In this bulletin:
1. UN — UN Climate Chief warns against backsliding as Bonn talks close with key divides unresolved
2. PACIFIC — SB64 ends in delay and division as Pacific now looks to a crowded agenda at COP31
3. AUST — Hanson holding ‘gun to the head’ of Pacific nations: O’Brien
4. SOL — Solomon Islands intercepts suspected crime-linked cargo vessel as regional investigation expands
5. PACIFIC — NZ risks undermining Health outcomes in the Pacific with ‘misguided’ tack on WHO
6. FIJI — Do the work to rebuild trust: Fiji Navy chief
7. PNG — El-Nino to influence weather patterns
8. TUVALU — Boost for Tuvalu police with qualified officers
9. COOKS — RNZAF Poseidon crew spots fisherman missing for a week in Cook Islands
10. PACNEWS BIZ — Pacific Finance Ministers to tackle Middle East crisis, economic resilience at Marshall Islands meeting
11. PACNEWS BIZ — PM Wale demands urgent overhaul of Solomon Airline
12. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji PM signals rethink on sugar industry support
13. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — “For many people, their priority is to eat.”
14. PACNEWS DIGEST — Commonwealth Ocean ministers meet in Kenya – a collective push for global ocean protection
UN – CLIMATE CHANGE: PACNEWS PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
UN Climate Chief warns against backsliding as Bonn talks close with key divides unresolved
BONN, 22 JUNE 2026 (PACNEWS)— United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell has warned countries against reopening previously agreed climate commitments and delaying action, as the UN June Climate Meetings concluded with major differences still unresolved ahead of COP31.
In his closing statement to delegates at the end of the two-week negotiations, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said progress had been made in several areas but acknowledged that critical gaps remain, particularly on adaptation and mitigation.
“Sometimes history is progressed in moments. Through heavy choices, big decisions or pure chance. And sometimes it is made in rooms like these. Gradually, carefully, out of the spotlight,” he said.
Stiell said the meetings demonstrated the slow but essential work of multilateral climate negotiations.
“We have seen that process in action over these ten days. Yes, there remain significant divides, and significant work for the intersessional period ahead. But we have seen a seriousness in tackling key issues, and a determination to find solutions,” he said.
The UN climate chief said negotiators had made meaningful advances in several key areas, particularly on the just transition agenda.
“In key areas we’ve taken real strides forward – showing climate cooperation at work, and this process doing its job.
On just transition, you took important steps towards turning the promise of the just transition mechanism into a reality, and to set up the review of the just transition work programme,” Stiell said.
He noted that while the outcomes may appear modest within the context of the UN climate process, they carry broader significance for communities and workers worldwide.
“While these might feel like modest steps for our process, they are big strides in the right directions for communities and working people everywhere.”
Stiell also highlighted progress under Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE), which focuses on public participation, education, and engagement in climate action.
“On Action for Climate Empowerment, we laid crucial groundwork for accelerating a just transition, and deepening participation and engagement across societies,” he said.
He said negotiators also achieved substantive progress across several other thematic areas, but expressed disappointment over the lack of stronger outcomes on adaptation and mitigation.
“There were also substantive steps taken across other crucial thematic areas.
On adaptation and mitigation, Parties voiced the need to deepen and accelerate action, but very disappointingly, we did not deliver on that here in Bonn,” Stiell said.
The remarks come as governments face mounting pressure to accelerate implementation of commitments agreed under the Paris Agreement and previous UN climate conferences.
Stiell welcomed announcements made by the COP31 Presidency, which is being jointly hosted by Australia and Türkiye.
“And we’ve heard the COP31 Presidency announce targets for electrification, city resilience and efficiency, and waste under the Action Agenda.”
He stressed that both formal negotiations and the COP31 Action Agenda would be critical to achieving progress.
“Minister Kurum, Minister Bowen and I are in lock-step: the negotiations and the Action Agenda are both vital, separate but parallel and complimentary tracks. COP31 must deliver real strides forward in both,” he said.
Despite areas of progress, Stiell warned that geopolitical tensions had increasingly influenced negotiations.
“In some areas, we have seen some side-stepping and stalling. We’ve seen geopolitical tensions washing through these halls.”
He reiterated that countries must honour commitments already agreed under the UN climate framework and the Paris Agreement.
“As I said when these meetings began, we must all deliver on existing obligations and plans under the Convention and Paris Agreement. And we simply cannot afford to re-open previous decisions, to renegotiate existing targets, or to backslide,” Stiell said.
The UNFCCC chief delivered one of his strongest warnings against attempts to weaken or selectively interpret existing agreements.
“Let me now go further, and say:All Parties must be comfortable and confident in restating our existing global commitments – without cherry-picking those that suit tactically in the moment.”
He highlighted specifically to commitments made during the first Global Stocktake and key financial and adaptation targets already agreed by governments.
“Commitments made in the first global stocktake; commitments that respond to the science and the 1.5 degrees limit; on Loss and Damage; on 300 billion; on 1.3 trillion; on tripling adaptation finance; and more.
These are the baselines,” he said.
Stiell also criticised what he described as a recurring tendency among negotiating groups to condition their own actions on commitments from others.
“But in some negotiating rooms, we’ve heard a familiar tendency towards you-first-ism: Groups refusing to deliver commitments or allow the process to move forward unless others go first.
This is a recipe for gridlock when we need all negotiating tracks to be moving in the fast lane,” he stressed.
He said countries must move beyond political deadlock if they are to make progress ahead of upcoming international meetings and future climate negotiations.
“So that we make real progress towards implementation in Antalya and Addis Ababa. And arrive at the second global stocktake at COP33 much closer to delivering on the pledges made at the first.” said Stiell.
Stiell said leadership from upcoming COP hosts and partner countries would be critical.
“The leadership of Türkiye and Australia will be vital. So will the ongoing support of Azerbaijan, Brazil and Ethiopia.”
He also highlighted the importance of upcoming pre-COP meetings in the Pacific.
“Pre-COP in Fiji and Tuvalu is a key moment on the road to Antalya.”
However, he cautioned against delaying efforts to bridge differences until those meetings take place.
