In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — New Zealand scores poorly on health protection in climate plans, Timor-Leste among top performers
2. PACIFIC — SPC climate programme records US$129.9 million in new funding approvals
3. FIJI — Fiji PM Rabuka urges public to participate in Constitution Bill consultations
4. VAN — Mandatory HIV testing at Vanuatu airport would undermine human rights: Dr Vocor
5. FIJI — Fiji Women’s Rights Movement challenges immunity and executive power
6. VAN — Vanuatu PM rejects reports of plans to increase Australian police presence
7. CNMI — Northern Marianas governor backs nuclear power for the U.S territory
8. NZ— Leaders spar as NZ election remains too close to call
9. COOKS — NZ Army service brings Staff Sergeant back to Penrhyn
10. PACNEWS BIZ — Vanuatu Government to consult kava industry over new Fiji import regulations
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Rates remain unchanged: Water PNG
12. PACNEWS BIZ — World Bank and IFAD to scale up co-investment in rural economies and food systems
13. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Opinion: The role of Indigenous and Pacific communities in upholding the integrity of global carbon markets
14. PACNEWS DIGEST — Samoa mobilises stakeholders to bridge climate and health evidence gaps
15. PACNEWS DIGEST — SPC and Auckland University of Technology strengthen partnership for Pacific-led research and innovation
PAC – CLIMATE CHANGE/HEALTH: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 15 Oct 2026
New Zealand scores poorly on health protection in climate plans, Timor-Leste among top performers
By Pita Ligaiula
BONN, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—New Zealand has scored among the lowest countries globally for integrating public health into its climate plan, while Timor-Leste ranks among the top five performers, according to a new global scorecard assessing countries’ climate commitments.
The 2026 Healthy Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Scorecard, released by the Global Climate and Health Alliance, gave New Zealand just two points out of a possible 32, highlighting limited recognition of the links between climate change and human health.
In contrast, Timor-Leste scored 22 points, placing it among the five highest-ranked countries alongside Colombia, Nigeria, Cambodia and Paraguay.
The scorecard assessed the climate plans of 132 countries submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change before 01 August 2026.
Colombia topped the rankings with 29 points, followed by Nigeria with 25 and Cambodia with 24. Paraguay and Timor-Leste each scored 22 points.
The report found that 19 of the 20 highest-scoring countries were low- and middle-income economies, reflecting the extent to which many countries facing climate impacts are incorporating health considerations into their national climate planning.
However, the alliance warned that several major greenhouse gas emitters were failing to match their recognition of health risks with sufficiently ambitious emissions reduction targets.
Japan and India also scored just two points, while South Korea received four, Russia six and Brazil seven. Australia, China and the United Kingdom each scored nine points out of 32.
The European Union scored 12 points, but the report said its climate commitments did not match the level of emissions reductions needed to protect public health.
The scorecard also found that only five countries – Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay had set targets to reduce black carbon, a pollutant that contributes to global warming and causes serious health harm through air pollution.
Dr Nova Tebbe, postdoctoral researcher at the Global Climate and Health Alliance and lead researcher of the study, said governments needed to integrate health considerations more effectively into climate action.
“The human face of climate change has never been more obvious governments must act now to integrate health,” Tebbe said.
The alliance said rapid action to reduce short-lived climate pollutants, including black carbon, methane, hydrofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone, could slow global heating while delivering immediate health benefits and cost savings.
It stressed that these measures must be accompanied by deeper reductions in carbon dioxide emissions to limit long-term warming.
Dr Jeni Miller, executive director of the alliance, said air quality measures were a vital part of effective climate action.
Integrating health and air quality into climate policies would protect populations, strengthen public support for climate action and maximise economic benefits, she said.
The report also highlighted the need for financing to help countries translate climate commitments into action, particularly in developing economies facing high levels of air pollution and growing climate-related health risks.
It cited Nigeria and Nepal as examples of countries that address air pollution in their climate plans but continue to experience exceptionally high rates of air pollution-related mortality.
The alliance said outdoor air quality received less than one percent of development funding, despite air pollution-related health impacts, lost productivity and reduced life expectancy costing the global economy an estimated five percent of gross domestic product.
Jess Beagley, policy lead at the alliance, said developed countries had a responsibility to provide climate finance to developing nations in line with Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement.
She said countries with high historical and current emissions also needed to accelerate pollution reductions to limit climate-related harm.
The alliance identified the COP31 climate summit as an opportunity to strengthen international action on climate finance, public health and emissions reduction.
It warned that inadequate funding for adaptation and health protection could place increasing pressure on healthcare systems as climate hazards intensify.
The scorecard is designed to help governments identify gaps in their climate plans and strengthen policies that reduce emissions, improve air quality and protect public health…..PACNEWS
PAC – CLIMATE CHANGE FLAGSHIP REPORT: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 15 Oct 2026
SPC climate programme records US$129.9 million in new funding approvals
By Pita Ligaiula
SUVA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — The Pacific Community (SPC) secured US$129.9 million in new climate finance approvals in 2025, as its Climate Change Flagship expanded support for Pacific Island countries on climate resilience, fisheries, health and climate justice.
SPC’s 2025 Climate Change Flagship Results Report records 380 results across five areas of climate action, including adaptation and resilience, emissions reduction, loss and damage, climate finance and institutional support.
The programme reached at least 12,607 people through climate-related activities, including 5,186 women and 6,135 men, with 1,286 people recorded without sex-disaggregated data.
“The Pacific is also at the forefront of climate leadership,” said Coral Pasisi, SPC’s Director of Climate Change and Sustainability.
The report highlights growing efforts by Pacific countries to strengthen their climate planning, improve access to funding and build the scientific and technical systems needed to respond to climate risks.
The US$129.9 million in new approvals covered three projects: a US$107 million Green Climate Fund investment to help tuna-dependent Pacific communities and economies adapt to climate change; US$17.89 million to strengthen resilience to climate-related health risks in the Federated States of Micronesia; and a US$5 million Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Co:Lab.
SPC also supported seven Pacific Island countries and territories to update and submit enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2025. They were Niue, Tuvalu, the Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Vanuatu.
NDCs outline countries’ climate commitments under the Paris Agreement and help guide national efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.
The report said SPC’s work on loss and damage also expanded, with scientific surveys in Vanuatu and Kiribati, coastal inundation assessments for Samoa and Tonga, national dialogues and support for Pacific participation in international climate justice processes.
