In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — ‘The Ocean is at risk’: Pacific Leaders demand urgent action to keep 1.5 alive
2. PACIFIC — Vanuatu Climate Change Minister calls for end to fossil fuel expansion: ‘Australia is not doing enough’
3. PACIFIC — Tuvalu set to host global leaders ahead of COP31
4. PACIFIC — Pacific Tuna and food security at risk as 1.5°C overshoot looms
5. PACIFIC — Samoa’s voice for a stronger Blue Pacific
6. PACIFIC — Two small islands creating one big stink over ownership
7. FIJI — Fiji strengthens climate finance for communities
8. PNG — Voice of Revival Radio and Television launched in Port Moresby
9. PACIFIC — Media urged to be steadfast
10. FIJI — UAE Minister Dr Al Kaabi visits Fiji for high-level talks
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Tonga emerges as key beneficiary of new U.S Pacific investment push
12. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji’s new tourism services tax eases pressure on travellers but airline costs remain
13. PACNEWS BIZ — PNG and Niue sign agreement to deepen development and technical cooperation
14. PACNEWS BIZ — State power company could be operating illegally
15. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Civil society wants consultation on JHoPS and Forum security networks
16. PACNEWS DIGEST — A landmark UN report says the world will overshoot the 1.5°C climate target. What happens now?
17. PACNEWS DIGEST — Bringing health closer to students: Vanuatu shows what School Health Week makes possible
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS MEET/CLIMATE CHANGE: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
‘The Ocean is at risk’: Pacific Leaders demand urgent action to keep 1.5 alive
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, PALAU (PACNEWS) — Pacific leaders have warned that the region’s ocean, livelihoods and low-lying communities face escalating risks if global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius, calling on major emitters to cut fossil fuel emissions and deliver on climate commitments before a temporary overshoot becomes permanent.
At a press conference on the margins of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Koror, Vanuatu Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu, Tuvalu Climate Change Minister Dr Maina Talia, Marshall Islands Climate Envoy Tina Stege, SPREP Director General Sefanaia Nawadra and Pacific Community Deputy Director-General Dr Andrew Jones issued a renewed call for urgent global action.
Regenvanu said the latest scientific findings reinforced the need for governments to act immediately.
“Urgent action is needed by the international community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“We must urgently accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels,” Regenvanu said
He warned that if emissions were not rapidly reduced in the next four years, an overshoot of 1.5 degrees Celsius would increase in both duration and severity, intensifying climate impacts and loss and damage across the Pacific.
“Loss and damage is a reality that currently exists in my country, in the countries represented here. It will only accelerate with any overshoot,” Regenvanu said.
He said no amount of finance could fully restore the losses facing Pacific communities.
“No finance can fully restore our lands, our ancestral lands, our heritage, our identity,” he said.
Regenvanu said the 1.5-degree pathway remained possible, but only under the highest level of global ambition.
“That means urgent and immediate global commitments and actions to keep overshoot extremely limited in both magnitude and duration,” he said.
The Vanuatu minister said this required a rapid transition away from fossil fuels and fossil fuel subsidies.
“There’s no other way,” he said.
Pacific leaders are also pushing for a 1.5-degree-aligned regional pathway, including a 100 percent renewable energy future for Pacific Small Island Developing States.
Regenvanu said the Belau Declaration being considered by Forum leaders again identified climate change as the Pacific’s greatest security threat.
“This report makes it clear that high ambition is the only way we are going to get through this,” he said.
Tuvalu Minister for Climate Change and Environment, Dr Maina Talia said the latest report on a possible 1.5-degree overshoot was particularly alarming for low-lying island countries.
“The message is very clear from the report that was released yesterday — we need to do more,” Talia said.
“We need to do more in order for all people to stay in their God-given land.”
He said climate change was already having disproportionate impacts on Pacific countries and warned that the consequences were no longer a distant threat.
“It’s real now, it’s here now, it’s no longer a distant threat for the Pacific,” Talia said.
Talia said the impacts could extend beyond sea-level rise to Pacific tuna stocks, threatening countries such as Tuvalu that depend heavily on the fisheries sector.
“The only way out for us is to ensure that we continue to push for 1.5 to stay alive,” he said.
He said projections once expected over the next century could now become reality much sooner.
“The scenarios that may happen in the next 100 years or so could happen within the next 10 years or so,” Talia said.
Marshall Islands Climate Envoy and Regional Envoy for Oceania for COP31, Tina Stege said the report showed that an overshoot would sharply increase the investments needed for mitigation and adaptation.
She said urgent and concrete progress was required on climate finance, including support for loss and damage.
“We should all be very frank — that fund is empty,” Stege said, referring to the need to ensure financing mechanisms can respond to growing climate disasters.
Stege also called for concrete measures to reduce bureaucracy and improve Pacific countries’ access to climate finance.
She highlighted the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) as an example of Pacific-led action, describing it as the region’s first Pacific-owned and led sustainable financial facility.
“It’s a lifeline,” she said.
“This report is just yet another alarm bell to wake up the rest of the world,” Stege said
SPREP Director General, Sefanaia Nawadra said the risk of overshooting 1.5 degrees had been known for some time because major global commitments had not been translated into sufficient action.
“We are no longer trying to get an upward trend down, but now we have to overshoot and go down again,” he said.
Nawadra said a temporary overshoot would only remain temporary if governments acted.
“It’s only temporary if you take the action as leaders,” he said.
He said Pacific Island countries had continued to push for faster action, but major emitters needed to fulfil their pledges.
“We’re doing our part. But what we need to do is to get the big emitters to fulfil the pledges that they made,” Nawadra said.
He warned that the world was approaching dangerous tipping points.
“The elasticity is almost gone,” he said.
“If you reach the tipping point, the rubber band snaps, then we are all in really big trouble,” Nawadra said.
SPC Deputy Director-General. Dr Andrew Jones said Pacific scientists were already documenting what rising sea levels could mean for low-lying countries.
For Tuvalu, a flooding event currently considered a one-in-100-year event could become a one-in-10-year event by 2050, according to the figures presented by SPC.
Such events could cause between US$35 million and US$45 million in damage each year.
By the end of the century, flooding could become a one-in-five-year event or even more frequent, with annual damage potentially reaching US$63 million.
But Jones said the most serious threat could be the loss of habitability.
“Long before these countries reach that area, habitability is going to be a real issue,” he said.
Saltwater overtopping could affect freshwater supplies, agriculture and communities.
“The key point about sea level rise is that it won’t come back.
“We really need to mitigate, we need to adapt, to give us more time to put the sort of adaptation measures in place that will allow these low-lying countries to deal with this 1.5 overshoot,” Dr Jones said.
The Pacific leaders’ message was clear that the region will continue to push to keep 1.5 degrees alive, but global commitments must now be matched by immediate action.
