In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Australia backs Pacific clean energy transition amid fossil fuel concerns
2. PACIFIC — Pre-COP climate summit’s low world leader turnout in Fiji and Tuvalu defended by Chris Bowen
3. PACIFIC — ‘The Pacific is not a sacrifice zone’ : Youth call for climate action
4. FIJI — Fiji Opposition leader Seruiratu questions 09 December referendum date
5. B/VILLE — Bougainville Constituent Assembly continues deliberations on draft Constitution
6. SAMOA — Samoa PM apologises for 2007 “Heil Hitler” video gesture
7. B/VILLE — ABG Education Department adjusts school hours in response to El Niño
8. PAC — Pacific leaders, athletes and community champs formally receive their King’s Birthday honours
9. PACNEWS BIZ — Financing our own resilience does not mean doing it alone:Solomon Islands Climate Change Minister
10. PACNEWS BIZ — Stronger international cooperation ‘needed’ to fight illegal fishing
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Kina convertibility must work for PNG: Nomane
12. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — From Pledges to people: Where does adaptation finance actually land?
13. PACNEWS DIGEST– Palau’s balancing act amid its growing leadership role in the region
14. PACNEWS DIGEST — Global goals, Pacific perspectives: What a dashboard can tell us about sustainable development
15. PACNEWS DIGEST — ‘The clock on AI regulation is ticking’, warns UN rights chief
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Australia backs Pacific clean energy transition amid fossil fuel concerns
By Sanjeshni Kumar
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Australia has pledged further support for the Pacific’s transition to renewable energy, while facing concerns from some Pacific countries over its role as a fossil fuel producer and exporter.
Speaking at a press conference in Nadi, Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Australia’s approach was to reduce the need for fossil fuels by accelerating renewable energy, battery storage and electrification.
“My position remains publicly and privately. The way to transition away from fossil fuels is to build more renewable energy, to replace the need for fossil fuels,” Bowen said.
But the issue of Australia’s continued coal and gas development remained a point of tension at the meeting.
Asked about calls from some Pacific leaders for Australia to stop expanding coal and gas projects, Fiji’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya acknowledged that the issue had been raised during a meeting of Pacific climate ministers.
“We had sentiments expressed from certain countries,” Tabuya said.
She said the focus at Pre-COP should be on finding common ground, while stressing the opportunity for Pacific countries to move directly to renewable energy.
“There’s a huge part of the Pacific that aren’t on the grid, that don’t rely on fossil fuels, and so we can go straight to renewable energy,” she said.
Bowen defended Australia’s transition efforts, pointing to the installation of 550,000 home batteries over the past 18 months and saying Australia now had its “lowest gas use in our energy system in 26 years.”
He also announced $1 million (US$696,799) for solar schools in Fiji, $2.2 million (US$1.53 million) to expand renewable energy access to 19 communities in Papua New Guinea’s Oro Province and $2.5 million (US$1.74 million) for reliable clean energy in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
“This is the sort of practical action that Australia takes to help the Pacific transition away from fossil fuels,” Bowen said.
The announcements come as Pacific leaders push for stronger climate action, including keeping the 1.5°C temperature goal within reach, greater access to climate finance and a faster transition away from fossil fuels.
For Pacific countries, the issue is also closely linked to energy security. Bowen said some Pacific countries spend as much as 25 percent of their GDP on diesel.
“That’s terrible for emissions. It’s terrible for respiratory health and it’s terrible for the economy, and it’s terrible for supply chain certainty,” he said.
Tabuya said the Pacific was seeking a “just transition” away from fossil fuels, supported by greater climate finance.
“It’s certainly the same as we’ve always stated in terms of commitments from our developed countries in terms of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning away from fossil fuels, but not just transitioning but a just transition,” she said.
As Australia takes on the presidency of the COP31 negotiations, Bowen also assured Pacific countries that they would have a greater role in the negotiating process.
“I’ve seen Pacific ministers called in to meet with the COP president at 2 o’clock in the morning after the agreement’s reached with no say. That won’t happen in this COP,” Bowen said.
He said Pacific climate ministers would meet with him every day during COP31 to receive updates on negotiations and discuss challenges and the way forward.
“The Pacific will be more at the table than they ever have been at a COP before. That is the guarantee I make,” he said.
Bowen said keeping the 1.5°C goal alive meant “hope” for vulnerable Pacific nations.
“It does mean working to increase renewables, and also electrification,” he said, describing electrification and moving away from direct fossil fuel use as part of the effort to keep 1.5°C within reach. …PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: AFR PACNEWS 3: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Pre-COP climate summit’s low world leader turnout in Fiji and Tuvalu defended by Chris Bowen
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (AFR)—Energy Minister Chris Bowen says an estimated $20 million(US$13.93 million) taxpayer price for the pre-COP climate summit in Fiji is the cost of diplomacy in the region, despite only two non-Pacific leaders confirming they would show up for the event’s key meeting in neighbouring Tuvalu.
The four-day summit, which kicked off on Monday, is expected to be attended by around 4000 climate bureaucrats and advocates, but the government has struggled to lock in heads of state for a concurrent leaders event on Tuesday in the atoll state.
Turkey’s President and Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum meets with Australia’s Minister for Climate Change Chris Bowen. Turkey will host its own leaders event before the main COP summit in November.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attend the Tuvalu event alongside 14 heads of government or state, the majority of whom represent Pacific Island nations, as well as journalists and officials from international bodies such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Green Climate Fund (GCF).
