In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Political will needed to break intelligence-sharing barriers: Pacific Leaders told
2. PACIFIC — China’s missile test ‘not the act of a friend’: Aust PM Albanese
3. PACIFIC — ‘We are a sincere friend and reliable partner’: China tells Forum Leaders
4. PACIFIC — Christopher Luxon denies Pacific Islands Forum’s clout weakened by five leaders’ absence
5. PACIFIC — China warns of ‘consequences’ for Taiwan after Taipei envoys attend Pacific leaders’ summit
6. VAN — Vanuatu tries to take island dispute with France to UN’s top court
7. PACIFIC — Palau takes Forum chair with message to major powers: ‘Pacific agenda must be driven by us’
8. FIJI — Fiji expects 3,000 for pre-COP summit
9. PNG — PNG MPs urged to slow down before making historic Bougainville decision
10. PACNEWS BIZ — Masato Kanda re-elected ADB President for five-year term
11. PACNEWS BIZ — U.S pushes critical minerals agenda in Cook Islands with new Penrhyn port
12. PACNEWS BIZ — MMR advances tuna sustainability agenda at WCPFC SC22 in Samoa
13. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Leaders missing and China ‘furious’: the Pacific Islands forum off to a decidedly shaky start
14. PACNEWS DIGEST — Paddle for Hope carries a call to protect Fiji’s living waters
15. PACNEWS DIGEST — Online harms are getting more serious. Fiji’s response needs to keep up, says OSC
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS MEET/TRANSNATIONAL CRIME: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Tue 01 Sep 2026
Political will needed to break intelligence-sharing barriers: Pacific Leaders told
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Pacific governments must provide stronger political backing, funding and legal frameworks to break persistent barriers to intelligence sharing and strengthen the fight against transnational organised crime, a Pacific Islands Forum side event heard.
The issue was raised during a question-and-answer session at the event, “Transnational Organised Crime in the Pacific: Evolving Threats and Pacific Response,” involving Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner David Manning, Palau Minister of Justice Jennifer Olegeriil and Pacific Fusion Centre, Director Viliame Bovoro.
Questions focused on why intelligence-sharing across the region remained slow and fragmented despite years of discussion about the need for greater cooperation against drug trafficking, organised crime and other cross-border threats.
Responding to a question on the barriers preventing more effective intelligence sharing, PNG Police Commissioner David Manning said existing processes needed to be streamlined.
Manning said delays were often caused by the procedures required before information could be cleared and shared between jurisdictions.
“To overcome the delays when it comes to the process of sharing information, we will have to clear the process of clearing this information before we get to share it,” Manning said.
He argued that regional mechanisms could help remove some of the obstacles faced when agencies had to deal separately with individual jurisdictions.
“If there is a focal point serving that regional body itself, rather than having to deal with a small jurisdiction or individual, it requires details that require us to respond,” he said.
Manning said legal changes could also help strengthen regional cooperation.
“Some legal amendments would serve the region better,” he said.
His comments follow his earlier call at the same event for Pacific leaders to consider a regional treaty to combat transnational organised crime and give greater legal force to police cooperation already taking place across the region.
Palau Minister of Justice Jennifer Olegeriil said the biggest obstacle was not simply technical capacity but political will.
“When you talk about action, you see something, you see a system that has been placed that’s not working. So, you need to be adaptive,” Olegeriil said.
“But in order for that to take place, there first must be that political will. It needs to start at the top,” she said.
She said political commitment was necessary to drive government funding towards equipment, assets, training, capacity building and intelligence-sharing systems.
“If that’s not a priority for the leadership and the development policy level, then they’re not going to put funds into that area that needs to be improved,” Olegeriil said.
She said Pacific police leaders could develop effective responses, but governments had to provide the political backing and financial resources needed to make them work.
“The response needs to be police-led.
“But the reason they develop a police-led response and are still facing barriers is because political will has not prioritised it and given it the funding priority that it needs,” she said.
Olegeriil said the response had to work across several levels, including political leadership, legislation, policy, funding and law enforcement.
“There has to be political will, there has to be enabling legislation and policies that enable that funding priority, and it needs to be police-led agencies,” she said.
The Palau Justice Minister said transnational organised crime could not be treated as a law enforcement issue alone.
She said Pacific countries also needed to address social and economic conditions that allowed drugs and organised crime to take hold in communities.
“We do have to address all the underlying factors that continue to enable drugs in our communities,” Olegeriil said.
“We can’t talk about drug trafficking and drug use without talking about the impacts of climate change and how that’s influencing crime.”
She also highlighted gender equity, social inclusion, education and other social institutions as part of a wider regional response.
“Everybody has to be doing their part,” she said.
Olegeriil said police should be given the resources and support needed to focus on their core job.
“We need to be looking at our education system, we need to be looking at our other social institutions in place, and the police can concentrate on catching the drug dealers with enough funding in a model that is police-led,” she said.
Another question from the Office of the Attorney General focused on whether intelligence-sharing between Pacific law enforcement agencies was reaching prosecutors and being used to pursue criminal assets.
The question highlighted the need for cooperation that could identify bank accounts and other assets linked to suspected criminals and allow prosecutors to pursue asset forfeiture.
Pacific Fusion Centre Director Viliame Bovoro said regional work was already underway to strengthen cooperation on proceeds of crime and asset forfeiture.
He pointed to the Pacific Islands Law Officers’ Network, known as PILON, which has developed a regional framework that is being tested in two countries.
“There’s another agency called PILON, the Pacific Islands Law Officers’ Network.
“They’ve recently developed a framework which is currently being tested in two countries around proceeds of crime and asset forfeiture,” Bovoro said.
Bovoro said Pacific countries also needed to review their laws to identify where legislative barriers were preventing effective cooperation.
“There needs to be some sort of a good scan across all of the legislative frameworks on what can allow to be implemented, so that you can have a cooperation process,” he said.
He pointed to recent developments in Fiji, where authorities have begun prosecuting cases involving proceeds of crime linked to drug sales.
“I’ve seen in Fiji recently that they’ve started to actually prosecute the proceeds of crime around drug sales,” Bovoro said.
“That is a good indication,” Bovoro said.
The discussion reinforced a growing regional focus on targeting the financial foundations of organised crime rather than relying only on arrests and drug seizures.
Bovoro said there were lessons across the region on how Pacific governments could improve asset forfeiture and follow the proceeds generated by criminal activity.
“There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from just being able to see how we can effectively do that,” he said.
The exchange highlighted the continuing gap between Pacific commitments to greater regional security cooperation and the practical systems needed to make intelligence sharing faster and more effective.
