In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Pacific Ministers call for stronger financing to tackle gender-based violence
2. PACIFIC — New Pacific database tracks US$3.7 billion in maritime investment
3. AUST — ‘Hostile place’: warning monoculture endangers nation: Australian Foreign Minister
4. PACIFIC — ‘These criminals are not untouchable’: New Pacific warning to drug cartels
5. NZ— Voter suppression by stealth’ – NZ govt accused of locking out Pasifika vote
6. SOL — AFP Commissioner Barrett meets PM Wale as police partnership strengthens
7. FIJI — Fiji-U.S partnership strengthens maritime security capability
8. PACNEWS BIZ — WCPFC science meeting reviews data guiding Pacific tuna management
9. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji must create job creators, not just job seekers – RBF Governor
10. PACNEWS BIZ — PNG boosts cocoa processing with $2.8m upgrade at Queen Emma Chocolate
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Human rights experts condemn treatment of NY care workers
12. PACNEWS DIGEST — Building trust before measles arrives: how GOARN is helping Vanuatu prepare for the next outbreak
13. PACNEWS DIGEST — PNG’s declining agricultural output requires a return to commercial production
PAC – GENDER/DISABILITY RIGHTS/HEALTH/EDUCATION: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Fri 14 Aug 2026
Pacific Ministers call for stronger financing to tackle gender-based violence
SUVA, 14 AUGUST 2026 (PACNEWS)— Forum Foreign Ministers are calling for stronger and more sustainable financing for gender-based violence prevention, while backing new regional action on disability rights, health, education and early childhood development.
Ministers agreed that lack of sustainable financing remains the main barrier to expanding gender-based violence prevention programmes across the Pacific.
The issue was among the key outcomes of the 2026 Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in Suva last week, where Ministers reviewed progress on people-centred development and regional efforts to advance gender equality and social inclusion.
Ministers agreed to convey guidance from the Pacific Islands Forum Women Leaders Meeting to Forum Leaders, consistent with commitments under the revitalised Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration.
They highlighted the need for gender-based violence prevention priorities to be included in national planning, gender-responsive budgeting and public investment decisions.
Ministers also recognised the opportunity to use climate and green finance to strengthen gender-based violence prevention.
They encouraged the inclusion of gender-responsive and inclusive measures in climate finance proposals and resilience planning.
They also stressed that renewed commitment to women’s political leadership would help advance the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Forum Foreign Ministers endorsed the refreshed Pacific Framework for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for consideration and endorsement by Forum Leaders at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau.
Ministers welcomed progress across the People-Centred Development agenda and noted stronger coordination of regional action on gender equality, disability inclusion, health, education and early childhood development.
Ministers also noted an update from Tonga on its whole-of-government approach to strengthening the reintegration of returned nationals.
Tonga encouraged consideration of the wider regional implications of reintegration policies and called for practical cooperation on information sharing, reintegration support and community resilience.
Non-communicable diseases were also identified as a major human development challenge in the Pacific.
Ministers noted with concern the findings of the 2024 Review of the Pacific NCD Roadmap and encouraged Members to strengthen whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to NCD prevention and control.
They also supported Education Ministers’ call for closer collaboration between the education and health sectors to strengthen health and wellbeing in schools.
This includes early detection and intervention to ensure timely responses to health issues affecting students.
Ministers reaffirmed the Leaders’ decision that the Conference of Pacific Education Ministers provides the oversight mechanism for reviewing the regional education architecture.
They acknowledged Education Ministers’ commitment to further develop the Pacific Regional Education Framework policy and implement its second phase, including responses to emerging education issues.
Ministers also noted progress on early childhood development and a proposal to develop a regional Early Childhood Development and Status of Pacific Children Report in 2027.
The outcomes place gender equality, disability inclusion, health, education and early childhood development at the centre of the Forum’s people-centred development agenda…..PACNEWS
PAC – SHIPPING: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Fri 14 Aug 2026
New Pacific database tracks US$3.7 billion in maritime investment
MAJURO, 14 AUGUST 2026 (PACNEWS)—A new database has put the scale of maritime investment across the Pacific at an estimated US$3.7 billion over the past decade, with more than 95 percent of funding directed to infrastructure, capacity development and new vessels.
The Micronesian Centre for Sustainable Transport (MCST) launched the Pacific Maritime Database Project to provide a central source of information on maritime investment across the region.
Developed with support from research partners at the University College London’s Energy Institute, the database tracks funding for maritime projects from multiple donors and external agencies.
Using publicly available data covering 2016 to 2026, the project identifies an estimated US$3.7 billion invested across 115 maritime projects.