“There’s no other way,” Regenvanu said…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS MEET/CLIMATE CHANGE: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Vanuatu Climate Change Minister calls for end to fossil fuel expansion: ‘Australia is not doing enough’
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR,03 SEPTEMBER (PACNEWS) — Vanuatu Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu has accused Australia of not doing enough to tackle the climate crisis, saying a major fossil fuel producer must stop expanding production and accelerate its transition away from coal, oil and gas.
But Fiji Foreign Minister Sakiasi Ditoka disagreed with the criticism, saying Australia had done “quite a lot” for the Pacific and had “bent over backwards” in many cases to support the region.
The differing views emerged during discussions in Koror on the sidelines of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting, where Pacific leaders were warning of the risks facing the region if global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Asked what his message was to Australia and whether the country was doing enough, Regenvanu gave a direct response.
“Australia is not doing enough.
“Australia is a major producer of fossil fuels, we all know. Fossil fuels are the primary driver of the climate crisis,” he said.
Regenvanu said the minimum action expected from a major fossil fuel-producing country was to stop expanding production.
“The very least a country like Australia should be doing is stopping future expansion, and it’s not doing that
“You need to stop the expansion and you need to start transitioning away,” he said.
Fiji Foreign Minister Sakiasi Ditoka, however, rejected the suggestion that Australia was not doing enough for the Pacific.
Asked by a Fijian journalist about Regenvanu’s criticism of Australia as a major coal producer, Ditoka said Fiji respected Vanuatu’s position but took a different view.
“I would disagree.
“I’d say that Australia has actually done quite a lot for the region,” Ditoka said.
Ditoka said Vanuatu was entitled to its own views on Australia’s climate policies.
“Vanuatu has their own views and are certainly respected
“But we believe that Australia has, I think, bent over backwards in many cases to help us improve the region, and we are very grateful for that” he said.
Ditoka said Fiji hoped to continue building on its partnership with Australia.
“Hopefully we can continue to build on that,” he said.
The contrasting views highlight the different approaches among Pacific countries towards Australia, one of the region’s largest development and security partners but also a major producer and exporter of fossil fuels.
Tuvalu’s Climate Change and Environment, Dr Maina Talia, said the Pacific’s wider message was directed at all countries continuing to produce and expand fossil fuels.
He said the central issue was whether governments had the political will to act.
“What is happening now is that we need the political will to transition away from fossil fuels,” Talia said.
“So that’s the message for all the oil-producing countries, fossil fuel countries, and of course the expansion of fossil fuels.”
Pacific Island countries have repeatedly warned that exceeding the 1.5-degree global warming threshold would bring severe consequences for the region’s ocean, fisheries, food security and low-lying communities.
The Pacific’s climate position has consistently called for stronger global action and a rapid transition away from fossil fuels…. PACNEWS
PAC – CLIMATE CHANGE: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Tuvalu set to host global leaders ahead of COP31
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Tuvalu is preparing to host Pacific and international leaders for a pre-COP event in October, with Climate Change Minister Dr Maina Talia saying the level of interest has exceeded the country’s expectations.
Talia said preparations were continuing to bring global leaders to Tuvalu so they could see firsthand the impacts of climate change facing one of the world’s lowest-lying nations.
“We continue to do the work to ensure that we get the global leaders to come,” Talia told Journalists at a press conference in Palau on the sidelines of the Forum Leaders meeting in Koror.
He said Tuvalu had initially expected between three and five global leaders to attend but had received a stronger response than anticipated.
“We were only expecting at least three or five, but it went over our expectations,” he said.
Talia said all Pacific Island countries had confirmed their participation, along with six global leaders.
“We are glad that we have the opportunity to showcase on behalf of the Pacific,” he said.
The visit will allow international leaders to see firsthand the challenges confronting Tuvalu and other low-lying Pacific Island countries as the region continues to push for stronger global action to keep the 1.5-degree target within reach…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS MEET/FISHERIES: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Pacific Tuna and food security at risk as 1.5°C overshoot looms
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — A global temperature overshoot beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius could trigger an economic and food security crisis across the Pacific, pushing tuna stocks out of Pacific Island countries’ exclusive economic zones and sharply reducing coastal fish catches, a leading regional scientist has warned.
Pacific Community (SPC) Deputy Director-General Dr Andrew Jones said the consequences of exceeding 1.5°C would reach far beyond rising seas and extreme weather, threatening government revenues, food security and the Pacific’s deep cultural connection to fisheries.
Speaking at a press conference in Koror on the risks facing the Pacific Ocean if global warming exceeds 1.5°C, Dr Jones said tuna populations would shift eastward, away from some Pacific Island countries’ exclusive economic zones.
“For tuna fisheries, overshooting 1.5 means that the tuna populations will migrate to the east, out of the EEZs,” Dr Jones said.
Currently, around 30 percent of the world’s tuna is caught in Pacific Island country exclusive economic zones.
Dr Jones said the migration of tuna could result in up to US$90 million in annual reductions in access fees from tuna fisheries.
“That’s 30 percent of government revenue,” he said.
“So, a real economic crisis for the region due to this 1.5-degree overshoot,” Dr Jones said
The threat extends beyond industrial tuna fisheries.
Dr Jones said some Pacific communities could see catches from their coastal fisheries fall by as much as 65 percent.
“These are the fisheries that feed our Pacific Island people,” he said.
The decline would be compounded by the loss of critical marine ecosystems that provide feeding and breeding grounds for fish.
Dr Jones said an overshoot could result in a 44 percent reduction in seagrass, mangroves and reefs.
Those ecosystems are “the hatcheries and the feeding grounds” for coastal fisheries, he said.
The consequences would be felt directly on household food supplies across the region.
Dr Jones said declining coastal fisheries could mean Pacific Islanders losing up to 29 kilograms of fish protein per person each year.
“That’s about two meals per family per week that’s not on the plate of clean, free, healthy protein that will need to be replaced,” he said.
For Pacific Island communities, he said, replacing fish with another source of protein was not simply a matter of changing diets.
“There’s cultural attachment to fisheries in a way that you can’t just replace fish with chickens,” Dr Jones said…. PACNEWS
PAC – PIFLM55: SAMOA GOVT PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Samoa’s voice for a stronger Blue Pacific
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SAMOA GOVT) — Today at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, Samoa through Deputy Prime Minister Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molio’o, joined fellow Pacific leaders in advancing a shared vision for a resilient, secure, and prosperous Blue Pacific Continent.
Throughout discussions, Samoa reaffirmed the importance of Pacific unity, member-led regional cooperation, and collective action to address the challenges and opportunities facing our region, including climate change, economic resilience, security, sustainable development, disability inclusion, digital transformation, and ocean stewardship.
Samoa supported efforts to enhance regional cooperation through the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, ensuring Pacific priorities continue to be driven by Pacific people and Pacific leadership.