As the Forum considers the growing threat of transnational organised crime, the message from the panel was clear that intelligence alone is not enough unless governments provide the political will, funding and legal tools to turn information into action…. PACNEWS
PAC – FORUM LEADERS MEET/DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 02 Sep 2026
China’s missile test ‘not the act of a friend’: Aust PM Albanese
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says China’s recent ballistic missile test in the Pacific was “not acceptable” and “not the act of a friend,” as Pacific leaders prepare for major discussions at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau.
Speaking to journalists in Koror, Albanese rejected suggestions that the absence of some Pacific leaders could weaken a collective regional response to the missile test.
“I think that this is a well-attended meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, and I don’t think it’s productive to talk it down. I’m talking it up.
“With regard to China’s ballistic missile test, we’ve made it very clear that that is not acceptable. It’s not the act of a friend. It was a provocative action, and it was inappropriate,” Albanese said.
He said Australia had made its position clear, along with a number of other Pacific countries.
Albanese was also questioned about the political uncertainty in Solomon Islands following the no-confidence challenge facing Prime Minister Matthew Wale.
The Australian leader said Canberra would not interfere in Solomon Islands’ domestic political processes.
“We have a good relationship with Prime Minister Wale. The Solomon Islands, of course, are a sovereign nation and their processes are up to them.
“One of the things we don’t do is interfere in those occurrences. But I regard Matthew Wale as a friend,” Albanese said
Asked whether he agreed with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters that outside interference could be behind the political developments in Solomon Islands, Albanese declined to speculate.
“Well, I agree with what I say. And what I say is I’m concentrating on the Pacific Islands Forum here,” he said.
On proposals for a region-wide security agreement, Albanese said Pacific leaders would have the opportunity to debate the issue during the Forum.
“Well, we’ll have debates over that. The Forum hasn’t begun yet. We’ll have those constructive discussions,” he said.
Albanese said Australia had significantly strengthened its security relationships in the Pacific in recent years.
“One of the things that you would recognise… is that the upgrading of the security relationships has been rather extraordinary.
“In a very short period of time, we have gone from being in a situation where we were not highly regarded in these forums. We have turned that around very quickly,” he said.
He said Australia’s relationships with Pacific countries were central to its national interest and reflected its responsibility as a major economy in a region facing significant development pressures.
“Those relationships really matter for Australia’s national interest. They really matter.
“We have a responsibility in the Pacific to show that leadership,” Albanese said…. PACNEWS
PAC – FORUM LEADERS MEET/DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 02 Sep 2026
‘We are a sincere friend and reliable partner’: China Tells Forum Leaders
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — China has pledged to increase investment and engagement in the Pacific, with its Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs Qian Bo telling Forum leaders that Beijing remains a “sincere friend and reliable partner” of the region.
Addressing the Leaders Dialogue with Dialogue Partners at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders and Related Meetings in Palau, Qian said China wanted to deepen cooperation in renewable energy, the blue economy, trade, infrastructure and climate action.
“China has always been a sincere friend and reliable partner for PICs on their path of development,” Qian said.
He said China and Pacific Island countries shared values of “peace, respect and inclusiveness” and a common vision of national development and rejuvenation.
“Though oceans apart, China and Pacific Island countries are closely bonded in hearts and souls,” Qian said.
Qian said China had continued to advance infrastructure projects across the region since the previous Forum dialogue.
He said 10 major projects had been completed, including the National Referral Hospital Comprehensive Medical Centre in Solomon Islands, the National Convention Centre in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Power Grid Project in Papua New Guinea.
Other projects underway include the Nauru Sports Centre, the Vanua Levu Road upgrade in Fiji, the South Tarawa Transport Network upgrade in Kiribati and the Port Vila Road upgrade in Vanuatu.
China has also signed Framework Agreements on Enhanced Economic Partnership with Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.
Qian said the agreements would facilitate trade with China while supporting industrialisation and agricultural modernisation in Pacific countries.
China will also increase support for Pacific countries seeking to reduce their dependence on single sources of energy.
“China will scale up support for PICs’ transition towards renewable energy.
“With its complete industrial chains, mature technologies and experience in delivering projects, China will help interested countries reduce dependence on single-source energy supply, advance energy infrastructure development and improve energy reserve capabilities, Qian said.
Qian said China had pledged US$2 million last year to support 100 community-centred projects across the Pacific.
Projects already being rolled out include a wind power project in Tonga, a solar power project in Nauru, a renewable energy-powered desalination project in Vanuatu and a low-carbon demonstration zone in Papua New Guinea.
He said China had also increased support for healthcare and education, deploying seven medical teams to Pacific countries since last year.
The Chinese hospital ship Ark Silk Road, he said, had provided medical services to more than 16,000 patients in Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
A major proposal outlined by Qian was the creation of a China-Pacific Island Countries Blue Partnership.
The partnership would focus on the blue economy, marine conservation, aquaculture and emerging marine industries.
“We will strengthen cooperation in blue economy, marine ecological conservation and nearshore and offshore aquaculture, as well as emerging marine industries, including marine renewable energy and marine biomedicine,” Qian said.
He said China wanted to support Pacific countries in moving from “surviving on the sea” to “prospering from the sea”.
China will also provide US$200,000 this year to support the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
Qian said Beijing would open its domestic market further to Pacific exports and encourage private-sector investment in the region.
“China will open wider its super-sized domestic market, welcomes more export of PICs’ high-quality products to China.
Pacific products could be promoted through platforms including the China International Import Expo, he added.
China also plans to align its Belt and Road Initiative with the Pacific’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the Pacific Roadmap for Economic Development.
Qian said China would continue to support the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone.
“China will firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law,” he said.
He also raised the issue of Taiwan, saying Beijing appreciated the commitment of the majority of Pacific Islands Forum members to the one-China principle.
Qian said UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 affirmed China’s position that participation by Taiwan in international organisations must be handled according to the one-China principle.
“We appreciate the firm commitment by the vast majority of the PIF members to the one-China principle, which constitutes the political bedrock and fundamental prerequisite for closer cooperation between China and PIF,” he said.
Qian said China was ready to continue working with Pacific Island countries to deliver economic and development benefits.
“The beautiful blue Pacific is the shared home of China and PICs.
“China stands ready to work hand-in-hand with PICs to deliver greater benefits to peoples on both sides,” he said…. PACNEWS
PAC – POLITICS: RNZ PACIFIC PACNEWS 2: Wed 02 Sep 2026
Christopher Luxon denies Pacific Islands Forum’s clout weakened by five leaders’ absence
KOROR, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (RNZ PACIFIC) — New Zealand’s prime minister is brushing off threats to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)’s authority, talking up his confidence in turning the grouping into a centralising force for the region.