Bowen on Monday confirmed that only two non-Pacific leaders would attend the Tuvalu event – the prime minister of Mauritius and the president of Timor-Leste. Around 50 countries had sent representatives to the summit in Nadi, a city on Fiji’s main island.
“I’d make this point that world leaders don’t generally come to pre-COPs. This is the first pre-COP where world leaders have been invited at all. As the president of Palau said, if you get one prime minister, you’re doing well,” he said.
The summit is the curtain-raiser event to the United Nations’ annual COP climate summit, which will be held in Turkey in November. Bowen is presiding over the summit’s negotiations as part of a compromise deal for conceding hosting rights to the main event.
The cost of the pre-COP event for Australian taxpayers would be taken from the government’s $147 million(US$102 million) Pacific climate package. When pressed on Monday, Bowen accepted that the event would likely cost around $20 million(US$13.93 million).
Bowen on Monday said all diplomacy came at a cost, and the summit would improve Australia’s credentials in the region at a time of geostrategic competition.
“It is a good spend of Australia’s taxpayer money. This is our most important diplomatic engagement in the Pacific, certainly this term [and] probably for longer than this term,” he said.
“Diplomacy does come at a cost … You can choose to lecture the region that climate change isn’t an important priority, or you can work with the region on the important issue of climate change.
“That does come at a cost, but it improves Australia’s, frankly, standing in the region, which is so important in this difficult geopolitical time.”
The Albanese government had declared its intention to draw global attention to the Pacific’s climate plight by hosting a concurrent leaders event in Tuvalu, but has since struggled to secure high-profile RSVPs amid a packed international conference calendar.
Speakers at the summit include former prime minister Julia Gillard and former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, according to the event’s programme.
Current New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon is not expected to travel to the pre-COP, with the government in caretaker mode before national elections in November.
Pacific leaders have expressed disappointment with the low turnout of world leaders, as well as a decision last week by the NSW government to approve a 19-year extension of Yancoal Australia and Glencore’s huge HVO coal mine in the Hunter Valley.
Vanuatu Climate Minister Ralph Regenvanu called the decision “deeply disappointing”, while Fiji’s Climate Change Minister Lynda Tabuya said Bowen had been part of a “very frank discussion” on the issue at a meeting of Pacific ministers on Monday.
Bowen said that the Pacific criticism was legitimate, but needed to be viewed in the context of Australia’s broader efforts to transition away from fossil fuels and replace them with renewable energy.
“We’re a family, and families express views to each other,” he told the ABC. “The Vanuatu minister said to me not long ago [that] we are Pacific brothers, and brothers hold each other to high standards, and that’s perfectly fine.”
Regenvanu said on Friday that Pacific leaders had been hoping more leaders would attend.
“We were hoping for more,” he told Reuters. “It just reflects the lack of attention and priority given to what Pacific nations consider the greatest threat to their future.”
Bowen on Monday unveiled a $7 million(US$4,87 million) grant to fund renewable energy projects in the Pacific, as well as a new agreement with Vanuatu to boost local technical capacity for solar energy and other clean energy infrastructure.
The grant is part of a $50 million(US$30 million) fund, known as the Australia-Pacific Partnership for Energy Transition.
Coalition opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan said the event had “become a farce”.
“We’ve got the prime minister leaving the country in a cost-of-living crisis to attend a leaders’ event, and we think there might be seven or eight leaders there – we don’t know,” he said.
“It’s very hard to see how this, in any way, is getting value for money for the Australian taxpayer, and the reason we know that is because the government won’t come clean with the costs.”….PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS 3: Tue 06 Oct 2026
‘The Pacific is not a sacrifice zone’ : Youth call for climate action
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI TIMES)—-Pacific youth are calling for meaningful involvement in climate negotiations, respect for their red lines and climate support that reaches frontline communites.
Miliana Iga has ushered strong sentiments at the opening of the Pre-COP31 held in Nadi Monday.
“The Pacific is not a sacrifice zone and no price can capture the loss of our land, language and culture”, says Iga.
She said the Pacific’s 1.5 degrees Celsius target is a survival threshold, while warning that false solutions and activities such as deep-sea mining cannot be presented as answers to the climate crisis.
Iga said Pacific youth are ready to lead and are already developing solutions to address climate change, but they need to be included in existing systems of decision-making.
“Young people do not need separate systems. We need to be included and we want to be included in the systems that currently exist,” she said.
She also called on governments, negotiators and institutions to listen to frontline communities and recognise the knowledge and leadership they bring to climate discussions.
Iga said communities should not have to share their pain and experiences simply to be believed, particularly when many are already dealing with the impacts of climate change.
She urged leaders and chief negotiators attending Pre-COP31 to carry the stories and experiences shared in Fiji into the COP31 negotiations, saying the people and relationships behind the negotiating text must not be forgotten.
“The time to act is now, as in right now, not the future,” Iga said…PACNEWS
FIJI – REFERENDUM: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Fiji Opposition leader Seruiratu questions 09 December referendum date
SUVA, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Fiji Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu has questioned the Government’s decision to set 09 December 2026 as the date for a constitutional referendum, saying Parliament has yet to complete consideration of the Constitution Amendment Bill.
The Bill passed its second reading on 02 October and has been referred to an 11-member Special Parliamentary Committee for public consultation before it returns to Parliament for its third reading.
Seruiratu said announcing a referendum date before Parliament had completed the legislative process was premature.
“The Prime Minister’s announcement that a national referendum will be held on 09 December 2026 is premature and amounts to putting the cart before the horse when Parliament itself has not completed consideration of the Constitution Amendment Bill,” he said.
