Te Ipukarea Society: Deep seabed mining and the emerging risk to our tuna fisheries
Last week saw the Cook Islands host one of the most significant meetings with respect to the shared tuna stocks in the region. That was the annual session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission,
COP28: Celebrating the Crumbs
After 28 years of international climate negotiations, the COP summit finally reached an agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. The mention of fossil fuels is in itself a breakthrough. But it is low-hanging
Opinion: ‘Strategic Manipulation’
Was it a faux pas? Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Henry Puna has referred to the United States’ return to the region after 10 years of neglect with “the proliferation of regional strategies and
Opinion: A call for medical détente in the Pacific Islands
Pooling the expertise and resources of development partners is a win not only for regional healthcare but soft diplomacy, Eileen Natuzzi writes. As U.S. and China competition increases in the region, perhaps it is time
ANZ’s stubborn optimism on the PNG economy
In 2013, the ANZ Bank produced a big report on PNG’s economic future in which it expounded on its “considerable optimism about the country’s future”. The report outlined three scenarios for the resources sector:
Considering the possible impacts of deep sea mining in the Cook Islands
In the recent Parliament opening, King’s Representative Sir Tom Masters spoke of the Cook Islands’ desire to develop a sustainable and environmentally responsible seabed minerals sector. This week, also in
Opinion: China-here, there and everywhere
The end of the compact negotiations between Ambassador Joseph Yun and the freely associated states is only 50% of the struggle to completion. The remainder is in the U.S Congress and dealing with the proposed
Longer timeframes in development
Short-term project cycles are failing island communities because it is not considerate of communities’ realities, and it does not allow for critical first steps like addressing complex systemic issues. We believe that
2050 Strategy is essentially political
Regionalists generally identify three characteristics of regionalism, namely: economics, security and politics. Economic regionalism focuses on economic and financial aspects. Generally speaking, this is effectively an
PNG media under threat
Over his nearly four-year tenure as Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, James Marape has continued to trumpet his slogan – “Take Back PNG”. The trademark phrase, which has similar connotations to former U.S
Samoa PM Fiame Mata’afa’s inaugural FDC Pacific Lecture
Talofa Lava and warm Pacific greetings. I’m honoured to be given the opportunity to deliver this Pacific Lecture, as has been the tradition for the Lowy Institute to host world leaders in order to foster positive
If we value human rights and the rule of law, then we must fight for climate justice
Human life is sacred and every individual deserves an equal chance in life. We have a common desire, we all want to lead a free, fulfilling existence, with dignity, where our basic needs are met, with opportunities to