Samoa highlighted the importance of a regional security architecture that is practical, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of Pacific communities. Samoa also welcomed the region’s continued work to strengthen cooperation against transnational crime and protect our borders and communities.
Samoa reaffirmed support for deeper regional economic cooperation, sustainable fisheries development, labour mobility, and the Pacific Resilience Facility, which will help strengthen climate and disaster preparedness across the region.
Samoa supported regional efforts to advance disability inclusion, women’s leadership, action on gender-based violence, improved health outcomes, education, and the wellbeing of Pacific families and communities.
As one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, Samoa continued to advocate for stronger global action, increased climate finance, and Pacific leadership in preparations for COP31. Samoa also reaffirmed support for the Pacific Resilience Facility as a key regional mechanism for building resilience.
Samoa reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable ocean management, fisheries, marine conservation, and safeguarding our maritime boundaries for future generations.
Samoa supported regional cooperation on digital transformation, responsible use of artificial intelligence, and improving connectivity for Pacific communities.
As the Pacific navigates an increasingly complex global environment, Samoa remains committed to working with our Pacific family to ensure that our collective voice is heard, our priorities are respected, and our peoples continue to thrive.
“Our strength lies in our unity, our resilience, and our shared commitment to the future of the Blue Pacific,” she said…. PACNEWS
PAC – POLITICS: SMH PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Two small islands creating one big stink over ownership
PORT VILA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SMH) — Vanuatu has filed a case against France at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking international recognition of its sovereignty over two small islands, amid an escalating sovereignty and maritime boundary dispute between the countries.
The islands are known on maps and charts by their European names, Matthew and Hunter Islands, but in Vanuatu, they are called “Umaenupne” and “Umaeneg”, with claims of long-standing cultural and religious ties to the islands.
With the ICJ confirming receipt of Vanuatu’s application in a press release, attention turns to the French response. The court can only determine the dispute with France’s consent, so France now needs to decide whether to submit the questions of sovereignty over the islands to judicial determination.
Negotiations between the two countries in Paris collapsed in July following decades of unsuccessful attempts since Vanuatu’s independence in 1980.
President Emmanuel Macron offered to resolve the dispute during his 2023 visit to Vanuatu, and meetings also took place in Port Vila last November.
At the most recent Davos meeting in January, Macron affirmed France’s commitment to international law and even warned against a world in which “the law of the strongest” prevails.
But some French analysts are concerned about the legal precedent of conceding the islands to Vanuatu, worried it will re-energise similar territorial disputes France has with other nations over remote islands, such as Clipperton Atoll, which Mexico wants back.
French right-wing figures have also applied pressure to the issue, with National Rally leader Marine Le Pen warning after the meeting in Port Vila last November that the two islands were “not [Macron’s] to give away”.
As the world’s highest judicial body, the ICJ could provide a final legal determination on the dispute. Vanuatu is banking on France supporting its application for a ruling.
Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat told this masthead: “Umaenupne (Matthew) and Umaeneg (Hunter) Islands have always belonged, and will always belong, to the people of Vanuatu.
“Vanuatu is a strong supporter of the international rules-based order and of the peaceful resolution of disputes through international law. Seeking recognition of Vanuatu’s sovereignty over these islands is not an act of confrontation; it is an exercise of our rights through the legal processes of that international order.
“It is about addressing an unresolved colonial legacy with dignity, determination and confidence in international law.”
Stephen Webb, an Australian lawyer acting for the Vanuatu government – who also acted for Timor-Leste in its maritime boundary dispute with Australia – described Vanuatu’s case as “fundamentally a legal dispute over sovereignty”.
“For Vanuatu, bringing this matter before the ICJ is about finding a definitive, peaceful and legally binding resolution,” he said.
In recent years, Vanuatu won global support for its leadership of the initiative to obtain an advisory opinion from the ICJ that states have a legal obligation to protect the global climate system. This initiative was unanimously endorsed by the UN General Assembly, including France, which co-sponsored the resolution.
China, however, outright rejected the ICJ’s decision in favour of the Philippines in its 2016 case against Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea. Given France’s vocal championing of international law, it may be more difficult for Paris to adopt the same position.
If France rejects Vanuatu’s case, it risks putting itself at odds with a Pacific region committed to decolonisation as well as further unrest in New Caledonia.
Indigenous Kanak chiefs in New Caledonia, including the leader of the pro-independence FLNKS movement, Christian Tein, have all backed Vanuatu’s claims, stating that Kanaks never had links to the two islands and that they belong to Vanuatu.
Kanak chiefs have told Vanuatu’s leaders that when New Caledonia becomes independent, it will return the two islands to Vanuatu…. PACNEWS
FIJI – CLIMATE FINANCE: FIJI GOVT PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Fiji strengthens climate finance for communities
SUVA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FIJI GOVT) — Fiji is securing more climate funding to help communities deal with the everyday impacts of climate change.
Around US$99.7 million in Green Climate Fund (GCF) financing is supporting projects in Fiji that protect water supplies, forests, fisheries and ecosystems, while helping communities become more resilient to floods, droughts, rising seas and other climate impacts.
Minister for Information, Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya met with GCF Executive Director Mafalda Duarte on the sidelines of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau this week.
“Climate finance must reach our people and make a real difference on the ground. It must mean safer communities, secure water, protected reefs and fisheries, and stronger livelihoods.”
Fiji has also received millions of dollars to strengthen the systems and expertise needed to access and manage climate funding.
Discussions included future projects such as the proposed Coral Reef Resilience project, which is important for communities that depend on healthy reefs for food, income and protection from the sea.
Minister Tabuya also welcomed the establishment of the GCF Pacific Sub-Regional Office in Suva, bringing climate finance support closer to Fiji and the wider Pacific.
She called for more grant funding for Pacific Small Island Developing States, stressing that countries like Fiji contribute very little to global emissions but face some of the greatest climate impacts.
“Our message is simple: climate finance must not just look good on paper. It must reach our villages, settlements and communities and improve people’s lives.”
Fiji and the GCF reaffirmed their commitment to working together to turn climate finance into practical results for Fijians…. PACNEWS
PNG – MEDIA: NBC PNG PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Voice of Revival Radio and Television launched in Port Moresby
PORT MORESBY, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (NBC PNG) — A long-awaited dream is now a reality for the Revival Centres of Papua New Guinea with the official launch of its Voice of Revival digital radio and television station in Port Moresby on Tuesday.
The launch coincided with the church’s 44th Anniversary celebrations and was held under the theme “His Voice, Our Voice, Their Voice, the Voice of Revival.”
What is now a modern broadcast center was once the church Principal Pastor’s unused office.
The idea to revive a radio station, first announced in 1997, was brought back to life in 2022.
An initial cost of K500,000 (US$112,848) was estimated. After prayer and planning, the church began working with the National Information and Communication Technology Authority, NICTA.