“But we cannot wait until then to step up efforts to find common ground on the tough issues.” he said.
The Executive Secretary called on governments to elevate discussions to ministerial level in the coming months.
“So I urge you to bring in your Ministers as soon as possible, in the weeks and months ahead. Particularly on the thorniest issues,.” he said.
Stiell also addressed efforts to improve the efficiency of the UN climate process, saying the secretariat is examining ways to strengthen the system while preserving its party-driven nature.
“The secretariat has been listening carefully and taking steps to find efficiencies, so we can keep delivering on all our growing mandates.”
He revealed that an independent group of experts had been tasked with exploring possible reforms.
“I also asked a group of experts to consider ways that our process could be optimised or evolve – recognising all that it has achieved, and its Party-owned nature and foundations. This week, they shared some of their independent ideas. A summary will be made available in the weeks ahead.”
The UNFCCC Secretariat will now seek further input from governments and stakeholders.
“The secretariat is very much in listening mode, and very clear on our mandates.
We particularly want to hear from you – the Parties – and other stakeholders, and we’ll provide information soon on a process and timelines to do that,” he said
Looking ahead to COP31 and future negotiations, he urged countries to maintain momentum despite exhaustion following the intensive negotiations.
“We must press forward,” he said.
Stiell also warned against viewing climate diplomacy as a contest between winners and losers.
“I know many folks will take a breath after these ten longs days and watch some World Cup football.
But let’s please not get the idea of winners and losers in our heads. To protect 8 billion people from this climate crisis, it’s cooperation not fierce competition that we need,” he said.
The Bonn talks are widely viewed as a critical stepping stone toward COP31, where governments will face increasing pressure to demonstrate that commitments made under the Paris Agreement are being translated into action amid rising climate impacts and growing global uncertainty…..PACNEWS
PAC – CLIMATE CHANGE: PICAN PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
SB64 ends in delay and division as Pacific now looks to a crowded agenda at COP31
BONN, 22 JUNE 2026 (PICAN)—The outcomes of the June Climate Meetings in Bonn, Germany (SB64) is marked by delay, division and a dangerous weakening of ambition at a time when climate impacts are accelerating across the Pacific.
Across the major negotiating tracks, Parties failed to reach meaningful agreement, pushing critical decisions on mitigation, adaptation, finance and just transition to COP31 in Türkiye.
For Pacific communities already living with the consequences of the climate crisis, the outcome is more delay when the world can least afford it.
SB64 also exposed growing fault lines across the negotiations, including attempts to weaken the role of science in climate decision-making, continued resistance to delivering climate finance at the scale required, and a widening gap between political rhetoric and climate reality.
As the road to COP31 begins, PICAN warns that trust is declining while the workload grows.
The burden now falls to COP31 to deliver where SB64 could not. The world cannot arrive at another climate conference with the same unresolved questions and expect different results.
Responding to the conclusion of SB64, Dr Sindra Sharma, International Policy Lead at PICAN said: “SB64 will be remembered as a negotiation that deferred rather than decided. For Pacific people, every delay means more lives disrupted, more communities at risk and a narrowing pathway to 1.5°C.
“What concerns us most is not only the lack of outcomes, but the growing willingness to sideline science, soften accountability and postpone responsibility. Negotiating the science of climate change won’t delay the truth of the crisis upon us.
“The Pacific came to Bonn defending science because science is our floor of consequence. Without it, ambition becomes optional and justice becomes negotiable. We reject both.
“As we head towards COP31, we must stop managing the politics of climate change and start addressing the reality of it. The Pacific is demanding action that matches the scale of the crisis in full recognition that the window to deliver is narrowing. Fast,” she said……PACNEWS
AUST – POLITICS: AFR PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
Hanson holding ‘gun to the head’ of Pacific nations: O’Brien
CANBERRA, 22 JUNE 2026 (AFR)—Australian Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Ted O’Brien has accused Labor of playing “partisan politics” over relationships in the Pacific and its leader Pauline Hanson of holding a gun to their heads over development aid after he returned from a trip to Australia’s key regional partners Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
“Labor has misused the relationships in the Pacific to play partisan politics,” he told ABC TV’s Insiders program on Sunday. “I don’t believe in that.
“We need to demonstrate as much bipartisanship as we can. We need to be Team Australia, especially when it comes to our closest neighbours in the Pacific.
“I didn’t politicise Labor’s very poor performance on climate change. Let’s not forget emissions are actually higher now than they were under the Coalition. I didn’t talk like that when I was in the Pacific.
“We shouldn’t actually have political fights in the Pacific, and that’s a key criticism I have of the Albanese government,” he said.
O’Brien highlighted the maritime drug highway coming through the Pacific Islands and feeding the lucrative Australian and New Zealand markets for cocaine and methamphetamine, which was a number one concern for Pacific governments.
Asked about comments by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who suggested Australia should not give aid to Pacific countries that are also taking financial assistance from China, O’Brien said he disagreed with her position.
“On one hand, I think she’s identifying a legitimate point in that we don’t want to see any nation overly strategically dependent or overly financially indebted to any country, and we don’t see any nation in our own region in that position to that extent. I think it’s a fair point,” he said.
“But I completely disagree with Senator Hanson’s stance and solution. I mean, the idea that you effectively hold a gun to the head of our Pacific neighbours – that’s not what a friend does.
“That’s not a way of building trust. You don’t basically create an ultimatum, and you certainly don’t say it’s all about who you’re going to get money from.
“The relationship that we have with the Pacific Islands is far deeper than development money, and if you were to narrow the debate to just that, well, you’ve got to be careful who you want to go into a bidding war with.
“You go into a bidding war with someone with deeper pockets; well, you’re going to lose that,” he said….PACNEWS
SOL – DRUGS FIGHT: PACNEWS PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
Solomon Islands intercepts suspected crime-linked cargo vessel as regional investigation expands
HONIARA, 22 JUNE 2026 (PACNEWS)— A joint law enforcement operation has intercepted and detained a Belize-flagged cargo vessel suspected of links to transnational organised crime, prompting a widening regional investigation into alleged illicit tobacco smuggling, drug trafficking, and other maritime criminal activities across the Pacific.
