PINA

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scientists and international scientific observers will visit Japan next week to take marine samples near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). The Agency’s samples will be used to corroborate Japan’s environmental monitoring and to assess the country’s relevant technical capabilities. This work supports the IAEA’s ongoing monitoring and assessment activities in Japan under the Agency’s...

Vanuatu Opposition bloc of former Prime Minister Sato Kilman has raised concerns over the election of Charlot Salwai, Member of Parliament of Pentecost and President of the Reunification Movement of Change (RMC), as the new Prime Minister during the parliamentary session last Friday. Former PM Kilman alleged that Salwai’s election was unlawful because it relied on the signatures of only...

The Hamas attacks took place on Israeli soil, but the “unprecedented invasion” has impacted families around the world, including the Pacific. The Islamist militant group launched a surprise military operation against Israel last weekend, killing hundreds of unarmed civilians at a music festival and soldiers near the Gaza border. More than 500 Pacific islanders, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, have been...

Tongan officials have stepped up to help members of a New Zealand-based church group who found themselves stuck in Israel after the deadly surprise attack that killed hundreds and wounded thousands of people. Up to 54 members of the Connection City Church Assemblies of God church travelled to Israel for a Holy Land tour, visiting historical Christian sites. They arrived in...

By Tagaloa Cooper, SPREP Director of Climate Change Resilience  Our rally call on our journey to COP28 It rests upon our shoulders to breathe life into our commitment to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We must not let the 1.5 rallying call be muted, as the moment we let it fade, it is an indication to...

The Pacific Resilience Meeting (PRM 2023) is bringing together Pacific people, stakeholders, and experts from across the region to dialogue on building long-term strength, adaptability and sustainability of Pacific communities and ecosystems from 11-13 October 2023. Building resilience to secure the future of the region through proactive measures, collaboration, and the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and knowledge will...

Fifty days and counting down towards the UNFCCC COP28 in Dubai, Pacific Small Islands States (PSIDS) have been urged to stand united and leave no stone unturned as they gather in Samoa for an in-depth dialogue to consolidate positions and messages on priority thematic areas ahead of the global negotiations from Thursday 30 November 2023 – Tuesday 12 December...

The European Council has adopted a decision on the signature and provisional application of the European Union and Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Partnership Agreement, as the new legal framework for the relations between the EU and its Member States and 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, for the next twenty years, which will succeed the...

Indonesia cancelled a regional meeting this week on the human rights situation in its Papuan provinces on the grounds that the leaders of Melanesian nations weren’t attending it, a member of Papua New Guinea’s delegation said on Tuesday. The canning of the meeting comes after the Papuan independence movement had its application to become a full member of the Melanesian...

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi met with Tongan Deputy Prime Minister Samiu Kuita Vaipulu on Tuesday to discuss cooperation in ecotourism, disaster mitigation, fisheries, and mitigation of climate change impacts. During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum in Nusa Dua, Bali, focused on exploring bilateral...