Christopher Luxon denies the forum’s clout is weakened by five leaders’ absence; by its inability to reach consensus on condemning China’s recent ballistic missile test; or by a series of recent bilateral deals between Australia and Pacific neighbours.
He said a deal with the United States to build a port in the Cook Islands is not sending a message to Beijing and is optimistic the forum could emulate and pair up with the ASEAN grouping in Southeast Asia.
It also comes ahead of an expected regional security announcement.
Departing Wednesday morning, Luxon is set to spend just under 36 hours on the ground in Palau for the Forum’s leaders’ meeting, where Foreign Minister Winston Peters has been since Sunday.
With New Zealand set to host the forum next year, he told reporters the trip was about elevating the forum.
“We get Pacific solutions to Pacific challenges … the model in my head is very strongly around ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations], where I see ASEAN centrality speaking for Southeast Asia.
“PIF really is the body that should be the central way in which development partners come in and out through the PIF door and gate”.
New Zealand, Australia, and two Pacific Island nations – Marshall Islands and Palau, which both recognise Taiwan – last month were among dozens of countries that signed a joint statement by the U.S condemning China’s ballistic missile test in early July.
But that came just days after a PIF Foreign Ministers meeting in Suva was unable to reach agreement on a similar statement despite the majority of members pushing for one.
Luxon denied that showed PIF being weakened as a mechanism for resolving region-wide difficulties.
“No, I think it’s about strengthening it, though,” Luxon said.
“We just want to see it go from strength to strength each and every year … we just want perpetual, continual improvement and strengthening and deepening of PIF being the central organisation by which we deal with Pacific issues and challenges.”
His comments echoed a position laid out on Sunday by Peters, who said it would be “defying gravity and logic if you said it wasn’t a big problem”, but that the “centrality of the Pacific Islands Forum is not going to be compromised because of this”.
He acknowledged the window for such a statement to have an impact had passed.
“The impact really is in the moment, and that’s why you saw New Zealand make a very strong statement … it’ll be something we’ll discuss in the leaders’ retreat I’m sure, but again really what we’re trying to do is make sure that we build more experience of working together, more unity,” he said.
“At the time … there was a number of leaders came out with strong statements. Yes, it would be ideal if PIF had a statement that could come together but frankly individual leaders have made those statements at that time, which I thought was important.”
He said he would be open to a broader statement against testing in the Pacific but “I just wouldn’t conflate those two issues … we’ll see what emerges”.
Luxon also disagreed bilateral deals like the recent defence pact agreed between Australia and Fiji could undermine his centrality goals, saying “the reality is you can have strong bilateral relationships and also be part of multilateral forum as well”.
His arrival in Koror – Palau’s largest city and home to about 12,600 people, half the country’s population – follows an announcement on Tuesday by Peters, Cook Islands PM Mark Brown and U.S Deputy State Secretary Christopher Landau of co-funding for a new “lifeline” port for the Cooks’ Penrhyn atoll.
The U.S would provide US$50 million (NZ$84.8m) and New Zealand US$10m (NZ$17m) for the port, building on the Critical Minerals Framework the Cooks signed with the U.S in February.
On Wednesday, Peters said the Penrhyn Port project was a strategic investment in the Cook Islands’ future.
Speaking to Morning Report, the foreign minister defended the move.
“We’re deciding to put a port in there because of fishing illegality, transnational crime and a host of other reasons why it is a very strategic place to have a port. And the Americans are putting some serious money into it.”
“Talk’s one thing, but we need action, and these people need our assistance and our help in terms of our collective interest.
“The blue continent is 1/3 of the world’s surface, and there’s not enough contributors to its long-term economic and social survival.”
Peters said he was delighted that the U.S had “stepped up big time”.
“This is seriously what we were hoping for because what we were saying to them [the U.S] was, look, it’s not only our front yard, but also your front yard as well.”
China on Monday sent a travel warning urging Chinese citizens to “exercise caution” in travelling to Palau that was quickly denounced by the U.S and Taiwan as an attempt to undermine.
Luxon denied the port deal was about sending a message to Beijing.
“No, no, I think it’s just genuinely about the fact that you know we want to upgrade … to advance that country as it moves from … low income to mid income to ultimately to high income countries.”
Peters, speaking to Morning Report, also dismissed the notion it could be a message to China, instead saying he was “delighted” the U.S had stepped up “big time” in the last few days.
Peters has long been an advocate for greater U.S presence in the Pacific, having made a speech on the issue in 2018, and referring to his meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC last year, the signed agreement announced on Tuesday was “seriously what we were hoping for” in that meeting.
In terms of managing China’s reaction to the deal, Peters said the forum was18 countries, and “we are having a discussion amongst ourselves, and we do not prefer or like outsiders to tell us what to do”.
Luxon suggested the deal could be a model for how countries might continue to use New Zealand as a conduit or mediator for foreign investment in the Pacific, including from the likes of Japan, South Korea and India.
“They all want to be engaged in the Pacific in some form or another, and often the easiest way to actually make sure any investment has an impact is actually to focus the management of that project and all those funds as well.
“We can be good custodians and good stewards of that money, and work with our partner – in this case, the Cook Islands – where the two of us know what needs to be achieved.”
He brushed off, too, suggestions the absence of five – possibly six – member nations’ leaders from the forum could pose a threat to the centrality he wanted for the forum, though the impact on showing regional unity is undeniable.
“The reality is … [those absences are a] sideshow … when you’re in the bilaterals, when you’re around the table, a lot of the conversation is about the 18 countries and the Pacific Island Forum, not about the dialogue partners that may be sitting outside it or partnering with it,” Luxon said.
While the meeting itself was important, the “relationships that happen in any given part through any year is also important”, Luxon said…. PACNEWS
PAC – POLITICS: AP PACNEWS 2: Wed 02 Sep 2026
China warns of ‘consequences’ for Taiwan after Taipei envoys attend Pacific leader’s summit
KOROR, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (AP) — China warned of “consequences” for Taiwan after officials from Beijing and Taipei attended a ceremonial event at a Pacific leader’s summit, where major powers already had been urged to restrain from turning a meeting of mostly small island countries into a geopolitical sideshow.
The 18 member states and territories of the Pacific Islands Forum, which opened its annual summit in Palau’s largest city Koror on Monday, do not include China, the United States or Taiwan. However, battles for influence over the lucrative oceans and strategically important locations of the forum’s members this week threatened, as they have before, to overshadow its summit.
Some theatre was expected at this year’s event because the host country, a western Pacific island nation next to the Philippines that has close ties to the U.S, is among the 11 countries and the Vatican that recognise Taiwan, which Beijing says is a part of China.