Construction started in 2024 and faced challenges with funding, skills and infrastructure.
But with support from the church, congregations, and technical teams from Australia, the facility was completed. It now operates as both a podcast and broadcast center, able to go live on radio and camera.
The station was officially launched on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, by Founder and Principal Pastor Godfrey Wippon.
NICTA CEO Lume Polume commended the church for using technology to expand the gospel, saying it aligns with government policy.
He urged the church to use the service responsibly and not discriminate against others.
Chief Censor Jim Abani also said content aired on the station must be decent for public consumption.
A radio station certificate was presented during the launch, officially recognising Voice of Revival as a broadcaster.
Meanwhile, Deputy Managing Director for NBC Michael Samuga pledged NBC’s support towards the newly established Voice of Revival Radio and Digital Television Station.
The platform will now be used to spread the Gospel and the truth, and to reach communities across PNG and beyond…. PACNEWS
PAC – MEDIA: NBC PNG PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Media urged to be steadfast
SYDNEY, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (NBC PNG) — Traditional media is undergoing rapid change, but public broadcasters must remain steadfast in delivering credible news, especially during times of conflict, disaster, and uncertainty.
The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Secretary-General Ahmed Nadeem issued this challenge this morning at the opening of the ABU Global News Forum at the ABC office in Sydney, Australia.
The forum is themed “Resilient Journalism, Safeguarding Truth and Wellbeing”.
Media in PNG and the Asia-Pacific region are experiencing varying challenges, including funding, but have been urged to have a duty of care and remain at the forefront of trusted journalism.
“Trust is important, especially during conflicts, disasters and times of uncertainties,” Nadeem said.
He stressed that one of the most critical areas for public broadcasters is regional reporting, by telling local stories in local voices.
“The important area we serve is accurate news. An area difficult to do, but one we cannot afford to get wrong.”
Nadeem says the ABU, which helps its member countries on capacity building, including the National Broadcasting Corporation, says maintaining public trust must remain the top priority.
It’s being attended by CEOs and news leaders from the 280 ABU member countries.
It ends this Friday…. PACNEWS
FIJI – DIPLOMACY: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 2: Thu 03 Sep 2026
UAE Minister Dr Al Kaabi visits Fiji for high-level talks
SUVA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) — Fiji and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are expected to advance discussions on a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi visits Fiji this week.
The official visit is expected to focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade and investment, climate change, renewable energy, education and development cooperation.
Dr Al Kaabi is expected to meet senior Fijian Government officials during the visit.
Discussions are also expected to cover memoranda of understanding in areas of mutual interest and opportunities to improve connectivity and economic links between the two countries.
Another key focus will be the anticipated establishment of a UAE Embassy in Suva, reflecting the UAE’s growing engagement with Fiji and the wider Pacific region.
The Government said the visit would provide an opportunity to further strengthen the growing relationship between the two countries and advance areas of mutual interest.
Fiji and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 2010, with bilateral ties developing across a range of areas since then…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – INVESTMENT: PMN PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Tonga emerges as key beneficiary of new U.S Pacific investment push
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PMN) — Tonga is emerging as one of the biggest Pacific beneficiaries of a new investment push by the United States.
The support from Washingon covers energy security, government technology and digital infrastructure.
The package, announced by U.S Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at the Pacific Islands Forum Partners Dialogue in Palau on Tuesday, includes more than US$150 million (NZ$254.53 million) in support for Pacific countries.
It comes as Pacific leaders continue to push back against outside powers setting the region’s priorities.
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr, who opened the 55th Forum week, told leaders and delegates: “Our partners are welcome to sail with us, but they do not choose our destination.
“The Pacific agenda must be driven by us, for us, and the Forum must remain the political home in which that agenda is shaped,” the new Forum chair said.
For Tonga, the U.S package includes support for a feasibility study looking at the modernisation of its national data centre and network.
The U.S also plans to support secure cloud migration for Tongan government data while Tonga is one of two countries, alongside Palau, where the Cloud Global Pacific Programme will be expanded.
Energy is another major focus. A US$60m (NZ$101.81m) Regional Energy Security Initiative is being proposed to expand fuel storage and help improve grid stability across the Pacific.
Tonga is already working with the U.S Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) on a feasibility study to improve the kingdom’s fuel transport and storage infrastructure.
The project aims to allow Tonga to receive larger fuel shipments directly, reducing the need for costly transfers through other countries.
It could also increase Tonga’s fuel storage from about 15-20 days to around 60 days of supply.
Tonga imports all of its fuel, leaving the kingdom exposed to supply disruptions and changes in global prices.
Stéphane Cadel, Pacific Energy’s Chief Executive, whose company is involved in the fuel infrastructure project, spoke about the project in comments released by the USTDA last month.
“The project we are announcing today, with USTDA, is the most significant energy sector development in the Kingdom of Tonga for decades,” Cadel said after the signing of an agreement with USTDA in Nuku’alofa on 13 August.
“Pacific Energy is very pleased to be carrying out this project, which will significantly improve the security and resilience of Tonga’s long term fuel supply.”
But the investment push is also raising questions about who gets to shape Tonga’s development and how much say communities have in major decisions.
Olive Mafi, of the Civil Society Forum of Tonga, says external investment and commercial decisions can sometimes move ahead without genuine community ownership.
“The overwhelming majority of people who have taken part in national discussions want our future protected… What recent developments show is that major decisions are now coming with price tags set by outside powers or arbitrators in someone else’s country.”
Mafi says sovereignty must also mean communities have the ability to make choices about their own resources and future.
“A sovereignty we cannot afford to use isn’t really sovereignty. The ocean and our resources aren’t just lines in a budget, they are our livelihoods, our identity, and the thing our young people expect to inherit.”
Fiji is also seeking a pathway towards the eventual removal of the U.S visa bond requirement for its nationals.
Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Sakiasi Ditoka raised the issue with Landau during a bilateral meeting in Palau on Tuesday.
Fiji has proposed a technical level working group with U.S officials to address visa compliance concerns and identify clear benchmarks that could support a review of the requirement.
The two sides also discussed Fiji’s engagement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, human trafficking cooperation, and wider U.S involvement in Pacific peace and security.
The wider U.S package also includes US$17m (NZ$28.85m) to help Pacific countries tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
The funding is expected to support stronger national laws and regulations, training for fisheries compliance officers and new technology to improve monitoring.
Security is also part of Washington’s expanded Pacific focus.
The U.S and Palau will co-chair a new U.S-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers, focusing on maritime security, drug trafficking, cybercrime and illicit finance.
The U.S has also announced plans to support a second U.S-Pacific Islands Investment Summit in early 2027, following the first summit in Honolulu in February.
The Peace Corps is also looking to establish a North Pacific programme covering the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau.
The announcements are part of what Washington describes as a move towards commercial diplomacy and private sector-led growth in the Pacific.
