PINA

The UK Government has signed an agreement with the Pacific Community (SPC) for £263,000 (US$359,000) that will help Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Tonga to secure the rights and responsibilities over their respective ocean spaces. The ocean sustains a multitude of activities that fuel local, national and international economies, providing livelihoods and food security for 10 million Pacific Islanders across...

This Sunday, our Forum family joins the global community to commemorate the International Day against Nuclear Tests. A day devoted to honouring all victims and survivors of nuclear tests, to raising public awareness about the fatal consequences of nuclear explosions, and to remembering why nuclear testing must come to a permanent end. This day was declared by the UN General...

The Pacific Climate Change Centre in collaboration with the Australian National University hosted a Pacific webinar to provide the most up to date synthesis of relevant climate change information to diverse Pacific Island audiences. The webinar was held on 25 August 2021 with more than 300 participants that attended the event. The recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth...

Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority (NFA) is eying a move into the private sector to enable it to realise its potential of earning about K1 billion (US$285 million) kina compared to the K600-K800 million (US$171- US$228 million it is turning over annually. NFA chairman Ango Wangatau said if they are allowed to operate freely as a private company in...

Vanuatu could be the first country in the region to trial pre-quarantining of seasonal workers in country, as Australia looks to meet its commitment to double the number of Pacific labourers by March. Australia’s Agriculture Minister David Littleproud told ABC’s AM programme, earlier this week, that the arrangement would include Vanuatu. “This month we'll be trialling in country quarantine in Vanuatu." "...

COVID-19 will remain in Fiji just like common flu, says Ministry of Health and Medical Services chief medical advisor Dr Jemesa Tudravu. He highlighted this during a virtual conference with members of the Fiji Principals Association. Dr Tudravu said the virus would become an endemic disease just like common flu. “So, where are we heading,” he said. “From a health perspective, we believe...

Climate activist Gladys Habu has challenged world leaders to bring the next climate change COP (Conference of the Parties) to the Pacific region, in order for global leaders to see for themselves the impacts of climate change. The COP conferences are annual meetings held to access countries' progress in reducing emissions and developing strategies for doing more. COP26 is a forthcoming...

New COVID-19 cases from Labasa and additional cases on Malolo Island reported Thursday as infections are now recorded in Fiji’s major divisions. Fiji has recorded 423 new cases of COVID 19 and nine new deaths increasing the total number of cases in the island nation to 45,098 and 466 deaths since the outbreak in April. Permanent secretary for Health, Dr James...

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says ten Pacific states have not had any cases of Covid-19 to date. They are American Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands, Pitcairn Island, Kiribati, Tokelau, the Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga, Nauru and Tuvalu. Another five Pacific states have had no cases in the past 100 days. They are Wallis and Futuna; Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, and...

Leaders from the south Auckland church at the centre of the largest sub-cluster in the Auckland Covid-19 outbreak have spoken out about the strain it has put on their community. The Assembly of God Church of Samoa NZ in Māngere has so far seen more than 100 cases linked to a service there on 15 August. Close to 500 people were...