SPC provided technical, scientific and legal advice to Pacific countries participating in the International Court of Justice advisory opinion process on states’ obligations in respect of climate change. The support contributed to 11 written statements, 10 written comments and 13 oral statements submitted or delivered during the process.
The programme also strengthened regional access to climate and environmental data through Digital Earth Pacific, which delivered nine products, involved seven Pacific Island countries and territories in product development and validation, and reached 402 people through capacity development.
The report said these tools could support coastal-risk assessments, ecosystem management, water-resource monitoring and evidence-based planning.
SPC Climate Change Flagship Coordinator Anne-Claire Goarant said the results demonstrated the importance of bringing together technical expertise across different sectors.
“Climate change will remain one of the defining challenges of our generation,” Goarant said.
The report said the programme’s work extended across fisheries, agriculture, health, geoscience, statistics, human rights, ocean science and climate finance, reflecting the wide-ranging effects of climate change on Pacific development.
Adaptation and resilience remained the programme’s largest delivery area in 2025, while reporting on loss and damage and climate security increased substantially. Mitigation activities also expanded through support for emissions-reduction commitments, transparency systems and just-transition planning.
SPC said the results showed progress in building the systems needed for longer-term climate action, although population-level and ecosystem-level impacts were not yet fully measurable.
The report also identified the need to improve the collection of gender-disaggregated data and track how inclusive planning influences programme design and benefits for women, young people, persons with disabilities and communities facing greater climate risks.
SPC said its Climate Change Flagship supports the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent by helping countries strengthen climate and disaster resilience, improve access to finance and make better-informed decisions.
The report acknowledged New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for its anchor investment in the programme, alongside other governments, donors and development partners supporting regional climate action…..PACNEWS
FIJI – CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS 3: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Fiji PM Rabuka urges public to participate in Constitution Bill consultations
SUVA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI TIMES)—Fiji Prime Mi nister Sitiveni Rabuka has stressed the importance of public participation in the constitutional reform process as the Special Committee on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 began its first public consultation at the Suva Civic Centre today.
Speaking at the consultation, Rabuka outlined the process leading to the proposed constitutional amendments, including the work undertaken by the Constitution Review Commission.
He said the commission, comprising men and women appointed to review the Constitution, had presented its report, which formed part of the ongoing reform discussions.
Rabuka acknowledged that the constitutional reform process had attracted significant public attention and said consultations provided an opportunity for people to consider the proposed changes and make submissions.
He indicated that the process would continue for some time as the committee considered public views and recommendations before the Bill progressed further.
The Prime Minister also expressed appreciation to members of the public who attended the consultation.
“Thank you very much,” Rabuka said as he acknowledged those who had responded to the invitation to participate.
The Special Committee is expected to consider submissions received during the consultation process before reporting its findings and recommendations to Parliament…..PACNEWS
VAN – HIV/AIDS/HEALTH: VANUATU DAILY POST PACNEWS 3: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Mandatory HIV testing at Vanuatu airport would undermine human rights: Dr Vocor
PORT VILA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (VANUATU DAILY POST)—With Fiji’s HIV situation posing a risk to Vanuatu and other Pacific countries, concerns have been raised about making testing available at Port Vila Airport, a main port of entry into the country.
However, the Acting Medical Superintendent at the Vanuatu National Hospital (VNH), Dr Robert Vocor, explained that international human rights principles do not permit mandatory HIV testing at borders.
He said HIV testing must be strictly voluntary and confidential; therefore, mandatory airport screening would violate people’s right to privacy.
Fiji is experiencing one of the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemics, with implications for public health across the Pacific. Recently, the Fiji Government declared a national health emergency as cases surged.
About one in 60 adults in Fiji is now living with the blood-borne virus, compared with one in 167 five years ago, with a rising number of babies dying from HIV-related complications.
Asked whether VNH can handle an outbreak at any time, the VNH Medical Superintendent replied that the facility could not sustain it.
“That is why we are working closely with our Public Health Team and the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), through the Scholarships Office, to raise awareness among our students studying in Fiji,” he said.
While the focus is mainly on students, other members of the public are also travelling overseas and back, and need to be reached, he said.
“We are advocating through public health programmes to communities. Once a case is identified, contact tracing is conducted,” he said.
“The other thing is that human rights do not allow us to conduct mandatory testing. We cannot override an individual’s constitutional rights by simply testing them. It is a very sensitive and confidential matter that requires obtaining consent before testing,” said the Acting Medical Superintendent.
Dr Vocor said an HIV outbreak would put further pressure on the health system, which is already struggling with limited resources.
“We are already facing challenges with cancers and non-communicable diseases… If there is an outbreak, we must step up to respond to it,” he said.
Dr Vocor said donor partners are covering the cost of medicines for HIV patients, while an outbreak would put pressure on the Government and the public.
He encouraged people at risk to get tested and avoid risky behaviours, such as having multiple sexual partners, to protect themselves…..PACNEWS
FIJI – CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: FBC NEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Fiji Women’s Rights Movement challenges immunity and executive power
SUVA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (FBC NEWS) —The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (WFRM) is calling for stronger safeguards against the abuse of State power and a review of constitutional immunity provisions in the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026.
The FWRM says the proposed changes must preserve citizens’ ability to challenge unlawful actions and hold those responsible accountable.
FWRM Executive Director Nalini Singh raised these concerns during public consultations on the Bill at the Suva Civic Centre today.
She also questioned whether the consultation timeframe gives women, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups enough time to examine the proposed changes and submit their views.
Singh said constitutional reform must be assessed by its impact on people whose rights are most at risk.
The FWRM wants any restriction on fundamental rights to be lawful, necessary, reasonable and proportionate, with the State required to justify its decisions before an independent court.
It is also calling for a review of immunity provisions that could shield people involved in unconstitutional acts from accountability. The submission seeks safeguards to protect corruption investigations and prosecutions from political interference and selective enforcement.
On governance, the FWRM wants clearer separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary.
It also insists that the Republic of Fiji Military Forces remain under civilian authority, with no constitutional provision interpreted as allowing military interference in civilian government.
The submission calls for constitutional recognition of temporary special measures, including quotas to increase women’s representation in Parliament and other decision-making bodies. Singh says voluntary commitments have not been enough to overcome women’s historical exclusion from leadership.
The FWRM also wants non-government organisations and civil society groups to be able to bring constitutional cases on behalf of people who cannot pursue legal action themselves.