He said the Special Select Committee must be allowed to hear public submissions, consider them and recommend amendments where necessary before Parliament makes its final decision.
“What then is the basis for announcing 9 December as the referendum date when Parliament has not even determined the final form of the Constitution Amendment Bill?” Seruiratu asked.
Under Fiji’s constitutional amendment process, the Bill must complete its parliamentary stages before it can proceed to a referendum. Parliament’s information on referendums states that the Bill must receive the required parliamentary support before it is referred for a vote by registered voters.
The Opposition Leader also criticised Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s request to the Electoral Commission to suspend general election campaigning until after the referendum.
Rabuka has confirmed he has written to the Supervisor of Elections seeking the suspension of general election campaigning until the referendum process is completed.
Seruiratu said political parties and candidates should be able to continue engaging with voters ahead of the General Election.
“The general election campaign period is already underway. Fiji is only months away from a General Election and political parties and candidates have a legitimate democratic role in engaging with voters.
“To seek the suspension of political campaigning at this stage amounts to a strangulation of the legitimate activities of political parties at precisely the time when they should be engaging most actively with the people,” he said.
He questioned why political parties should be prevented from campaigning on issues including the cost of living, health, education, employment, infrastructure and governance.
“Why is the Prime Minister seeking to suppress political campaigning?
“Why should political parties be prevented from speaking to voters about the cost of living, health services, education, employment, infrastructure, governance and the many other issues upon which the Government must be held accountable simply because the Government has decided to pursue a referendum,?” Seruiratu asked.
The Electoral Commission is required to consider whether general election campaigning should be suspended during the referendum campaign period under the National Referendum Act.
Seruiratu said the Commission must make its decision independently and in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
“The Opposition therefore expects the Commission to independently consider the Prime Minister’s request and to make its decision strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without political pressure or interference,” he said.
He also called on the Government to explain the legal basis for suspending election campaigning and the implications for political parties, candidates and voters.
Seruiratu said the referendum and General Election were separate democratic processes and should not be allowed to interfere with each other.
“A referendum on constitutional reform and a General Election are separate democratic processes. One should not be used as justification to silence, restrict or place on hold the other,” he said.
“The Opposition supports the right of the people to participate meaningfully in decisions concerning their Constitution.”
He said that participation required Parliament to complete its constitutional process while allowing the public and political parties to engage freely in the democratic process….PACNEWS
B/VILLE – CONSTITUTION: ABG GOVT PACNEWS 3: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Bougainville Constituent Assembly continues deliberations on draft Constitution
BUKA, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (ABG GOVT)—The Bougainville Constituent Assembly (BCA) has continued its deliberations on the draft Constitution for the proposed new nation, the Republic of North Solomons.
The meeting, held last week, was the sixth convening of the BCA since the Bougainville House of Representatives (BHOR) received the final draft Constitution in 2025 and was constituted as the Constituent Assembly.
The meeting was chaired by BCA Chairman Hon. Simon Pentanu and attended by all elected members of the BHOR, including the President, as well as six appointed members who are Commissioners of the Bougainville Constitutional Planning Commission (BCPC), representing the three regions of Bougainville.
Vice President and Minister for Bougainville Independence Mission Implementation and Attorney General Ezekiel Masatt said the meeting provided BCA members with an opportunity to continue their consideration of the draft Constitution through a workshop with the legal team ahead of the formal debate.
Minister Masatt said the BCA had previously completed discussions on the first three chapters of the draft Constitution and that the latest workshop focused on the remaining seven chapters.
The BCA Secretariat, comprising the Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the Bougainville Parliament and the Secretaries of the ABG Department of Justice and the Department of Bougainville Independence Mission, led the review and discussions.
BCPC Commissioners appointed to the BCA also supported the Secretariat by providing explanations and technical input on the remaining chapters.
The workshop provided an opportunity for members to raise questions, seek clarification and propose areas for further consideration, including possible improvements and additions to the draft Constitution.
The BCA resolved to reconvene at a date to be determined to commence formal debate on the draft Constitution.
The Constitution-making process forms part of the ABG’s three-pronged strategy towards achieving its political aspirations for independence….PACNEWS
SAMOA – POLITICS: SAMOA OBSERVER PACNEWS 3: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Samoa PM apologises for 2007 “Heil Hitler” video gesture
APIA, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (SAMOA OBSERVER)—Samoa Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt has apologised for a historical video in which he used the term “Heil Hitler”.
“I have been made aware of historical video footage reported in the media relating to a private family gathering in Savai’i in 2007,” he said in a statement.
“The footage shows me using the words ‘Heil Hitler’ and participating in a gesture associated with Nazi Germany in a private family gathering – not intended for the public.
“Whatever the context or intention at that gathering twenty years ago, I recognise that those words and gesture were inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt and I apologise for using them,” said.
The statement follows a report by the Samoa Observer newspaper of the video which was taken during a family gathering in Safotu village, Savaii in 2007.
“I reject Nazism, antisemitism, racism and all forms of political extremism,” La’auli said in his statement.
“They do not reflect my personal beliefs, nor the values of the Government or people of Samoa as in the public record of statements I made since becoming Prime Minister.”
He said Samoa is a constitutional democracy founded upon respect for human dignity, the rule of law, its traditional institutions and freedom of expression.
“My government remains committed to those principles.”
“In June this year, we celebrated and honoured our national heroes and leaders who fought and died for our country’s independence from colonial rule. We continue to celebrate the strength of our culture that identify and unite us as a people and as a sovereign and independent nation.
“I respect that those of us who hold public office, and where criticism is justified, we must be prepared to listen and take responsibility.
