PINA

By Pita Ligaiula in Da Nang, Vietnam The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is hopeful the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC 19), meeting this week will take a decision to prohibit the use of wire leaders and shark lines. The U.S and Canada are seeking a ban in the Pacific on the two fishing devices that have proven...

By Pita Ligaiula in Da Nang, Vietnam The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has warned 33 MSC-certified tuna fisheries in the region may lose certification if the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) fails to adopt management measures of a harvest strategy for skipjack tuna and demonstrate progress towards delivering harvest strategies for other tuna stocks within the region. These fisheries,...

By Pita Ligaiula in Da Nang, Vietnam Vietnam has expressed its desire to become a full member of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC). The announcement was made by Dr Tran Dinh Luan, Director General of the Directorate of Fisheries of the Government of Vietnam in his keynote address at the Tuna Commission Meeting in Da Nang Monday. “I would...

By Pita Ligaiula in Da Nang, Vietnam The Executive director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Feleti Teo says the Commission was severely challenged to adapt and to adjust to a new working environment dictated by the disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on international travels and modes of transacting businesses. This week's WCPFC19 meeting is the first...

By Pita Ligaiula in Da Nang, Vietnam The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) executive director Feleti Teo has announced that he is stepping down from the position in March next year. Teo made the announcement at the opening of the Tuna Commission Meeting (WCPFC 19) in Dan Nang, Vietnam. “As I would take my discharge from the WCPFC early in...

Young leaders from the Pacific and Australia will come together for connection-building, leadership development and dialogue at the first ever Pacific Australian Emerging Leaders Summit starting on Saturday. The four-day summit, organised by Micah Australia and the Pacific Conference of Churches(PCC), gathers emerging leaders aged 22 to 35 to discuss key development priorities for young people and their communities. On Monday...

By Anita Roberts Vanuatu and its coalition partners for the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (ICJAO) resolution are confident of reaching the required number of votes at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This was conveyed by the Minister of Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, during a press conference at COP27 Climate Change Summit in Egypt. The ICJAO resolution is expected...

The U.S Department of Defence is beefing up forces in Guam and other island nations in the region to ensure a prompt counteraction should China launch an act of aggression, a military official said. “The geopolitical tensions we are experiencing are no secret – China is our most consequential challenger, and they are rapidly building up their own staging areas,...

By Lara BULLENS Although they contribute less than 0.03 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions, Pacific Islands are at the front line of the climate crisis. Entire countries could be submerged under water within the next two to three decades. How are these island states fighting for their survival? A country is more than its land. A country is...

Developing nations could have a greater say over global tax rules after winning a diplomatic tussle at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday. A new resolution, agreed by UN members, gives the body a mandate to kickstart intergovernmental talks on tax. The policy area has long been dominated by the Paris-headquartered Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a...