It says financial constraints, distance, limited legal knowledge and fear of further harm can prevent victims from seeking redress….PACNEWS
VAN – SECURITY: ABC PACIFIC PACNEWS 3: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Vanuatu PM rejects reports of plans to increase Australian police presence
PORT VILA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (ABC PACIFIC)—Media reports in Vanuatu suggesting that the Australian police presence in the country is set to rise under the terms of the Nakamal Agreement have been rejected by the prime minister.
Although the Nakamal deal was signed in June by Jotham Napat and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, precise details of its implementation are still to emerge.
Australian media reports have quoted Federal Police Assistant Commissioner David McLean telling a Senate hearing in Canberra that the number of his officers stationed in Vanuatu could double under the Nakamal agreement.
“He’s come out to say that the information is false, that’s because nothing has been agreed in black and white between the two countries,” said Kiery Manassah, spokesman for Vanuatu’s prime minister.
“There’s no plan in place to increase the number of federal police from Australia to serve in Vanuatu,” he said……PACNEWS
CNMI – NUKE POWER: RNZ PACIFIC PACNEWS 3: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Northern Marianas governor backs nuclear power for the U.S territory
SAIPAN, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (RNZ PACIFIC)—Nuclear power is safe and should be considered as an alternative energy source, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands leader says.
David Apatang believes that the safety record of nuclear-powered US Navy submarines and aircraft carriers is proof that nuclear technology should be explored to replace the territory’s ageing diesel-powered generators and reduce electricity costs.
“I know that whenever you mention something like nuclear, everybody starts panicking, but it’s safe,” Apatang told reporters during a press conference.
He said the U.S military’s use of nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers demonstrates the technology’s reliability.
‘There’s no record that there’s an accident about nuclear issues since they started the nuclear submarine and the nuclear carrier in the military,” he said.
The U.S Navy has reported more than 7600 reactor-years of operation without a reactor accident or adverse impact on the public or environment.
However, the safety record of naval nuclear propulsion does not establish whether small modular nuclear reactors would be suitable for the Northern Marianas, where detailed feasibility, environmental and safety studies would still be required.
Apatang said small modular reactors could potentially replace the territory’s decades-old diesel generators and reduce its dependence on expensive imported fuel.
“I think one nuclear engine down there can power the whole island of Saipan,” he said, adding that the technology could also be explored for Tinian and Rota.
The governor expressed interest in visiting a nuclear research facility in Idaho and urged the next administration to continue investigating the technology.
“We probably need to continue to do some research. And hopefully the next administration can pursue that so we can save more dollars, you know, for our people,” he said.
Nuclear power was among the energy alternatives discussed by Northern Marianas officials during recent meetings with US federal agencies in San Francisco.
The discussions, organised by the Department of War’s Office of Local Defence Community Cooperation, focused on improving infrastructure used by residents and the military as Washington expands its presence in the Western Pacific.
Department of Public Works Energy Division director Lauren Garibay said small modular reactors attracted considerable interest from federal officials.
She said she plans to meet with the National Laboratory of the Rockies to explore possible funding for feasibility studies on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
Garibay said geothermal energy was another alternative being considered to reduce the territory’s reliance on imported petroleum.
The U.S Department of Energy also expressed interest in providing technical assistance.
Commonwealth Utilities Corporation executive director Kevin Watson said the utility was completing a long-term master plan covering power, water, and wastewater infrastructure.
Utility officials stressed that no site has been identified for a nuclear facility and that studies would first be needed to determine its feasibility, costs, safety requirements and environmental impacts.
The CNMI remains heavily dependent on imported diesel for electricity generation, leaving residents and businesses exposed to high fuel prices and disruptions to ageing power plants….PACNEWS
NZ – ELECTION/POLITICS: AAP PACNEWS 3: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Leaders spar as NZ election remains too close to call
WELLINGTON, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (AAP)—Whether in polling, or debate performance, New Zealanders are feeling uninspired by their prime ministerial choices.
As the November 7 election draws closer, the make-up of the next government is no less clear after another week of campaigning and a fresh leaders debate.
The major parties – centre-right National and centre-left Labour – are both polling at 28 percent according to the latest TVNZ-Verian poll.
That is their lowest combined level since they emerged as New Zealand’s major parties in the 1930s.
And the options for prime minister, National incumbent Chris Luxon, and Labour’s Chris Hipkins, both underwhelmed in the NZ Herald-hosted second leaders debate on Wednesday night.
‘They filled me with no hope,” analyst and social activist David Letele said on a post-debate panel which declared the debate a tight draw.
“There is no X-Factor here with these two leaders,” right-aligned public relations expert Trish Sherson said.
National still claimed the win, pointing to a reader poll on the NZ Herald’s website.
The political malaise is underpinned by New Zealand’s sluggish economy, and the fact the 2026 contest is a re-run of 2023.
Then, Luxon won and formed a three-party coalition to turf the two-term Labour-led government Hipkins inherited from Jacinda Ardern.
In Wednesday’s debate, Luxon admitted communications blunders as prime minister and then made another whopper, saying he had increased the minimum wage by inflation each year.
“No you haven’t,” Hipkins quickly fact-checked, before a back-and-forth on wages.
“We don’t believe you just legislate it. We actually believe you grow an economy,’ Luxon said.
“You don’t grow an economy by paying people poorly,” Hipkins retorted.
Luxon compounded the error later in the debate by naming Dolly Parton’s nine to five, which is about working menial labour, as his favourite song but failing to complete its lyrics.
Influential broadcaster Heather Du Plessis-Allan said r Luxon “completely flubbed” it on minimum wages.
“Chris Luxon lost this debate, Chris Hipkins did not win this debate, Luxon lost this debate on that answer right there,” she said.
In one of the more eye-catching moments, Hipkins said New Zealand should join the European Union “if the opportunity arises”, which Luxon disagreed with.
Unlike Australia, where election debates are past their heyday, Kiwis are still tuning into campaign contests.
Last week’s opening debate drew almost one million viewers to TVNZ, and there are another two between the leaders to come.
There have also been a pair of minor party debates, featuring leaders of the five other parties likely to return MPs in the next parliament.
Of those contests, newcomer Qiulae Wong of the Opportunity party has twice been judged a clear winner.