The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), working alongside Solomon Islands Customs and Immigration, confirmed the successful interception of MV WEALTH in Renbel Province following a months-long intelligence-led operation involving regional and international law enforcement agencies.
Authorities say the vessel became the focus of coordinated surveillance after intelligence was received from the Australian Border Force, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), and other regional partners.
MV WEALTH is a general cargo ship registered under the Belize flag, measuring approximately 98 metres in length and capable of carrying both containerised and bulk cargo.
According to police, RSIPF Maritime personnel had been monitoring the vessel since April 2026 through ongoing maritime domain awareness operations after intelligence reports highlighted suspicious movements and activities believed to be consistent with organised criminal operations at sea.
Investigators suspect the vessel may have been involved in multiple forms of maritime crime operating across Pacific waters.
“Preliminary intelligence assessments suggest that the vessel may have been involved in illicit tobacco smuggling, drug trafficking, and other forms of maritime transnational crime,” the RSIPF said in a statement.
Authorities also suspect deliberate attempts were made to avoid detection by law enforcement agencies.
“Authorities also suspect deliberate attempts to evade law enforcement detection, conceal operational activities, and misrepresent its intended voyage and cargo movements.”
Acting on the intelligence gathered over several months, officers aboard RSIPV GIZO, supported by personnel from the Police Response Department, Customs, and Immigration, moved to intercept the vessel.
The operation culminated in a successful boarding of MV WEALTH before it was escorted to Honiara for further investigation.
Investigators are now examining a series of developments surrounding the vessel’s movements, including the activities of a suspected support vessel and a fast craft that reportedly arrived at Noro Marina Wharf on May 8 and departed four days later without the knowledge or clearance of Customs, Immigration, or Police authorities.
The unexplained movements have raised additional concerns among investigators.
“Of particular concern to investigators is the movement of a suspected support vessel and fast craft that reportedly arrived at Noro Marina Wharf on 8 May and departed on 12 May without the knowledge or clearance of Customs, Immigration, or Police authorities.”
Authorities are also investigating reports that a Chinese national may have been left behind during the same period.
“Investigators are also examining reports that a Chinese national was left behind during this period. These developments have raised further questions regarding the vessel’s activities and potential links to illicit cargo transfers.”
Police confirmed that 19 crew members were found onboard the vessel during the boarding operation.
The crew are believed to include nationals from China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. However, authorities have encountered difficulties verifying the identities of all personnel onboard.
“However, authorities were unable to verify the identities and nationalities of all crew members due to the absence of a complete and legitimate crew manifest, a matter that forms part of the ongoing investigation.”
The investigation has now expanded beyond Solomon Islands waters after intelligence assessments revealed that two support tender vessels linked to MV WEALTH remain missing.
Authorities believe the vessels may have been used to move illicit cargo to other Pacific destinations.
“Further inquiries have revealed that two support tender vessels associated with MV WEALTH remain unaccounted for. Intelligence assessments indicate a strong possibility that these vessels may have been utilised to transport illicit cargo to other destinations within the Pacific region, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and potentially Australia.”
Law enforcement agencies across the region have been alerted and are working together to track the movements of the missing vessels and determine whether criminal networks operating across multiple Pacific jurisdictions are involved.
Investigators say the case highlights the increasing sophistication of organised criminal groups seeking to exploit the vast maritime spaces of the Pacific.
“The interception and detention of MV WEALTH underscore the evolving threat posed by organised criminal networks that exploit the vast maritime environment of the Pacific to facilitate illegal activities.”
Police warned that such criminal organisations threaten border security, economic stability, and public safety throughout the region.
“Such networks seek to undermine border security, economic stability, and the safety of Pacific communities through sophisticated cross-border criminal operations.”
Authorities said the operation demonstrated the critical role of intelligence sharing and cooperation among Pacific nations and international partners in combating organised crime.
“This operation serves as a powerful reminder that no single agency or country can effectively combat transnational organised crime alone. Success in addressing these threats depends on strong partnerships, timely intelligence sharing, and coordinated operational responses among national, regional, and international law enforcement agencies.”
The RSIPF, Customs, and Immigration said they remain committed to protecting Solomon Islands’ maritime borders and preventing criminal organisations from using Pacific waters as routes for illegal activities.
“The RSIPF, Solomon Islands Customs, and Immigration remain committed to protecting the sovereignty and security of Solomon Islands’ maritime borders. Working alongside regional and international partners, authorities will continue to detect, disrupt, and deter criminal organisations that seek to exploit Pacific waters for unlawful purposes.”
Investigators are conducting what authorities describe as a comprehensive examination of the vessel, including its documentation, cargo, crew, and any connections to wider criminal networks operating throughout the Pacific region.
“Investigations into MV WEALTH and its associated activities remain ongoing. Authorities are conducting a comprehensive examination of the vessel, its documentation, cargo, crew, and any potential links to broader criminal networks operating across the region.”
The Solomon Islands Government has also reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing national laws and protecting its borders from transnational criminal activity.
“The Solomon Islands Government remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the nation’s borders and ensuring that those who seek to engage in criminal activities within our waters are identified, investigated, and held accountable under the law.”
Authorities described the operation as a significant example of regional cooperation against organised crime in the Pacific.
“It is a demonstration of inter-agency cooperation and regional security partnership to deal with transnational organised crime on the blue pacific.”
Further updates are expected as investigations continue and regional law enforcement agencies work to determine the full scope of MV WEALTH’s activities and any associated criminal networks operating across Pacific waters.
“Further updates will be provided as investigations progress.”….PACNEWS
PAC – HEALTH: RNZ PACIFIC PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
NZ risks undermining Health outcomes in the Pacific with ‘misguided’ tack on WHO
WELLINGTON, 22 JUNE 2026 (RNZ PACIFIC)—The New Zealand government is being warned that continued political antipathy towards the World Health Organisation (WHO) risks undermining health outcomes in the Pacific, while weakening the international disease surveillance network.
This follows revelations that New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters wielded particular political influence over the government’s decision on whether to approve of the latest amendments to International Health Regulations (IHR) under the WHO.