But Pacific leaders are stressing that new investment and partnerships must support regional priorities than pull the Pacific deeper into the strategic contest between bigger powers.
At the handover of the Forum chairmanship, a Solomon Islands representative and former Forum chair said the region’s growing strategic importance should not come at the cost of its peace.
“Strategic competition has sharpened around us. The peace of our ocean has been challenged…
“Our partners are welcome and their support is valued, but they should help us realise our ambitions, not define them. Friendship and threat cannot travel in the same canoe.”
That message was echoed by Shuri Chibana, Palau youth representative and Pacific Regional Non-Government Organisations (PRNGO) Alliance spokesperson, during the Forum’s dialogue with civil society and the private sector.
“Strategic competition is intensifying in our ocean precisely because our vulnerabilities are visible and our needs are urgent…
“Resilience cannot be built on a fuel tank we do not own, a price we do not set and a schedule we do not control.
“If the energy crisis has taught us anything, it is that Pacific resilience cannot mean becoming better at absorbing decisions made somewhere else,” Chibana said.
The U.S package follows a separate announcement that Washington and New Zealand will work with the Cook Islands to upgrade Penrhyn’s Omoka Port, a project earlier reported by PMN News…. PACNEWS
FIJI – TOURISM TAX: PMN PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Fiji’s new tourism services tax eases pressure on travellers but airline costs remain
SUVA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PMN) — Travel industry groups are welcoming the Fiji government’s decision to spare existing holiday bookings from its new five per cent Tourism Services Tax (TST).
But the government says the temporary levy is needed to help keep the country’s national airline flying.
The tax came into effect on Tuesday 1 September 2026 but will now only apply to new bookings made from that date.
That means travellers who booked their Fiji holidays before September will not face the five per cent charge, even if their trip is still to come.
Travel Agents’ Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) says the decision brings huge relief to Kiwi families who have already paid for their trips.
“This gives Kiwi travellers the certainty they needed,” Julie White, TAANZ chief executive, says.”Those who made their bookings before 1 September can now travel knowing they will not face an unexpected additional tax on an existing booking.”
She earlier told William Terite on Pacific Mornings the industry’s concern was not about Fiji introducing the tax but how it would apply to bookings already made.
“Fiji is incredibly important to the New Zealand travellers and our travel industry, we want Kiwis to travel to Fiji with confidence,” White said. “And getting this implementation right will actually help achieve that.”
White says the travel sector is pleased the Fijian government listened to its concerns and adopted a practical transition.
Fantasha Lockington, Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association Chief Executive, also welcomes the exemption, saying it gives visitors who had already planned and paid for their holidays greater certainty.
“It restores fairness for visitors who planned their holiday in good faith, and it removes a real source of confusion and the higher risk of booking cancellations for the industry,” Lockington told FBC News.
“We also acknowledge the Government’s advised commitment to listening to industry and working collaboratively on policies that support sustainable economic growth.”
Lockington had earlier opposed the tax, warning it could affect tourism growth and visitor numbers.
The five per cent TST applies to tourism businesses with turnovers of NZ$1.69 million (US$989,809) and above and covers specific tourism services for a 12-month period.
The Fijian government says the temporary measure is linked to growing financial pressure on Fiji, as fuel and other international aviation costs rise.
Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Viliame Gavoka, has defended the tax as a way to help financially support the national carrier.
According to the Fiji Sun, Gavoka said Fiji Airways needs NZ$30.8 million (US$18.04 million) a month to meet fuel-related costs, while the new tax is expected to raise about NZ$53.9 million (US$31.57 million).
Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel says the government consulted the industry from June and moved the tax’s start date three times to give businesses more time to prepare.
The government has also warned that a 20 to 30 per cent cut in Fiji Airways flights would hit the wider economy.
Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica says continued support for the airline is needed because of its role in tourism, business, investment and the movement of Fijians.
“Fiji Airways is not only just an airline, but also very much the lifeline of the Fijian economy,” Kamikamica told the Fiji Sun.
He said rising fuel costs had put further pressure on the airline and that cutting flights could have effects well beyond aviation.
“The worst thing that could have happened if we had not given any assistance and let us say they cut the flights by 20 per cent or 30 per cent, that directly impacts the whole economy,” he said.
Kamikamica said fewer flights could mean lower Value Added Tax (VAT) and other tax collections, slower economic activity and reduced investor confidence.
He says the tax is temporary and is expected to remain for one to two years while Fiji Airways works towards financial recovery…. PACNEWS
PAC – DEVELOPMENT: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 03 Sep 2026
PNG and Niue sign agreement to deepen development and technical cooperation
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL) — PNG Prime Minister James Marape and Niue Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi have signed a framework agreement on development and technical cooperation, strengthening bilateral relations between Papua New Guinea and Niue.
The agreement, signed on Wednesday in Koror, Palau, on the sidelines of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting, opens the way for greater cooperation across a wide range of development sectors.
Marape said the agreement reflected Papua New Guinea’s commitment to strengthening cooperation within the Pacific family and sharing knowledge, expertise and resources for mutual benefit.
“This agreement is about Pacific countries working together and supporting each other in practical areas that improve the lives of our people,” Marape said.
“Papua New Guinea values its relationship with Niue, and we want to build on that relationship through stronger economic, technical and people-to-people cooperation.”
The agreement provides an overarching mechanism through which the two countries can develop specific subsidiary agreements and programmes according to their respective economic and social development priorities.
It identifies a broad range of areas for cooperation, including:
– Trade, investment, tourism and economic cooperation;
– Education, skills and labour mobility;
– Health, sports and social development;
– Agriculture, food security and sustainable development;
– Climate resilience, environmental protection and natural resource management;
– Infrastructure, digital development and connectivity;
– Fisheries and marine resources management;
– Cultural, arts, religious and people-to-people exchanges;
– Renewable energy and green technology;
– Public sector governance and institutional strengthening; and,
– Sister-city arrangements.
Under the agreement, the two countries can cooperate through the exchange of information, technical knowledge and skills, the deployment or secondment of experts, short-term technical training, consultancy services, feasibility studies and joint projects.
Papua New Guinea’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Niue’s Office of Foreign Affairs will serve as the respective implementing authorities, working with relevant agencies and institutions to develop subsidiary arrangements.
Marape said the agreement was consistent with Papua New Guinea’s wider commitment to Pacific regionalism and the principle that Pacific countries should increasingly draw upon their own collective strengths and capabilities…. PACNEWS
PNG – BUSINESS: NBC PNG PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 03 Sep 2026
State power company could be operating illegally
PORT MORESBY, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (NBC PNG) — Sinesine Yongomugl MP Kerenga Kua told Parliament Tuesday, PNG Power Limited could be operating illegally if its unable to pay its debts, calling the power company insolvent.
Kua highlighted it’s a crime under the Companies Act.
