PINA

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) brace for an uphill battle as a key negotiator issues a warning about remaining unresolved issues and financial hurdles as COP28 negotiations pass midway. Exsley Taloiburi, SPC Deputy Director for the Disaster and Community Resilience Programme, in a media briefing in Dubai gave an update on the...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai Fiji’s former Ambassador to the UN, Satyendra Prasad, has stressed the critical role of oceans in the fight against climate change at COP negotiation. Advocating for the integration of oceans into the main climate change agenda at COP, Ambassador Prasad emphasised the urgency of addressing the ocean and climate nexus. “The ocean provides one...

The Australian government has pledged AUD$150m (US$99.04 million) climate finance for Pacific countries but has not contributed to a newly created global loss and damage fund. Nearly 200 countries reached an historic consensus agreement on the first day of the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai to set up the loss and damage fund to help the world’s poorest and most...

By Elenoa Dimaira Tuvalu, a nation heavily reliant on tuna fishing for revenue, is hopeful that the 20th session of the Western and Central Pacific Fishing Commission (WCPFC) will address key issues related to longline fisheries. Samuela Finekaso, the Director of Fisheries in Tuvalu, has emphasised the need to address the compliance gaps in purse seine fishing and long line fishing,...

By Elenoa Dimaira The 20th session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission currently meeting in Rarotonga, Cook Islands must put in measures that would ensure the sustainability of our fisheries, says WWF Western and Central Pacific Tuna Programme Manager, Bubba Cook. “Now, is the time to put measures in place that ensure the longevity of the fisheries. I've...

By Elenoa Dimaira Civil society organisations remain hopeful and optimistic that the outcomes of the 20th session of the Western and Central Pacific Fishing Commission (WCPFC) in Rarotonga, Cook Islands would include measures that would curb regional challenges such illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. WWF Pacific Western and Central Pacific Tuna Programme manager, Bubba Cook said discussions since the first day...

By Elenoa Dimaira There are high expectations of a new Tropical Tuna Measure when the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meeting concludes on Friday this week in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Forum Fisheries Commission Glen Joseph said while there was a wide ranging of views, the 17 member countries of the Forum Fisheries Agency were concerned with the compliance gaps between...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai UN Special Envoy for the Ocean Ambassador Peter Thomson, a Fijian diplomat, delivered a blunt message on the challenges faced in the battle for ocean preservation. “Are we winning the war? No. The oil and gas industry is definitely winning the war, and so we just have to keep fighting. Look at the process,”...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai, UAE Australia's Ambassador for Climate Change, Kristin Tilley, has highlighted the urgency of focusing on ocean-related climate issues and the challenges in securing the COP31 bid. “When you started with Palau President Whipps, terrestrial-based climate responses, especially in forests, have had a head start in COP discussions for decades. Oceans are very much...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai, UAE Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr has emphasised the need for urgent action to protect the Pacific and the vital role of oceans in global health. Speaking at the side event on Oceans, organised by the Office of Oceans Commissioner (OPOC) at the COP28 in Dubai which focused on accelerating the sea lane...