Her teal-esque centrist force has roared from irrelevancy to the likely kingmaker role, given the other six parties are calcified into left and right blocs and are more-or-less deadlocked in the polls. …. PACNEWS
COOKS – DEFENCE: NZDF PACNEWS 3: Thu 15 Oct 2026
NZ Army service brings Staff Sergeant back to Penrhyn
PENRHYN, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (NZDF)—When New Zealand Army Staff Sergeant Tokahaumata Oltaches-Tagavaitau stepped off the aircraft on Penrhyn, a remote island in the northern Cook Islands, the welcome awaiting her was unlike any previous deployment.
Family had travelled across the lagoon to meet her and news of her arrival had spread through the community. “I cried,” she said.
For the first-generation New Zealander, Exercise Tropic Twilight became much more than another deployment – it brought her back to her family’s roots, allowed her to spend time in her father’s village for the first time, and reconnected parts of her own story.
Tropic Twilight is a long-standing annual New Zealand Defence Force-led South Pacific humanitarian assistance and disaster relief effort, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Both sides of Staff Sergeant Oltaches-Tagavaitau’s family have links to Penrhyn. Her parents were born and raised in the Cook Islands before moving to New Zealand seeking greater educational opportunities for their children. Although born in New Zealand, her home life remained distinctly Cook Islands, speaking Cook Islands Māori and maintaining the traditions and expectations her parents and grandparents had grown up with.
“First generation is important, because inside the house you live a Cook Islands life, but outside the house you have to live a New Zealand life,” she said. Growing up between those two worlds was not always easy.
“As a teenager it was confusing. They wanted me to go to school and get an education, but how you lived at home was completely different to what was expected in society.”
Even something as ordinary as water use reflected life on the islands. As a child living in New Zealand, she remembers being taught never to waste water, something that made much more sense when she later experienced how precious freshwater is on remote Pacific islands.
Joining the NZ Army was another departure from her parents’ hopes – instead of university, after taking part in an Army programme through Pakuranga’s Edgewater College, she made her own decision. It did not go down well.
Her parents were, however, at her graduation – and almost 20 years later their view of her career has changed considerably, and her younger sister has followed her into the NZ Army. In 2020, Staff Sergeant Oltaches-Tagavaitau was named both NZ Army Soldier of the Year and NZDF Person of the Year as she thrived in her chosen environment.
When Staff Sergeant Oltaches-Tagavaitau heard Tropic Twilight would return to Penrhyn in 2026, the opportunity was difficult to ignore.
Although she had briefly visited Penrhyn once before, she never imagined her NZDF service would give her the opportunity to return and spend meaningful time in her father’s village.
On Tropic Twilight, she worked primarily as the Contingent Staff Sergeant, with a secondary role as a mechanic. She has also served as a community liaison officer, her cultural knowledge and family connections helping to bridge the gap between NZDF personnel and the Penrhyn community. She has helped personnel understand local customs, the importance of church, family responsibilities and aspects of island life that can be difficult to appreciate without cultural context. It quickly became a significant part of her deployment.
“If you didn’t have someone who understands the community, the contingent could come here, work, and then be isolated back at the centre,” she said. Instead, personnel have been invited into family homes, eaten with local families, and taken part in daily life beyond their work. Some have even gone fishing after work to help provide food for families catering for the contingent.
“That full immersion is important. They might see something, but when they’re living it, they understand it. There’s so much more that we can learn from them, just as much as they can learn from us,” Staff Sergeant Oltaches-Tagavaitau said.
The deployment has also helped her reconnect with parts of her identity that had faded into the background during a busy NZDF career.
“When I joined the Army, I lost some of this. Not my identity – it was just forgotten. Seeing it again gives me clarity and closure on why things were the way they were growing up. I definitely feel like I belong here.”
That sense of belonging made her work on Penrhyn even more personal. From the moment she arrived, her people made sure she knew she was one of them.
As one family member said when news of the deployment reached the island, “She is Penrhyn.”
As Staff Sergeant Oltaches-Tagavaitau puts it – “There’s nothing more satisfying than giving back to your own people.” …PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
VAN – KAVA INDUSTRY: VANUATU DAILY POST PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Vanuatu Government to consult kava industry over new Fiji import regulations
PORT VILA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (VANUATU DAILY POST)—The Vanuatu Government, through the responsible ministries, will consult the country’s kava industry before deciding how to respond to new Fiji import regulations requiring stricter safety testing, permits and documentation for imported kava.
Director General (DG) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Biosecurity (MALFB), Timothy Tumukon, said the Government must work with farmers and exporters to assess the impact of the measures on Vanuatu’s kava trade and agree on a national position.
The regulations, which took effect in late September, apply to imported kava in various forms, including raw roots, chips, pieces and processed powder.
Under the requirements announced by Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services, importers must obtain official permits before shipments arrive and provide traceability documents, commercial invoices and declarations of origin. Shipments must also undergo chemotype and microbiological testing to verify their safety and suitability for human consumption.
Consignments that fail to meet the requirements may be detained, seized or destroyed at the importer’s expense.
Speaking on the Yumi Groem Vanuatu agricultural programme on Capitol FM 107, DG Tumukon said Vanuatu must also ensure its noble kava varieties can be identified and meet the standards required by overseas markets.
He said the country had developed a preliminary test based on the colouration of kava varieties, with support from kava expert Dr Vincent Lebot.
Tumukon suggested Vanuatu consider restricting exports to Fiji to powdered kava, rather than allowing raw roots and chips to be shipped for processing and resale.
The DG raised concerns that Fiji imports kava roots and chips from Vanuatu, processes them locally and sells the finished products as Fijian products.
He said Vanuatu should consider how to protect the identity, reputation and economic value of its kava industry by retaining more processing and value-adding activities within the country.
However, Tumukon said any changes to export requirements would require consultation with kava farmers, exporters, industry representatives and relevant government ministries before a decision could be made.
He said Vanuatu already had legislation governing kava production, trade and consumption under the Kava Act, but additional legislation might be needed to address wider commodity trade and protect the country’s recognised noble varieties.
Tumukon also called for greater investment in local value-adding, including processing roots and chips into powder and other products before export.
He said Vanuatu should assess whether exporting raw materials was delivering the best long-term benefits for local farmers and the domestic industry.
The Ministry will engage with industry representatives before working with relevant trade and foreign affairs authorities to determine Vanuatu’s response to Fiji’s regulations.
Tumukon encouraged farmers and exporters to participate in the consultation process, saying decisions must protect the industry’s interests while maintaining the quality and reputation of Vanuatu kava in international markets….PACNEWS
PNG – WATER SECURITY: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Rates remain unchanged: Water PNG
PORT MORESBY, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL) — Water PNG chief executive officer James Young has assured consumers that there will be no El Nino surcharge on rates.