“Our country faces important economic and social challenges. My responsibility as Prime Minister is to continue the work already laid out to strengthen our economy, creating opportunities for our people and serving all of Samoa.”
The Prime Minister said that he considers the matter is addressed.
Meanwhile, the Samoa Observer has been banned since November 2025 from all government press conferences and events…PACNEWS
B/VILLE – EDUCATION/ELNINO: ABG GOVT PACNEWS 3: Tue 06 Oct 2026
ABG Education Department adjusts school hours in response to El Niño
BUKA, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (ABG GOVT)—-The ABG Department of Education has introduced temporary changes to school arrangements in response to the impacts of the El Niño situation across Bougainville.
Under Secretary’s Circular Instruction No. 11/2026, schools in North Bougainville will conduct classes from 9.00am to 12.00 noon, effective 28 September 2026.
ABG Education Secretary Dorothy Kenneth said the measures were necessary to protect students and teachers while maintaining continuity in learning.
“The effects of El Niño are already evident in schools in the Region in terms of drought, water shortage, food insecurity, heat, continuous rain and flooding, resulting in shorter instructional hours,” she said.
“During this time, it is critically important to keep students safe, keep learning going, and protect school operations.”
The Department said the impacts vary across Bougainville, with North Bougainville experiencing dry conditions and serious water shortages, while parts of South Bougainville have reported continuous rain and flooding. Central Bougainville has not reported similar impacts at this stage.
The Bougainville Education Board, at its special meeting on 26 September, delegated authority to the Secretary to approve half-day classes in response to the El Niño situation.
Secretary Kenneth said the arrangements followed requests from affected schools to maintain learning while addressing water and safety concerns.
“Requests have been made to the Office of the Secretary for half a day of classes to be conducted to ensure continuity in learning but also consider the safety and welfare of students and teachers.”
Students will leave school grounds by 12.00 noon and will receive take-home learning activities each day. Teachers will use the afternoon to organise water supplies for their families.
Schools in South and Central Bougainville experiencing similar El Niño impacts may also adopt the half-day arrangement, subject to reports from Head Teachers, District Education Officers and/or Church Agencies.
The Department has also suspended outdoor activities during instructional hours, including Physical Education, Practical Agriculture and work parades. School carnivals, bazaars and fetes are also suspended during the El Niño period.
Schools have also been instructed to establish a School El Niño Committee, designate a focal point and maintain Standard Operating Procedures for responding to El Niño impacts.
Minimum requirements include two litres of water per student per day, functional and clean toilets, shaded or cool areas, and access to oral rehydration salts and first aid kits. Schools must also provide weekly reports to the Department through District Education Officers.
Secretary Kenneth said the measures are intended to ensure schools remain safe while education continues.
“This is first and foremost to ensure the safety of all students and teachers during the El Niño period whilst ensuring continuity in teaching and learning.”
The arrangements will apply for one month and will be reviewed based on reports submitted by schools. The Circular Instruction is scheduled to cease at 5.06pm on 28 October 2026, unless otherwise determined.
The Department of Education has called on School Boards, school administrations, teachers, students, parents and education agencies to comply with the arrangements….PACNEWS
PAC – KING HONOURS: PMN PACNEWS 3: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Pacific leaders, athletes and community champs formally receive their King’s Birthday honours
AUCKLAND, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PMN)—Seven Pacific community leaders, athletes, educators and advocates have now formally received their national honours.
The group has been recognised for their services to their communities at investiture ceremonies hosted by Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro.
The recipients were among this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list, which PMN News reported when they were announced.
They have now received the insignia marking their honours at Government House Auckland.
Dame Cindy says the honours recognise people whose service has made a lasting difference.
“The New Zealand Honours system recognises those whose actions, leadership and service have had a lasting impact on our communities and country.”
The Governor-General also thanked the recipients for their contribution.
“It has been a privilege to hear your stories and we thank you for your steadfast commitment to your communities and our country,” she said.
Among them is Pacific fashion pioneer Talaleomalie Mena Loheni, who was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Pacific fashion.
Loheni founded Mena Designs in Sāmoa before expanding the business to New Zealand.
The brand became well known in Pacific communities and was showcased internationally.
At New Zealand Fashion Week, Mena International became the first Pacific business to feature.
Loheni’s work has also included supporting sports, community organisations, and relief efforts in Sāmoa.
Former Black Fern Vania Wolfgramm also received an MNZM for services to rugby.
Wolfgramm represented New Zealand in XVs and sevens and played 45 matches for Auckland in the Farah Palmer Cup.
She later moved into rugby development to help shape programmes like Ako Wāhine and Teine Toa, as well as a Pasifika Cultural Competency programme.
Wolfgramm also helped establish the Pacific Aotearoa Cup and supports the growth of Pacific grassroots rugby.
Community leader Kathleen Tuai-Ta’ufo’ou was recognised with an MNZM for services to the Pacific community.
As chief executive of SIAOLA, she has worked across family violence prevention, Whānau Ora, mentoring, financial literacy and housing.
Her organisation helped more than 100 families into home ownership and supported 1500 people to secure driver licences.
During the Covid-19 pandemic and severe weather events, she helped establish a Tongan-focused community hub that supported vaccination and food distribution.
Olympian and former New Zealand Trade Commissioner, Beatrice Faumuinā, received a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to sports and governance.
Faumuinā represented New Zealand at four Olympic Games, five Commonwealth Games and six World Athletics Championships before moving into trade, governance, and sports leadership roles.