Australia was the largest donor, largely due to its US$1.5 billion Guardian Class Patrol Vessel project.
The Asian Development Bank, World Bank and Government of Japan were also among the major sources of maritime investment identified in the database.
The database includes tables and visual charts showing investment patterns, funding sources and other trends across the region.
MCST said the database is intended to help Pacific policymakers, planners, researchers and development partners better understand the scale and cost of maritime investment.
It is also designed to support Pacific island countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as they plan how to decarbonise their transport systems.
The project forms part of MCST’s wider role as a knowledge hub for sustainable transport in the Pacific, particularly for SIDS.
MCST said the database is a working project and will be updated and expanded as more information becomes available.
The Centre is working with regional donors and stakeholders to validate the data and is inviting corrections and additional information.
Established in 2015, MCST has focused on sustainable transport research in the Pacific, particularly in the maritime sector.
Over the past decade, the Centre has supported Pacific governments and institutions through policy development, technical research, capacity building and advocacy.
Its work has covered maritime safety, energy efficiency, climate resilience and greenhouse gas reductions in shipping.
MCST said its research has helped improve understanding of maritime transport challenges and potential solutions while bringing Pacific priorities to regional and international discussions.
The Pacific Maritime Database Project adds to the Centre’s work to provide information that can support future investment and sustainable transport decisions across the region….PACNEWS
AUST – DIPLOMACY: AAP PACNEWS 2: Fri 14 Aug 2026
‘Hostile place’: warning monoculture endangers nation: Australian Foreign Minister
CANBERRA, 14 AUGUST 2026 (AAP)—Calls by right-wing parties for Australia to become a monoculture would risk national security and jeopardise the nation’s world standing, the foreign minister warns.
In a wide-ranging speech at the Lowy Institute on Friday, Penny Wong will argue the bids for Australia to ignore a multicultural society would cause irreparable damage.
She will argue going down the path of a monoculture would damage hard-fought diplomatic gains.
‘The call for a monoculture is a call for Australia to curtail our choices and cut off our connection, to look inwards, to have no friends to work with,” she will say in the speech.
“There is a lot of damage that can be done, because Australians would be turned against each other. Australia would be a more hostile place.
“At a time where external and internal forces are seeking to divide us, turning Australians against each other makes us more vulnerable.”
The comments criticise the policies of One Nation, whose leader Pauline Hanson urged for a monoculture in a speech to the National Press Club in June.
While One Nation or Senator Hanson are not singled out by name in the speech, Senator Wong will use the speech to point out criticisms of the approach taken by the minor party, which has surged in opinion polls.
“At a time where external and internal forces are seeking to divide us, turning Australians against each other makes us more vulnerable,” she will say.
“Division makes us easier to exploit, it doesn’t make us stronger.
“Turning Australians against each other is the opposite of patriotism. Our resilience starts with how we choose to live together.”
The foreign minister will say partnerships with neighbouring countries, particularly in the Pacific and Southeast Asia were valuable in a time of global disruption.
Relations with Asia helped to secure fuel supply during oil shortages, while alliances with the Pacific, such as the Ocean of Peace alliance with Fiji that was signed in July, will help provide stability.
“Denigrating our region and neglecting our partners is no way to secure Australia’s interests. Neither is encouraging some kind of retreat from the world and the institutions that go with it,” Senator Wong will say.
“I’ve always believed the ability of Australians to connect with people from every part of the world is a national asset,” she said…PACNEWS
PAC – DRUGS FIGHT: INDEPTH SOLOMONS PACNEWS 2: Fri 14 Aug 2026
‘These criminals are not untouchable’: New Pacific warning to drug cartels
HONIARA, 14 AUGUST 2026 (INDEPTH SOLOMONS)—The handover of two new NAIAD vessels to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) has sent a strong warning to drug traffickers and organised criminal networks operating across the Pacific: maritime surveillance and enforcement capabilities in the Solomon Islands and Pacific are getting stronger.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the new vessels given to the Solomon Islands police are part of a broader effort to counter what she described as a “maritime illicit drug superhighway” running through the Pacific.
Speaking at the official handover ceremony at the RSIPF’s Aola Base in Honiara, Barrett acknowledged that Australia’s demand for illicit drugs is contributing to the trafficking networks that increasingly threaten Pacific countries.
“Recently, I said publicly that the illicit commodities being trafficked to and through the Pacific is Australia’s shame,” Barrett said.
“Australia’s insatiable appetite for these illicit drugs is appalling, especially given our trusted friends and partners have become the collateral damage,” she added.
Barrett said Australia must take responsibility for the consequences of the illicit drug trade and support Pacific partners in protecting their waters and communities.
