PINA

By Clementine Rendle, Regional Legal Advisor at the International Committee of the Red Cross Snow isn’t something we picture when we think of Pacific Island countries, with their stretches of crystal-clear water, warm sand and palm trees. But as ash fell from the sky onto the Marshall Islands in 1954, it floated down like snow. This snow didn’t melt away...

The Fijian Drua today announced a further five players who will join the squad for the club’s debut Super Rugby season. Stepping onboard the Drua are outstanding 7s forward Ratu Meli Derenalagi, Flying Fijian and former NRC Drua stalwart Serupepeli Vularika, Suva prop Meli Tuni, Namosi flyer Vinaya Habosi, and NPC Premiership winning Tasman Mako forward Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta. Fijian Drua...

British High Commissioner to Fiji, George Edgar has emphasised the importance of a strong Pacific voice in Glasgow, Scotland during the global climate change talks, known as COP26 in November. While receiving the Youth4Pacific Declaration on Climate Change, Edgar assured that the voices of Pacific youth will be passed on to the COP26 Presidency. More than 600 participants from 33 countries...

Come visit the Maldives, its president entreated the world at this year’s United Nations General Assembly(UNGA), moments before switching to an impassioned plea for help combating climate change. The adjacent appeals illustrated a central dilemma for many small island developing states: their livelihoods, or their lives? The United Nations recognises 38 member states, scattered across the world’s waters, as small...

The king of Tonga has criticised the country’s parliament for what he says is a failure by the government to combat the country’s problems with drug addiction, in a move that has been welcomed by politicians and civil society groups. King Tupou VI addressed Tongan parliament before the parliamentary session closed last week, urging politicians and nobles to commit time...

Fiji has recorded 52 new cases of COVID-19 and two new deaths Monday, increasing the total number of cases to 50,737 and 590 deaths since the outbreak in April. Permanent secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said there have been 17 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 13,045 active cases. “There have been...

Tourism “touches almost every part of our economies and societies”, enabling the historically marginalised, and “those at risk of being left behind, to benefit from development”, declared UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday, marking World Tourism Day. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism could result in a more than US$4 trillion loss to the global economy, according to a...

By Jonathan Watts A short bureaucratic note from a brutally degraded microstate in the South Pacific to a little-known institution in the Caribbean is about to change the world. Few people are aware of its potential consequences, but the impacts are certain to be far-reaching. The only question is whether that change will be to the detriment of the...

Leaders who cannot summon the courage to unveil the commitments and policy packages at COP26 should not bother booking a flight to Glasgow. Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama said instead, those leaders and the selfish interests they stand for should face consequences. Bainimarama said the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) are demanding net-zero emissions and accepting zero excuses. He said at COP26, the...

In her address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa called for more climate action to fight the impacts of climate change in the region. Mata'afa said the real challenge for Pacific communities is about action for survival. “We all need to shoulder our responsibilities and play our part,” Mata'afa said in her address to...