PINA

The European Union is working to boost its presence in the Pacific through economic ties and new security commitments as geostrategic competition in the region intensifies, the bloc’s ambassador to Pacific Island nations said on Tuesday. Ambassador Sujiro Seam told Reuters in an interview during a visit to New Zealand the EU had long been seen as a development partner...

The Kiribati Government has withdrawn its appeal case against the judicial biased judgement of then Chief Justice Hastings in relation to the life-term appointment of David Lambourne as Puisne Judge last week. A report from the Office of the President said the action was taken in light of a recall and nullification of the original warrant appointing David Lambourne as...

The goal to effectively manage protected and conserved areas in the Pacific has taken an important step forward with the soft launch of the Comparative Analysis of Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME) evaluation tools for the region. PAME Evaluations are tools to assess how well protected and conserved areas are being managed, primarily the degree to which management is safeguarding...

Fiji’s Ministry of Environment (MoE) has signed two Letters of Agreement (LoA) with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to implement in Fiji, the By-catch and Integrated Ecosystem Management (BIEM) initiative supported through the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) programme as well as to implement the Pacific - European Union Waste Management (PacWastePlus) Programme. The PacWastePlus programme...

Oceania Rise Rugby has been described as a “game-changer” that can help with “levelling the playing field for women” in the Pacific Islands. Last month, Oceania Rugby launched the programme in partnership with the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports in order to positively impact gender equality across the region. As part of Oceania Rise Rugby, which is a three-year project, unions in...

The OFC Champions League 2022 final takes place today Wednesday, 17 August with Tahiti’s AS Vénus looking to become their nation’s first ever champions of Oceania and New Zealand’s Auckland City hunting an elusive tenth title. AS Vénus have been impressive on their route to the final. They have followed a dramatic 1-0 after extra time win over AS Pirae...

Vanuatu Parliament was not able to topple Prime Minister, Bob Loughman today due to lack of the two third of the 52 members of parliament. There was no quorum this morning due the boycott by Loughman government. Speaker Simeon Seoule has adjourned the extra-ordinary session to meet on Friday. Leader of the opposition, Ralph Regengenavu said there were 27 MPs who signed...

New Greenpeace analysis shows that since governments began discussing a new Global Ocean Treaty two decades ago, nearly 120 marine species have become critically endangered. The analysis also reveals that to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030, the minimum scientists say is needed to give them a chance to heal, 11 million square kilometres of ocean must be protected...

The intergovernmental conference to draft the first-ever treaty on the ocean’s biological diversity opened its fifth and likely final session on Monday. Amidst calls for flexibility, openness and the spirit of compromise that prevailed in 1982, when the landmark “constitution for the oceans” was adopted, the new treaty aims to codify international law around territorial waters, sea lanes and marine...

UN member states gather in New York to hammer out a long-awaited treaty that, if agreed, will govern the planet’s last, lawless wilderness: the high seas. Two hundred nautical miles beyond the territorial waters and jurisdiction of nations, the high seas have been treated “recklessly”, according to environmental groups. Warning that the outcome of the talks – which run from Monday...