“With that in mind, a great partner knows when to step up and when to take its share of responsibility,” she said.
She said the decision to provide the two NAIAD vessels should send a clear message to criminal networks operating across the region.
“We want news of this investment to be heard loud and clear,” Barrett said.
“And it will, because we know illicit drug cartels and other organised criminals are always listening and watching.”
The message, she said, is that criminal organisations cannot undermine the security and sovereignty of Solomon Islands or the wider Pacific with impunity.
“They cannot undermine the security and sovereignty of the Solomon Islands and the wider Pacific,” Barrett said.
Barrett said the new vessels represent another practical tool for Pacific law enforcement agencies to fight organised crime and protect their maritime domains.
“These criminals are not untouchable. The Pacific Chiefs all have great resolve, skill and capability to target those who target us,” she said.
She said the enhanced maritime capability would enable the RSIPF to intercept and seize illicit drugs while increasing the risks and costs for criminal networks attempting to use Pacific waters as a trafficking route.
The objective, she said, is to demonstrate to international drug cartels that attempting to exploit Pacific waters will come with serious consequences.
“This is about how we design our own Pacific-led security and safety architecture,” Barrett said.
Her comments align with the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ vision of an Ocean of Peace, where Pacific countries take greater responsibility for the security and safety of the region.
Barrett said the two vessels were designed with the RSIPF and the needs of Solomon Islands communities in mind.
“These vessels have been designed by the RSIPF for the people of the Solomon Islands. This has been a long time in the making. But it has been worth it,” she said.
She described the investment as evidence of the RSIPF’s commitment to protecting its citizens and contributing to a safer Pacific.
“This vision is your legacy for future generations and proves how we can work together on tangible outcomes for a peaceful and secure region,” Barrett said.
Solomon Islands Minister of Police, National Security and Correctional Service John Tuhaika Junir said strengthening the country’s national security architecture requires strong partnerships with international partners.
“As Solomon Islands continues to strengthen its national security architecture, partnerships such as this remain critically important,” Junir said.
“They enable us to respond to emerging challenges with greater preparedness and confidence, while strengthening our national institutions to remain professional, capable and responsive to the needs of our people.”
The two NAIAD vessels are expected to significantly strengthen the RSIPF’s ability to conduct maritime policing, respond to emergencies and support communities across Solomon Islands’ vast island chain.
Their deployment will also allow the RSIPF’s Guardian-class vessels to focus more heavily on longer-range offshore operations.
For Solomon Islands, which has an extensive maritime domain and thousands of kilometres of coastline, the additional vessels provide an important boost to its ability to monitor and respond to activity at sea.
The handover also underscores the growing security and law-enforcement relationship between Solomon Islands and Australia.
Beyond drug interdiction, the new capability is expected to support maritime emergencies, community safety, policing operations and the broader protection of Solomon Islands’ sovereign waters.
But the warning from the AFP commissioner was unmistakable: the Pacific is no longer an easy operating environment for international criminal networks – and Solomon Islands is strengthening its ability to protect its waters….PACNEWS
NZ- ELECTION/POLITICS: RNZ GOVT PACNEWS 2: Fri 14 Aug 2026
Voter suppression by stealth’ – NZ govt accused of locking out Pasifika vote
WELLINGTON, 14 AUGUST 2026 (RNZ PACIFIC)—New Zealand Minister for Pacific Peoples has denied that a recent law change ruling out late enrolment will disenfranchise Pasifika voters.
However, others beg to differ, echoing a report from the government’s own Attorney-General at the time this change and other voter restictions were announced.
The change means that in the upcoming November general election, voters have to enrol 13 days before election day, after the government ended the ability for eligible voters to enrol and cast special votes during the voting period.
In the report, former Attorney-General Judith Collins acknowledged that special votes were more likely to come from areas with larger Māori, Asian and Pasifika communities, and that younger people are more likely to cast special votes.
Despite this, the Justice and Pacific Peoples’ Minister Paul Goldsmith said he didn’t accept that the change would disenfranchise Pacific voters.
“Everybody is required by the legislation to get enrolled. We don’t think New Zealanders are less capable than Australians, and if Australians can get it done 30 days before the election, we’re confident that New Zealanders can get it done in a timely fashion as well,” he told RNZ Pacific.
But Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono said the government was making democracy harder to access.
‘Election day enrolment has allowed thousands of people to participate who might otherwise have missed out,” he said.
“Taking that option away will disproportionately affect communities that already face barriers to engagement, and in particular our Pasifika communities.”
Special votes counted during the 2023 general election included over 97,000 people who registered for the first time during the voting period.
