PINA

Fiji and other Pacific island countries are stepping up security around the region by developing a legislation at the Chemical Weapons Convention currently underway in Suva. Opening the workshop Tuesday, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Mason Smith said this was crucial for the South Pacific. “As non-possessor States, the repercussion of a chemical incident would be extremely damaging. It is on...

One of the longest serving women in Pacific politics, Nauru Minister for Women and Social Affairs Charmaine Scotty, has told the annual UN meeting on the state of gender equality and women that policy and capacity building are key to advancing gender. In a statement to a Ministerial Roundtable sharing best practice on the CSW68 theme on strengthening institutions and...

Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) President Wesley Simina has declared a national emergency due to severe drought, and sent it to his country's Congress for review. The president's signed declaration said the nation has been experiencing “extremely and unusually low levels” of rainfall, and it is anticipated that this condition will continue to intensify in the coming months. “The impacts of...

The president of the Marshall Islands has asked Japan to share what it learned from the wartime atomic bombings and the 2011 nuclear disaster with her country, a Cold War-era U.S nuclear testing site. “We both live with the emotional and physical damage that has been brought (by nuclear weapons) and share similarities and concerns,” Hilda Heine said in an...

Critical funds to counter China in the Pacific are finally on their way to three U.S allies: Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. On Friday, the Senate passed a funding package that provides US$7 billion over 20 years for the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) as part of a partial government funding bill. It was signed into law by President...

In a concerted effort to address climate change and amplify awareness on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Regional Hub for the Pacific is proud to announce the launch of a groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering young social media influencers and climate advocates from the Pacific Region. Under the banner of #SwipeUp4Change, this initiative seeks to gather young leaders to exchange...

The Fijian Drua are adamant they can improve their set pieces for the remainder of the Super Rugby Pacific season. Coach Mick Byrne said he is happy with how the players handled the set pieces, particularly the scrums in the 20-10 win over the Crusaders last week at Churchill Park. “Every week brings its own challenges and subtleties around the set...

Just three matches into their existence, Penina Pasifika is fast becoming one of rugby’s great success stories. Supported by the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports programme, Penina Pasifika has sprouted from the seed of an idea into full bloom. Little was known about the side comprised of amateur players from Tonga and Samoa when they travelled to Ballymore last month for the...

A three-day technical workshop is underway in Apia, Samoa from 11 - 13 March in preparation for the Fourth International Conference on Small Islands Developing States (SIDS4). The conference is scheduled to take place in Antigua and Barbuda from 27 - 30 May, 2024, with the overarching theme of ‘Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity’. The Chief Executive Officer of Samoa’s...

Climate disasters and gender violence are amongst the biggest threats causing poverty in the Pacific, and worsening gender inequality, says the Pacific Islands Forum. In a PIF statement at CSW 68 in New York today, Tonga's Minister for Internal Affairs Lord Vaea noted while the region has made some progress on gender equality, more needs to be done. He pointed to...