In a supplementary question today in Parliament, Kua queried the legality of the state power company.
However, this was interrupted by a point of order by Prime Minister James Marape.
An adamant Maru reiterated that PNG Power is meeting its daily operational costs and while has outstanding, has to just pay them off.
Apart from owing stakeholders K1.3 billion (US$292.67 million) in debt, it’s owed K200 million (US$45.01 million) by Government…. 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
Civil society wants consultation on JHoPS and Forum security networks
By Nic Maclellan in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (ISLANDS BUSINESS) — As Pacific Islands Forum leaders prepare for their annual retreat at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, civil society groups have called for a pause on moves to transform the region’s security structures.
In a new research report issued this week in Koror, the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) urges that Pacific governments, civil society and communities be given “a meaningful opportunity to scrutinise and debate the proposed integration of a network of police, military and intelligence agencies into the region’s security architecture.”
The Joint Heads of Pacific Security (known by the acronym JHoPS) was established in 2019 to bring together heads of police, military, customs and immigration agencies. It includes security forces from Forum member countries, regional structures like the Forum Fisheries Agency, but also observers from the United States and Japan.
The latest JHoPS meeting, held in Brisbane in April, was co-hosted by the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Border Force Commissioner and the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police.
The Brisbane meeting included representatives from an array of regional organisations and networks: the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Oceania Customs Organisation, the Pacific Fusion Centre, the Pacific Immigration Development Community, the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Secretariat and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency.
Last month’s Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting agreed in principle to formally recognise
JHoPS within the Forum Peace and Security Architecture – a decision that will be considered at this week’s summit in Palau.
Call for consultation
In Koror, however, civil society groups have raised concern that a rushed decision on JHoPS status is being taken without involvement of community and church groups, which play a central role in peacemaking and addressing the root causes of insecurity and conflict.
This week, the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) released a new research report “Fortress or Partner? Analysing Regional Insecurities and Pacific Militarisation Through Regional Compacts.”
The report argues that “ä body of police, military, customs and immigration chiefs, not ministers, not an elected body, not open at any point in its eight-year history to public submissions, is asking to be institutionalised inside the Forum.”
It notes that “JHoPS has consulted extensively among security officials but has not once, in eight years, opened its work to the public it would eventually deploy into. The PRG [Pacific Response Group] was endorsed by a body where the Pacific Island states with militaries are outnumbered by their larger partners. Civil society appears in none of these processes.”
PANG Coordinator Joey Tau said the Pacific must ask whether these developments are strengthening genuine regional partnership or moving the region towards a security architecture increasingly shaped by external powers.
“Is the Pacific becoming a ‘fortress’ instead of a true partner?” Tau said. “Right now, a rapid build-up of uncoordinated security frameworks is shaping the Blue Pacific. New legal structures risk locking in external military forces, access and conventional militarisation. Shockingly, these frameworks remain completely silent on demilitarisation and nuclear non-proliferation.”
Forum Deputy Secretary General Esala Nayasi told Islands Business that there was a recommendation on JHoPS before the summit, but “should it be agreed, there are processes that we still need to go through in terms of institutionalising, noting the different status of our members. There are issues that they will need to discuss further. Should that go through, then after the leaders’ decision, you would expect a process that we will take on how it sits within the security and regional security architecture.”
France’s role as security partner
All three French Pacific dependencies are JHoPS members, but the current proposal especially raises questions for the two Forum members New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Many independence supporters are concerned that key powers over the military, police, intelligence and immigration services are still controlled by the French State, not by the governments in Noumea and Papeete.
France’s Minister Delegate for Francophonie Éléonore Caroit is leading the French delegation to this week’s summit in Palau. She told Islands Business that the French Pacific collectivities recognised that sovereign powers over security, military and policing rest with Paris: “There is a complete alignment on the distribution, which is very clear, between sovereign powers that come from the French State for security, and the powers of the territories. Today, it is quite clear, because it is very clear for all our partners and for all the members, what is the role of France when it comes to these issues.”
On the JHoPS proposal before the Forum, Caroit said: “We are, a priori, in favour of it, but we are waiting to see what is going to be proposed before making a decision on these issues. But in any case, on the distribution between territories and the French State, the question is very clear.”
In partnership with Forum members, French military and police forces play a significant role in humanitarian and disaster response, military training and monitoring the vast Exclusive Economic Zone around New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna and the five archipelagos of Mā’ohi Nui (French Polynesia).
Despite this, the sources of insecurity remain a contested issue in the French dependencies. New Caledonians remain divided over the violent conflict that wracked the islands during six months of conflict in 2024, which pitted young rioters and Kanak independence protestors against thousands of French gendarmes and police.
Last January, France’s national human rights body Commission Nationale Consultative des Droits de l’Homme, or CNCDH, issued a report that detailed violations of human rights and “violent, often disproportionate repression” by French security forces. The CNCDH report found “a worrying weakening of fundamental human rights, affecting the Kanak population in particular” and pointed to “persistent structural discrimination, significant social inequalities and a questioning of the self-determination process implemented by the government.”
For supporters of independence and human rights groups in New Caledonia, there is ongoing debate about the best response to ongoing insecurity at community level, and the resources that could be allocated to community responses. A statement issued this week by the UPM party in New Caledonia noted: “As we listen and observe, we realise that the country’s social situation is dominated by deep-seated feelings of doubt and uncertainty, because social instability and precariousness are very much present, giving rise to fears about the future.”
It’s not just police who police
The drivers of insecurity and the role of police and military forces are also debated in other Pacific nations.
Community groups in Fiji reflect on the role of the Fiji Military Forces and police in past coups, for example, while the people of Bougainville, calling for self-government and political independence, still live with the social and cultural consequences of violent clashes between the Bougainville Revolutionary Army and the PNG Defence Force, when thousands of people died between 1989-98.
The discussion around JHoPS comes as civil society organisations, women’s groups and church leaders want a greater role in decisions about allocation of resources to prevent conflict, protect resources and boost community harmony. Arguing that “it’s not just police who police”, civil society and customary leaders want more resources to tackle the social, cultural and economic drivers of crime and conflict in their communities.
While the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security sets out a spectrum of security challenges, including state-to-state conflict and transnational crime, a crucial provision stresses that “climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific.”
Since then, groups like the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN) are concerned that the Forum’s Dialogue Partners have not shifted enough financial resources, technical assistance and diplomatic action to address climate change as the “single greatest threat” to regional security.
At last year’s Forum in Honiara, leaders adopted the Ocean of Peace Declaration. But for church and civil society representatives, the Ocean of Peace must also be an Ocean of Justice. Reverend James Bhagwan, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC), said: “The Ocean of Peace offers us an opportunity for transformation across the board. But civil society and churches have one thing that we’ve constantly talked about in the context of peace: for an Ocean of Peace, we need it be demilitarised, denuclearised and decolonised.”