Her work has included serving on the New Zealand Olympic Committee and as a director of Sport New Zealand.
For Niuean communities, educator Tina O’Halloran received an MNZM for services to education and the Niuean community.
One of the first Niuean primary school teachers, O’Halloran has spent decades supporting Vagahau Niue through teaching, community language classes, and the development of learning resources.
She has also worked on language research and resources aimed at helping keep the language alive in New Zealand.
Tongan language advocate Fane Fusipongi Ketu’u was also made an MNZM and recognised for more than 40 years of service to Tongan language education.
As Tonga Stage Coordinator for ASB Polyfest, Ketu’u has taught tens of thousands of students the Tongan dance, music and language and helped develop Lea Faka-Tonga achievement standards and pathways into NCEA and tertiary education.
Former Kiwis captain Lemalu Freddie Ah Kuoi received an MNZM for services to rugby league and the community.
Ah Kuoi played 28 tests for New Zealand and captained the Kiwis in the 1980s, which included the historic 3-0 series win over the touring Lions.
His community work has continued through the Richmond Rugby League Academy and the WAI-Who Am I programme, which supports young people through mentoring, physical training and life coaching.
The seven recipients have now officially received the honours that recognise not only achievement but years of service to Pacific communities across sports, language, education, business, and community life…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS/SOL GOVT PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Financing our own resilience does not mean doing it alone:Solomon Islands Climate Change Minister
NADI, 0
6 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS/SOL GOVT) —- Pacific countries must take greater ownership of building climate resilience while developed nations meet their responsibility to provide adequate and accessible climate finance, Solomon Islands Environment and Climate Change Minister Wayne Ghemu says.
Speaking at a Pre-COP31 side event in Nadi, Ghemu said stronger national financial systems were essential to ensuring climate resources reached national priorities and communities most exposed to climate change.
“Financing our own resilience does not mean financing resilience on our own,” Ghemu said.
He said Pacific countries were strengthening the way they manage and track climate finance, including through reforms such as climate budget tagging.
Climate budget tagging allows governments to identify and track climate-related spending and better connect national climate priorities with planning and budget decisions.
Ghemu said linking climate budget tagging with integrated vulnerability assessments could give governments a clearer picture of the needs of vulnerable communities when making investment decisions.
“This includes connecting climate budget tagging with integrated vulnerability assessments, helping bring greater visibility to the realities faced by vulnerable communities when national investment decisions are made,” he said.
Ghemu said these measures demonstrated Pacific leadership and greater national ownership of climate resilience.
However, he stressed that taking greater responsibility for domestic systems must not be interpreted as shifting the burden of climate change onto Pacific countries that have contributed little to global emissions.
“The international community must continue to meet its responsibility to provide climate financing that is adequate, predictable and accessible for vulnerable countries like ours that are at the frontline of climate change,” he said.
Ghemu also highlighted efforts to develop a regional Pacific climate finance taxonomy.
He said the taxonomy could provide a common understanding of climate-related expenditure and investment across the region, while strengthening the evidence available to support Pacific advocacy for climate finance.
The Minister said Pacific governments needed to be more firmly in control of their resilience priorities while ensuring international finance was aligned with those priorities.
He said stronger national systems and international climate finance should work together to ensure resources were directed to where they were most needed.
“The goal is to put Pacific governments more firmly in the driver’s seat of their own resilience,” Ghemu said….PACNEWS
PAC – ILLEGAL FISHING: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Stronger international cooperation ‘needed’ to fight illegal fishing
NEW YORK, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL)—Papua New Guinea has called for stronger international cooperation, technology-driven surveillance and enforcement to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, says Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko.
Tkatchenko said this during a panel discussion on the margins of the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York with his counterparts from Liberia and Peru.
He highlighted PNG’s extensive maritime domain, rich marine biodiversity and significant fisheries resources, noting that its large Exclusive Economic Zone made PNG an important contributor to the Pacific fisheries economy and global tuna supply.
He said IUU fishing posed challenges to national revenue, food security, livelihoods, environmental sustainability, maritime sovereignty and transnational security, particularly given the scale and geographic complexity of PNG’s maritime domain.
Tkatchenko highlighted concerns regarding the intersection of maritime crime with other forms of transnational organised crime, including narcotics trafficking, underscoring the need for stronger maritime law enforcement and intelligence cooperation across the Pacific.
“PNG is strengthening its maritime surveillance through vessel tracking and maritime intelligence, including data provided through Global Fishing Watch,” he said.
“The establishment of the Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) Command Centre in Daru was also highlighted as an important step in enhancing PNG’s fisheries monitoring and maritime enforcement capabilities.
“IUU fishing cannot be addressed by any country alone and called for stronger cooperation among coastal States, flag States, port States, vessel registries, regional fisheries organisations and international partners.”
The panel identified areas for further cooperation, including greater transparency of vessel ownership and beneficial interests, stronger disincentives for persistent offenders, improved information sharing by vessel registries, and the use of predictive analysis to connect fisheries monitoring with wider maritime security and counter-narcotics efforts.
“Protecting our oceans requires collective responsibility. PNG stands ready to work with our partners to ensure that our marine resources are protected, our maritime sovereignty is respected, and our fisheries continue to support our people and future generations,” Tkatchenko said….PACNEWS
PNG – CURRENCY: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Kina convertibility must work for PNG: Nomane
PORT MORESBY, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL) —Kina convertibility must not become a cover for permanent depreciation, Papua New Guinea Opposition Leader James Nomane says.
Nomane acknowledge a recent comment by Treasurer Ian Ling Stuckey that the Kina was nearing “convertibility”, which means easier access to foreign currency, without queues or rationing.
