Nakao’s Whirlwind Visit a Timely Reminder
IN a recent whirlwind visit to Samoa and Fiji, ADB President, Takehiko Nakao signed several important agreements, including one that scaled up the status of the Samoa office from an extended mission to a
Opinion
Reward work, not wealth
At the close of 2018, all eyes were on international conferences in Poland and Hawaii, dealing with global commitments to climate change and fisheries management respectively. However Oxfam in the Pacific’s Regional
Is regulation the answer?
Social media under state scrutiny in Fiji DISCUSSION around regulating cyberspace at Fiji Attorney General’s conference generates a few interesting questions and reactions for public discussion. Police Commissioner,
Interconnected: The technical and ethics in a warming planet
Since assuming the mantle of Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, I have been committed to championing inclusivity in many aspects of the Secretariat’s work. Inclusivity ensures a variety of
Winds of change
From colonialism to democracy, coups and a fight for the Earth I WAS born when Fiji was under colonial rule on January 30th 1961; nine years before Fiji gained her independence from Great Britain. During the years
Will Fiji evolve towards Pakistan’s model of democracy?
THE statement in the media by the Chief of Staff of the Fiji Military Forces, Colonel Jone Kalouniwai, in September criticising the speech of National Federation Party MP Parmod Nand, has again raised the question of
Truth and justice
Bishop stands firm on environmental issues AS the Pacific and global focus turns towards COP 23 and the Oceans Summit, the region continues to face challenges with climate change, extractive industry and development.
Costly price of conflict
Solomons rises again from the ruins of the past THE United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include peace-building as part of a changing paradigm of how to achieve “development.” As a set
PACER-Plus
A wedgie in regional geopolitics from the recently concluded Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations, or PACER Plus, raises some interesting questions about the changing geopolitics of the region and whether
God is dead
“GOD is dead, God remains dead and we have killed him”, the enigmatic words of the German Philosopher – Friedrich Nietzsche. In a predominantly God and rugby obsessed nation like our own, these words
Credit can increase without Government guarantees
Accessing credit is difficult for businesses in the Pacific. While there’s enough liquidity in the banking system, the ratio of private sector credit to GDP is in most cases less than 50 percent— similar to the
PARIS AGREEMENT: What it means for the Pacific
“I SEE the room. I see the reaction is positive, I hear no objection. The Paris Climate Accord is adopted.” As the French Foreign Minister and President of COP21, Laurent Fabius, gaveled the decision, the
RACE against TIME
THE 3rd Annual PIDF Summit will be held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva from September 2 to 4. The theme is “Building Climate Resilient Green Blue Economies.” Delegates from across the Pacific and