AI: A multiverse of opportunities for the Pacific
Semi Tukana is the founder of two tech companies, the Software Factory which he started in 2000, and more recently Sole, a FinTech platform created to “empower people to develop sustainable capital generation.” The
The beauty, and power of bilas
Australian Museum highlights PNG culture In the darkened spaces of the Australian Museum in Sydney, birdsong and chanting voices echo. Rounding a corner, you are surrounded by the illuminated faces of Papua New Guinean
The business of bilas
Caleb Jarvis’ passion for Papua New Guinean art and craft started when he lived there as a young child, surrounded by, as he describes them, historical, functional, cultural and spiritual objects. “I lived in an
Superpower legacy: How the US continues to test nuclear victims
It is not often that Pacific church leaders must confront the fact that their people have been used for half a century as guinea pigs to further the military interests of a global superpower. And when the realisation
COFA agreement still elusive
The Marshall Islands has called on Washington to pay full compensation for the health, environmental and cultural damage caused by 67 nuclear tests carried out by the American government. Kenneth Kedi, Speaker of the
Young right a historical wrong
A 2019 Columbia University study showed that some areas of the Marshall Islands are 10 times more radioactive than Chernobyl and Fukushima despite decades of clean-up efforts by the United States. Yet, few young
A market access game changer
The Marshall Islands and Walmart partnership The Pacific Islands region is home to the world’s largest tuna fishery worth in excess of US$4.5 billion each year. For over half a century, the Pacific Small Island
Water: PWWA talks resilience
The resilience of the Pacific’s water services is not just about climate proofing existing and future infrastructure, but also ensuring the appropriate technology is being put in, and that there are the right people
Water: Reaching the SDG-6 benchmark
Monitoring by United Nations agencies indicates that only 55% of people in the Pacific have access to safe water and only 30% to adequate sanitation. The gap between urban and rural areas is wide, and compared to the
Water: Making WASH aid work
What needs to change if Pacific Island nations are to get anywhere near their water and sanitation hygiene (WASH) targets under the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030? For the Regional Systems Strengthening Technical
Obituary: David Harrison Gilmour 1931-2023
A business pioneer who transformed tourism and started an iconic Fijian business died in New York last month. Now he is being remembered by a new generation of businesspeople. Canadian entrepreneur David Harrison
Whispers
Trouble in the air (1) A Pacific airline is flying through a rough patch with its CEO receiving orders to leave by the end of the month. Earlier this year he dismissed two Fijian executives who promptly sued the
Briefs
American SamoaThe neighbour of an American Samoa House Representative was arrested over allegations of threats to burn down the Representative's house and shoot his family. It was alleged after further investigations
Movers and Shakers
Ewen McDonald is Australia's inaugural Special Envoy for the Pacific and Regional Affairs and the next High Commissioner to Fiji. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the role reflects the Albanese Government's commitment
We Say: Fukushima issue shows Pacific Islands Forum cracks
Since 2021, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has been engaged in slow but steady diplomacy to delay and ultimately halt the planned ocean dumping of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
We Say: Fiji’s budget a test of unity
In the leadup to the coalition government’s 2023-2024 budget, citizens were warned by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Finance Minister Biman Prasad, the Fiscal Review Committee and international financial institutions
Navigating sustainable transport: Waan Aelõñ in Majel
Sustainable sea transport for Alson Kelen is not just about getting down to zero emissions. “We have to understand that sustainable sea transport also means helping with non-communicable disease, helping education,
Heart of the spirit: Aboard the Uto ni Yalo
When the Uto ni Yalo docks on any wharf, it demands attention; its double-hull and magnificent traditional design set it proudly apart from modern boats. Wherever this siren of the sea goes, you can’t help but be
Whispers
Tkatchenko returns? Former Papua New Guinea foreign Minister and Moresby South MP, Justin Tkatchenko, is now the minister for national events, reports PNG media. Tkatchenko stepped aside as the minister for foreign
Opinion: We have run out of time
Why Pacific feminists and climate justice activists are boycotting COP28 “COP28 is this year so heavily compromised that a grassroots-led group like DIVA for Equality would be betraying the constituency by
Pacific climate diplomacy moves beyond COPs
As negotiations stutter and stall with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Pacific Island governments and communities are ramping up diplomatic efforts to call for urgent action on fossil fuels.
Not Too Late: Thelma Young-Lutunatabua
Not Too Late is the name, and the message of a new book edited by a woman with strong Fiji connections, for people concerned about climate change. Thelma Young-Lutunatabua and her collaborator, Rebecca Solnit, wrote the