As reported by Newsroom this month, Peters went against the advice of the Ministry of Foreign Affiars and Trade (MFAT) officials and rejected the amendments, which were described as particularly beneficial to Pacific Island countries.
All but a few countries accepted the new rules. Those rejecting them are New Zealand, the United States, Argentina, Israel, Italy and Slovakia.
Documents seen by RNZ Pacific indicate the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ office made clear to other officials facilitating the process around whether to ratify the WHO regulation updates that the minister had a major political interest in the issue and sought to closely monitor the government’s handling of the matter.
Pacific could miss out
An academic specialising in public policy and health security has told RNZ Pacific that the amendments strengthened the international framework for managing cross-border health emergencies, with new provisions on equity, financing, and supply chains.
Robin Davies, an honorary professor at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy, said the amendments were designed with countries like Pacific island states in mind, especially as these nations rely on regional and multilateral institutions for support.
“But the amendments also impose additional obligations – new national authorities, upgraded reporting, core-capacity requirements – that are costly for small Pacific administrations. Pacific governments accepted those obligations as part of a bargain: they would do more, and the international system would do more to support them,” Professor Davies said.
He said the rejection of the amendments by New Zealand’s government undermined the support side of that bargain.
“There is also a forward-looking problem. The IHR amendments are only half of the post-covid health security architecture. The WHO Pandemic Agreement, meant to address deeper equity gaps around vaccine access and benefit-sharing, is still being negotiated.
“If there is continued political antipathy toward the WHO from NZ and the US, Pacific island countries could end up bearing the burdens of one instrument and missing out on the promises of another.”
As well as critical disease surveillance work, the WHO provides essential services to Pacific island countries that they cannot fully provide for themselves, including laboratory support, outbreak response, and health workforce training.
“When the institution is misrepresented, delegitimised or deprived of resources, its operational effectiveness inevitably suffers, and the effects are felt most in the places with the least capacity of their own,” Davies said.
“New Zealand is an important health-sector donor in the Pacific. If it is unwilling to participate in the upgraded international framework for health emergency cooperation, Pacific governments are entitled to wonder how much practical support they can expect when the next regional health crisis arrives.”
A spokesperson for the minister said that he stood by the decision to reject the amendments, and that New Zealand supports positive health outcomes in the Pacific.
“Our International Development Cooperation supports Pacific partners to achieve their priority health outcomes through a range of technical partners, including WHO. In activities where we are working with WHO we are supportive of their approach and are satisfied with the progress towards outcomes,” the spokesperson said.
It is no secret that Winston Peters has been a vocal critic of the WHO, suggesting its rules threaten the country’s national interests and sovereignty.
But a leading Pacific public health advocate, Sir Collin Tukuitonga, has warned that Winston Peters’ criticism and rejection of the new WHO rules is unhelpful for the Pacific Islands.
“I think it’s misleading, and deliberately undermines the whole global community. These surveillance and protecting global senses are like a chain, and if there’s a weak spot in the chain, the whole thing falls over.
“That’s why New Zealand has an obligation to the global community, particularly to the island communities, including ourselves,” Sir Collin said.
“Bugs don’t stop at borders. That’s why we need a collective agreement, and the International Health Regulations improvements are meant to improve efficiency, timeliness of information, encouraging member states to be honest about reporting new diseases, all of those sorts of things, which will ultimately benefit everyone.”
“So I think the New Zealand position, the New Zealand view is misguided, reckless.”
Sir Collin said the minister’s words carried a lot of weight in the Pacific Islands region, where he’s highly respected as a statesman.
In terms of risks, he cited the example of the current US Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy Jr, whose strident anti-vaccine views gained traction in Samoa several years ago and were seen as being a factor behind the low immunisations rates which preceded a deadly measles outbreak that caused the death of over 80 people, mostly children.
“So prominent people will no doubt have an impact on how communities react to these things, without a doubt,” Sir Collin told RNZ Pacific.
“Given Winston’s presence, visibility, and so on in the region, what’s happening has, without a doubt, got some risks associated with it all.
“The idea that we want to make decisions at home and not in Geneva, all of that is just politics, because it’s incorrect. There’s no real risk to our sovereignty and decision making at the end of the day.
“If, for some reason, a requirement is put in place and we don’t agree with it, we can simply ignore it or not accept it. But to take a wholesale withdrawal, is reckless and irresponsible.”
The WHO’s Regional Emergencies director Dr Gina Samaan said the IHR updates do not give away the rights of countries.
She said that countries always have sovereign authority on health, and that the WHO tailored its work according to the country priorities.
Meanwhile, Fiji’s assistant health minister Penioni Ravunawa said his country valued the technical support provided by the WHO to Fiji and the wider Pacific.
He said the WHO has provided critical support in areas such as disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness and response, immunisation, health workrce development, non-communicable diseases, climate and health resilience, laboratory stengthening and broader health capacity building.
“Importantly, Fiji’s engagement with WHO is guided by our national priorities. Through our Country Cooperation Strategy and ongoing dialogue, Fiji identifies its health priorities, and WHO provides technical assistance aligned with those priorities. This ensures that our national sovereignty and decision-making remain at the centre of all health programmes.”
Ravunawa emphasised her importance of regional partnerships, including with New Zealand.
Fiji continued to value “evidence-based partnerships, regional solidarity, and international cooperation in addressing shared health challenges, including climate change, emerging diseases, HIV, mental health, and non-communicable diseases”, he said…..PACNEWS
FIJI – DEFENCE/DRUGS FIGHT: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
Do the work to rebuild trust: Fiji Navy chief
SUVA, 22 JUNE 2036 (FIJI SUN)—Republic of Fiji Military Forces Naval Division Commander, Commodore Timoci Natuva, did not mince his words about the need for Fiji’s security and defence forces to uphold integrity.
“As organisations that’s in the front line, we must do the work required of us, so that taxpayers see where their taxes are being utilised,” he told this masthead.
Commodore Natuva was responding to a question on recent public statements that Fijians are losing trust in the Fiji Police Force, Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) and the Fiji Navy, because of allegations of corruption.
