PINA

The latest cyclones which have ravaged Vanuatu, as well as an earthquake, in the four days from 01 – 04 March, should drive home the vulnerability and the responsibility we all bear for the global climate crisis and its impact on small island developing states says Forum Chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown. “Our hearts go out to...

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) will observe the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) General Election Tuesday, 07 March 2023. The Forum Team is lead by Rosalie Motellang, a senior Election Officer with the Republic of the Marshall Islands Electoral Administration, and is supported by Forum Secretariat staff. PIF Secretary General Henry Puna acknowledged the significant milestone this opportunity presented for the...

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIF) and Australia have signed a grant agreement to improve E-commerce Statistics in the Pacific. The funding agreement worth AUD$84,000(US$56,505) was signed in Geneva in January 2023 by the PIF’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador, Mere Falemaka, and Australia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation, George Mina. The grant will support the work of...

By Greg Fry and Terence Wesley-Smith In his recently published article “Sea of many flags”, the Head of the ANU National Security College Rory Medcalf makes the case for why Pacific Island states should regard the deep regional involvement of a Western coalition of powers, “quietly” led by Australia, as an effective and attractive “Pacific way to dilute China’s influence”. Although...

The pools for the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens 2023 were revealed on Monday, with 28 teams to compete at the Hong Kong Stadium from 31 March 31 to 02 April. It marks the first time that the Hong Kong Sevens has been played twice on the same series calendar. The event will also be the first time that both men's...

Argentina were celebrating a second successive Canada Sevens title after beating France in a thrilling, end-to-end final at BC Place. Victorious Argentina captain Matthias Osadczuk said he was, “very happy for the team” after his squad had beaten France after finishing in the medal places last week in Los Angeles. He made special mention of those players who could not made...

The president of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has defended Micronesian leaders' controversial choice for head of the Pacific Islands Forum, but said more scrutiny was needed before a final choice was made. Former Nauruan president Baron Waqa — who has a controversial record on human rights and press freedom — has been selected to lead the Pacific Islands...

People in Vanuatu remain optimistic about their future after two destructive cyclones in two days left parts of the Pacific nation in ruins. Authorities are yet to determine the full scale of the damages caused by the back-to-back severe tropical cyclones Judy and Kevin. But those who had to endure the worst of the natural disasters last week believe demonstrating resilience...

It has been almost two decades in the making but on Saturday night in New York, after days of gruelling round-the-clock talks, UN member states finally agreed on a treaty to protect the high seas. A full day after the deadline for talks had officially passed, the conference president, Rena Lee of Singapore, took to the floor of room two...

Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Jelta Wong, has called on Japan to cancel plans to dump more than one million tonnes of radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean from the disabled Fukushima nuclear power plant. He said the risks to the lives of Pacific Islanders, and to the health of the consumers of fish and...