PINA

ABG President Ishmael Toroama Thursday thanked the Papua New Guinea Government for acknowledging Bougainville’s right to self-determination and emphasised that the outcome of the referendum must now be implemented in good faith. Speaking during the Second Joint Moderation Meeting in Port Moresby Thursday, President Toroama reaffirmed Bougainville’s firm commitment to independence and called on all parties, including the National Government...

By Jane McAdam The details of a new visa enabling Tuvaluan citizens to permanently migrate to Australia were released this week. The visa was created as part of a bilateral treaty Australia and Tuvalu signed in late 2023, which aims to protect the two countries’ shared interests in security, prosperity and stability, especially given the “existential threat posed by climate change”. The...

Former Manu Samoa playmaker and captain Lemalu Tusiata Pisi, has been named the new Manu Samoa Head Coach. In making the announcement today, Lakapi Samoa said this exciting new chapter for Samoan rugby follows Lemalu’s recent role as an assistant coach in last year’s international windows, including the Pacific Nations Cup 2024, and the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He gets into...

Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa today welcomed Ocean ministers from the region in their first ever meeting as they chart their course towards the upcoming third UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France. The Pacific Ocean Ministers Preparatory Meeting for the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference this week, Waqa said should consider how the Pacific positions itself not just as a...

Solomon Islands Government of National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) will reintroduce the Constitutional Amendment Constituent Assembly Sitting Bill in Parliament. The bill, in its previous form, seeks to amend the provision on the date for the convening of the Constituent Assembly from 31st December 2024 to 31st December 2026. It was not passed in parliament last year after failing to secure...

Over two days of rich dialogue and exchange this week, Pacific governments, civil society, youth, and community leaders came together in a series of thematic sessions, including five talanoa sessions and a consultation on draft General Recommendation No. 41 on gender stereotypes, as part of the Pacific Technical Cooperation Session of the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination...

The United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, has terminated a consulting contract with the State Department for the Republic of Palau. In a statement posted on its X account last week, DOGE described the US$1.9 million contract as providing “global advisory and support services for the Republic of Palau.” The agency indicated that this consultancy...

East Sepik Governor Allan Bird has filed and served a Section 18 Supreme Court application challenging the recent amendments to Section 145 (5) of the Papua New Guinea Constitution. The applications question the constitutionality of the amended sections. The amendment in question provides that if a motion of no confidence should fail, a grace period of 18 months should ensue before...

The head of U.S forces for the Indo-Pacific, Admiral Samuel Paparo, said on Wednesday he would be advocating “most strongly” for the continuation of USAID funding to the Pacific Islands region, where U.S influence is being contested by China. Asked at a congressional hearing if the United States was missing opportunities with the Trump administration's assault on the U.S Agency...

Government negotiators at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London this week look set to agree that, from 2028, the owners or operators of ships that fail to meet targets to reduce emissions from their fuel should be penalised financially. Under a compromise proposal put forward by the chair of the talks, shipowners who fail to meet the targets for...