PINA

Team Papua New Guinea ended the Mini Pacific Games with flying colours, topping the medals tally with a total of 80 medals in Saipan, Northern Marianas. They returned with 33 gold, 28 silver and 19 bronze. Not only did team PNG top the tally, weightlifting pair Dika Toua and Morea Baru were named among the outstanding athletes of the Games. Chef de...

Today at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2022 in Kigali Rwanda, leaders of the Commonwealth reappointed Secretary-General The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC for a further two years to complete the balance of her period in office. https://twitter.com/commonwealthsec/status/1540419295800344576?s=20&t=fgrwXrrzJ34bN-L_JqOl0Q Speaking after her reappointment Secretary-General The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC said: “It is deeply humbling to have been reappointed as Secretary-General of this...

With the ocean at the heart of Pacific cultures, security and economies, the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum and Pacific Ocean Commissioner,  Henry Puna, is amongst the Pacific travellers to Lisbon this weekend. The Secretary General will join the Forum Chair, PM of Fiji Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, who is also former Co-President of the inaugural UN Ocean Conference....

Tackling the devastating effects of extreme weather changes and disasters on communities in vulnerable situations across the world will be a top priority, the new UN expert on human rights and climate change told the Human Rights Council. “The huge human cost of the climate crisis is being ignored. We hear of disaster relief, but the long-term costs are not...

Two U.S lawmakers introduced legislation on Wednesday that aims to shift more U.S foreign aid funding to the Indo-Pacific region in response to what one described as “China’s bid for hegemony” in the region. The Indo-Pacific Engagement Act is co-sponsored by Rep Ami Bera, a Democrat from California, and Rep Steve Chabot, a Republican from Ohio. It would require the...

Fiji's UN Ambassador, Satyendra Prasad, says Pacific nations needed “great predictability” and no “stop-start” in ties with Washington. “Pacific people and their governments would welcome an enduring partnership with the U.S that is there for the long-term,” he told Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. Samoa's UN envoy said there was a need to see whether a U.S treaty with...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved US$150 million in loans to help Fiji recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and build resilience against climate and disaster risks. The loan agreements were signed today in Suva by Fiji’s Attorney General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Regional Director of ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office in Fiji Aaron Batten. “This programme builds on...

White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said on Thursday he expects to see more U.S cabinet-level officials visiting Pacific island countries as the United States steps up its engagement in the region to counter China. Speaking at a Centre for Strategic and International Studies event in Washington, Campbell said the United States needed more diplomatic facilities across the region, and...

The sentencing of four Bangladesh nationals implicated in what has been dubbed the biggest human trafficking case in Vanuatu as well as the region was handed down this week, after four years of battle in court. The man behind Mr Price, Sekdah Somon, was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment and VT60, 000 (US$511) fine while his wife Buxoo Nabilah Bibi...

Commonwealth Secretariat and The NO MORE Foundation Launch New Guidelines to Help Reduce Violence Against Women and Girls in 54 Commonwealth Member Countries At a special event coinciding with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the Commonwealth Secretariat and The NO MORE Foundation were joined by HRH Duchess of Cornwall for the launch of new guidelines for the 54...