He said rates would remain within the approved price determined by the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC).
“Residents will not be charged extra for the emergency measures we take to keep water flowing. Per the new tariff, Water PNG is charging a water carting fee of K10(US$2.20) per 1,000 litres,” he said.
“Water PNG’s tariffs are regulated by the ICCC, and we cannot add charges outside the approved price determination.
“The tariffs that took effect in the second half of this year remain in place, and the tariff structure keeps the lowest rate for the first block of household use.”
He said the real pressure on prices was caused by unpaid bills and stolen water.
“When customers, including Government agencies, pay for what they use, that money goes straight back into pumps, power and repairs,” he said.
“Please pay your water bill. Every Kina collected keeps the bores running.”
Young advised businesses that use large volumes to check their on-site storage and contingency arrangements now.
He said everyone needed to fix leaks and dripping taps on their property.
He advised everyone not to leave taps or hoses running, use a bucket rather than a hose to wash cars, and water gardens only in the early morning or evening.
“Keep a few days of drinking water in clean, covered containers, but do not fill drums and tanks all at once. When everyone stores water at the same time, pressure drops for neighbours further down the line.
“If you use water from wells, creeks, rivers or rainwater tanks, boil it before drinking.
“Report leaks, burst pipes and illegal connections to the Water PNG office or through our Facebook page.”
Meanwhile, Water PNG chief executive officer James Young says Lae will not experience water shortages during the current dry season because of its underground water source.
Young said Lae was in a stronger position than Port Moresby and other centres that relied on surface water stored in dams such as Sirinumu.
“Lae’s water is groundwater, pumped from deep bores that draw on the aquifer beneath the city,” he said.
“Groundwater responds slowly to dry weather, so Lae is much less exposed to a single dry season than a city that depends on a river or a dam.”
He said Lae had seven bore-holes, each producing 120 litres per second based on pump duty, with an actual recharge capacity of 170 litres per second.
“Lae normally operates four to five bores to supply the city and when combined, roughly 50 million litres per day,” Young said.
“Two bores are on standby for emergencies.”
He said of the seven bores, six were operational while one was offline for repairs.
Young said Water PNG had not seen a significant fall in groundwater levels or bore output as a result of the current dry condition.
“We are not forecasting shortages in Lae because of the dry weather at this stage,” he said.
“That is not a reason for complacency.
“Our Lae operations team monitors the output of every bore. We will keep watching closely, because a long El Nino will eventually lower groundwater levels and reduce what each bore can deliver.
“The biggest risks for Lae over the coming months are power failures and equipment breakdowns, which we are currently focused on.
“Water PNG will keep the public informed and give early notice if conservation measures become necessary.
“In the meantime, I ask everyone in Lae to use water wisely, fix leaks and report illegal connections,” he said…. PACNEWS
THAI – TOURISM INDUSTRY: WORLD BANK/IFAD PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 15 Oct 2026
World Bank and IFAD to scale up co-investment in rural economies and food systems
BANGKOK, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (WORLD BANK/IFAD) — The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank have signed a new Co-Financing Framework Agreement to expand joint investment in rural transformation and food systems.
Signed during the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Bangkok, the agreement will strengthen collaboration between the two institutions. It aims to build resilience and promote entrepreneurship and job creation in rural areas, at a time when the largest generation of young people in history is reaching working age amid slowing growth and increasing economic uncertainty.
‘Together, the World Bank and IFAD bring the scale, reach and expertise to transform rural economies and agrifood systems,” said Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD.
“This agreement will enable us to turn our shared ambition into greater investment, more jobs, stronger resilience and improved food security for millions of people.”
The agreement builds on the two institutions’ partnership across multiple initiatives, including AgriConnect, which aims to help transform agriculture for 300 million smallholder farmers by 2030, and Water Forward, which seeks to improve water security for 1 billion people by 2030.
“The next generation needs opportunity, and agriculture can be a powerful source of jobs, growth, and food security. That is what AgriConnect is designed to deliver,” said Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group.
“By bringing together the World Bank Group’s financing and global reach with IFAD’s deep expertise in rural communities and food systems, we can help smallholder farmers become more productive, connect them to markets, attract private investment, and create jobs where millions of young people live.”
The World Bank Group remains IFAD’s largest multilateral development bank partner, with collaboration spanning co-financing, policy engagement and global initiatives. IFAD’s co-financing with the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) more than doubled from approximately US$646 million in 2021 to US$1.56 billion in 2025.
The new agreement will help identify and systematically develop—throughout the investment cycle—new joint operations that will build on current collaborations, such as a national US$70.5 million investment in Lesotho. This programme has already created nearly 1,500 jobs and provided nutrition education to 217,000 people.
More than 106,000 people have adopted climate-smart agricultural practices, while agro-weather services have reached over 900,000 people.
This agreement will also advance the priorities of IFAD’s 14th replenishment cycle (2028 – 2030) by accelerating investments that build resilience, expand economic opportunities, and transform rural livelihoods.
The new framework modernizes the arrangements for co-financing country-level investments among the two development finance institutions. It also facilitates the use of common arrangements for technical support, procurement, financial management, disbursement, and environmental and social oversight.
The agreement builds on the historic cooperation between IFAD and the World Bank, dating back to 1978.
The renewed framework preserves each institution’s independent policies, financing decisions and accountability requirements. The agreement will initially remain in force for five years and will automatically renew for a further five-year period……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
Opinion: The role of Indigenous and Pacific communities in upholding the integrity of global carbon markets
BRISBANE, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (ABC PACIFIC) —A workshop at the University of Queensland brought together Indigenous carbon project practitioners from Australia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, along with NGO partners and academics from law, economics, environmental science and social science.
Participants included Peter Walters, Kristen Lyons, Justine Bell- James, Dion Enari, Giuliana Fiore, Lana Friesen, Robbie Henderson, Cath Lovelock, Sara Mejia Munoz, Alex McClean, Emily McConochie, Jagjit Plahe, Marian Reid, Mary Tahu Paia, Fred Tabepuda, Karlene Tevi, Sebastian Thomas, Vaeno Vigulu and Brian Warner.
