities of partners in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East. Activities included strengthening border management and migration management capacity, supporting the voluntary return of displaced migrants, and providing care and management services to displaced populations. Activities were delivered directly by DIBP and through funding arrangements with nongovernment organisations and multilateral bodies. The types of activities funded by DIBP in 2015-16 are represented by the following examples.
DIBP delivered border management and English language skills training to over 2000 people in over 47 countries, primarily in the Asia-Pacific, to enhance the capability of foreign governments’ border management and security. Funding was provided to the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other organisations to deliver a range of activities globally. These activities included emergency assistance to up to 35,000 people displaced by conflict in Syria and Iraq, health insurance to over 50,000 Afghan refugees in Iran and upgrades to over 50,000 identity cards for asylum seekers and refugees in Malaysia.
Department of Defence ODA expenditure in 2015-16: $4.9 million
The Australian Defence Force responded to the devastation brought by Tropical Cyclone Winston to Fiji in February 2016 through Operation Fiji Assist 2016. More than 1000 soldiers, sailors and aircrew deployed during the operation, providing humanitarian supplies and significantly assisting the recovery process in the wake of the Category 5 cyclone.
ODA expenditure in 2015-16: $3.6 million
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources provides an annual contribution to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a component of Australia’s membership fees. The FAO seeks to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity and food security, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy. Australia, along with New Zealand, co-chairs the FAO South-West Pacific region. Australia works to ensure that the benefits of FAO membership such as agricultural, fisheries and forestry skills and knowledge sharing flow to Pacific Island nations.
Attorney-General’s Department ODA expenditure in 2015-16: $1.2 million
The Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) worked with regional partner countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Pacific Island countries, to: develop and improve capacity and technical expertise in law and justice agencies; help combat organised crime and corruption; strengthen legal frameworks on terrorism and transnational crime, including people smuggling and human trafficking; and improve Pacific domestic crime and policing legal frameworks and their implementation.
As part of AGD’s work through the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime, AGD co-chaired the second annual meeting of the Working Group on Trafficking in Persons, and a regional Bali Process ‘Follow the Money’ Forum, highlighting the benefits of using anti-money laundering tools and techniques to support investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases. AGD also led the establishment of a Working Group on Trafficking in Persons and development of Policy Guides on Identifying and Protecting Victims of Trafficking in Persons to strengthen the regional response to combat people smuggling and human trafficking. In Indonesia, AGD has built on previous work supporting the passage and implementation of stronger laws to combat people smuggling, money laundering, terrorism and terrorism financing.
In the Pacific, AGD developed with Pacific Island countries to develop model forensics provisions to provide a legal framework to increase technical law enforcement capacity in the region, supported work through the Pacific Island Law Officers’ Network to address cybercrime and family and sexual violence, worked with several Pacific Island countries on various law reform and policy projects, assisted other Pacific Island countries to implement new legal frameworks and continued to deliver training and mentoring to build law reform capacity in Pacific Island countries’ law and justice agencies. This included continuing its Pacific Policy Champions and the Pacific Legal Policy Twinning Programs.
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