“Similar to the military when the National Security Strategy came out, there was a sense of mistrust that was highlighted. The only way to manage that is for us to do the work.”
Commodore Natuva said there’s a need for professionalism in the defence forces.
“We must commit ourselves to the work that we do because we are doing it for the people. The navy, RFMF, and police, we are one of a few organisations that hold the Bible and swear an oath.
“In order to be true to that oath, we must maintain our professionalism. That’s the only way that we will build trust. When there’s lack of trust, it highlights that you are not doing your work effectively.”
Commodore Natuva said a lot had been said about the drug problem in Fiji, leading to blame game.
“We all know now that drugs is a problem. We’ve talked about it for so long.
“Let’s find solutions and actually focus and do the work. It drains our energy and time to respond to everything people are saying on social media.”
Commodore Natuva said the navy was not always perfect, but they learned to readjust their operational plan.
“For us, we’re using whatever assets and funding that we have.
“These cartels have more funding; they have a lot more resources. We don’t. We must work together, but first within our own institutions, ourselves.
“We have to commit ourselves and keep doing it because the impact now is hitting the homes, the families.”
Commodore Natuva said Government must continue to support the institutions with their efforts to minimise the impact of drugs.
Meanwhile, Police have recovered suspected drug parcels on the shores of Qamea and Kadavu as investigations continue into a growing number of packages washing ashore across Fiji’s maritime islands.
A parcel was discovered along the shoreline near a settlement in Qamea and was quickly reported to police, who retrieved it for examination.
The latest discovery follows an earlier find in Kadavu, where a sealed clear plastic package containing a white substance tested positive for cocaine.
Police are awaiting forensic results on 27 parcels containing white substances recovered in the Lau Group, which are currently being analysed at the Fiji Police Forensics Laboratory in Suva.
The Fiji Police Force confirmed that officers from the Forensics Department and Criminal Investigations Department have been deployed with the Republic of Fiji Navy to conduct further enquiries and retrieve another 35 parcels found floating near Munia Island on Thursday afternoon.
Police acknowledged the swift response from communities in Lau, noting that the latest discovery was promptly reported by the Turaga ni Koro and the parcels were subsequently taken into custody by officers at Vanua Balavu Police Station.
Authorities said all efforts were now focused on locating and recovering any remaining packages for forensic testing.
Investigators are also working with local and regional law enforcement agencies to determine the origin and intended destination of the parcels.
The discoveries have heightened concerns about suspected illicit drugs entering Fiji’s waters, with multiple packages having been recovered from islands across the country in recent weeks.
Police are urging members of the public, particularly those living in coastal communities, to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious packages.
“Members of the public living along coastal areas are urged to immediately report the discovery of any suspicious parcels to 1681, and avoid handling or opening them.”
Investigations are continuing…..PACNEWS
PNG – WEATHER WATCH: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
El-Nino to influence weather patterns
PORT MORESBY, 22 JUNE 2026 (THE NATIONAL)—EL-Nino conditions have developed in the Pacific Ocean and are expected to influence weather and climate patterns across the country in the coming months, says Papua New Guinea National Weather Service director Jimmy Gomoga.
“The sea surface temperatures, atmospheric circulation patterns and international climate models guidance indicate that El Nino conditions are now established and are likely to persist until at least the end of the year,” he said.
“Based on current forecasts, provinces in the Highlands region, southern coastal regions and other drought-prone areas may experience reduced rainfall and increased moisture stress in the coming months.”
Gomoga added that forecasts were pointing towards a strong El Nino event based on the extent of warming in the
central tropical Pacific.
“Around half of the models indicate this event could peak at levels similar to 1997 and 1998 or 2015 and 2016,” he said.
Gomoga said these conditions could adversely affect water availability, food and agricultural production, public health and sanitation, hydropower generation and energy supply, transport and other critical services.
He urged national agencies, provincial governments, district authorities, development partners, and local communities to review preparedness arrangements and take early actions to minimise potential impacts.
Gomoga said recommended preparedness measures include:
*Monitoring local water supplies and promoting water conservation;
*Supporting drought preparedness planning at provincial and district levels;
*Advising farmers on climate-smart agricultural practices;
*Strengthening community awareness and preparedness activities; and,
*Enhancing coordination among government agencies responsible for disaster risk management, agriculture, health, water and infrastructure.
“El Nino is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon associated with warmer-than-average sea surface temperature in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean,” Gomoga said.
“Historically, El Nino events have been associated with prolonged dry condition, increased temperatures, frosts at higher altitudes, reduced stream flows and heightened drought risks across many parts of PNG,” he said…..PACNEWS
TUVALU – POLICE: ISLANDS BUSINESS PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
Boost for Tuvalu police with qualified officers
SUVA, 22 JUNE 2026 (ISLANDS BUSINESS) —Tuvalu’s police force will be boosted by 10 newly graduated officers last week in Fiji.
The officers – seven men and three women – completed a 16-week course at the Fiji Police Academy in the capital, Suva.
In a parade reviewed by Fijian Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, the Tuvaluan officers marched alongside 150 local police.
The officers joined a martial arts and physical fitness routine in which the Tuvalu and Fiji flags were displayed by a Fijian and Tuvaluan officer hoisted by their classmates on a tall pine pole.
Relatives of the Tuvaluan officers flew to Fiji to witness the passing out parade and graduation at the academy.
Tuvalu has around 150 officers based mainly on Funafuti with smaller units on outlying atolls.
The force also has a maritime element for coastal patrols and search and rescue. Its land units are responsible for law enforcement, Customs, prisons, and immigration.
Tuvaluan officers have participated in joint maritime operations with neighbouring countries patrols as well as providing officers for the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands ….PACNEWS
COOKS – RESCUE MISSION: NZDF PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
RNZAF Poseidon crew spots fisherman missing for a week in Cook Islands
RAROTONGA, 22 JUNE 2026 (NZDF)—A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P-8A Poseidon crew has found a solo fisherman missing for a week in the northern Cook Islands.
The man, in his four-metre aluminium skiff, was spotted by the crew this morning (NZT) and he was able to wave to them.
Nearby fishing vessels had indicated they were able to pick the man up.