He said that while this was a genuine gain, “convertibility is not strength”.
“A Kina you can exchange is not a Kina that buys,” he said.
“Convertibility must work for the people, not just the balance sheet.
“On 30 September, this year, the Kina bought just US$0.187 at Bank South Pacific, down from about US$0.28 in September 2024.
“That is a fall of roughly one-third in two years.
“Every bag of rice, every litre of fuel, every box of medicine now costs more for families already stretched thin.
“The crawl-peg, a policy of letting the Kina fall gradually, was meant to correct an overvalued currency and clear foreign-exchange shortages.
“The IMF says the backlog has eased. The World Bank, however, names depreciation as a driver of inflation.
“One problem was solved by handing another to households.
“Who gains? Exporters earning US dollars, from resource companies to village farmers, and investors repatriating dividends.
“Who pays? Wage earners, small businesses and families whose incomes lag behind prices. Government needs more Kina to service the same US-dollar debt.
“Creditors are protected; Papua New Guinea carries the risk.
“Nor can a trade-weighted index rescue the policy.
“Resource earnings stay offshore, trade is invoiced in US dollars, trade data is outdated and imported inflation tracks dollar commodities.
“A smooth index cannot measure a distorted market.
“The deeper failure is fiscal. Deficits, debt and weak diversification magnified the pain, and reform came without government discipline. It never needed to be this painful. “
Nomane said that the way out for PNG was a stronger economy, not an artificially strong exchange rate.
He said: “Slow the crawl when inflation threatens households.
“Publish the crawl, trading band and FX data.
“Protect food, fuel and medicines. Cut waste and borrowing. Deepen the interbank market.
“And secure a major resource project, because years of absent foreign investment have starved the recovery.
“IMF and World Bank reforms must pass one test: do they deliver jobs, purchasing power and better living standards?
“Not a currency that merely trades, but a currency that works.
“Convertibility must work for the people, not just the balance sheet,” he said….PACNEWS
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
From pledges to people: Where does Adaptation Finance actually land?
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)—For a coastal village in Fiji waiting to move to higher ground, the question is not how many billions are pledged at global talks, but how long does that money take to arrive.
That was the key question Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Dr Sivendra Michael, in his opening address to development partners at a high-level Climate Finance session on Scaling Adaptation Finance for the Blue Pacific.
The Pre-COP side event was co-hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP); who are also partner Accredited Entities to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) under the Regional Programmatic Approach to Climate Action or RPACA – co-chaired by the Governments of the Cook Islands and Palau.
Dr Michael encouraged partners and stakeholders to move beyond approved projects as a measure of access to climate finance; and actually monitor “time to community” or “time to impact”.
‘How long did it take for a particular financing arrangement to go from inception to result on the ground? This is how we differentiate between finance that works and finance that drains.”
Pacific Islands produce less than 0.03 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, they face some of the world’s highest climate risks and receive only a small share of global adaptation finance.
UNEP’s latest Adaptation Gap Report puts developing countries’ adaptation needs at roughly twelve times the international public finance now flowing. Permanent Secretary Michael said dozens of Fijian communities have been identified for planned relocation, with each move costing millions and taking years.
“That is the nature of adaptation: enormous social and economic value, but little conventional financial return. So the financing architecture must be built to fit adaptation, not expect adaptation to fit the architecture.”
Dr Michael’s remarks set the tone for a panel discussion moderated by SPC’s Director Climate Change and Sustainability, Coral Pasisi; with interventions from ADB’s Director General Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Eugenue Zhukov, the GCF’s Director of Governance Affairs and Secretary to the Board, Artur Cardoso de Lacerda, and Palau’s National Climate Change Coordinator and Head of Office of Climate Change under the President’s Office, Xavier Matsutaro.
Both multilateral funding partners agreed on the need to address fragmented financing and shared examples of reforms within their organisations; and enabling activities to strengthen predictable and simplified access to climate finance through upstream, midstream and downstream measures.
As co-chair of RPACA, Matsutaro emphasised RPACA as a programmatic approach that was already challenging the way in which climate finance could be accessed by the region at scale; and called for its timely approval.
Matsutaro shared, “fragmented short-term projects limit the effectiveness of adaptation. Programmatic approaches provide continuity and enable efforts that require time to address, such as community relocation and climate resilience development.”
Closing the session, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Director General, Mr Sefanaia Nawadra said the problem was “not commitment – it is how finance reaches us.” He welcomed signs of change from the ADB and the Green Climate Fund. But he warned that regional priorities endorsed by Pacific Leaders were falling through the gaps.
Weather Ready Pacific, a programmatic initiative endorsed by leaders in 2021 and led by SPREP; builds the early warning, weather and climate services every Pacific country relies on, yet still faces a financing gap of around US$160 million.
“The region’s meteorological directors and ministers stopped waiting”, he said. “Basically, they got fed up of chasing money, so they decided to come up with a costed strategy.”
Nawadra urged climate funds to stop “asking the same countries to prove themselves twice”, in relation to repetitive needs to meet accreditation standards; including fiduciary standards vetted simultaneously across different multilateral funds. He reiterated Dr Michael’s opening address, saying the test of reform before COP31 should come down to one question – ‘Is finance reaching our communities faster?”
“The Pacific is not asking for special treatment. We are asking for a system that fits our realities.”
The discussions and outcomes from Pre-COP will shape the Pacific’s agenda for COP31.