PANG’s Joey Tau warns that the JHoPS proposal cannot be considered in isolation from the security institutions, bilateral agreements and military deployments already taking shape across the Pacific: “The big question is not whether the region needs security. It is who defines it, who controls it, and who actually bears the consequences…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
A landmark UN report says the world will overshoot the 1.5°C climate target. What happens now?
By Jacqueline Peel and Wesley Morgan
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (THE CONVERSATION) — For over a decade, the world has been trying to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
That’s no longer possible, according to a new United Nations report. We will likely pass 1.5°C in 2030. That’s not good news for anyone, least of all Australia’s Pacific Island neighbours who face rapidly rising seas.
In response to the report, Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr said:
It is hard to overstate the depth of emotion for those of us living on the frontline after having fought so hard to put the 1.5 degree limit at the heart of the Paris Agreement […] calls for greater ambition are no longer enough — we need to see an urgent and unprecedented increase in political will and investment in a climate safe future
The small silver lining is that it’s still possible for this to be a temporary overshoot of the target. If nations redouble their efforts to phase out fossil fuels and reduce other sources of emissions, they could limit peak warming to 1.8°C and then use carbon removal methods to bring temperatures back to 1.5°C or below this century.
In 2026, the world is already about 1.4°C warmer than pre-industrial levels, and the damage and death toll from climate-boosted disasters is ramping up. The United Kingdom is warning of possible food shortages amid a historic drought. Wildfires hit new areas in France and Spain, while glaciers are melting rapidly and the oceans are at their hottest level on record. The enormous El Niño event emerging in the Pacific is likely to bring major disruption. Every fraction of a degree makes things worse.
There are no good outcomes if we remain above 1.5°C. Urgent cuts to emissions and efforts to protect the most vulnerable are our best remaining options. Failure to do so risks irreversible harm.
Why does 1.5°C matter so much?
The 2015 Paris Agreement established a shared goal for the world: keep the rise in global average temperatures above pre-industrial levels “well below” 2°C and “pursue efforts” to hold warming to 1.5°C.
This goal was set based on expert scientific assessments that warming of more than 2°C would be dangerous and that limiting warming to 1.5°C was necessary to minimise climate risks.
Pacific nations fought hard to include 1.5°C in the agreement, arguing it was essential for their communities to “stay alive” in the face of rising sea levels and other climate-fuelled threats.
Last year, the world’s top court – the International Court of Justice – ruled that 1.5°C is the primary temperature limit nations have committed to work towards.
This ruling means that if governments fail to act as ambitiously as they can, they could be sued in international courts.
In May this year, a majority of nations voted in the UN General Assembly to endorse the court’s ruling and urge action to keep to 1.5°C.
It’s not time to give up
Warming of 1.5°C will be bad. But 1.6°C will be worse, and 1.7°C worse again. Every increase will bring more extreme weather, more loss of nature, more loss of land to the sea and more harm to humans.
If we stay over 1.5°C, we risk triggering climate tipping points – sudden shifts which cannot be undone on human timescales. These include the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets melting, the collapse of crucial heat-distributing currents in the Atlantic Ocean or the Amazon rainforest becoming a source of emissions.
Overshooting 1.5°C doesn’t mean it’s time to throw out the Paris Agreement. It’s not working fast enough, but it is working.
Solar power and electric vehicles have boomed and electrification has accelerated. Nations have cut emissions enough to avoid the worst climate futures of a 3°C rise or even higher. According to the Climate Action Tracker, the Paris Agreement has averted the equivalent of 1°C of warming. Rather than hitting 3.6°C by 2100, the world is on track for 2.6°C.
While this is progress, it is not enough. Global emissions are plateauing but have still not begun to fall in earnest.
As damage from climate change mounts, leaders must do the work and begin rapidly cutting emissions to keep the goal of net-zero by 2050 alive.
To get temperatures back under 1.5°C, we will also need to pull gigatonnes of carbon dioxide back out of the atmosphere using tree planting and nature restoration. We may also need technological approaches such as rock weathering or ocean alkalinity enhancement, though these are not proven at scale and can come with other risks.
We are all in this together
It may seem as if climate action faces impossible headwinds, as populism surges and the current United States administration doubles down on fossil fuels.
It’s worth looking beyond these headlines. It took almost 70 years for the world to install a terawatt of solar power, but then just two years for the second and another two for the third terawatt. In ten years, that figure will likely have tripled. Developing nations are moving rapidly to take up non-polluting electric transport.
Climate change can no longer be ignored. As damage mounts, nations will have to cooperate to cut emissions as rapidly as possible and figure out how to safely and equitably pull carbon back out of the atmosphere. Action depends on strong political will, inclusive governance, and finance to help developing countries cut emissions and adapt.
In November, Australia will lead negotiations at the next international climate summit, COP31, in Turkey. Leaders and diplomats will work to keep 1.5°C in reach – even after overshoot. Australia can point to its own rapid clean energy transition and urge others to set clear pathways to go electric – and wean themselves off the production and use of fossil fuels.
Climate change has been described as a super wicked problem – big, complex and impossible to solve simply. The solution is to see the urgency of the issue and act cooperatively to tackle it. If we make it a problem for the next generation, there may be no way back to a safe climate…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Bringing health closer to students: Vanuatu shows what School Health Week makes possible
PORT VILA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (WHO PACIFIC) — When Eric Kalo’s son developed problems with his ears, getting care would normally mean travelling from their community into town – a journey that takes time and costs money.
This situation changed though during School Health Week, which was held at his son’s school in June this year. His son’s ears were checked at Natawa school and he received treatment on the spot.
“It helps us a lot because we don’t have to spend money on transport to town – we get treatment directly in our village,” Eric said.
For families like the Kalos, the ability to receive care right where their children live and learn makes all the difference.
Across the Pacific island country of Vanuatu, children face health concerns ranging from malnutrition, oral and skin diseases and low immunisation coverage to mental health challenges and violence. For families in remote and rural communities, distance to health facilities and shortage of health workers can make timely care even harder to access. In Natawa, the local aid post can manage basic health needs, but more serious conditions may require families to travel farther for care.
The very concept of School Health Week grew from a simple question: What if more of that essential support could be brought closer to children?
Bringing health promotion and services into schools
Schools are where children spend much of their day – and where health can directly affect their ability to learn. A child with a toothache may struggle to concentrate. A student who cannot see the blackboard clearly may quietly fall behind. An untreated ear problem can make it harder to listen and participate in lessons.
“Our children, who are the future of our nation, are facing many different sicknesses and challenges to accessing health services on time,” said Dr Santus Wari, Acting Director General of the Vanuatu Ministry of Health.
School Health Week uses the school setting to bring several kinds of support together: health promotion and disease prevention, screening and appropriate treatment, physical activity and referral for students who need further care.