The fisherman had set off from Pukapuka Island, about 1140km northwest of Rarotonga, for a day’s fishing on Thursday last week (local time) but failed to return.
He was reported overdue to local police the following day and New Zealand’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre requested RNZAF help in the search earlier this week.
It was believed he had minimal safety or survival equipment.
The P-8A and crew started the search last Thursday (NZT)…..PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – FEMM MEET: PACNEWS PACNEWS 1: Mon 22 Jun 2026
Pacific Finance Ministers to tackle Middle East crisis, economic resilience at Marshall Islands meeting
MAJURO, 22 JUNE 202(PACNEWS)— Finance and Economic Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) this week for the 2026 Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM), with the escalating crisis in the Middle East, regional economic resilience, and the launch of the Pacific Resilience Facility high on the agenda.
The annual meeting of Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Finance and Economic Ministers comes at a time of growing global uncertainty, with leaders expected to assess the potential impacts of international developments on Pacific economies and agree on coordinated regional responses.
The 2026 FEMM will be chaired by David Paul, Minister of Finance, Banking and Postal Services of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Before ministers convene, senior finance and economic officials from Forum member countries will meet to deliberate on issues that will be presented for ministerial consideration and decision.
The meeting will also be attended by technical observers and representatives from agencies of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP).
Forum Economic Ministers play a central role in shaping regional economic policy and strengthening cooperation among Pacific Island countries. Through FEMM, ministers help advance agreed regional economic priorities and provide advice to Forum Leaders on major economic development challenges affecting the region.
According to the Pacific Islands Forum, FEMM remains one of the region’s key decision-making platforms on economic and financial matters.
This year’s meeting will focus on strengthening regional economic resilience and preparedness as Pacific nations face mounting external pressures from geopolitical tensions, inflationary risks, climate-related challenges, and economic uncertainty.
A major area of discussion will be the evolving crisis in the Middle East and its potential consequences for Pacific economies.
Ministers will review the Regional Economic State of Play, including assessments of how instability in the Middle East could affect economic growth, inflation, remittance flows, development finance, and fuel security across Forum member countries.
The meeting will open with a high-level discussion on the crisis and its broader implications for the Pacific region.
Officials say the discussion will focus on potential impacts on fuel security, inflation, fiscal resilience, and overall economic stability as countries continue to navigate an increasingly uncertain global environment.
Economic integration will remain a key priority throughout the meeting, with ministers expected to examine ways to strengthen cooperation and improve the region’s collective ability to respond to external shocks.
Forum members will also reflect on the long-term goals of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent while reviewing progress under the Pacific Roadmap for Economic Development (PRED), which guides regional efforts to strengthen economic resilience and promote sustainable development.
The roadmap aims to help Pacific countries cushion the effects of external economic shocks while supporting stability through regional cooperation and solidarity.
Ministers will consider a range of initiatives being implemented under PRED that are designed to deepen regional economic integration and enhance the capacity of Forum members to anticipate, withstand, and respond to global disruptions.
A significant milestone during the meeting will be the inaugural Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) Council meeting.
The gathering marks a major step in operationalising the Pacific-owned regional financing mechanism, which was established to support resilience-building investments across the region.
The PRF Treaty entered into force on 06 May 2026 following the required ratifications by Forum member countries.
To date, ten Pacific Islands Forum members have ratified the treaty: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
The inaugural council meeting is expected to lay the groundwork for the facility’s future operations and governance arrangements as Pacific leaders seek greater regional ownership of financing mechanisms aimed at strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to future shocks.
The outcomes of FEMM 2026 will help shape economic policy discussions ahead of future Pacific Islands Forum meetings and provide guidance to Forum Leaders on key economic challenges confronting the region.
With global instability continuing to affect markets, trade, energy supplies and development financing, ministers are expected to focus on practical measures that can strengthen regional cooperation and safeguard economic stability across the Blue Pacific.
The Forum Economic officials will meet on 22 June, followed by FEMM 23–24 June in Majuro……PACNEWS
SOL – AIRLINE: INDEPTH SOLOMONS PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 22 Jun 2026
PM Wale demands urgent overhaul of Solomon Airline
HONIARA, 22 JUNE 2026 (INDEPTHE SOLOMONS)—Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has declared that Solomon Airlines must undergo serious reforms warning that the government will not keep pouring money into a struggling national carrier without a clear plan.
In a high-stakes meeting with the airline’s board and management on Friday, joined by Finance Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, Wale called out a lack of vision at the top and challenged leadership to “think big” and take a more strategic approach.
“Stop undermining the industry,” Wale told executives. “We want Solomon Airlines to succeed, but we must act decisively.”
According to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister states Prime Minister Wale laid out a blunt list of expectations: boost aircraft capacity on domestic routes, strengthen airlift services, improve flight reliability, slash fares on domestic and international routes, and deliver better customer service.
“Domestic airfares are too high. Freight costs are excessive. Flight schedules are inconsistent,” he said. “These are issues that must be addressed.”
Wale pointed to the absence of a clear strategic roadmap and demanded that the board and management move quickly on meaningful reform.
Finance Minister Lilo echoed the tough talk, urging the airline to find its footing fast and to pursue partnerships with deep financial muscle.
“We need partners with deep financial capacity,” Lilo said. “I agree with the Prime Minister you must think big and be strategic.”
Acting Board Chairman Baoro Laxton Koraua acknowledged the pressure, admitting that Solomon Airlines has been running at a loss, especially on domestic routes, and continues to struggle internationally.
“We have been making losses domestically and face significant challenges on our international routes,” Koraua said, agreeing that restructuring is overdue and that a clearer vision aligned with the national interest is urgently needed.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister directed the board and management to return with a comprehensive and strategic plan for the airline’s future…..PACNEWS
FIJI – SUGAR INDUSTRY: FIJI SUN PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 22 Jun 2026
Fiji PM signals rethink on sugar industry support
SUVA, 22 JUNE 2026 (FIJI SUN)—Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Government is exploring alternatives to ensure taxpayers’ money is used more effectively as questions remain over continued sugar industry funding.
Speaking in Ba last Saturday, Rabuka said Cabinet had discussed the direction of the economy and the need to keep money circulating.