With COP31 in Türkiye just weeks away, countries continue to grapple with their responsibility to urgently decarbonise. Australia is President of Negotiations for COP31 and among the world’s heaviest per capita emitters of greenhouse gases, which fuel a climate crisis characterised by record-breaking land and sea temperatures, rampant wildfires, and other extreme weather events. Heat wave conditions during the first few weeks of spring signal that Australia must brace for what the confirmed El Niño might mean for the summer ahead.
Carbon credit projects are widely championed as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and as a significant response to the urgent challenge of decarbonisation. For this reason, we can expect that they will dominate this year’s climate talks.
Some of the world’s largest corporate and government emitters are purchasing carbon credits from projects through both compliance and voluntary carbon credit markets. These carbon credit projects are tied to land and sea-based activities — including mangrove replanting and conservation, forestry, agriculture and renewable energy. The integrity of these projects depends on third-party verification and regulation through complex global carbon governance arrangements.
While carbon credits have emerged as a kind of global currency when it comes to climate change, the overriding priority must remain the rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, pursued through ecological and social transitions that are carefully planned and grounded in justice for the territories most affected. Carbon credits cannot licence delays to that transition or stand in for the systemic change it requires.
Nevertheless, for Indigenous and Pacific communities, carbon finance can bridge financial resources concentrated in the Global North and local stewardship of forests, wetlands and coastal ecosystems. When used on terms determined by communities, climate finance can support biodiversity, livelihoods, cultural continuity and locally defined development priorities. To ensure these conditions and outcomes, we need to better understand the experiences of Indigenous peoples, local communities and practitioners as they navigate carbon markets and climate finance, and position Indigenous peoples as a leading voice in market and regulation decisions.
In June, the University of Queensland (UQ) brought together Indigenous community carbon credit project practitioners from Australia and the Pacific, along with NGO partners and academics, for a workshop to discuss the successes and challenges of participating in carbon markets. Drawing on diverse forms of expertise, we explored how carbon credit markets can support the challenge of decarbonisation while upholding Indigenous rights. Building on demonstrated success stories and known failures for a rights-based approach to carbon market participation for Indigenous and traditional landowners, this workshop created space to reflect collectively on opportunities, tensions and future directions for carbon credit projects.
Carbon credit projects in Australia and the Pacific
Pacific and Indigenous communities are among the least responsible for climate change, but bear some of its worst consequences. Communities in Pacific nations have witnessed rising sea levels, coastal erosion, changing weather patterns and eroding food and livelihood security. But they recognise that these damages to their way of life and their ability to make decisions about their lands, waters and futures are tied to historical and current economic activities elsewhere in the world.
Global carbon markets offer Indigenous communities and landholders a way to protect their natural environment, generate income to support livelihoods and community development, and preserve cultural connections and practices. But significant challenges remain when it comes to ensuring an appropriate balance between the preservation of local ways of life, caring for Country, achieving positive environmental outcomes and economic viability for these projects.
To reflect on this challenge, the UQ workshop heard evidence from three established Indigenous carbon credit projects in the region: a “blue” (ocean) carbon project on Kabi Kabi Country (Sunshine Coast) in Australia, and forest carbon projects in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
The blue carbon project on Kabi Kabi Country is part of a Blue Heart project, an innovative partnership committed to sustainable and adaptive floodplain management in the Maroochy River catchment. Traditional owners and native title holders, the Kabi Kabi peoples, have maintained a connection to this culturally significant area for millennia. The Blue Heart partners worked together to rehabilitate 165 hectares of publicly owned land — formerly sugar cane farms — into blue carbon ecosystems by rehabilitating mangrove ecosystems.
This was the first blue carbon farming project in Australia to be registered under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme. Kabi Kabi’s experience and knowledge have brought about an initiative that facilitates a market for blue carbon credits and delivers cultural, social, economic and ecological value for the community.
In the Pacific, forest carbon projects in Solomon Islands combine customary land governance, forest conservation, livelihoods and a rapidly developing national carbon-market framework. For example, on South Choiseul, where commercial logging threatens forests, biodiversity, livelihoods and polluting rivers, customary landowners from the Babatana language group are choosing to protect their rainforests with carbon finance on legally protected tribal land.
Nine tribes have joined the Babatana project, bringing 7,426 hectares of rainforest under legal protection and engaging over 6,000 community members. Three participating communities now earn income by selling high-integrity credits on the voluntary carbon market.
In Vanuatu the Loru Forest Project in northern Espiritu Santo provides the country’s most established example of community-led forest carbon, having protected the Loru forest area since 2015. The Serakar Clan are the traditional custodians of this small but vital area of remnant rainforest that connects their community to the sea. To protect this forest from land clearing and large-scale agriculture, the Serakar clan established the Loru Community Conservation Area and developed a forest conservation carbon project. Today, the community is generating income through their conservation efforts, receiving payments for protecting the forest, running a native tree nursery and selling garden produce grown around the protected area. They are also actively restoring neighbouring degraded land by removing invasive vine species, Merremia peltata, and re-planting native trees in a pilot linking invasive species management with the carbon market.
These activities provide a range of community-level and global benefits, including local employment in forest management, enhanced habitat for unique and threatened biodiversity, and CO2 removal from the atmosphere.
In Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, landowners direct carbon credit revenue toward locally agreed livelihood and development initiatives, such as education, water and sanitation, housing, small businesses and women’s initiatives. Communities see these initiatives as the projects’ core rationale, rather than a mere by-product of the carbon credit market.
The significance of these projects extends beyond individual carbon transactions. Both Vanuatu and Solomon Islands are now developing national carbon-trading policies, while their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) recognise potential participation in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This creates an important transition from relatively small, community-based voluntary carbon projects toward a broader national carbon economy.
The challenge is not simply how to generate more carbon credits, but how to ensure that customary landowners retain meaningful ownership, decision-making authority and a fair share of carbon-market benefits as the market expands. The experience of Pacific Island nations in the carbon credit market offers valuable lessons for other nations in the Global South.
Global market practices are disconnected from local communities
Carbon credits are often described as an “invisible commodity” that can only be made visible — and priced — through governance frameworks and certification processes often managed by economically powerful actors located in the Global North. Complex global carbon market networks bring together regulators, auditors, project developers, academics, landowners and integrity councils, each with different methodologies and priorities. Carbon credit projects require ongoing navigation across diverse knowledge systems, governance arrangements, legal frameworks and market requirements.
Hence, part of the cost of participating in carbon markets is accepting the often opaque requirements of these international market players. These complex systems create disconnections and power imbalances for local communities, evident in the way methodologies define and measure carbon capture and in how Indigenous and local knowledge is represented in this accounting.