However, Goldsmith said he had “every confidence” that people who are entitled to vote will have every opportunity to do so.
“So my message to them right here right now is: it’s not hard,” said Goldsmith.
New Zealand has a highly trusted and transparent electoral system, yet the government is arguing the change makes the democratic system more efficient.
Tuiono said special votes made up nearly a third of ballots in largely Pasifika electorates and described the government’s claim about improving efficiency as an excuse.
“I think that’s a lot of rot, that actually what this is is voter suppression by stealth,” he told RNZ Pacific.
“Every eligible New Zealander should be able to vote, regardless of how busy their lives are or how often they move. So these changes are literally locking people out of decisions that govern their lives.”
Meanwhile, other members of the governing coalition are campaigning on introducing new electoral policy that could further squeeze out the Pasifika vote.
NZ First has announced a policy where only New Zealand citizens have the right to vote for central and local government elections and referenda.
Paul Goldsmith said the National Party hadn’t yet come out in support of it, adding that it hadn’t yet had a full caucus discussion about it.
But Tuiono said the policy was terrible and unfairly targets people.
“I’m mindful of the saying of ‘no taxation without representation’. They literally want to take away the rights for people to vote, permanent residents to vote, Pacific people’s rights to vote,” Tuiono warned. …. PACNEWS
SOL – DIPLOMACY/POLICE: SOL GOVT PACNEWS 2: Fri 14 Aug 2026
AFP Commissioner Barrett meets PM Wale as police partnership strengthens
HONIARA, 14 AUGUST 2026 (SOL GOVT) — Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett has reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to supporting the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) during a courtesy visit to Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale.
Commissioner Barrett met Prime Minister Wale at the Prime Minister’s Office in Honiara on Thursday, where they discussed matters of mutual interest and growing cooperation between the AFP and RSIPF.
The visit marked Commissioner Barrett’s return to Solomon Islands 23 years after she served in the country as part of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
She briefed Prime Minister Wale on her engagements in Honiara, including an emotional visit to the RAMSI Museum at the National Museum Centre.
Prime Minister Wale thanked the AFP for its continued support to RSIPF programmes and said the Solomon Islands Government welcomed the ongoing partnership and its positive impact on the police force.
Commissioner Barrett reaffirmed that the AFP remains ready to support the RSIPF whenever needed.
The visit further strengthens the longstanding and cordial partnership between the two police forces and their commitment to continued cooperation into the future….PACNEWS
FIJI – DEFENCE: FIJI GOVT PACNEWS 2: Fri 14 Aug 2026
Fiji-U.S partnership strengthens maritime security capability
SUVA, 14 AUGUST 2026 (FIJI GOVT)— Fiji and the United States have strengthened their defence and security partnership with the handover of four Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) and the completion of a ramp extension project at RFNS Stanley Brown.
The new assets, provided with support from the United States Government through its Official Defence Assistance (ODA) Programme, will enhance the Republic of Fiji Navy’s ability to operate across Fiji’s extensive maritime domain.
The RHIBs will improve the Navy’s flexibility and mobility during maritime operations, while the upgraded ramp will support the launching, recovery and maintenance of small boats.
Minister for Defence and Veterans Affairs Pio Tikoduadua and United States Chargé d’Affaires Christina Cavallo attended the handover, highlighting continued Fiji-U. S cooperation on maritime and regional security.
“We are an ocean state. The sea connects our islands, sustains our communities, supports our economy and shapes the responsibilities we carry as a nation,” Minister Tikoduadua said.
The assistance is part of ongoing Fiji-US defence cooperation focused on addressing practical security needs and strengthening Fiji’s capacity to protect its sovereignty, maritime resources and people.
The project also reflects the shared commitment of Fiji and the United States to maintaining a secure, stable and peaceful Pacific, with personnel from both countries working together on its delivery.
Minister Tikoduadua acknowledged the U.S Government and people, the U.S Embassy in Suva, and personnel from both countries for their contribution to the initiative….PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – TUNA INDUSTRY: PACNEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Fri 14 Aug 2026
WCPFC science meeting reviews data guiding Pacific tuna management
APIA,14 AUGUST 2026 (PACNEWS)– Scientists and ocean experts from across the Pacific are meeting in Samoa this week for the 22nd Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Scientific Committee (SC22), reviewing key data that underpins the management of one of the world’s most important tuna fisheries.
The meeting is examining scientific information, challenging assumptions and assessing evidence that will help guide decisions on the management of tuna resources across the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
The WCPFC says its management system is built on scientific data, member-led decision-making and the ability to adjust management measures as conditions change.