“We have to keep the economy going and taxpayers are the people who are keeping the economy going. The more we earn, the more we spend, the more the money circulates, and that is what we have to keep going and keep doing,” Rabuka said.
He said many people continued to depend on an industry that was not providing enough returns.
“So many people rely on that cow that is not giving Fiji any milk,” he said.
Rabuka said the Government needed to consider what could be done in the future for sugar farmers and whether the land could be used more productively.
“We have to come up with what to do, what can be done in the future, what can be done for those farmers and the land that they are sitting on, which might be much better used instead of pouring money down the drain.”
He said the Government had to look at alternatives.
Over the years, an average of $70 million (US$35 million) has been allocated annually to support the sugar industry.
On cane harvesting, Rabuka said the Government had provided farmers with a guaranteed price to support them.
“We had given them a guaranteed price to be able to start. If they have other reasons, maybe transportation costs, we will deal with that when it is brought to Cabinet as a problem. Transport, we can find alternatives,” he said……PACNEWS
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
“For many people, their priority is to eat.”
By Nic Maclellan
NOUMEA, 22 JUNE 2026 (ISLANDS BUSINESS)—At dusk, a small group of residents starts to gather at the public housing towers at Magenta, in Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia.
Supporters of the Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) set up microphones for a community meeting with local residents. With provincial elections looming on 28 June, the Kanaky pour Tous (Kanaky for all) electoral list is looking for votes, especially from young people who normally have little time for politicians.
As the meeting begins in the central plaza, there’s only a small number of older women, rugged up against the biting wind. But as the speeches progress, more and more people drift in to stand around under the trees. Come question time, residents raise a mix of issues: an elderly women who needs help to re-register on the electoral roll; another raises concerns about the relocation of the domestic airport from Magenta to the international airport more than 50 kilometres away; while a third pointedly questions whether the politicians will be seen again after the elections.
Leading independence activists address the locals, including FLNKS president Christian Tein and president of the Parti Travailliste (Labour Party) Marie-Pierre Goyetche. But pride of place is given to younger members of the Kanaky pour Tous electoral list, a recognition that many young people are wary of politicians, and more focussed on daily life than the ongoing debate over a new political status for New Caledonia.
Ikee Toutikian, age 33, is a single mother of two young boys. She’s served for two terms on the municipal council of Mont Dore, but it’s the first time she’s joined an electoral list to campaign for the Southern Provincial Assembly.
Toutikian is one of many younger people running for this month’s elections, as political parties seek to mobilise voters who usually abstain from voting.
“There aren’t many young people involved in political life,” Toutikian said. “It’s complicated and you often hear people say they don’t give a damn about politics. I understand their distrust – all too often, young people are described as ‘a problem.’ But our young people aren’t a problem, they’re the solution for our future.
“There are so many things that are decided up there, without us, and so it’s important that they hear our voice,” she said. “We’ve seen our brothers and sisters die in front of us, and we see police harassment every day. After the insurrection in 2024, it was clear we needed a renewal of the political class. So young people have stepped up, even though we still have our elders on the list – we need their experience and their wisdom. That’s why I’ve joined this list Kanaky pour tous, because I believe in my country.”
Electoral competition
In the Southern Province, the FLNKS list is led by Johanito Wamytan, who works as cabinet director for the UC-FLNKS parliamentary group within the Congress of New Caledonia. Now, he’s running for office himself, as a new generation of activists push veteran campaigners to the bottom of the list.
At a time of economic crisis and political fatigue, candidates across the spectrum are focussed on mobilising wavering voters, urging them to turn out on election day. But in the Southern Province, there are 11 competing lists including two major pro-independence coalitions: the FLNKS and the Union nationale pour l’Indépendance (UNI).
The UNI list in the South is led by veteran Kanak leader Louis Mapou, who served as President of New Caledonia between 2021-2025. The two parties in UNI – Palika and UPM – left the main FLNKS independence coalition in 2025 and are running under their own banner (in contrast, the main anti-independence groups Les Loyalistes and Rassemblement les Républicains are running a joint ticket in the North and South).
To win a seat in the Southern Province, an electoral list must obtain at least 6,300 votes – no easy task and the division in the independence camp doesn’t help.
However, Wamytan told Islands Business that there is a large pool of potential voters: “The campaign dynamics are important for us, because the potential number of voters out there is around 30,000. We saw that during the 2020 referendum: the YES vote amounted to nearly 30,000. In 2024, for the elections to the French National Assembly, Emmanuel Tjibaou won more than 20,000 votes. So, there’s a margin to manoeuvre for us, but that’s the challenge – to mobilise the maximum number of voters.”
“Many young people don’t understand how our institutions function nor the significance of this election campaign” Wamytan acknowledged. “So, another element of our campaign is the renewal of our electoral list, responding to the desire to have more young faces and transform the political class. Finally, there’s our political program, on social justice, the struggle against economic inequality and the creation of solutions for the country’s youth, who until now have been left aside by society.”
Across the country, the FLNKS has chosen leaders in their forties to head their electoral lists: Wamytan (aged 46) in the South; Pascal Sawa (44) in the North; and Mickaël Forrest (46) in the Loyalty Islands. This change hasn’t been without controversy, as the largest party Union Calédonienne negotiated with other FLNKS members over the top positions on the 50-string electoral lists that would guarantee a seat.
Wamytan defends the changes in the FLNKS since New Caledonia’s crisis in 2024: “Some people say that the FLNKS today is not what it once was – and that’s true! But that’s not to say that the FLNKS is weakened, or that it no longer represents the colonised people as a national liberation front. The FLNKS is still recognised locally, regionally and internationally as a liberation movement.”
Tough economic times
In May 2024, Noumea erupted into violence, as the French government sought to open up the restricted electoral roll for New Caledonia’s three provincial assemblies and National Congress. During six months of conflict, hundreds of Kanak – especially young people – were detained and charged, public infrastructure and private businesses were damaged or looted, and the economy collapsed. In 2024, GDP fell 13.5%, damaging an economy that was already reeling after the COVID pandemic and the surge in global energy prices after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Two years on, working people are still suffering the after-effects of that time.
