PINA

Twenty-nine people in the Pacific Labour Mobility Scheme (PALM) have died in the last financial year, making it the deadliest period in the history of the expanding scheme, according to government data. The fourfold rise came as participant numbers reached an all-time high amid an increasing reliance on Pacific workers in the Australian agriculture and meat industries. According to data from...

France welcomes the UN General Assembly’s adoption on 18 December of the resolution it introduced with Costa Rica establishing the terms of the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which will be held in Nice in June 2025. The adoption of this resolution by consensus sends a very positive signal for ocean conservation, which is vital to the planet and crucial...

The President of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP)Benny Wenda has highlighted the ongoing struggles faced by tens of thousands of West Papuans due to what he described as Indonesian genocidal violence, colonialism, and corporate greed. In his Christmas message, Wenda gieve over West Papuans who, instead of celebrating Christmas with family and friends, find themselves spending the...

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has authorised the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), at their request, to participate in the advisory proceedings on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change. Pursuant to Article 66 of its Statute, the Court has decided that the Pacific Islands Forum and AOSIS are likely...

It’s a familiar story. While Pacific negotiators recently emerged disappointed but resolute over the result of the climate change negotiations in Dubai, they are also engaged on a new front; a treaty to govern the management of plastics. While the Pacific contributes less than 1.3% of global plastic pollution, our ocean is inundated with bulk of the world’s transboundary washed-away plastics,...

A South Pacific island central to Australia’s regional stability has urged the Albanese government to support its quest for independence as China ramps up its influence in the area. In an interview with Sydney Morning Herald, the president of Bougainville – an autonomous region that forms part of Papua New Guinea – has called for Australia to help its push...

A controversial government directive that will make politicians sole financial controllers of their districts has come under fire by bureaucrats. The National Government’s Form 11 restructure requires all payments for goods and services at the district and provincial level to be approved and signed off by the Governor or district MP. Thirteen of 22 provincial administrators, seven district administrators and five...

Sir Collin Tukuitonga will help pave the way for the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) incoming Western Pacific Regional Director, Tongan surgeon Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala. Dr Piukala was nominated in October and will be formally appointed to the role next month. Sir Collin will chair a transition team helping to guide the incoming Regional Director, who will step into the...

By Leilani Reklai, at the UN COSP10 in Atlanta, U.S, for the Pacific Anti-Corruption Journalists Network Pacific Countries at the Tenth Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (CoSP10) in Atlanta, U.S, made significant commitments to strengthening Teieniwa Vision, adopted formally in 2021 as the Pacific’s regional roadmap on anti-corruption. Most Pacific...

American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga all made a welcome return to the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking following a challenging period for the Polynesian nations. The recent 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands provided the stage as all OFC member associations (MA) – other than New Zealand – lined up in the men’s and women’s football tournament at the quadrennial multisport...