The Scientific Committee’s work is the first of several stages in the Commission’s decision-making process.
In September, the Technical and Compliance Committee will meet to assess implementation issues, including monitoring, enforcement and compliance.
The Commission will then meet in December to consider and decide on management measures.
The process brings together different areas of expertise and multiple levels of review, with decisions based on scientific analysis and information provided by members.
The Western and Central Pacific remains one of the world’s most productive and well-managed large-scale tuna fisheries, supported by decades of scientific research and cooperation among Pacific island countries and other WCPFC members.
The current scientific meeting is therefore a key step in ensuring management decisions continue to reflect the latest available science and changing conditions in the region….PACNEWS
FIJI – JOB CREATION: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS BIZ: Fri 14 Aug 2026
Fiji must create job creators, not just job seekers – RBF Governor
SUVA, 14 AUGUST 2026 (FIJI TINES)—Reserve Bank of Fiji Governor Ariff Ali says Fiji must create an environment where young people can become job creators rather than simply job seekers as the country looks to innovation to diversify its economy.
Speaking at the opening of the Fiji Innovation Hub Space, Ali said Fiji could not continue relying indefinitely on a narrow range of economic activities and needed to develop new sources of growth.
“We need to broaden the sources of economic growth and create more opportunities for our people. We need to diversify our economy,” Ali said.
He said technology was rapidly changing the economic and financial landscape, transforming how people save, borrow, invest, make payments and conduct business.
Ali said the Reserve Bank operated at an important intersection of the economy and could not operate separately from the broader changes taking place.
At the same time, he said Fiji continued to face fundamental economic challenges that required greater entrepreneurship, productivity and competitiveness.
“We need to encourage entrepreneurship. We need to develop new industries and new business models. We need to increase productivity and competitiveness,” he said.
Ali said innovation was no longer simply desirable but had become necessary for Fiji’s economic development.
A major motivation behind the Innovation Hub, he said, was creating greater opportunities for young Fijians to participate meaningfully in the economy.
“Every year, thousands of Fijians leave our schools and tertiary institutions with aspirations for a better future,” Ali said.
“We should, of course, continue creating good jobs. But we should also create an environment where our young people can become job creators, not just job seekers.”
Ali said this was the type of environment the new Fiji Innovation Hub Space was intended to help foster….PACNEWS
PNG – COCOA INDUSTRY: EU- STREIT PNG PACNEWS BIZ: Fri 14 Aug 2026
PNG boosts cocoa processing with $2.8m upgrade at Queen Emma Chocolate
PORT MORESBY, 14 AUGUST 2026 (EU- STREIT PNG)—Papua New Guinea has expanded its capacity to process cocoa locally with the inauguration of a US$2.8 million upgrade at Queen Emma Chocolate in Port Moresby.
The new equipment is expected to double the factory’s output and allow more Papua New Guinean cocoa to be turned into higher-value cocoa ingredients and finished chocolate before being exported.
The facility, operated by Paradise Foods Limited, was upgraded through the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
Twelve types of new machinery have been installed to improve production capacity and consistency and meet the standards required by specialty buyers.
Prime Minister James Marape said the investment supports the Government’s push for full downstream processing of agricultural products within the country.
“This is our own company, complementing the Government’s desire for 100 per cent downstream processing in-country. And through this approach, we are making three times more than what we make when we export the raw product.
“I want to thank the management and the entire team, as well as our very important partners: the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, and the European Union,” said Prime Minister James Marape
The investment is also aimed at strengthening the link between cocoa farmers and domestic processing.
Under the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, cocoa farming groups in the Sepik have been linked directly with Queen Emma Chocolate, which sources well-fermented and smoke-free cocoa beans.
Producer groups supported by the programme have started supplying quality dried cocoa beans to the factory, with deliveries already reaching tens of tonnes.
Dr Kachen Wongsathapornchai, Head of the FAO Country Office in Papua New Guinea, said better quality would only be sustainable if farmers were rewarded by the market.
“Quality only becomes sustainable when the market pays for it,” said Dr Kachen Wongsathapornchai, Head of the FAO Country Office in Papua New Guinea. “Under EU-STREIT PNG, FAO worked across the whole chain, from planting material and post-harvest handling in the Sepik to the processing capacity inaugurated here today, so that better beans meet a buyer who rewards them. Development projects have an end date. Relationships do not, and that is what will keep this factory and the farmers who supply it working together long after the Programme closes.”
The factory upgrade is supported by work across the cocoa supply chain in East and West Sepik.
Under the programme, 3.4 million pest-tolerant cocoa seedlings have been planted and 4,960 hectares of cocoa blocks rehabilitated.