“For many people, their priority today is to eat – the future status of their country is not their primary preoccupation,” Johanito Wamytan said. “Their priority is to put food on the table so their children can salve their hunger, to pay the rent, the electricity bills, the cost of transport. That’s their concern – the cost of a packet of SAO biscuits, or Chinese noodles, a tin of sardines. This is the reality facing many people today and that’s the challenge for our political institutions, to lift the people of New Caledonia out of the hole where they’ve fallen.
“So that’s the focus of our campaign: the province should be there to help people stand up, not as charity but as a safety net to address their situation, while respecting their dignity. If people can’t see economic development, we are creating the conditions for a social explosion.”
“There are a lot of young people who are angry at politicians, for not finding solutions to address their day-to-day concerns” he said. “So, we must explain to them that if you want things to change, you have to change the majority in the Southern Assembly. I say to them, if you don’t vote, you’re actually voting for Sonia Backès,” the current provincial president and head of the anti-independence Loyalists-Rassemblement electoral ticket.
New political statute
These are the first provincial elections in seven years, and many New Caledonians are fatigued by a decade of economic woes and the trauma of the 2024 crisis.
But Wamytan stresses the importance of the poll on 28 June, to give a mandate to leaders who must continue a dialogue on a future political status for the French Pacific dependency. In May, the French National Assembly rejected a proposed political statute known as the Bougival Accord, leaving the country at an impasse.
Wamytan noted that “this is the first time we’ve gone to elections without a political agreement – that’s different to 1998, when we signed the Noumea Accord then went to the elections afterwards. Now we’re on a different path, so we need to explain to people how our institutions are governed. If they don’t vote, the current people in power will continue to rule. Beyond this, we need to create the conditions to allow the FLNKS to work towards an ‘Accord de Kanaky,’ that recognises our sovereignty.”
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has proposed a new round of talks in July, to bring together the French State with both supporters and opponents of independence for discussions on a new political statute.
“We’re committed to sitting around the table in July,” Wamytan said. “However, we’ve already warned the French State that the talks must be on a basis agreed by all, as in 1988 and 1998. All of the methods used by the French State since then have created this impasse, highlighted by the example of the Bougival process. There must be an agreed process. There also must be trust, unlike what we saw last year, when Bougival was adopted as a draft, but was suddenly described as a ‘historic agreement’.”
Time is short however to achieve consensus on a new political framework. In May 2027, the French presidential elections will be held, and already candidates are preparing for the contest, from LFI’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon on the Left, to Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen of the Rassemblement national on the extreme Right.
Wamytan stressed that “the FLNKS is not fixed on the need to sign an agreement now. Whoever represents the French State, it’s still the French State, whether it’s Emmanuel Macron, Jordan Bardella or Jean-Luc Mélenchon!”
“It’s been 173 years that the actors before us have changed, just as the interlocuters of the Kanak people have changed,” he said. “There’s no need to rush to finalise an agreement. We must take the time to forge a political agreement that satisfies everyone. This is all about the future stability of our country.” ….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Commonwealth Ocean ministers meet in Kenya – a collective push for global ocean protection
MOMBASA, 22 JUNE 2026 (COMSEC)—Ocean ministers and senior officials met today in Mombasa, Kenya, on the margins of the global Our Oceans Conference, for a high-level roundtable to review Commonwealth progress in protecting the ocean. Two critical instruments guided this review, namely the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ Agreement), which came into force in early 2026.
The Commonwealth Ocean Ministers Roundtable was hosted by the Government of the Republic of Kenya and the Commonwealth Secretariat, and chaired by Hassan Ali Joho, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs who delivered the opening remarks.
He said: “We meet at a defining moment for ocean governance when many commitments have been generated but remain on paper. The purpose of this Roundtable is therefore not to restate ambition, but to convert such pledges into measurable results for our communities, our economies and our seas. To shift from words to action and delivery.
“Kenya regards the ocean economy as a pillar of sustainable growth, spanning fisheries, maritime transport, coastal tourism, marine renewable energy and the safeguarding of coastal ecosystems.
“I invite this Roundtable to focus on three priorities: to strengthen and de-risk ocean financing; to accelerate technology transfer and capacity building, with particular attention to small island developing states; and to deepen partnerships across the Commonwealth so that present and future generations inherit a healthy and productive ocean.”
In a video message, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Botchwey, thanked the Government of Kenya – host of the Our Ocean Conference – for also co-hosting the roundtable, and for their sterling championing of the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Group on the Sustainable Blue Economy.
“There is a Commonwealth consensus that only through practical action and international cooperation can we drive change, confront the global ocean emergency, and protect our planet and her peoples.
“That Commonwealth consensus underpinned all 56 Heads of Government of the Commonwealth agreeing to the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration.
That landmark declaration sounded a clarion call for the restoration, protection and sustainable use of our ocean.
“The Commonwealth consensus also stresses the importance of international cooperation to conserve the ocean. That is why the roundtable today will focus on the BBNJ Agreement, which provides a platform for countries to establish marine protected areas in international waters.” She said
John Kerry, 68th United States Secretary of State, former Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and founder of the Our Ocean Conference, addressed ministerial delegations and strategic partners at the roundtable.
Commonwealth progress on ocean concerns
Delegates, including strategic partners, deliberated on the progress made by their countries and represented organisations in achieving ocean restoration, conservation and sustainable use. They focused on the commitments made under the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration and the progress made against these commitments.
Delegates also reflected on the importance of implementing the BBNJ Agreement, as part of global efforts to protect at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. They further agreed that the Commonwealth provides a valuable platform for fostering consensus on the designation, management, and monitoring of these marine protected areas.
The second round of the Commonwealth Blue Charter Incubator was launched at the Roundtable, with calls for proposals commencing in the next quarter. This Incubator, which is run in partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, provides grants of up to £50,000 to Commonwealth countries for early-stage projects to conserve the ocean.
The roundtable was attended by almost a hundred delegates from more than 30 Commonwealth member countries and strategic partners, including CAF (Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean); the Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy – Antigua and Barbuda; ORRAA and the Blue Bond Accelerator, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)…..PACNEWS
