PINA

The U.S President Joe Biden has appointed Ambassador Joseph Yun as Special Presidential envoy for Compact negotiations. The United States has a special and longstanding relationship with the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and the Republic of Palau – collectively known as the Freely Associated States (FAS). “We are currently engaged in negotiating amendments...

By Rebecca Kessler UN member states failed on 18 March to finalise a legally binding tool to sustainably manage the largest ungoverned place on the planet: the high seas. The lack of agreement came after almost two weeks of talks in New York, three previous conferences, and more than a decade of discussion. Almost 27,000 unique species, including fish, mammals,...

Violence against women and girls may be the world’s “longest, deadliest pandemic,” the UN chief said on Tuesday, during an event focused on the role boys and men need to play, to help eliminate gender-based violence. “One in three women worldwide have directly experienced violence”, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message at an event on the fringes of...

The Pacific Community (SPC) has announced the appointment of Mereseini Rakuita as its ‘Principal Strategic Lead – Pacific Women’. Rakuita will champion the organisation’s work on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls to bring about the transformational changes required to improve the status of women and girls in the Pacific. The news is receiving significant support from the...

More than 100 delegates from all corners of the Pacific are joining the virtual Regional Public Financial Management (PFM) Symposium, an event hosted by the Pacific Islands Forum and funded by the European Union, as part of the ‘Strengthening Public Finance Management (PFM) and Governance in the Pacific’ Project. Welcoming the diverse participation and response to the open call for...

New Zealand will assist the Fijian Government in developing a maritime security strategy. Fijian Minister for Defence Inia Seruiratu said the purpose of the strategy is to drive the development of a more effective maritime security sector that responds with the right mix of interventions. Seruiratu said the strategy will ensure that the country has a maritime sector that is able...

Two Pacific Defence Ministers are calling on Russia to immediately ceasefire against Ukrainian people. New Zealand Minister for Defence Peeni Henare said they are trying to get for an opportunity for him to speak to the Australian Minister for Defence Peter Dutton. Henare said the meeting with Dutton is to see how the New Zealand Government could provide further assistance to...

Samoa’s nationwide lockdown will be extended for another two weeks while the Ministry of Health (MOH) implements the vaccination roll out for children as well as adults who are not inoculated. Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa revealed the extension of the Level 3 lockdown in a special announcement on Tuesday indicating that there will be two days in the two-week...

Police in French Polynesia have seized almost US$50 million worth of methamphetamine on a cruise ship from the United States. A 27-year-old Tahitian passenger has been arrested after the discovery of 21 kilogrammes of the drug in his luggage. The authorities say the man had wanted to offload a suitcase when the ship, the MS Zuiderdam was in port in Uturoa...

By Thomas Heaton The proposal for a new marine sanctuary in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is facing significant pushback over fears it will clamp down on fishing. Proponents say government leaders and a federal advisory group are muddying their message with misinformation about what an added layer of protections for CNMI’s...