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SOPAC Division Wins Best Poster Award at the WaterMicro 2011 Symposium

Wednesday, 28 September 2011 17:01 administrator
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The 16th International Health Related Water Microbiology (WaterMicro) symposium was held in Rotorua, New Zealand, from 19 to 23 September 2011 – the first in the Pacific region.

Topics of discussion included the following: water pollution and diseases; microbial source tracking; catchment protection; water and sanitation in developing countries; diffuse pollution; recreational water and health; epidemiology of waterborne diseases; and microbial risk assessment.

Having the regional mandate on water and sanitation, the SPC’s Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC) was invited to participate at the symposium, especially to share Pacific experiences, challenges and successful approaches in water and sanitation.

SOPAC Division also presented a Poster titled “Managing the risks of pollution at catchment level through drinking water safety planning”, a case study from Niue. From the total of eighty-nine (89) international posters presented, the SOPAC Division Poster was voted Best Poster at the symposium.

Attendance at the symposium enabled Pacific representation and provided the opportunity to network with microbiologists, virologists and water and sanitation practitioners globally to share experiences and lessons learned.

Photo caption: Niuean school girls

View the full poster (1.5Mb)

Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 September 2011 17:07  

Newsflash

Next week, from Tuesday 12 to Friday 15 November, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community will hold its 43rd meeting of the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (CRGA) in Suva, Fiji.

 

CRGA will be followed by the 8th Conference of the Pacific Community, where a new Director-General will be appointed to lead SPC following the departure of Dr Jimmie Rodgers in early 2014. The conference will take place on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 November. Both CRGA and the conference will be held in the Vale Ni Bose Complex in Nasase, Suva and will be hosted by the Government of the Republic of Fiji.

 

The Conference of the Pacific Community is held every two years and each one has a theme. This year it is: Enhancing sustainable development in the Pacific community – Helping shape the post-2015 agenda. The occasion will allow SPC’s 26 member countries and territories to provide direction and determine priorities for the region’s principal technical and scientific organisation.

 

The annual CRGA will be an opportunity for the seven technical divisions of SPC to highlight service delivery and completion of project milestones in the areas of public health, geoscience, agriculture, forestry, water resources, disaster management, fisheries, education, statistics, transport, energy, human rights, gender, youth and culture.