PINA

The first day of November is also the first day of the South Pacific cyclone season. Last season taught humanitarian and emergency personnel that they need to be prepared to respond as early as possible. When severe tropical cyclone Yasa hit Fiji last December as a Category 5, it was the earliest in the season that a cyclone of that...

The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and the Prime Minister of Tuvalu today signed a historic accord allowing for litigation before international courts. This move will allow for a legal path to address the severe damage to Small Island States caused by climate change. The agreement establishes a Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law, creating...

Delegates from the Marshall Islands warned today that their nation could vanish beneath the Pacific Ocean within 50 years if nothing serious is done to combat global warming. Climate envoy Tina Stege said that the islands were already feeling the effects of climate change, including longer and more intense droughts and rising sea levels, and she urged world leaders to...

Following a series of reports and studies warning that urgent action is needed to keep the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global average temperature increases to 1.5C within reach, the United Nations Climate Change Conference opened today with the key aims of raising ambition on all fronts and finalising the agreement’s implementation guidelines. “We are extremely grateful to the Government...

Palau's President Sunangel Whipps Jr. has appealed to the world leaders to take “radical actions” to combat the devastating impacts of climate change to the Pacific’s livelihoods, security, and wellbeing, translating into economic losses for nations. On Tuesday, President Whipps who is in the United States on his way to the climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland said the efforts to...

Papua New Guinea's Finance Department is restoring the Government system after a purported hacker left its Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) vulnerable for a week, Finance Minister and acting Treasurer Sir John Pundari confirmed last night. Sir John said the Government did not pay any ransom and the system was restored up to functional level so that its departments and...

Ahead of the G20 Rome Summit and COP26 in Glasgow, Pacific Leaders have written a letter to G20 Leaders, asking the G20 to do their part, as the countries behind most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, to ensure an end to the global climate crisis. Pacific Leaders state; “We do not have the luxury of time and must join...

A joint operation by the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) and the World Health Organisation codenamed “Operation EXIT” is expected to provide insights into how the region can combat the illicit trade of tobacco, which continues to be a major concern for the Pacific. During the operation, participating countries will strengthen their targeting and profiling efforts on suspicious trade, identify the...

A new Regional Strategy to boost e-commerce will help Pacific businesses make the most of global online markets. Endorsed by Pacific Islands Forum Trade Ministers, the Pacific Regional E-commerce Strategy and Roadmap draws on input from almost 200 stakeholders. The Strategy focuses on digital trade activities that will benefit from a regional approach. These collective actions will complement the national...

What are the views of Pacific journalists on professional ethical issues and what pressures affect their work? What is the age, experience, qualifications and gender breakdown of the Pacific journalist corps? These crucial questions are addressed in a recently published research funded by The University of the South Pacific (USP). Published in the latest Pacific Journalism Review, the research investigates the...