From 05-08 October, Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia are partnering to deliver the official COP31 pre-COP ministerial meeting and Leaders’ event. Attendance at Pre-COP is expected to include leaders, ministers, senior representatives and officials from invited countries, Türkiye, UN representatives and selected observers.
Stakeholder programming is also expected to include civil society, private sector, academia, First Nations, youth and community organisations….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Palau’s balancing act amid its growing leadership role in the region
By Alex J. Rhowuniong
KOROR, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES)—On the map, Palau may appear like just a collection of isles in a vast blue ocean. But maps don’t always depict the real picture. Palau is a sovereign country, a nation of people defined by a rich culture, traditional values and strong relationships.
Approximately 17,600 people live in this island nation. Its fragile $347 million economy is dependent on tourism.
Palau may be small—very small—but as it marks its 32nd Independence Day this month, Palau’s reputation looms large in the global landscape. In September, Palau hosted the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, drawing hundreds of delegates from neighboring island nations and territories.
“(Our parents and grandparents) have shown us and continue to inspire us on what we must do to keep our relationship strong,” Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr said.
He is often seen fishing with his wife, Valerie Whipps, and posing with his catch on social media. “We may have challenges; however, if we put God in the centre of our home, we can weather life’s challenges,” Whipps said.
As Palau’s president, Whipps navigates the challenges of geopolitics. He stands up to China, resists the communist regime’s pressure and maintains Palau’s strong ties with Taiwan.
Palau is freely associated with the United States under the Compact of Free Association, which establishes their security agreements.
But through a Micronesian lens, something deeper is happening. This is not simply about the rivalry between Washington and Beijing. It is about something much more basic: Who gets to decide what happens in your own home?
In his opening remarks at the Forum meeting in Koror on 01 September, Whipps drew the line at partnerships with nations with strategic interests in the region.
“Our partners are welcome to sail with us,” said Whipps, who chairs the Forum.
“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.” For large countries, sovereignty is often discussed in terms of military capability, economic strength and geopolitical influence.
For an island nation, sovereignty is much more personal. It means deciding who enters your waters, determining how your land and resources are used, choosing your diplomatic relationships and ultimately having the ability to say: “This is our home. We have a right to decide its future.”
That is what makes Palau’s relationship with Taiwan significant. Palau is one of the three remaining Pacific countries diplomatically tied to Taiwan.
Despite China’s decision to blacklist Palau as a travel destination for its citizens, Whipps remains unfazed. He has continued to defend Palau’s relationship with Taiwan amid diplomatic and economic pressures that accompany such a position.
Viewed from outside the Pacific, that may look like another move on a geopolitical chessboard. Viewed from the islands, it means something much simpler: the right to choose. That distinction matters throughout Micronesia.
The Pacific is increasingly an arena where major powers compete for strategic access, diplomatic influence, economic relationships and security partnerships.
The United States has longstanding relationships with Micronesian nations. China has expanded its presence across the region, while Australia, Japan, New Zealand and others maintain their own regional interests.
Island nations sit in the middle of all this—courted, supported and sometimes pressured. At times, they are treated as though their greatest importance is their geography. Palau knows this reality. Its location gives it strategic significance far beyond its size.
Its waters, airspace and tourism industry matter. But to the people who live there, Palau is not a strategic location; it is home.
Whipps attributes his tenacity to his father.
“My father, Rekemesik Surangel Whipps, was a man of iron will and immense heart. He was strict, but that discipline was the scaffolding he built so we could grow straight and true. He pushed us to be our best because he saw something in us long before we ever saw it in ourselves.”
“Whether he was teaching us to swim in strong currents or fish in the deep, he was really teaching us how to navigate life: with courage, resilience and faith,” Whipps added. The ocean surrounding Palau is not simply blue space on a military map. It is where people fish, travel, work and live. It carries culture, history and generations of knowledge.
“(My father) was the kindest, most humble and hardworking person I have ever known. He reminded us often that this life is temporary—we are only passing through,” he said.
Before entering national politics, Whipps worked in the private sector, helping lead his family business, Surangel & Sons Company. He later served in the Palau Senate before winning the presidency in 2020 and securing a second term in 2024. An islander understands something a distant geopolitical analyst can easily forget: the ocean does not merely separate the islands—it connects them.
“Our ocean has always made small islands into a large community, or small islands into a large community of big ocean states. It does not recognise our borders and neither should our stewardship of it,” Whipps said in his speech at the Forum meeting. “Long before ocean stewardship became a global cause, it was simply who we were.”
Palau maintains relationships with other nations without surrendering its independence. It accepts assistance while insisting that Palauans retain final authority over Palauan affairs.
That balancing act is not easy, but perhaps that is precisely what small Pacific nations have always had to learn. The question is not whether Palau can defeat a great power—it cannot.
The question is whether Palau can remain Palau as it navigates a region increasingly shaped by great-power competition.
The Pacific is not merely a chessboard. The pieces have names, languages, ancestors, cultures and homes. Palau is one of them. Its sovereignty is not measured by population, military strength or economic size. Sovereignty is simply the determination of a people to say: “We are here. This is our home. And we have the right to decide what happens here.”…PACNEWS
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Global goals, Pacific perspectives: What a dashboard can tell us about sustainable development
NOUMEA, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (SPC)—From access to clean water and education, to health status, inequality and climate action, tracking sustainable development means making sense of a vast body of evidence. A Pacific Data Hub dashboard is helping its users see the progress being made and where more attention is needed.
The Pacific Community (SPC) and Pacific Data Hub have released an upgraded dashboard for tracking the internationally adopted Sustainable Development Goals, significantly expanding the data available and improving how they can be explored, compared and understood.
