PINA

Climate change is a contributor to poverty in Fiji, says Pacific Islands Forum director programmes and initiatives Zarak Khan. He made the comment in a World Bank Report on Archipelagic Economies. Khan said Fijians had lost income when their resources and sources of income were damaged by natural disasters caused by climate change. “I’ve got relatives living in Nabouwalu in Fiji and...

While the world has taken to living with Covid-19, Papua New Guinea still has a lot to learn in doing the same, PNG Prime Minister James Marape says. As he arrived into the country after a two-week trip to the United States, Marape said that while he was prime minister, that still did not stop him from going through the...

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and the outgoing Commander Rear-Admiral (ret’d) Viliame Naupoto officiated the promotion ceremony of the new Commander Republic of Fiji Military Forces(RFMF) Brigadier-General Jone Kalouniwai to the rank of Major-General at the Officers Mess in Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Nabua today. The occasion was witnessed by the Minister of Defence Inia Seruiratu, the deputy Commander Commodore Humphery...

By Prianka Srinivasan It was beneath the thatched roof of a traditional meeting house in Pango village, Vanuatu, where many residents first learned about blockchain — the technology underpinning cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. A team from Melbourne start-up Sempo, along with members of NGO Oxfam, were training villagers and vendors how to use Unblocked Cash, a pilot project funded in part...

Lakapi Samoa has announced that its two elite teams, the Manu Samoa and Manu Samoa 7s have withdrawn from its scheduled Northern hemisphere tour in November and the two HSBC Sevens World series legs in Dubai in November and early December 2021. The decision by the Lakapi Samoa Board was taken in line with the relevant Samoa Government’s Health Special...

The Solomon Islands is in its transition phase of graduating from the Least Developing Countries (LDC) category and is scheduled to graduate by 2024. That’s according to Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare during his remarks at the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session on the weekend. “Solomon Islands is in its transition phase of graduating from the Least Developing Countries category...

The Green Climate Fund(GCF) board has been advised to re-accredit the UN development agency, despite unresolved corruption claims against projects in Samoa and Armenia. The UN Development Programme is seeking to renew its partnership with the UN’s flagship climate fund under the shadow of unresolved corruption allegations at two of its projects. The Green Climate Fund was created to help poor...

The first seasonal workers in New Zealand's one-way travel bubble with three Pacific countries have arrived in Christchurch from Vanuatu. The workers, 154 of them, would help industries like horticulture, who are reliant on seasonal workers from the Pacific. Vanuatu consul general to New Zealand, McKenzie Kalotiti, said the charter flight landed at Christchurch Airport from Port Villa at 6am Monday. They...

The Pacific is making a desperate plea to the world's wealthy nations: Step up and deliver on your promises to fight the global climate crisis. The call comes as climate ministers hold final talks before a key UN conference in Glasgow next month. One of the biggest issues holding up progress is the question of money, a pre-COP26 summit was told...

Outgoing United Nations Resident Coordinator for the Pacific Sanaka Samarasinha said the agency is expanding the agency’s presence in the North Pacific. In an interview during his visit to Palau last week, Samarasinha said the UN will open a brand new office in the North Pacific, which will cover the five Micronesian countries of Nauru, Palau, Kiribati, FSM, and the...