The programme reports a 95 percent survival rate for grafting and says about 19,400 cocoa farmers have been trained in bud grafting, pest and disease management, block management, climate-smart agriculture and post-harvest handling.
Post-harvest initiatives have included upgrading 500 cocoa dryers, introducing 100 solar combination dryers to reduce reliance on fuelwood and establishing 120 cocoa storage facilities.
The programme has also supported the formalisation and development of 363 cocoa agribusinesses.
Paradise Foods Limited chairman Anthony Smare said the company had chosen to invest in Papua New Guinea.
“We believe in PNG’s future. We were not told to invest in our country, we chose it. Our investment shows in our results. Paradise Foods is not only PNG-owned but PNG-made and supported. Last month, Paradise Foods recorded its highest month of sales in 93 years.”
The company has also used programme support to take PNG cocoa and chocolate products to trade events in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
The aim is to build links with specialty chocolate makers and niche ingredient buyers and open access to higher-value markets.
European Union Ambassador to Papua New Guinea Erica Hasznos said the investment was part of the EU’s wider Global Gateway strategy.
“Under the Global Gateway strategy, the European Union is investing across Papua New Guinea’s cocoa value chain, from quality production in the Sepik to modern processing here in Port Moresby. By raising quality and consistency, EU-PNG cooperation brings more value for Papua New Guinean business and small farmers, and more opportunities to access premium European markets. This is what Global Gateway stands for: sustainable investment, stronger industry and trade, and deeper ties between Papua New Guinea and the European Union.”
The investment supports PNG’s Medium Term Development Plan IV priorities on downstream processing, commercial agriculture, small and medium enterprises and private-sector partnerships.
As of June 2026, the EU-STREIT PNG Programme had reached 513,000 people, benefited 85,400 families, supported 700 farmer groups and trained 34,000 farmers across 42 local-level government areas in East and West Sepik.
Queen Emma Chocolate is produced by Paradise Foods Limited and is one of Papua New Guinea’s domestic cocoa processing and chocolate-making operations….PACNEWS
UN/USA – CAREWORKERS: UN NEWS CENTRE PACNEWS BIZ: Fri 14 Aug 2026
Human rights experts condemn treatment of NY care workers
NEW YORK, 14 AUGUST 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE)—Independent UN human rights experts reiterated concerns on Thursday about what they describe as a Government-subsidised 24-hour workday system for homecare workers in New York City.
These care workers, who are predominantly migrant women, went on a hunger strike between late July and early August to protest having to work 24 hours a day while – in practice – being undercompensated under state law.
“We are seriously concerned that the reported system may enable exploitative practices and that it has a disproportionate impact on migrant women and their families,” the UN Human Rights Council-appointed investigators said.
Under New York State’s Medicaid-funded homecare system, employers must pay wages for 13 hours of a 24-hour shift, under the assumption that workers use the remaining 11 hours to eat and sleep.
The experts noted that the concentration of migrant women in homecare “reflects the persistent undervaluation of care work and gendered inequalities in labour markets, which may expose women to heightened risks of exploitation and abuse.”
The situation for homecare workers in New York could even amount to forced labour under International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards, according to the independent experts, who receive no salary for their work from any UN entity and are not employed by any organization.
Local and state authorities must work to improve conditions, ensure access to effective remedies and reform or eliminate the 24-hour workday system in line with international human rights standards, the experts said.
“Homecare workers must be able to enjoy just, favourable and safe working conditions, adequate rest, fair remuneration, protection of their rights, and access to effective remedies,” they said….PACNEWS
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Building trust before measles arrives: how GOARN is helping Vanuatu prepare for the next outbreak
PORT VILA, 14 AUGUST 2026 (WHO PACIFIC)— A young mother rocks her baby in her arms with a radio playing in the background.
A public service announcement about the measles catches her attention. She learns that a safe and effective vaccine can protect her baby from a highly contagious disease and help prevent it from spreading to others in her community.
Will she bring her child to the vaccination clinic?
The answer may seem straightforward. But across Vanuatu, families are making decisions like this every day – when to bring a child in for their next vaccination, how to get to the health facility, whether to trust the advice of a health worker, a church leader, a friend, or something they have seen online.
In an outbreak, those small decisions can mean the difference between a contained cluster of cases and widespread community transmission.
In Vanuatu, however, Sera Ngeh was deployed for a different purpose: to support the Ministry of Health before a measles outbreak occurs.
The public health specialist, the epidemiologist, the communicator
Sera, a public health specialist and Australian applied epidemiologist trained at the Australian National University, and fluent in Bislama (the Ni-Vanuatu language), was deployed through GOARN at the request of Vanuatu’s Ministry of Health, supported by WHO.
