PINA

The 2023 Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers meeting has ended with a collective statement on Japan’s release of ALPS treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. In the statement, Forum Foreign Ministers “highlighted the priorities of ensuring international consultation, international law, and independent and verifiable scientific assessments” and re-emphasised “our collective Forum position and the process we have taken over...

Cook Islands Prime Minister and Forum Chair, Mark Brown has confirmed his government is in discussion with Fiji Airways to facilitate a charter flight to Rarotonga during the upcoming Forum Leaders Meeting in November. “I'm happy to say that we have been in discussions with Fiji Airways to look at streamlining the travel from all Pacific members particularly from Nadi...

Now is the time for a global plan to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are woefully off-track halfway towards their 2030 deadline, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday in New York. Guterres was speaking at the opening of a high-level forum at UN Headquarters where world leaders adopted a political declaration to accelerate action to achieve the...

The waters that surround the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Pacific are home to remarkable marine ecosystems. The fish and other marine species they host are deeply intertwined with many Pacific peoples' cultures, livelihoods and food systems. But while the communities of these islands continue to consume fish in significant quantities, the diversity of Islanders' diets is declining,...

There is no legal basis for the United States to control the large oceanic area that includes the compact states. By Edward Hunt In defiance of international norms and rules, U.S officials are laying claim to the large oceanic area in the central Pacific Ocean that is home to the compact states. Now that they are renewing the economic provisions of...

Fiji's convincing victory over the two-times world champions Wallabies on Sunday was the first big upset of the World Cup and further enhanced the case for the Pacific islanders to have a place at rugby's top table. Already a Sevens superpower as champions of the first two Olympic tournaments, the Fijians have played seven tests this season and won five...

Fiji’s first win over Australia since 1954 has been rewarded with a one-place gain in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings. Sunday’s historic 22-15 victory in Saint-Étienne puts Fiji up to eighth, one place behind Wales, who were pushed hard by Portugal 24 hours earlier before winning 28-8. As well as having an impact on the rankings, Fiji's first-ever Rugby World Cup...

As Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers, we refer to the decision by the Government of Japan to commence on 24 August 2023 with the release of Advanced Liquid Processing Systems (ALPS) treated water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean and continuing over a period of approximately 30 years. For our Blue Pacific Continent, the...

With several high-profile world leaders opting out of the UN General Assembly’s annual opening session next week, Secretary-General António Guterres has said that he cares less about who comes to New York and more about what gets done, especially to revive the lagging Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “This is not a Vanity Fair. This is a political body in which...

The existing rules and regulations for fisheries in the Pacific are sufficient to meet the goals of the proposed expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument, according to marine scientists at the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council(WPRPFC). The council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee reached such a conclusion after reviewing the Pacific Remote Islands Fishery Ecosystem Plan. The review...