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New Zealand voices renewed concern as Cook Islands PM eyes agreement with China
New Zealand expressed renewed concern on Monday about the Cook Islands' prime minister travelling to China this week to sign agreements without properly consulting with Wellington despite the two nations' constitutional ties.
New Zealand has become increasingly cautious about China’s growing presence in the Pacific region and the potential threats it poses to the country’s national security.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon...
Pacific Islands Forum Champions Gender Equality and Social Inclusion through GESI Week
The Pacific Islands Forum in partnership with CROP agencies and key development partners, is facilitating a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) week from 10 to 14 February 2025 as a dedicated platform to strengthen gender equality and social inclusion across the Blue Pacific.
This initiative also underscores the power of collaboration among CROP agencies, UN partners, and civil society...
Pacific media embraces digital transformation
While digital journalism is already being used by news outlets in Fiji, other Pacific islands have yet to adopt new methods for broadcasting their stories.
Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation CEO, Johnson Honimae, said the region must adapt to the digital age while acknowledging the continued relevance of traditional media, especially radio.
“We need to build, upskill our staff, either in our...
Aid on ice: How Trump’s freeze hurts the Pacific and Southeast Asia
The outlook is anything but reassuring.
By Alexandre Dayant
The U.S aid freeze won’t break the Pacific, but it will create unnecessary disruptions. For Southeast Asia, the consequences are mixed, likely to hit Myanmar and Cambodia hardest, as well as those sectors more broadly across the region where U.S aid plays an important role, especially in support for civil society.
President Donald...
Brumbies ready for Fijian first in tough opening fixture
ACT Brumbies forward Tom Hooper and the side are embracing their long-awaited first game in Fiji in preparation for a tough match against the Drua.
Incredibly, Saturday's fixture in Suva will be the Brumbies' first in Fiji in Super Rugby Pacific, one of the last teams to make the trip to the island.
In addition, it's the first time the Drua...
Pacific resilience unshaken by U.S Paris Agreement exit, says SPREP DG Nawadra
The Pacific region will not waver in its climate fight despite the United States' decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, says Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Sefanaia Nawadra.
“Our Pacific leaders have time and time again stated that climate change represents the single greatest threat to our region. The U.S decision does...
No security deal with China, assures Cook Islands PM Brown
Cook Islands’ agreement with China will not include any security aspects, Prime Minister Mark Brown assured Thursday.
Brown, who is flying to China today with his delegation for a state visit from 10-14 February, will sign a Joint Action Plan for a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, “serving as a framework for engagement and a roadmap for collaboration in the years ahead”.
In...
Coalition reinforces unity ahead of Vanuatu Parliament session
Vanuatu Members of Parliament (MPs) in the coalition alliance and party representatives at their caucus meeting Thursday reconfirmed their numbers before the First Sitting of Parliament.
The coalition-appointed taskforce overseeing negotiations to maintain support ahead of the first sitting met and remained solid in their numbers.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed by party presidents—MP Ralph Regenvanu from Graon mo Jastis...
Global investors must step up for Pacific resilience: Forum SG Waqa
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa has issued a strong call for private finance to play a greater role in supporting Small Island Developing States (SIDS), warning that current investment flows are failing the Pacific region at a time of escalating climate and economic challenges.
Speaking at the 2025 OECD Conference on Private Finance for Sustainable Development (CoP-PF4SD) this...
Over 100 deaths a day: UN warns of air pollution’s toll on young children in East Asia, Pacific
More than 100 children under the age of five die each day in East Asia and the Pacific from air pollution-related causes, said UNICEF, in a call for urgent action to cut deadly emissions, toughen air quality standards and improve health systems.
The toll translates to nearly 40,000 deaths annually among children under five in the two regions.
The United Nations...