PINA

By Pita Ligaiula Pacific Ocean Commissioner and Forum Secretary General Henry Puna says COP26 must accelerate work on loss and damage and on oceans. Addressing the UNFCCC COP 26 High level segment Wednesday, Puna said Pacific Leaders are leading on climate action despite contributing negligibly to the crisis. “Pacific Leaders have endorsed a Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the face...

By Pita Ligaiula in Glasgow The Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) is unhappy with the language of the United Kingdom COP26 draft text released Wednesday. It warned that the language in the text is not strong enough to prevent dangerous warming and keep 1.5C within reach. AOSIS Chair Aubrey Webson said the UK draft COP text: 'Urging' 'encouraging' and 'inviting'...

By Pita Ligaiula in Glasgow Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Wednesday told the UN Climate Change talks in Glasgow the 1.5C limit is non-negotiable. Speaking on behalf of PSIDS at COP26 High level Plenary, Marshall Islands Health Minister Bruce Bilimon said climate change is the single greatest threat to their livelihood, security and wellbeing. “We do not need more scientific...

By Pita Ligaiula in Glasgow The world must rapidly cut global emissions and keep global warming to 1.5 degrees, says Forum Secretary General. Speaking Tuesday at the launch of Results-Oriented Adaptation Research (ROAR) initiative Adaptation Research Alliance at COP26, Henry Puna said the Pacific region is experiencing first-hand the impacts of the climate change crisis. “Indeed, climate change is an existential...

By Pita Ligaiula in Glasgow Fijian Prime Minister and Forum Chair Voreqe Bainimarama says the stakes could not be higher for world leaders to combat climate change. Addressing the APEC Ministerial Meeting on sidelines of COP26, Bainimarama said the Blue Pacific continent is faced with an extraordinary three-pronged crisis: the devastating effects of climate change and natural disasters, the impact...

By Pita Ligaiula in Glasgow The tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu is looking at legal avenues to keep ownership of its maritime zones and recognition as a country even if the island nation is completely submerged due to the impacts of climate change. Foreign Minister Simon Kofe said Tuesday his island nation is looking to the future and preparing now...

By Pita Ligaiula in Glasgow Forum Secretary General Henry Puna says the latest Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report confirms what the Blue Pacific already knows to be true – ‘our planet is in the throes of a human-induced climate crisis, and we have lost the luxury of time’. Responding to panel questions on the IPCC report - keeping...

Tahiti will host the Pacific Games for the third time having been awarded the 2027 event at the Pacific Games Council (PGC) General Assembly on Saturday. Tahiti and Vanuatu were bidding to stage the 18th edition of the continental event. The PGC’s 22 members voted in favour of Tahiti’s candidacy. "The candidacy file for French Polynesia,...

The every-four-year Micronesian Games have been postponed due to ongoing uncertainty about Covid and restricted travel in the region. The large sub-regional sports event was scheduled for the July-August period in 2022. The Marshall Islands Cabinet, based on recommendations from the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Games Organising Committee, has approved pushing the sports competition to 2023....

Created as part of the Islands Speak series of gifted Pacific poets joined by indigenous artists to create a visual, moving, digitally enhanced offering in this curated series of ten video poems. Islands Speak is part of the wider project Mana Moana - Pacific Voices, a collection of emotive and artistic video works that have been created to amplify and...