There is no outbreak. No cases to investigate. And that is precisely the point.
Instead, Sera spent her time listening and preparing.
She met with ministry teams, health workers and partners to better understand attitudes towards immunization, identify concerns and gather community feedback.
These insights shaped communication strategies designed to build trust in vaccines.
“Preparedness is not just planning on paper,” Sera says. “It is about making sure people are ready to act – and that they trust the people asking them to follow health advice.”
Elimination is not the end
In September 2025, WHO verified that all 21 Pacific island countries and areas – including Vanuatu – had eliminated measles and rubella.
“However, elimination is not the end − it is a call for continued action. For the Pacific, this verification highlights the need for sustained commitment to maintain adequate population immunity across all communities,” said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.
Vanuatu is taking that call seriously.
As Director for Public Health Dr Jenny Stephen explains, “Vanuatu is a country with a lot of frequent flights, and the movement of people could increase the risk of importation, so we need to strengthen our preparedness before there’s an outbreak in Vanuatu.”
She added: “Risk communication and community engagement helps our communities get clear, trusted information early, rather than waiting for an outbreak. It also gives us a chance to strengthen the trust our communities have in our Ministry, before any potential outbreak. That will make response actions much more timely and effective.”
Although measles has been eliminated in the Pacific, the virus remains a threat. In Vanuatu immunisation gaps widened during the COVID-19 pandemic and misinformation reduced public confidence in vaccines. Preparing now means communities will be ready before the next case arrives.
What one deployment changes
Working closely with the Health Promotion Unit at the Ministry of Health in Vanuatu, Sera supported the development of communication materials for the upcoming measles campaign as well as strengthening coordination and planning between health promotion, immunisation, and surveillance teams with key partners.
She has also supported work to establish systems to track rumours and gather community feedback, which will help health authorities identify misinformation and community concerns early and respond with clear, evidence-based information.
A measles preparedness and response simulation exercise, conducted by WHO in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners, was an opportunity to test key messages, emergency coordination mechanisms and roles and responsibilities during a potential outbreak.
Together, these efforts are laying the foundations for a faster and more effective response should measles return.
“The trust needed during an outbreak should be built before a case is confirmed,” Sera says. “By the time measles enter a community, people should already know who to trust.”
“GOARN is an opportunity to contribute technical skills where they are needed, while working alongside national teams, WHO and partners
“It also gives you a deeper appreciation of how preparedness works in practice, and the importance of flexibility, collaboration, cultural understanding and local leadership in public health emergencies,” she said.
GOARN deployments do more than provide surge support. They strengthen local capacity, support country-led priorities, and leave behind knowledge that can be shared beyond a single mission.
“In an outbreak response, you are running to catch up with the virus,” Sera reflects. “In preparedness, you get to run ahead of it.”
Working alongside the Ministry of Health, she has helped develop a measles risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) package for Vanuatu.
But the tools, templates and lessons developed in Vanuatu also strengthen preparedness in a region where the risk of measles remains only a flight away.
Instead of headlines, there will be something far more valuable: parents who trust the information they receive, health workers equipped to act quickly, and communities ready to respond.
Because long before measles arrives, protection begins with trust….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
PNG’s declining agricultural output requires a return to commercial production
PORT MORESBY, 14 AUGUST 2026 (DEVPOLICY.ORG) —Papua New Guinea’s agricultural production has been in steady decline for more than two decades, and continued emphasis on policies and legislation will not reverse the trend without a fundamental change in how farming is carried out on the ground.
The decline began around 1990 with the Bougainville crisis, low world commodity prices and the weakening of government research and extension services. Since then, successive governments — those of Grand Chief Michael Somare, Peter O’Neill and now James Marape — have tried interventions including the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), the Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP), the Papua New Guinea Agricultural Commercialisation and Diversification (PACD) project, the Agriculture Commercialisation Policy and the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Credit Scheme. The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC)were brought in to fund several of these interventions from 2010 to 2025. The results have been dismal.
Agriculture thrived from the colonial era through the first 15 years of independence. Annual output then reached 5,000 tonnes of rubber, 150,000 head of cattle, 150 tonnes of honey, one million green bean bags of coffee, 100,000 tonnes of coconut and 50,000 tonnes of cocoa.
