PINA

The Writs for the Fifth Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) General Elections were officially issued by the Speaker of the Bougainville House of Representatives at the Parliament House Monday. In his remarks, Speaker of the Bougainville Parliament, Simon Pentanu, highlighted the importance of this democratic process for Bougainville’s political journey. “This is one of the most important democratic tasks of any nation...

During the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) urged world leaders to prioritise the Debt Sustainability Support Service (DSSS) as a concrete response to the unique challenges facing the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), describing it as essential for the survival and development of vulnerable island nations. “Small Island Developing States stand...

Guam's push for United Nations recognition of its decolonisation efforts has gained momentum with recent amendments to its resolution, but the territory faces significant challenges ahead as it seeks approval for a visiting mission from the Trump administration. Melvin Won Pat-Borja, executive director of Guam's Commission on Decolonisation, told The Guam Daily Post the C-24 committee recently adopted amendments that...

Facing long-term climate threats like rising seas and coastal erosion, communities in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are looking to their coastlines for solutions. Not with concrete walls, but with mangrove roots and seagrass beds. A recent regional webinar titled “Blue Carbon Ecosystems and Nature-based Solutions” brought together more than 100 participants from across the Pacific and Asia to talk...

Australia and Fiji are taking steps to formally elevate and deepen the Vuvale Partnership as we work together to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific. During Fiji Prime Minister Sitveni Rabuka’s visit to Australia, we affirmed our support for Prime Minister Rabuka’s vision for an “Ocean of Peace” including family first Pacific regionalism and Pacific-led solutions to Pacific challenges. As...

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hailed the importance of personal relationships with Pacific nations at a time when other powers are seeking to increase their influence. The prime minister, who hosted Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka when the Wallabies took on Fiji in their one-off Rugby Union Test in Newcastle on Sunday, reiterated the importance of soft diplomacy in the...

Pacific leaders continue to push for more investment, stronger political will, and recognition of traditional knowledge to protect the region’s ocean future. The United Nations’ Ocean Conference (UNOC), held every three years, reviews international progress on Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. The most recent conference in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June, saw Pacific leaders call for...

Beyond the scoreboard at Sunday’s rugby match between the Fiji Water Flying Fijians and the Wallabies, more than 28,000 spectators came together to celebrate the deep bonds between the two Pacific countries. The match, which showcased a spectacular display of sportsmanship, camaraderie and the Vuvale spirit, brought together Fijians from across Australia and even from Fiji. The Wallabies narrowly defeated the...

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) says global efforts to tackle plastic pollution must include binding action to clean up existing waste, not just prevent future pollution. As negotiations continue toward a global plastics treaty, AOSIS said this week’s meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Nairobi showed “encouraging signs of convergence” — but not enough. “For Small Island Developing...

As climate change impacts worsen and aid budgets fall, leaders gathered in Spain for a UN conference on funding sustainable development this week threw their weight behind innovative tools such as taxes on extreme wealth, levies on polluting transport and debt swaps to raise more money to tackle the climate crisis. UN Secretary-General António Guterres told journalists in the southern...