Incorporating the full, global Sustainable Development Goals indicator framework with additional data from Pacific Island countries and territories, the revised dashboard provides a more comprehensive and transparent picture of development across the region.
Supported by a major update to the underlying data system, it also aligns the way the information is organised with the official United Nations structure, providing a clearer connection between national, regional and international reporting.
“The updated Pacific SDG Dashboard transforms thousands of data points into clear insights,” said Ms Alison Culpin, Statistics Adviser in the Strategic Use of Indicators with SPC. “Bringing Pacific data together into one place, it helps users explore development trends to monitor progress at national and regional levels, while making the different sources of information clear.”
International reporting, national realities
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, cover many of the defining issues facing Pacific Island countries and territories, including poverty, health, education, gender equality, economic development, ocean health, climate action and financing.
Tracking progress across such a broad agenda produces an enormous volume of information. Data may come from national statistical offices, regional organisations or international reporting systems, and may differ in their coverage or level of detail.
The enhanced dashboard expands the range of visualisations available for official SDG indicators reported through the UN global monitoring framework, providing users with greater access to internationally comparable data.
At the same time, the Pacific Data Hub’s .Stat Explorer continues to make available additional country- or territory-level data, clearly distinguishing between official SDG reporting and locally sourced information. Supporting metadata, including indicator definitions, methodologies and sources, help users better understand and interpret data.
“A global indicator can tell us part of the story, but countries and territories often hold even more detailed information about their own circumstances,” said Culpin.
“Showing the two sources distinctly gives users a broader view, including breakdowns that reflect national situations and priorities, while making clear where each figure has come from.”
A single entry point to regional data
Like other tools of the Pacific Data Hub, the SDG Dashboard is intended for a wide range of users, from decision-makers and analysts, to a broad cross-section of the public.
National policymakers and planners can draw on it when monitoring development priorities. Government ministries can find indicators related to the outcomes they oversee.
Regional and international organisations and development partners can use more consistently organised data for cross-country analysis, reporting and policy coordination.
School-aged learners, university students and researchers can use it for analysis.
And for national statistical offices and data producers, the Pacific Data Hub serves as a regional ‘front door’ to data, providing a digital platform, context and comparisons, and a broad reach.
Built for the future
Much of the work behind the update will not be immediately visible on screen.
Because the Pacific Data Hub now uses the same indicator codes, classifications and supporting information as the official United Nations framework, it will be easier to incorporate future changes to the global framework, and to exchange information between national, regional and international systems.
More of the updating process can also be automated, helping new information reach the dashboard more efficiently and reducing the amount of manual work required to maintain it.
“The Sustainable Development Goals will continue to evolve, and the data will continue to change,” Culpin said. “This work puts the Pacific Data Hub in a stronger position for when international reporting requirements are revised.”
The Pacific Data Hub is financially supported by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade…PACNEWS
For more information on this story, contact Ben Campion, Communications Adviser, Statistics for Development Division, Pacific Community (SPC)……PACNEWS
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
‘The clock on AI regulation is ticking’, warns UN rights chief
OXFORD, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) —The world is running out of time to put guardrails on artificial intelligence, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned Monday, as a “ruthless race” between companies and countries raises concerns about human safety and even humanity’s survival.
Speaking in the UK at an AI and Human Rights Summit in Oxford on Monday, Mr. Türk said the technology could deliver dazzling advances in science, health, education – and even human rights work.
But its tools are being built and controlled by a select few, without public oversight, and are already doing things their creators cannot fully predict or manage.
Dystopia-creep
He warned that AI could undermine equality, freedom, privacy and public debate in subtle ways, “letting dystopia creep in unnoticed”. Entire populations could be cut off from communication, clean water, heating and financial services “at the click of a button”.
He called for urgent action to prohibit machines from deciding who lives and who dies, noting that AI is already changing the face of warfare.
He also cited studies showing students who rely on AI retain less and think less independently, and asked whether the world is heading for a future in which no one can understand, question or even guide the technology.
As the UN rights chief was addressing the summit in the UK, New York City Council – home to the financial heart of the US economy – was also holding a rare Committee of the Whole to examine AI risks to New Yorkers.
The council is considering 10 bills to regulate AI across the nation’s largest city, with testimony from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Meta.
Mandatory safeguards
Türk called for mandatory human rights safeguards and due diligence in how AI is developed and used, adapted as the technology evolves. Countries that host AI companies, or have influence over their supply chains, must require them to act responsibly and hold them to account when they do not, he said.
Not every answer lies in existing law and some areas will need new legal approaches, he added. But updating rules on liability, cybersecurity and data protection could offer protection in the meantime.
He also urged stronger collaboration on security and independent monitoring within the industry – “not in words, but in practice” – and a bigger say for civil society and people whose rights are affected.
“We can no longer afford to wait or rely on goodwill,” he said.
Some momentum
Türk welcomed the creation of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI – both UN initiatives – along with a joint call for tighter control of frontier AI models backed by 29 States and the European Union.
He also said AI industry leaders had taken new steps last week on safeguards, self-regulation and risk assessment – apparently a reference to a voluntary accord signed at the White House on 29 September by President Donald Trump and the heads of six AI companies.
It carries no penalties for firms that ignore it, with President Trump describing it as “morally binding”.
‘Walk the talk’
“Too few are walking the talk”, said the rights chief, who wrote to States and frontier AI companies three weeks ago urging them to act now to reduce risks.
“If we fail to move quickly, we risk unforeseeable consequences – for ourselves and future generations,” he said…..PACNEWS