Despite this disconnect, the current trend is not toward simplification, which would enable access to projects from the Global South, but toward more audits and regulation of carbon credits, thereby raising the compliance burden on local communities and their non-government organisation (NGO) partners. Carbon markets and their high levels of regulation also face criticism for reducing complex living systems, and the social relationships that sustain them to tradable commodities.
In practice, risk and insurance, market rules and compliance costs are generalised and homogenised at the expense of local context. Moreover, they are often at odds with traditional and local knowledges, practices and methods. Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes can suffer a similar fate, becoming just one more box to tick rather than a genuine measure of community consent.
For example, carbon credit rating agencies — analogous to financial credit rating agencies — now rate projects on a quality-or-risk scale from AAA to D. Two projects following the same methodology can receive very different ratings depending on how they interpret assumptions and social safeguards. Rated projects command significantly higher carbon-credit prices, and major corporate buyers now require minimum ratings before purchasing. Yet rating a project costs the project between USD$20,000 and US$40,000 and requires extensive due diligence, adding financial and compliance barriers for small, community-based projects.
As compliance requirements increase, costs rise, which in turn favours bigger projects that local communities often have less control over. Many larger, more commercial projects around the world have historically been responsible for malpractice, fraudulent claims and marginalisation of Indigenous people and local communities in the project area.
Even when the intention is for Indigenous landowners to be genuinely engaged as partners and owners of a carbon project, legal structures often act as barriers to participation. For example, in the Kabi Kabi blue carbon project — which is widely regarded as a model of good practice — traditional owners have had to negotiate and comply with a labyrinth of local, state and federal environmental and planning regulations to obtain regulatory permissions to care for Country. This has required costly professional legal advice and significantly extended the time projects take to get underway.
In Solomon Islands, similar hurdles emerged through protracted local court disputes over customary land ownership, alongside the lengthy and rigorous administrative process required to establish formal protected areas under national regulations.
Protecting Indigenous knowledges and governance
Indigenous knowledges are embedded in ongoing relations and responsibilities to Country and land, collective authority and intergenerational stewardship. Considering these broader dimensions may help move discussions beyond just including Indigenous knowledges toward recognising the systems of relationships through which knowledge is produced, maintained and enacted.
During the UQ workshop, a distinction was drawn between Pacific local knowledges, which in many places remain continuous and ongoing, and Australian Indigenous knowledges and cultural practices, which, while ongoing, are recovering from fragmentation in a settler colonial context. In the Pacific Islands, some communities distinguish between traditional or cultural knowledge and “local knowledge” — the latter of which often incorporates contemporary, context-specific knowledge of local conditions.
Local knowledge, such as weather prediction or knowing where and which species to plant, has proven accurate in forecasting cyclones and effective in producing good crops. Traditional ecological knowledge (or “kastom” knowledge) takes in more sacred aspects of cultural and community life, even though its content may overlap at times with other forms of local and place-based ecological knowledge.
The Cultural Interface concept describes the complex, often contested space where different knowledge systems — like First Nations peoples’ worldviews and Western science — meet, overlap and clash. This space creates unique challenges and opportunities for translation, understanding and new ways of knowing, researching and living in contemporary society, especially for First Nations peoples navigating education and professional settings. It is where different histories, politics and ways of understanding reality interact, leading to constant negotiation and potential for transformative learning.
While contemporary planning mandates require proponents to engage meaningfully with First Nations communities and enterprises, practical execution often falters because of deeply contested knowledge systems, rigid legislative instruments and conflicting worldviews between First Nations peoples and non-First Nations practitioners.
Throughout the workshop, people working in community-owned projects placed Country, land, historical injustices and cultural knowledge at the centre of discussions, and considered how best to uphold these priorities for landowners participating in global carbon markets. Rather than asking how Indigenous knowledges can be incorporated into carbon projects, we discussed how carbon projects can better recognise and work within the knowledge and decision-making systems, relationships and rights to Country that already exist in Indigenous and Pacific communities.
Some of these successful community-centred carbon projects came to life by using local and traditional governance structures as a foundation, before engaging with the global financial mechanisms that underwrite carbon credit markets. For example, the projects in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu built hybrid governance systems in which tribal associations, owned by customary landowners, allowed landowners to collectively own and manage critical assets (such as carbon credits and the income from them) while meeting Western governance and compliance requirements. The governance of these associations mirrors existing tribal governance structures, ensuring all landowners are represented on boards, on their own terms.
The way ahead
Traditional owners and others involved in community-led projects repeatedly explained that their projects did not begin with carbon markets. Rather, communities shaped their projects to fit market structures so they could pursue conservation, livelihood, gender and cultural outcomes that were already their priorities. Carbon offsets are one means to these ends, but communities can pursue them in other ways.
To better support communities, ongoing innovations need to provide incentives for different forms of carbon mitigation projects that traditional and Indigenous communities can implement and that align with, or use, local and Indigenous knowledges. In Australia, this already includes management of savanna burning regimes, but could also include activities like feral animal eradication in wetlands. Protecting blue carbon such as seagrass, seaweed, saltmarsh and mangrove ecosystems plays an essential role in protecting coastlines from extreme events and serving as major carbon sinks.
Traditional owners also face new legislation requirements and must navigate the complex language of global carbon markets and new processes to meet audit requirements. Training and capacity building should be ongoing. Supporting communities to manage income, governance, monitoring and long-term project administration in ways that benefit communities and respect local and Indigenous knowledges is crucial.
Where carbon markets are not appropriate because they offer few climate mitigation benefits, or management activities are not considered “additional” (for instance, where forests are already protected), other nature-based market methods such as biodiversity credits, or non-market approaches such as climate and biodiversity finance may ultimately prove more relevant for First Nations communities, particularly in northern Australia and in protected forests in the Pacific.
For projects to succeed, Indigenous communities need more than consultation. They deserve and require funding, rights and ownership as a matter of justice. At a global scale, justice for Indigenous peoples in the carbon markets could be strengthened further by permanent representation of Indigenous peoples in relevant international organisations and institutions that shape carbon and climate finance.
These measures would support Indigenous peoples in holding legal and financial ownership of carbon projects through land rights, ownership of credits, fair control of revenue and decision-making power — and not only through some symbolic association with them. …. PACNEWS
Peter Walters is Associate Professor in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland.
Kristen Lyons is Professor in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland.
Justine Bell-James is Professor in the TC Beirne School of Law at the University of Queensland.
