PINA

This June, Trade Ministers will be meeting in Geneva for the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference. One of the key areas of discussion are the negotiations on fisheries subsidies. The negotiations on fisheries subsidies have a long history in the WTO but were intensified following the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that set a target on eliminating subsidies to...

By John Feakes, Australian High Commissioner to Fiji The bonds between Australia and Fiji are deep. We recently marked 50 years of bilateral relations, as Fiji celebrated its 50th Anniversary of independence in 2020. We are Vuvale, and our shared friendship has helped see us through the unprecedented global challenges of recent times. Indeed, we have strengthened our resolve...

The prime minister of Solomon Islands has accused the Australian government of hypocrisy over his country’s security deal with China, saying the Aukus pact was far from transparent but he “did not become theatrical and hysterical”. Manasseh Sogavare said Solomon Islands and other countries in the region “should have been consulted to ensure that this Aukus treaty is transparent since...

Growing military tensions in the Pacific between China, the U.S and Australia do not address the most significant security threat to the region – climate change – former leaders of Pacific nations have warned. In a statement on Friday, the Pacific Elders Voice group, which includes former leaders of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Kiribati and Tuvalu, as well as Dame...

Ian Fry, an expert on climate change and human rights, has witnessed first-hand the impact of climate change on people´s lives. He was in the tiny, low-lying islands of Tuvalu when Cyclone Pam hit the South Pacific in 2015. “It washed waves right across three islands, destroyed infrastructure, destroyed crops, freshwater, and people had to move off those islands to the...

The Cook Islands needs more direct flights to restart the tourism industry and hundreds more workers but New Zealand's travel requirements are slowing the process to bring in more workers. Although travel restrictions are loosening, Cook Islands tourism operators are struggling to find staff. On 01 May pre-departure testing for international arrivals will no longer be required. Also, direct flights from...

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) says Covid-19 has caused many Pacific region nations and territories to re-think their tourism strategies. The organisation, which has 20 government members, represents tourism in the Pacific region. Its member nations cover a large area of the Pacific region extending from Rapa Nui in the east to Timor Leste in the west, as well...

Opinion by Hamish McDonald In the debacle of Canberra’s handling of the security agreement with China just signed by Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, one revealing outcome has gone largely unnoticed. Bad enough that Australia’s intelligence community can’t tell us exactly when it knew about Sogavare’s plans. Or that United States President Joe Biden had to step in and...

The Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) are holding their XLII (42nd) Annual General Assembly (AGA) where it will host IOC President Thomas Bach in Nadi, Fiji, from 29 April to 04 May. It is being held in a blended in-person and online format after a year’s delay due to the postponement of the TOKYO 2020 Olympic Games because of the...

-Commonwealth Games Australia has partnered with the Australian Government to provide support for Pacific island athletes aiming to be part of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, but with only three months to go, exactly how will they be able to help? The aim is to support athletes and coaches from Commonwealth Pacific countries to achieve qualification, and in the case...