PINA

The Pacific Regional and National Security Conference (PRNSC) wrapped up today with a key panel discussion this week focused on national security. The panel emphasised the vital role of inclusive stakeholder management in crafting effective national security strategies. Moderated by former senior diplomat and police officer Ross Ardern, the ‘National Security Panel’ included the Cook Islands National Security Advisor, Maara Tetava,...

Australia must heed Pacific calls for a more ambitious climate strategy as the region faces an existential threat, a former environmental lawyer turned Greens senator says. Steph Hodgins-May is due to deliver her first Senate speech on Wednesday after being sworn in on 14 May, replacing Janet Rice who retired from politics. The Victorian senator was an environmental lawyer and worked...

Fiji is proud to join the global community in observing the International Day for Women in Diplomacy commemorated this week on 24 June, 2024. The day is dedicated to recognising the remarkable contributions of women diplomats in the foreign services and calls for inclusivity of women into diplomatic roles that shape and implement the multilateral agendas. Commemorating this special occasion, the...

The recovery of Pacific bluefin tuna has achieved a major milestone—the species exceeded international targets a decade ahead of schedule. The rebuilding of Pacific bluefin tuna reflects a fisheries management success. International organisations cooperated across the Pacific to reverse decades of overfishing for the prized species. The International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-Like Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC),...

By Malla Kaval Ocean currents across the vast Pacific Ocean are bringing plastic wastes to Tonga. This is the warning from two visiting scholars from New Zealand. The two scholars, Professor Palatasa Havea from Massey University and Dr Bridie Allan, a lecturer at Otago University, gave a public talk at the University of the South Pacific (USP) Tonga Campus recently. One of...

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is satisfied with Japan’s test results on the Fukushima treated nuclear waste water released into the Pacific ocean more than a year ago. Japan government officials has confirmed that it has continued to update Pacific Island leaders including Rabuka about the test results showing no presence of radioactive elements in the treated wastewater until today. “We...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will finally face a United States court 14 years after he leaked troves of secret state information and ended up in a British maximum security prison for his troubles. An odyssey that started with Assange holed up in Ecuador's London embassy before leading him to solitary confinement in Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom, now looks...

The 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report by the United States government states that Fijian children are at risk of forced labour in agriculture, retail, or other sectors. The report highlights rising levels of poverty also contributed to increased risks of Fijian children being exploited in commercial sex and forced labour. It said natural disasters and climate-induced displacement significantly increase Fijians’ vulnerability...

The Pacific Islands Forum, through its Geneva Office, proudly announces the signing of a transformative AUD$14.7 million(US$9.67 million) grant agreement with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Spanning 4 years from 2024 to 2027, this funding initiative marks a significant step forward in advancing trade development across the Pacific. The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by...

By Denise Fisher France’s action in transporting eight indigenous New Caledonian detainees to metropolitan France can only fan the flames of ethnic and political difference that have erupted into violence in recent weeks. It is the latest in a series of moves by France which, while applying French law, in fact undermines stability. Seven weeks after the outbreak of violence in...