Lefaoali’i Dion Enari is Associate Professor in the Māori and Indigenous Research Centre (Ngā Wai a Te Tūī) at the Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland.
Giuliana Fiore is a researcher in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland.
Lana Friesen is Professor in the School of Economics at the University of Queensland.
Robbie Henderson is the co-founder and chief executive officer of NAKAU.
Catherine Lovelock is Professor in the School of Environment at the University of Queensland.
Alex McClean is chief operations officer of NAKAU.
Emily McConochie is a PhD candidate in the ARC Indigenous Futures Centre of Excellence based at the University of Queensland.
Sara Mejia Munoz is a researcher in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland.
Mary Tahu Paia is Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Studies at Solomon Islands National University.
Jagjit Plahe is Professor in the Department of Management at Monash University.
Marian Reid is communications manager of NAKAU.
Fred Tabepuda is the project manager at the Natural Resources Development Foundation in Solomon Islands.
Karlene Tevi works on the Forest Carbon Project at Live and Learn in Vanuatu.
Sebastian Thomas is the coordinator of policy and advocacy of NAKAU.
Vaeno Vigulu is the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at the Solomon Islands National University.
Brian Warner is secretary of the Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation.
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Samoa mobilises stakeholders to bridge climate and health evidence gaps
APIA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)—Key stakeholders of the PAVE-Health project gathered in Samoa to collate global and regional evidence, increase local awareness, and outline strategic pathways to combat the growing public health threats driven by climate change.
Hosted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on 8 October at the Public Health Conference Room, the Climate and Health Evidence Overview Seminar was attended by representatives from the MOH, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS) and the National University of Samoa (NUS).
The seminar spotlighted some key findings from an initial scoping review led by PAVE-funded researcher and the Epidemiologist for Samoa, Ms Robert Carney.
“Climate change and climate conditions have both direct and indirect effects on infectious diseases and human health,” said Carney.
The review highlighted critical climate-health intersections relevant to the region, including, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Pathogens as a result of rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and extreme humidity accelerate vector breeding and shorten incubation periods for high-risk diseases like dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.
Ecological alterations are also driving the emergence of new zoonotic strains, such as highly climate-sensitive leptospirosis.
The review also highlighted water, food, and parasitic threats arising from flooding events, warming sea surfaces, and extreme El Niño patterns directly contaminate essential food and water resources, resulting in spikes of gastroenteritis and enteric pathogens. The review also evaluated ongoing challenges regarding mosquito-borne parasitic infections like lymphatic filariasis.
Added Carney: “Research within Pacific Island countries and in Samoa are limited, but existing studies indicate that climate change can drive and worsen epidemics as well as pandemics. Opportunities to generate evidence exist with unanswered questions of disease transmission pathways, the effectiveness of interventions and strategies, and finding pathways for resilience.”
It also found cascading health system impacts which go beyond direct infections and include climate emergencies damaging health infrastructure, disrupting essential services like routine immunisation and screening, driving mental health distress, and exacerbating socio-economic inequalities, including documented links between disasters and heightened rates of domestic violence.
To communicate these cascading risks, the seminar mapped out concrete next steps for Samoa’s epidemiological and public health surveillance systems.
Priority actions established include advancing integrated, multi-pathogen sero-prevalence surveys, enhancing early-warning syndromic surveillance platforms, and standardizing local weather datasets with health informatics to create predictive outbreak models.
“As stakeholders in the PAVE-Health project, we are committed to supporting the Ministry of Health through relevant research that strengthens the understanding of the links between climate change and health. One practical starting point may be to build on existing regional research and evidence, while adapting it to our national context and priorities,” said Annie Tuisuga, of SROS.
Stakeholders emphasised integrating Gender, Equity, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) principles directly into research designs to ensure future interventions explicitly protect Samoa’s most vulnerable and underserved sub-populations.
Dr Leiataualesa Eric Tuia of the Samoa Ministry of Health said, the seminar marks a foundational milestone, equipping PAVE project participants with the baseline insights necessary to roll out upcoming country-level research activities, optimise national notifiable disease control protocols, and safeguard the health of the Samoan people against an unpredictable climate future….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
SPC and Auckland University of Technology strengthen partnership for Pacific-led research and innovation
MANUKAU, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (SPC)—The Pacific Community (SPC) and Auckland University of Technology (AUT) have strengthened their partnership through a new Memorandum of Understanding focused on advancing Pacific-led research, innovation, capability development and knowledge exchange.
The MoU was prepared for signing on 8 October 2026 at AUT’s South Campus in Manukau following a collaborative process between the two organisations. Maria Fuata, SPC Deputy Director-General Operations and Integration, expressed how our shared vision for Pacific-led research and science with the communities that we serve at its heart, and Jacoba Matapo, AUT Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific, supported AUT’s commitment to serving the Pacific region through shared knowledge, research expertise and collective action, grounded in Pacific values.
At the heart of the partnership is a shared commitment to ensuring research and innovation are grounded in the priorities, aspirations, languages, cultures and self-determined development pathways of Pacific Island countries and territories. The agreement recognises Pacific knowledge systems, Indigenous data sovereignty, relational practice, collective stewardship and intergenerational wellbeing as important foundations for collaboration.
The partnership creates a framework for collaboration across areas including public health and wellbeing, climate resilience, oceans and marine resources, food systems, agriculture and biosecurity, education, digital technologies, law, business and the built environment.
It also places strong emphasis on strengthening Pacific research capability. Potential areas of collaboration include mentoring, training, supervision, researcher networks, internships and exchanges, alongside opportunities for fellowships, placements and knowledge sharing.
Importantly, the MoU supports the integration of Indigenous, traditional and Pacific knowledge throughout the research lifecycle, from priority-setting and design through to implementation, interpretation, dissemination and returning knowledge to communities in culturally appropriate and accessible ways.
The partnership also connects SPC’s regional development mandate and innovation and research work, including insights from the SPC Innovation and Research Intelligence Paper, with AUT’s broader research ecosystem, including the Moanaroa Pacific Research Network and AUT’s five transdisciplinary research networks.
The MoU reflects a shared aspiration to work in a spirit of service, reciprocity and respect, recognising the Pacific as a living ocean region of knowledge, leadership, innovation and relational responsibility.
Rather than being an end point, the agreement provides a framework from which SPC and AUT can develop specific initiatives and joint activities through future implementation agreements as they build upon their relationship into the future. …PACNEWS