Several Pacific leaders didn’t attend this year’s event. While some absences were due to ill health or politics at home and signaled in advance, analysts speculated others might be missing due to pressure from Beijing.
Ahead of the summit, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. hosted joint events with Taiwan’s representative, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, and at the opening ceremony placed the envoys from Beijing and Taipei in the same row, although they were in separate blocks of seats.
After the event, China’s representative, Pacific Envoy Qian Bo, told reporters in Koror that the presence of Taiwanese officials was “very inappropriate.” Asked if there would be consequences for Taiwan, Qian said there would “always be consequences.”
He denied the remarks were a threat and didn’t provide further details. Beijing has long sought Taipei’s exclusion from international summits through diplomatic pressure.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun claimed Taiwan is not a dialogue partner or development partner of the forum and therefore is in no position to participate in the event’s activities.
Lin on Tuesday rejected the suggestion that his participation was illegitimate, accusing Beijing of dividing the region and “blaming the problems” on others.
“If we go to a party, we always follow the directions of the host,” Lin said in Koror. “However, whenever China goes to a party, it makes itself as if it’s the host and China ruin the whole atmosphere of the party.”
China’s criticism came at the end of an event where Palau’s president urged the major powers present at the forum to leave the summit’s workings to member states.
“Our partners are welcome to sail with us but they do not choose our destination,” Whipps said in a speech. “The Pacific agenda must be driven by us and for us.”
Powerful nations interested in the Pacific have raced in recent years to shore up alliances among its leaders, intensifying a contest for influence between China and the U.S, Taiwan and forum members Australia and New Zealand. That has led to an explosion in interest in the annual Pacific leaders meeting, which has grown from a casual affair to a summit with 2,000 attendees.
Non-member countries invited to attend are called partners, with China holding so-called dialogue partner status and Taiwan registered as a development partner. Taiwan’s attendance at summits has provoked China’s ire before, with the issue resulting in partner countries being barred from attending last year’s meeting in Solomon Islands.
Ahead of each summit, Pacific leaders often try to focus attention on the matters they say are most pressing to them. These include the effects of climate change on the region and the struggles related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the start of the Iran war that have befallen their national economies, with many of them reliant on foreign aid, tourism and increasingly expensive imported gasoline.
However, as conflicting major powers over the past decade have escalated their efforts to secure access to Pacific waters and ports by inking security deals and offering funding, immigration access to their countries and other sweeteners, the leaders’ ability to speak with one voice at the annual summit has come under pressure.
In a recent episode, the forum’s foreign ministers failed to reach consensus on a statement criticising Beijing’s launch of a ballistic missile into the South Pacific Ocean in July. While most member states strongly opposed China’s actions, the refusal of two to endorse a proposed statement meant none was issued.
Some analysts say the absence of certain major politicians from the summit could be another example, although those present have downplayed suggestions that the representation of some states by senior officials instead of national leaders would undermine discussions.
“I think that’s the great thing about the Pacific is that we may not all be here, but our voice is still being heard,” Tongan Prime Minister Fatafehi Fakafānua told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He added that some of the absent leaders “are still yet to arrive.” …. PACNEWS
VAN – ICJ: REUTERS/RNZ PACIFIC PACNEWS 2: Wed 02 Sep 2026
Vanuatu tries to take island dispute with France to UN’s top court
PORT VILA, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (REUTERS/RNZ PACIFIC) — Vanuatu is trying to bring a decades-old dispute with France over two uninhabited islands before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ top court said on Tuesday.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, will not immediately accept the case because France has not agreed to so-called compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ over its disputes with other states. Vanuatu’s claim has been sent to Paris to see whether France agrees to let the court take it on, the ICJ said.
“No action will be taken in the proceedings unless and until France consents to the Court’s jurisdiction in the case,” the ICJ said in a press statement.
The French government did not immediately respond to Reuters‘ request for comment on the matter.
Vanuatu’s case focuses on Matthew Island and Hunter Island, two volcanic islands in the South Pacific some 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of the French territory of New Caledonia and south-east of Vanuatu.
While the islands are small and no one lives there, sovereignty over them also determines who controls the territorial waters surrounding them, which impacts fishing rights and exploitation of seabed resources.
In 2025, France and Vanuatu agreed to new rounds of bilateral negotiations about the islands and the demarcation of the maritime boundaries between the territories after two earlier rounds of talks in 2018 and 2019. Earlier this year, Vanuatu said the new talks had reached an impasse and it would take its case to an international court.
In July this year, a Vanuatu government official called France’s refusal to let go of the two islands as an attempt by a coloniser to assert power.
“Colonisers will always be colonisers, that’s not something that’s not something that comes as a surprise,” Toney Tevi, who was the acting director of Vanuatu’s Department of Ocean and Maritime Boundaries, said at the time.
The ICJ, the United Nations’ highest court, deals with disputes between states and violations of international treaties. It often rules on disputes between countries about land and maritime boundaries…. PACNEWS
PAC – PIFLM55: PMN PACNEWS 2: Wed 02 Sep 2026
Palau takes Forum chair with message to major powers: ‘Pacific agenda must be driven by us’
KOROR, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PMN) — Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr has taken over the Pacific Islands Forum chairmanship with a clear message to the region’s powerful partners: the Pacific will decide its own direction.
Opening the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Koror on Tuesday, Whipps said Pacific countries welcomed genuine partnerships but would not allow outside powers to set the region’s agenda.
“Our partners are welcome to sail with us but they do not choose our destination,” he said. “The Pacific agenda must be driven by us, for us, and the Forum must remain the political home in which that agenda is shaped.”
Palau has taken over the Forum chair from Solomon Islands, and Whipps said the responsibility comes with a need for unity and practical action.
“The achievement of our collective aspiration and our leaders’ vision for 2050 rests on our unity and solidarity as a Forum family. I cannot underscore that enough,” he said.
But Whipps said unity did not mean Pacific countries had to agree on everything.
“Unity does not require us to pretend that every national interest is identical. It requires us to listen honestly, protect the dignity of every member and keep searching for the ground on which we can stand together.”
The Forum is being held under Palau’s B.E.L.A.U. theme – Building Economies, Life, Action and Unity.
Whipps said those words needed to translate into real improvements for Pacific communities, and not more regional promises.
“The Pacific has never suffered from a shortage of issues. We have declarations, strategies and carefully negotiated commitments.
“Their value is realised when a community gains safe water, a school can teach, and help arrives before a crisis becomes a disaster. Our people expect and deserve results,” he said.
He said the region’s growing strategic importance meant Pacific countries needed to be careful about the difference between outside attention and genuine respect.
“The world increasingly recognises the strategic importance of our region. We welcome friends and genuine partnerships, yet attention is not the same as respect,” Whipps said.
