Opinion: The world doesn’t care about swings in marginal seats. Climate action must spearhead a new Australian foreign policy
Late last year, more than 100 former diplomats and officials called for a new Australian foreign policy — with climate action at the centre — to help cement Australia’s future in a world rapidly shifting
Comment: Overcoming shocks to create a more resilient, inclusive future for Fiji
Fiji recorded its strongest post-independence period of economic growth in the decade before COVID-19, underpinned by rising productivity and investment, political stability, and a booming tourism industry. While the
Opinion: Global racial justice needs to be at the heart of Australian aid
The Greens’ vision for aid and development sees Australia not just contribute its fair share of Official Development Assistance (ODA), but also reimagines foreign aid, not simply as charity but as an issue of global
Palau’s controversial plan to take climate justice into its own hands
Palau’s waters contain some of the world’s richest marine biodiversity. Critically endangered hawksbill turtles and endangered Napoleon wrasse, which can grow up to six feet long and are known for the distinctive
Prime ministerial incumbency bias in PNG
Central to the selection of the prime minister in Papua New Guinea following a general election is Section 63 of PNG’s Organic Law on Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC), which was passed in 2001
Pacific Elders Voice on Climate Security
The Pacific Elders’ Voice reiterates that the primary security threat to the Pacific is climate change. This fact is clearly articulated in the Boe Declaration on Regional Security which states: “We affirm that
Felled by its own Failures – How Australia’s inaction to reform logging in the Solomon Islands has let China in
We have watched these past few weeks as the evolving situation surrounding the Solomon Islands/China security pact has unfolded. It appears that every journalist and political commentator is suddenly an expert in the
Indonesia must allow UN visit before Bali G20 meeting: Benny Wenda on West Papua
LONDON/JAYAPURA — I want to thank all the Pacific Elders for their recent statement supporting a visit to West Papua by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and urging the UN Human Rights Council to pass a
The spiralling debt crisis, and what to do about it
Global debt has reached an unprecedented high, surpassing levels experienced in the infamous 1980s crisis. For debt-burdened countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted their repayment capacity due to
Time for UBS to come clean on PNG loan
Swiss investment bank, UBS, needs to lift the transparency around how the sovereign lending sausage it sold to the PNG government was made, and what it earned from making it. UBS can respond in one of two ways to the
Canberra’s tired old script has led to a less democratic Solomon Islands and a less secure Australia
China must be hoping that Australia persists in its “business as usual” approach to Solomon Islands. An appeasement policy by Australia towards the Solomons prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has been outstandingly
COVID-19:Tackling the pandemic of inequality in Asia and the Pacific
For countries in Asia and the Pacific, meeting the challenge of COVID-19 is challenging due to deeper structural economic
Staying afloat: ensuring public debt sustainability in the Pacific islands
[UNESCAP] The risk of public debt distress is considerably high in almost all Pacific small island developing States (PSIDS). The debt levels in most PSIDS were on a rising trajectory since early 2010s and are projected
Rethinking Solomon Islands security
It has been an interesting couple of weeks for Solomon Islands, with stories of policing, weapons, replica weapons and a security agreement with China dominating the local and regional media. Let’s start with the
Solomons: Putting a draft security deal with China in local context
A draft MOU between Honiara and Beijing on security related issues has sparked international headlines and worried response from
Lessons from Volcanoes in Predicting the Next Pandemic
COVID-19 alerts and warnings can be better developed by bringing together lessons learned from natural hazards like
Leadership and the Pacific Way
Will the leadership tussle within the Pacific Islands Forum be resolved using the Pacific Way? Dr Henry Ivarature looks back to a previous era to see if it offers lessons on the current impasse. Reports indicating
The Pacific Islands become collateral damage on drug superhighway
(THE INTERPRETER) The illicit drugs trade in the Pacific Islands continues to evolve despite Covid-19 border closures. The seizure of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine in Papua New Guinea in 2020 demonstrated that the
Anti-money laundering regulations in the Pacific – a double-edged sword
Across the world, new measures are being introduced to keep up with the increasingly sophisticated money laundering and terrorism-financing schemes. The compliance burdens of the anti-money laundering and
Decolonisation for Guam still matters
In 1982, the first delegation of Chamorus travelled to the United Nations to raise their voices as native inhabitants and Indigenous people of Guam, they petitioned for self-determination and decolonisation. That same
Opinion: Promoting kava exports, ignoring sustainability
On 1 December 2021, Australia launched a pilot program for the commercial importation of kava from the Pacific islands, joining a modest global boom in trade in this iconic Pacific product. As Pacific Trade Invest
Opinion: Europe’s efforts to vilify Vanuatu’s Citizenship Program are tone deaf, protectionist and foolish
In a press call on 12 January, the European Union announced that it may look to suspend its bilateral agreement with Vanuatu, which allows citizens of the Pacific nation to enter, visa free. This obstruction—which
Opinion: Guam, a prime military target for the Chinese
Guam remains a key target for the Chinese military. During the Cold War Guam was a target of the Soviet military in part because Sumay was home to Navy submarines that carried intercontinental ballistic missiles