This was sustained by a commercial backbone: the plantation system, the World Bank and later Asian Development Bank-funded Agriculture Settlement Scheme (semi-commercial farms for nationals), the Chan Government’s 10–20 hectare blocks of the 1980s, and Agriculture Management Companies and Agriculture Bank loans tied to commercial farming. Blocks employed 20 to 50 workers each, while plantations employed thousands of people — Ramu Sugar 6,000, New Britain Palm Oil 25,000, Carpenter’s 3,000, Mainland Holdings 2,000, Zenag 1,500, Agmark 1,500, Galley Reach 1,200, Colbran 1,000 and Hargy 2,000 (data from a Farmers and Settlers Association member survey in 2022) — with thousands more in supplier businesses. Crucially, plantations, blocks and settlement schemes supplied seeds, training, employment and reliable buying outlets for surrounding smallholders.
That ecosystem has gone. Across the 25 years from 2000 to 2025, despite funding through the Public Investment Program (PIP), functional grants, the Agriculture Commercialisation Fund, the SME Credit Scheme and the World Bank’s PPAP and PACD programs, 2025 figures put rubber exports at 3,100 tonnes; coconut at 94,216 tonnes; coffee at 789,000 green bean bags; and cocoa at 53,000 tonnes (Farmers and Settlers Association figures based on PNG Customs export data for 2025). For oil palm, FAO and industry sources place output at 600,000 to 700,000 tonnes a year and continuing to grow. A Farmers and Settlers Association industry survey in 2022 puts cattle at 46,000 head and honey at 80 tonnes. It should be noted ihere are concerns about the reliability of industry statistics issued by the various commodity boards rather than the National Statistical Office. The FAO has done projections, while the Department of Agriculture and Livestock has not provided any production or export statistics for the World Bank Agriculture Partnership Program funded from 2010 to 2025.
In short, only oil palm is increasing in acreage, production and employment.
Prices for most crops have tripled or quadrupled, but production has not doubled. Smallholders growing rubber, coffee, coconut or cocoa do so on a subsistence basis. There is no shortage of land in Waghi, Arona, Markham or Cape Rodney, and the people are not lazy. They run kaukau, taro, tapioca and banana gardens for their own consumption and sell enough to meet immediate education or health costs. Ask them to plant more and they decline — they are content and they do not go hungry. The way to double or triple output is to emulate the settlement scheme, block and plantation model that once anchored the sector.
Commodity boards were nominally geared to smallholders, but the volume, productivity, employment, innovation and buying support actually came from plantations and blocks. The Prime Minister is a strong advocate of evidence-based decision making, and the evidence is plain: the PIP, functional grants, World Bank and IFC loans through PPAP and PACD, commodity-board levies and an expanded SME Credit Scheme have all provided resources — yet production and sector employment have fallen.
The remedy in my view is to redirect these funds and the supporting interventions — roads, law and order, loans and management services — into plantations, blocks, Agriculture Settlement Schemes and mechanised farming, managed under a single government entity. Smallholders can retain the PIP, functional grants and commodity-board extension and research services. With a review in year three and a full assessment at year five, Prime Minister Marape could be credited with turning the sector back into an engine of employment, income and rural services.
Rehabilitation of existing plantations and block-holder areas is the fastest practical way to lift export volumes. Rubber is the clearest opportunity: it remains a plantation crop, with Agriculture Settlement Scheme holdings in East Sepik Province and Gulf, and 20,000 hectares in Central Province. Rehabilitating 2,000 hectares for rubber in Abau, Central, and 3,000 hectares for coffee in the Arona Valley, Eastern Highlands Province, or 3,000 hectares each for coconut, cocoa and grains, would deliver immediate additional volumes.
Beyond rehabilitation, the country needs large-scale nursery development, coordinated planting programs and stronger extension services to carry farmers through the crucial pre-harvest years. The most effective route is to lease land and provide secure law and order to established operators — Galley Reach, Zenag Farm, Carpenter’s, Hargy, Agmark, Colbran, OK Corporation, Rumion Farms, Mainland Holdings, Colbran Coffee, New Britain Palm Oil and Ramu Agri Ltd — so they can plough and plant thousands of hectares using machinery, with extension officers supporting growers through the three to four years before harvest. The plantation model creates the scale, consistency and production discipline that smallholder schemes alone cannot deliver.
Fifteen years of World Bank and other PIP support to coffee and cocoa have not changed the story. Donor-funded programmes need an honest review, and the loans from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and IFC should be redirected to commercial agriculture. Continued discussions around policy frameworks and strategies, without action on production, will not address the sector’s core problem.
Restoring productivity through practical, coordinated action at farm level is the only sustainable pathway to reviving PNG’s agriculture sector and its export performance. A 40 percent to 60 percent lift in tree-crop output from 2027 onwards is achievable — but only if we get back to commercial agriculture and mechanised farming…. PACNEWS