“Every child should have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive in good health,” said Dr Huong Tran, Director of the Division of Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Control at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific. “School Health Week brings health services and health education together around children, in a place already central to their lives. The experience in Vanuatu is an important step towards building a practical approach that countries across the Western Pacific can adapt to their own needs and communities.”
From local concerns to shared action
School Health Week in Vanuatu was built on community engagement carried out in Sanma Province in 2025. Students, teachers, parents and caregivers, health and education authorities, community leaders and child protection representatives came together to identify a range of concerns affecting children and discuss what could be done about these.
Local Health Promoting Schools Committees helped identify what students and families need most and gathered the right people around the table. The Ministries of Health and Education worked together with provincial teams, schools, local leaders, families and other partners to shape a response around those priorities.
Rather than creating an entirely new structure, communities drew on what they already had – local leadership, health workers, teachers, schools, existing services and supply chains, and community relationships – and brought those strengths together through School Health Week.
“In the past, health promoting school activities were led and driven by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education,” said Dr Revite Kirition, WHO Country Liaison Officer for Vanuatu. “What’s different this time is it’s being driven primarily by the community. We have an organising committee within the community, also driven by the school and the provincial area health council.”
This meant communities were not simply the beneficiaries of School Health Week – they helped shape and organise how it worked.
What School Health Week looked like
School Health Week was implemented at both elementary and secondary schools in Sanma Province, with activities held from 29 June to 1 July 2026 for students at Natawa School and from 6 to 10 July for students at Tata School.
At both schools, students were given booklets called “My Health Passport”, which they brought with them as they moved from station to station.
Health workers at these stations checked their eyes, ears, teeth, skin, nutrition and mental well-being. The students could even receive services such as deworming, immunisations and treatment for some conditions. Alongside these services, the children learnt about nutrition, oral health, malaria, violence prevention, hygiene, and other ways to protect their health, while also taking part in physical activity through sports, games and other group activities.
The students’ individual Health Passports were used to record the services they had received as well as findings and referrals and helped teams track their participation. Feedback and simple before-and-after questions also captured what students had learnt and their experiences throughout the week.
The Health Passport also helped connect school-based screening with follow-up care. When further care was needed, parents could take their child to a health facility and ensure that needs identified at school and recorded in the booklet could be followed up.
What School Health Week achieved
A total of 364 students attended School Health Week 2026, receiving several of the core screenings and preventive services. Participation was broadly balanced between girls and boys. Students had their oral health, vision and hearing checked; hundreds received deworming procedures; and vaccinations and mental health screening were also provided. Some health concerns, including ear infections, were treated during the week itself.
Just as importantly, the screenings helped identify where further attention was needed.
Oral health emerged as a major concern, while psychological well-being and nutrition were also identified as areas where some students may need additional support.
The Health Passports provided a way to carry those findings forward, helping families connect with health facilities when follow-up was needed.
Participating in School Health Week strengthened the students’ understanding of their own health. Children returned home talking about what they had learnt, and feedback showed that most found the experience to have been a useful and positive one. Their understanding also improved around issues such as protecting their teeth and the purpose of vaccines.
The implementation showed the value of addressing different health needs together in one familiar setting – combining screening, treatment, prevention, health education and referral – rather than treating each as a separate activity.
For families such as Eric Kalo’s, that meant care closer to home and an opportunity to take charge of their own health within the wider community setting. For health and education teams, it meant a clearer picture of students’ needs and the chance to gain practical experience in coordinating many different forms of support.
In a matter of days, School Health Week had reached hundreds of students with care and information, identified needs requiring further attention, connected families with follow-up, and given children knowledge they could carry home with them.
What made it work – and what others can learn from School Health Week
What made School Health Week possible was not a new system built from the ground up, but a community bringing together the people, resources and relationships that were already there.
At its centre was ever closer collaboration between the health and education sectors. National and provincial teams worked together to coordinate health services, personnel and participating schools. Port Olry Health Centre and other health partners contributed health workers and expertise, while schools organised their students and teachers.
Local leaders and Health Promoting Schools Committees connected communities with other local services as well as civil society organisations. For example, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) volunteers and the Butterfly Trust supported implementation and data work. WHO provided coordination, technical and operational support, documentation and communications support, while also helping strengthen local capacity for monitoring and evaluation – including using the information collected to learn from implementation and inform future activities.
Each stakeholder brought something different and valuable to the table. Together, they turned what was already available into one targeted, coordinated effort around students.
The Vanuatu experience offers practical lessons for everyone working to improve the health of children and communities:
– Start with local needs. Shape School Health Week around the health and well-being concerns affecting students and communities.
– Bring health and education together – and widen the circle. Ministries, local government, schools, families, communities, civil society and partners can combine different strengths to serve the same students.
– Build from what is already there. Existing health workers, teachers, services, community structures and relationships can become the foundation for action.
– Use schools as a bridge to care. Bring services and health information closer to students, while making referral and follow-up part of the approach.
– Generate data that can drive action. Monitoring and evaluation provided partners with valuable information on student participation, services delivered and health needs. The strong interest in the data showed a clear appetite among national and local partners for evidence to inform planning, decision-making and future scale-up.
– Adapt and let communities’ lead. Different places have different contexts, needs and resources. Local ownership helps make the approach relevant and workable.
For governments and local leaders, Vanuatu’s experience shows that School Health Week can be built around local priorities, strengths and existing resources.
For partners, School Health Week shows how support can reinforce what communities and national systems are already putting in place.
And for families and students, the purpose is much simpler: making it easier for children to get the information, support and care they need to be healthy and learn well.
From Vanuatu to the Region
“Vanuatu’s experience shows how strong local leadership and collaboration among health, education, families and communities can enable better health and learning for every child,” said Dr Mark Jacobs, Director of Pacific Technical Support and WHO Representative to the South Pacific. “Pacific island countries can bring health services closer to children through approaches like School Health Week, which prioritise local needs and build on the strengths of schools and communities.”
Looking beyond Vanuatu, Dr Joana Madureira Lima, Coordinator of the Social Determinants and Healthy Settings unit at the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, emphasised the opportunity for countries across the Region to take these lessons and make them their own.
“The opportunity now is for countries across the Region to build on what Vanuatu has learnt and to shape School Health Week around their own needs and communities,” she said. “It may look different from one place to another, but the goal is the same: helping more young people get the health support they need to stay well, participate actively in school, and reach their full potential.”
For Eric Kalo and his son, the benefit was immediate: care that once would have required a long and expensive journey was now available much closer to home.
For other countries across the Western Pacific, and indeed globally, Vanuatu offers something broader – practical lessons on how health and education can work together for the well-being of students, and how local strengths can be turned into action.
Vanuatu has shown what is possible. The next chapter belongs to the countries and communities that take these lessons forward – shaping their own path towards healthier students and brighter futures…. PACNEWS