That message was put to the test almost immediately, with China objecting to Taiwan’s high-level presence at the Forum opening.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung attended the ceremony and is expected to take part in official side events, including the Taiwan–Forum Countries Dialogue.
China’s Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs, Qian Bo, said Beijing had raised its concerns with Palau and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
“Taiwan is not a dialogue partner for the forum, so we have serious concerns,” Qian told reporters. “We have made our position very clear to the government of Palau and the secretariat.”
Asked whether there would be consequences for Taiwan’s participation, Qian said: “There will always be consequences… It’s not a threat.”
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed the Forum’s right to decide who takes part.
“The Pacific Islands Forum determines what happens here, not any other country,” Albanese said.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters also said the Pacific family does not take instructions from countries outside it.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is yet to arrive in Palau. Peters is attending the Forum this week while Luxon is due to arrive on Wednesday ahead of the Leaders’ Retreat.
Lin said Taiwan was “honoured to serve as a partner in the Pacific” and would continue working with countries across the region.
Palau is one of three Pacific Forum members with Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan and not China.
President Whipps says the focus remains on what Pacific leaders can deliver for their people.
“This week must be about prioritising the work the Pacific needs. Work that secures the future of our people, our islands and our ocean,” he said.
The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting ends on Friday…. PACNEWS
FIJI – PRECOP: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 2: Wed 02 Sep 2026
Fiji expects 3,000 for p.re-COP summit
SUVA, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) — Fiji is expecting to host about 3,000 people at the pre-COP meeting in Nadi next month, says Minister for Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya.
Tabuya said the large number of participants would include government delegations, civil society representatives and development partners from around the world.
She said preparations were well underway in collaboration with Australia and Tuvalu.
“In terms of the special component leaders’ event in Tuvalu, we’ve had some confirmations of some global leaders coming, represented from the Caribbean and Europe. We are still awaiting some confirmation from leaders in Asia, especially we are hoping for the Prime Minister of Japan to attend, but it’s subject to some commitments she has on the ground.
“We have also had some confirmations from climate ministers from across the world to attend the Pre-COP event in Fiji,” she said.
Tabuya, who is part of the Government delegation attending the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, said the meeting would provide an opportunity for leaders to draft a declaration to present at the pre-COP.
She said the region’s priorities remained clear: keeping global temperatures within 1.5 degrees, pushing for more accessible climate finance for the region and protecting the Pacific Ocean.
Tabuya also called on people to have faith in the work of their governments as they represent their people and seek to urgently address and minimise the impacts of climate change.
The pre-COP is scheduled for 5 to 8 October, with a special leaders’ component in Tuvalu…. PACNEWS
PNG – POLITICS: PMN PACNEWS 2: Wed 02 Sep 2026
PNG MPs urged to slow down before making historic Bougainville decision
PORT MORESBY, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PMN) — Papua New Guinea’s Parliament is being urged to take its time before deciding whether to ratify Bougainville’s overwhelming vote for independence.
Opposition leader James Nomane says MPs need more time to study the referendum result and related reports before making what he calls “the most consequential question” Parliament will face.
The call comes as MPs prepare to debate the 2019 referendum result, in which 97.7 per cent of Bougainvilleans voted for independence.
Nomane says MPs need to fully understand what independence could mean for Bougainville and the rest of PNG before making a decision.
“For all members of Parliament, this will be the most consequential question that we will have to decide upon,” he told MPs.
“It is incumbent on the executive government and all leaders to understand the issues that have been placed before us, the gravity of the situation and the desires of the people of Bougainville through a 97.7 referendum result.”
He is calling for more awareness among MPs and more time to consider the material before them.
“We all have to take the time from now until the next Parliament sitting to not only glaze through it, flip through the pages, but to apply pensive contemplation.”
Nomane says the decision needs to be based on a proper understanding of the choices facing the country.
“This requires us to carefully go through the material before us, to understand the issues at hand, to really look at the desires that the people of Bougainville expressed when they voted for independence, and then to determine the best way forward for our country,” he said.
He also questioned what could happen under either outcome.
“What would be the implications if government grants independence to Bougainville and what would be the implications if an agreement isn’t reached?”
PNG Prime Minister James Marape has also warned MPs and the public against allowing the debate to create division.
He says the referendum was legitimate and peaceful and that the overwhelming result must be respected.
“The Referendum was legitimate, peaceful and overwhelming in its result, and we respect the voice expressed by the people of Bougainville,” Marape said in a statement.
But he says the final decision belongs to Parliament under the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement.
“This is not an ordinary parliamentary debate. It concerns our Constitution, our sovereignty, our national identity, the aspirations of the Bougainville people and, above all, the peace that our people have worked so hard to maintain.”
Bougainvilleans voted in 2019 after years of conflict and negotiations over the region’s political future.
The referendum was non-binding, meaning PNG’s Parliament must now decide whether to ratify the result.
The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has been working towards greater self-rule, with leaders targeting independence in 2030.
ABG President Ishmael Toroama says Bougainville is already working to build the laws and institutions it needs for its political and economic future.
“The ABG remains committed to strengthening the institutions, laws, revenue systems and administrative capacity required for Bougainville to effectively govern itself and deliver services to its people,” he said.
That work includes strengthening Bougainville’s mining laws, with the ABG recently completing consultations on a proposed Mining (Occupational Health and Safety) Bill.
Toroama says strong laws and institutions are part of preparing Bougainville for greater self-government.
“The development of strong laws and institutions is an important part of Bougainville’s preparations for its political and economic future…
“Your responsibility is to contribute your views so that the Government can develop strong legislation that protects the wider public interests of Bougainville.”
But Nomane says the immediate focus is on making sure PNG’s MPs understand the decision before them.
“This issue has created a lot of anxiety, ambiguity and confusion. That is why many MPs have not been informed and Parliament is not full,” he said.
For Bougainville, the preparations for greater self-government are continuing while it waits for PNG’s Parliament to decide whether to ratify the referendum result…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – RE-ELECTED: ADB PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 02 Sep 2026
Masato Kanda re-elected ADB President for five-year term
MANILA, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (ADB) — Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda received unanimous support for a second term as ADB President from the members of ADB’s Board of Governors voting in the recently concluded election. His new term runs for five years beginning 24 November 2026.
Kanda was first elected as ADB 11th President on 27 November 2024 and assumed the position on 24 February 2025, serving the remaining term of his predecessor, Masatsugu Asakawa.
“I am deeply honored by the trust our members have placed in me at this critical moment in our region’s history. New shocks are striking Asia and the Pacific, even before economies have recovered from the last, and the international order is under its greatest strain in generations,” said Kanda. “ADB must be the region’s anchor of stability. But stability cannot mean standing still. We must mobilise with speed and at the scale our members need, to protect people today while helping build a brighter future for the next generation.”
Since Kanda took office, ADB has significantly expanded its support to members during a period of overlapping crises. In 2025, ADB provided a record $44 billion in support, including more than $29 billion from its own resources and nearly $15 billion in cofinancing. A historic amendment to the ADB Charter paved the way for a 50 percent increase in ADB’s annual financing capacity, enabling annual financing from ADB’s own resources to exceed $36 billion.
Before joining ADB, Kanda served as a Special Advisor to Japan’s Prime Minister and Finance Minister from 2024-2025, Japan’s Vice-Minister of Finance for International Affairs from 2021 to 2024, and represented Japan in major international forums, including the Group of Seven and Group of Twenty.
ADB is a leading multilateral development bank supporting sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth across Asia and the Pacific. Working with its members and partners to solve complex challenges together, ADB harnesses innovative financial tools and strategic partnerships to transform lives, build quality infrastructure, and safeguard our planet. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members—50 from the region…. PACNEWS
PAC – PORT/MINERALS: RNZ PACIFIC PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 02 Sep 2026
U.S pushes critical minerals agenda in Cook Islands with new Penrhyn port
KOROR, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (RNZ PACIFIC) — The United States and New Zealand will co-fund a new “lifeline” port with the Cook Islands on Penrhyn atoll – a former U.S military base.
The U.S says it will commit US$50 million, while New Zealand will contribute US$10m.
U.S Deputy State Secretary Christopher Landau said it builds on the Critical Minerals Framework that the Cooks signed with the U.S in February, which advances the keen interest from Washington in deep sea mineral resources in the Cook Islands.
“This project underscores the United States’ strong commitment to our partners in the Pacific,” Landau said, noting that U.S personnel constructed Penrhyn’s port and airstrip over 80 years ago.
“Through transformational infrastructure initiatives such as this, we are making the United States and our partners safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown called the port a “lifeline” for the Pa Enua (outer islands), adding capacity for domestic shipping and inter-island travel.
“We thank the United States and New Zealand for partnering with us to deliver on a priority our people have themselves identified,” Brown said.
Landau, Brown and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters made the announcement at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Palau this morning.
The February agreement between the U.S and the Cooks committed them to “responsible investment aligned with high environmental, social and governance standards,” and “the development of secure, diversified and resilient critical minerals supply chains.”
Brown told reporters on Friday, while in Auckland engaging with New Zealand realm leaders, that he would ensure the Cook Islands people were the ultimate benefiaciries of U.S investment…. PACNEWS
PAC – FISHERIES: COOK ISLANDS NEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 02 Sep 2026
MMR advances tuna sustainability agenda at WCPFC SC22 in Samoa
RAROTONGA, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (COOK ISLANDS NEWS) — The Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) team in Cook Islands has returned from the annual Scientific Committee meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), supporting the island nation’s ongoing agenda for sustainable tuna fisheries in the Pacific towards the WCPFC 23 Annual Commission session in Vanuatu, in December.
MMR’s Offshore Fisheries Director, Lualua Tua-Trood and Data Manager Tiare-Renee Nicholas returned this week from the 22nd Session of the WCPFC Scientific Committee (SC22), held in Apia, Samoa from 11–19 August 2026.
The Scientific Committee meeting is one of several preparatory events ahead of the regular annual WCPFPC session.
The Cook Islands delegation joined fisheries scientists and representatives from across the Pacific and beyond to consider the latest scientific information on the region’s major tuna fisheries and provide advice that will support future management decisions at the December meeting.
Tua-Trood said the increasingly sophisticated scientific work undertaken through WCPFC is essential to ensuring the Pacific uses the best available scientific information, maintains robust peer review processes, integrates the use of emerging technologies, and continuously improves stock assessments and research methods.
“For the Cook Islands, the value of this work ultimately lies in turning robust science into effective management decisions. Tuna fisheries are fundamental to our economy and communities, and we need management systems that are precautionary, responsive to changing stock conditions, and capable of dealing appropriately with scientific uncertainty.”
He outlined key outcomes from the SC 22:
– Updates on important new scientific analysis and advice on the Pacific’s major tuna stocks (skipjack, yellowfin, albacore and bigeye) and continued work to strengthen long-term harvest strategies. New 2026 assessments found that yellowfin tuna remains in a relatively strong position and is neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing. The Cook Islands supported using the latest assessments as the best available scientific information while recognising the need to continue addressing identified scientific uncertainties.
– Progress towards a management procedure for bigeye tuna, with the Cook Islands supporting a precautionary approach that is tested against a broad range of possible stock conditions.
– For South Pacific albacore, the management procedure was run for the first time in 2026, producing an annual catch level of 56,096 tonnes for 2027–2029 for the fisheries covered by the management procedure.
– Skipjack tuna indicators show that the stock remains close to its management target and is performing broadly within the range anticipated when its management procedure was developed. Scientists are continuing to improve the information used to monitor the stock and to examine how future climate-driven changes may affect the fishery.
He said, for the Cook Islands, “a central message emerging from SC22 is that the region’s major tuna stocks remain healthy and capable of supporting important fisheries but maintaining that position requires continued investment in science and a willingness to translate that science into timely management action.”
Post-meeting, the Ministry of Marine Resources will continue participating actively in the WCPFC harvest strategy process and advocating for management arrangements that are precautionary, scientifically robust and responsive to the particular circumstances and aspirations of Pacific Small Island Developing States.
MMR acknowledged and thanked the Government and people of Samoa for hosting SC22 and the WCPFC Secretariat for the meeting arrangements. The considerable amount of work by the Pacific Community (SPC) as the WCPFC Scientific Services Provider was also recognised, alongside national scientists and other researchers who contributed to the stock assessments and technical analyses considered during the meeting. The next annual SC meeting will be hosted in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, in 2027…. 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
Leaders missing and China ‘furious’: the Pacific Islands forum off to a decidedly shaky start
By Michael O’Keefe
KOROR, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (THE CONVERSATION) — The annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting is underway in Palau, and already there has been controversy.
First, it’s a leader meeting with a distinct lack of leaders. Second, China is reportedly furious that Taiwan is represented at the meeting in its own right.
The fact the leaders of five of the forum’s 18 members are absent – Kiribati, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Solomon Islands – has raised questions about China’s role in their withdrawal. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the collective absence was “highly suspicious” but did not make any direct accusation.
It has come at a time when there are many pressing issues facing Pacific Islands nations, which the forum is ideally placed to tackle.
The forum’s importance
The leaders meeting is central to Pacific diplomatic architecture. It’s the preeminent regional diplomatic institution providing a platform to voice a Pacific agenda.
On occasion, Australian prime ministers have been criticised for non-attendance, and the excuse has usually been domestic politics. This is clearly the case for several Pacific Island countries this year. For example, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale returned home to respond to a no confidence motion. It is a reminder that all foreign policy is driven by domestic considerations. Nonetheless, non-attendance is regionally significant.
It has been suggested some of the missing leaders may have been influenced by China. Beijing has threatened “consequences” over the Taiwanese delegation’s participation in Palau.
All this means this year’s meeting theme, “Building Economies: Life. Action. Unity”, is looking shaky.
The Pacific prides itself on unity. The “Pacific way” of diplomacy focuses on consensus. It is distinctive and effective in managing diverse interests in a culturally sound way. But the Pacific way is being challenged by outside forces and from within.
Geopolitics causing ructions in the region
Geopolitics is the prime reason, and its influence can be seen at all levels in this crisis. Core issues are China’s increasing assertiveness in the Pacific and the unintended consequences of Australia’s successful bilateral approach.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would have been looking forward to this year’s meeting, but Canberra’s recent geopolitical successes may be a double-edged sword.
China competes with Australia by attempting to gain influence through persuasion. Aid is used to benefit Pacific Island countries. China challenged Australia in the 2010s, but Canberra responded and never lost its position as the top donor. The Lowy Aid map has clearly tracked the rise and decline in Chinese aid.
Within aid budgets a key battleground was infrastructure, which Australia largely avoided to focus on capacity-building in governance, education and health. China’s approach directly benefited elites. It was also electorally useful as benefits trickled down to ordinary Pacific islanders through their leaders. Canberra met China’s infrastructure challenge, albeit with rigorous engineering and anti-corruption standards.
Another issue is the threat of China establishing a military “base” in the Pacific. Rumours led to panic by some elements in the Australian media and a firm diplomatic response from Canberra. Australia ensured this diplomatic “red line” was never crossed through rigorous military and policing diplomacy.
China signed a security arrangement with the Solomons in 2022. Australia then secured security treaties with Tuvalu (2023), Naoero (formerly Nauru) (2024), Papua New Guinea (2025), Vanuatu (2026) and Fiji (2026).
Many Pacific Island leaders have embraced Australia’s bilateral entreaties that elevate Canberra’s geopolitical concerns. This is in contrast to the forum’s multilateral approach and could be viewed as contrary to the Pacific way.
Meanwhile, China was planning an intercontinental ballistic missile test that splashed into Pacific waters while the Ocean of Peace treaty was being signed in Suva. Needless to say, Pacific Islands leaders were not impressed, but taking sides in a geopolitical contest has consequences.
Why unity is key
Much of China’s assertiveness is focused on combating the diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. The Pacific is a central battleground in this contest. Palau is one of the few countries that recognises Taiwan. So, it is difficult to separate China’s geopolitical motives with respect to competing with Australia or countering Taiwan.
Without unity, a Pacific agenda cannot be furthered. Sustainable economics is certainly a worthy focus for leaders. The Pacific has been disproportionately affected by the disruption of global supply chains caused by the U.S-Iran War. Belts have been tightened, and the transition to renewable energy accelerated.
But the reality is the wellbeing of Pacific islanders has been adversely impacted. Pacific governments have had fewer resources to respond. The long shadow of COVID still hangs over the region, so coordinated regional action is needed.
The forum secretariat in Suva handles routine diplomacy between Pacific Islands countries. Without the unity of Pacific leaders, it loses the authority to further core agendas on vital issues such as climate change, the Blue Pacific strategy and the Ocean of Peace Alliance between Australia and Fiji.
Pacific Island leaders can benefit from engaging in the geopolitical contest between China and Australia. But ultimately, this is distraction from the pressing issues facing the Pacific…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Paddle for Hope carries a call to protect Fiji’s living waters
SUVA, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SPREP) — Early this morning, two stand-up paddlers and their land support team set off on a journey of more than 500 kilometres around Viti Levu, carrying a message of hope, ecological guardianship and urgent action for our ocean.
Organised by the Pacific Conference of Churches and Suva SUPers, Paddle for Hope is supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme through its Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP), and Fiji’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
The journey will continue throughout September as part of the 2026 Season of Creation, under the theme “Living Waters.”
Beginning and ending in Suva, Paddle for Hope will connect coastal communities, churches, young people, civil society organisations and government partners through prayer, talanoa, community worship and practical action.
Paddle for Hope is more than a physical journey around Viti Levu. It is an eco pilgrimage, listening to the stories of communities whose lives, livelihoods, cultures and spirituality are closely connected to rivers, mangroves, reefs, coastlines and the ocean.
At selected stops, the team and its partners will support coastal clean ups, waste sorting, recycling awareness, ecological education and community talanoa. Churches and communities will also reflect on our shared responsibility to guard and heal God’s creation.
Pacific Conference of Churches General Secretary, Reverend James Bhagwan, said the journey would bring the Season of Creation into direct conversation with the experiences of Fiji’s coastal communities.
“The ocean is not an empty space between our islands. It is part of our home, our source of food, identity, spirituality and life. Yet these living waters are being wounded by plastic pollution, destructive patterns of consumption and the growing impacts of the climate crisis.”
Paddle for Hope carries the message “SUP against SUP,” stand up paddling against single use plastics. It will encourage families, churches, communities and businesses to reduce unnecessary plastic use, prevent waste from entering waterways and strengthen recycling and recovery initiatives.
“We are paddling to listen, to learn and to act. Each community is not simply another stop on a map. Each stop is a signpost, showing us the challenges, our people face and the local wisdom, courage and solutions already present within our communities,” Rev. Bhagwan said.
SPREP’s Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control (WMPC), Anthony Talouli, highlighted the connection between land-based waste and ocean pollution, noting that poorly managed waste can travel through drains, rivers and waterways into the ocean, threatening marine ecosystems, livelihoods and the wellbeing of communities.
“Paddle for Hope is a powerful reminder that protecting our ocean begins with the choices we make in our homes, communities and businesses. In this Season of Creation, we are reminded by Scripture that ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it’ (Psalm 24:1), and that justice should ‘roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream’ (Amos 5:24),” he said.
“Through POLP, we are working with governments and communities across the Pacific to better understand the sources and movement of litter and turn that knowledge into practical action. This journey brings that message directly to communities and shows that every one of us has a role to play in keeping our living waters healthy,” Talouli added.
The journey will also connect the voices of communities with Fiji and the wider Pacific’s priorities for PreCOP31 and COP31. These include keeping the 1.5-degree temperature limit within reach, improving access to climate finance, elevating the relationship between the ocean and climate, and amplifying Pacific leadership and voices.
Paddle for Hope calls for stronger action to protect and restore rivers, mangroves, reefs and coastal ecosystems; reduce plastic production and pollution; strengthen community recycling; resource locally led adaptation and resilience; and ensure that frontline communities participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their land, water and future.
“Our hope is that this paddle will help carry the voices of communities from the shoreline to the places where decisions are made. This is PreCOP31 for communities, from communities to the world,” Rev. Bhagwan said.
The Pacific Ocean Litter Project is funded by the Australian Government and implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme in collaboration with Pacific governments and communities.
Paddle for Hope is also supported by the Fiji Council of Churches, Waste Recyclers Fiji, Return and Earn, Blue Prosperity, WWF, The Yacht Shop, TAHE, Naqumu Productions and Lumina Vou.
The journey will conclude in Suva on 28 September, following the final paddle from Naivilaca to the National Sailing Centre.
Members of the public are invited to follow the journey, join community activities where possible, reduce their use of single use plastics and become guardians of Fiji’s living waters…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Online harms are getting more serious. Fiji’s response needs to keep up, says OSC
SUVA, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (OSC) — The Online Safety Commission says Fiji is dealing with more serious and complex forms of online harm, but the institutions expected to respond must be given the laws, resources and technical capability to keep pace.
The Commission’s annual budget has reduced from approximately FJD$1.5 million (US$750,000) to FJD$1.1 million (US$550,000), at a time when OSC says the nature of complaints coming through its doors is becoming increasingly difficult.
Online Safety Commissioner Filipe Batiwale said the issue is not simply about the number of complaints.
“We are seeing more serious complaints now. These are not always arguments between people on Facebook. Some matters involve children, intimate images, threats, exploitation, fake accounts, multiple platforms and digital evidence that can disappear very quickly.”
“That changes the kind of response that is required from us.”
OSC received 1,609 complaints in 2025, with more than half involving cyberbullying, harassment or defamatory electronic communications. Approximately 65 per cent arose on Meta platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram.
The Commission says its work increasingly requires more than simply receiving a complaint and contacting a social-media platform. Serious cases can require evidence to be preserved, accounts to be identified, complainants to be supported, platforms to be contacted urgently and matters to be referred for criminal investigation.
Commissioner Batiwale said OSC is expected to do more as the risks become more sophisticated, while working with fewer resources.
“Our budget has gone from FJD$1.5 million (US$750,000) to FJD$1.1 million (US$550,000) at the same time the work is becoming more complex. That is a real pressure point.”
“I am not saying that every problem is solved by giving an agency more money. We also have to use the resources we have properly and be accountable for them. But if Fiji wants a stronger online-safety system, we also have to be realistic about what it takes to build and operate one.”
61 matters referred for Police investigation
A recent reconciliation exercise between OSC and the Fiji Police Force identified 61 matters that had been referred by OSC for Police investigation.
OSC and Police are now working to improve how referred matters are acknowledged, tracked and progressed and how case-status information is shared between the two institutions.
Commissioner Batiwale said complainants should not be left uncertain about what happens after their matter moves from OSC to Police.
“When someone comes to us, tells us what has happened, provides the material and goes through the complaint process, they understandably want to know what happens next.”
“If we refer that matter for criminal investigation, OSC and Police both need a clear system that allows the case to be tracked and, where appropriate, allows the complainant to be told where things stand.”
He said the issue should not be reduced to criticism of either institution.
“Police have a very large mandate. They deal with every type of crime in Fiji. OSC has a specialist mandate. We need to make sure those two roles work together properly instead of creating unnecessary duplication.”
Law review must fix practical problems
The Fiji Law Reform Commission-led review of the Online Safety Act 2018 has progressed through public and stakeholder consultations and a validation process and is now in its final reporting and legislative drafting stage.
OSC has been contributing its experience of working under the current Act, including the problems faced when dealing with serious complaints, overseas social-media platforms, evidence, Police referrals and emerging forms of technology-facilitated abuse.
Commissioner Batiwale said the review provides Fiji with an important opportunity.
“We should not go through an entire law reform exercise and come out the other side with the same practical problems.”
“If the law is strengthened, people should be able to feel the difference when they need help.”
“That means looking seriously at what powers OSC needs, what Police needs, how matters move between agencies, what obligations platforms should have and how quickly action can be taken when someone is being harmed.”
OSC advocating for specialist prosecution pathway
One issue being raised by OSC during the review is whether the Commission should have limited prosecutorial powers for specified offences under the new online-safety legislation.
Commissioner Batiwale said the proposal should be considered on its merits and with appropriate safeguards.
“I understand why people may be cautious about giving a regulator more powers. They should be cautious. Any additional power must come with proper checks and accountability.”
“But we should also be prepared to ask whether the current system is giving victims the best outcome.”
OSC’s proposal would not remove Police from serious online offending or replace the constitutional role of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Commission is proposing that consideration be given to a specialist pathway for defined offences, with separation between investigation and prosecution decisions, evidential and public-interest tests and appropriate Police, DPP and judicial oversight.
“I am not asking for unchecked power. I am asking us to design a system that makes sense for the kind of cases we are now dealing with.”
Global platforms also need to respond
OSC says responsibility for online safety cannot sit with Government agencies alone.
The Commission continues to encounter difficulties when harmful content, relevant accounts or important evidence sit with multinational technology companies operating outside Fiji.
Under the current Online Safety Act, OSC does not have direct statutory authority to compel global platforms to remove harmful content.
Commissioner Batiwale said that imbalance must form part of the reform discussion.
“If a platform is happy to provide services in Fiji and benefit from Fijians using that platform, there also needs to be a reliable way for Fiji to get a response when a child, family or victim is in serious difficulty.”
“We cannot have a situation where the harm is happening here but the practical ability to respond to it sits somewhere overseas.”
Government and stakeholders must decide what system Fiji wants
Commissioner Batiwale said the current review should lead to a broader conversation about what Fiji expects from its online-safety system.
“This is not something OSC can fix by itself.”
“Government has to decide what legal framework and level of resourcing is appropriate. Police and OSC have to continue improving how we work together. Technology companies need to respond properly to the countries where they operate.
Schools, parents and communities also have a role in prevention.”
“OSC also has to be accountable. If we ask for stronger powers or more resources, the public is entitled to expect us to use them properly.”
He said the Commission would continue raising difficult issues during the law reform process.
“My concern is very simple. Online harm is changing quickly, and we cannot afford to build a response that is already behind the problem by the time the new law comes into force.”
Members of the public experiencing online harm can contact the Online Safety Commission through its official complaint channels or call the toll-free assistance line 1548…. PACNEWS
