PINA

Listen, for a start. Getting down to granular, person-to-person engagement is needed for effective regional diplomacy. By Anna Gibert For almost 20 years, I have been working for, and on behalf of, the Australian government in the Pacific. And, like many of my Pacific Islander friends and colleagues, I was not shocked by the Solomon Islands security pact with China...

UNODC, the guardian of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), is facilitating a three-day country visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG) this week to review their implementation of UNCAC Chapters II (Preventive Measures) and V (Asset Recovery) under the Convention’s Implementation Review Mechanism. The reviewing experts from Burundi and Kyrgyzstan are participating in this country visit with the support of...

Samoa Supreme Court has ordered the Speaker of the House to administer the Oath of Allegiance for three additional women Members of Parliament in the Legislative Assembly. The decision by the Court means the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) members, Aliimalemanu Alofa Tuuau, Faagasealii Sapoa Feagai and Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party member Toomata Norah Leota...

Vanuatu’s push for the international court of justice to protect vulnerable nations from climate change has received the backing of 1,500 civil society organisations from more than 130 countries, as it heads toward a crucial vote at the UN General Assembly later this year. In 2021 Vanuatu announced its intention to seek an advisory opinion by the international court of...

As one of the Indo-Pacific partners of Japan, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr said the partnership should also include strengthening of economic security. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi made a short stop in Palau on Sunday where he met President Whipps with two leader agreeing cooperation to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Whipps said he sees the visit of...

A range of common Japan-Blue Pacific priorities, including updates relating to the planned discharge of treated Fukushima nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, were discussed during a high-level visit to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on the weekend. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Henry Puna met with Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yoshimasa Hayashi as part of the Minister’s...

Democratic systems in Australia's region are at risk of being manipulated, with their leaders controlled and taken advantage of through “largesse”, Australia's overseas intelligence chief said in a rare public appearance on Tuesday. On China, Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) Director-General Paul Symon said he saw signs of growing discontent with a rigid domestic political system, which he suggested could lead...

Chinese Foreign Minister and state councillor Wang Yi is likely to make a surprise visit to Solomon Islands in coming weeks, in another sign Beijing is intent on cementing security and commercial ties with the Pacific island nation while Canberra is consumed by the federal election. A senior Solomon Islands government source told the ABC that preparations had begun for...

When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted on 15 January, 2022, it sent atmospheric shock waves, sonic booms, and tsunami waves around the world. Now, scientists are finding the volcano’s effects also reached space. Analysing data from NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, mission and ESA’s (the European Space Agency) Swarm satellites, scientists found that in the hours after the...

Countries across Asia and the Pacific are joining an initiative to promote and showcase the 'best of the best' of their special agricultural products – a move designed to ensure a high level of participation from smallholders to producers to exporters and others all along the value chain. To help build momentum, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United...