PINA

A report released today by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is the first step towards assessing the risk of extinction of sea turtles in the region and developing appropriate management plans for their effective conservation. The Review of the status of sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean 2021 brings together the most recent and relevant literature...

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) address delivered by the foreign minister of Tuvalu, Simon Kofe, went viral. But his creative thinking doesn’t stop there. The foreign minister of Tuvalu, an atoll nation of 11,000 whose highest point is just over four metres above sea level, is seeing the impacts of climate change in real-time. For Simon Kofe, the...

Foreign ministers from South Korea and 14 Pacific island countries held virtual talks on Tuesday during which they agreed to hold a summit of their leaders, Seoul's foreign ministry said. As they agreed to expand cooperation on climate change and other issues of regional concern, the top diplomats also agreed to increase the frequency of their talks, from once every...

The credibility of New Caledonia’s third and final independence referendum has been questioned after indigenous leaders warned that participation could be adversely affected by the Covid pandemic. The French government has announced that the referendum will proceed as planned in December after the coronavirus crisis eased. But the pro-independence FLNKS party has been calling for a postponement and has called on...

Representatives particularly disappointed by softened language on coal and a lack of funding to pay for loss and damages Pacific representatives and negotiators have condemned the outcome of the Cop26 meeting as “watered down” and a “monumental failure” that puts Pacific nations in severe existential danger, with one saying that Australia’s refusal to support funding for loss and damage suffered...

Tuvalu's climate minister has hit out at a last minute move to water down a new climate deal that 197 countries signed off on in Glasgow. Tuvalu’s Seve Paeniu said he was dismayed by India and Chinese intervention in the final hours of COP 26 to replace the words “phase out” with “phase down” in reference to coal. “Everybody was in...

The Government of Kiribati has today revealed its lifting the closure of Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPPA) – and replacing it with what it calls Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) to sustainably use marine resources in the PIPPA area. A government statement said the decision was based on critical scientific evidence and global finance partnerships, to bring significant and tangible wins...

Pacific Island leaders said they would "phase up" climate diplomacy to push for follow through on the COP26 deal to limit global warming to 1.5C. As the curtains close on the COP26 climate summit, the future of Pacific Island nations is reliant on the rest of the world’s leaders honouring the final agreement. The COP26 conference in Glasgow has ended with...

Senior Fijian Police woman and former UNMISS Police Commissioner, Unaisi Vuniwaqa has been appointed United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Safety and Security. The appointment was announced Friday by UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. Vuniwaqa succeeds Nóirín O’Sullivan of Ireland to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her contribution and dedication. As deputy to the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, the Assistant...

Super Rugby Pacific will kick off at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland where competition new-comers Moana Pasifika will fittingly host the inaugural match of a new era, against the Brumbies, on Friday 18 February 2022. The birth of Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua, whose first match will be away to the Blues at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday...