In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Fiji backs UN call to end U.S embargo on Cuba, citing Charter and humanitarian concerns
2. PACIFIC — El Niño makes its presence felt across the Pacific; countries share impacts at PICOF-19
3. PACIFIC — Strong El Niño to influence rainfall, temperatures and cyclones into 2027
4. FIJI — Climate-threatened Fijian utopia rejects calls to relocate
5. PACIFIC — Record heat-related deaths in 2023, WHO-partnered report finds
6. PACIFIC — CBD COP17: Turning promises into results for biodiversity gains in Kiribati
7. FIJI — Cracks in SODELPA as Gavoka rejects party’s Constitution position
8. PALAU — Angaur residents face drinking water crisis in Palau and lost income as El Niño drought deepens
9. PACIFIC — Cancer survivor turns personal experience into advocacy for women
10. PACNEWS BIZ — U.S company eyes deep-sea mining exploration in waters between Guam, Wake Island
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji’s debt could exceed 90 per cent of GDP by 2028 – World Bank
12. PACNEWS BIZ — World Bank calls for gradual withdrawal of temporary financial assistance
13. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Protecting the storytellers: Women journalists on the frontline of conflict
14. PACNEWS DIGEST — Early adopters programme for phasing out single-use plastics in the tourism industry progressed as focus shifts to data collection and monitoring
15. PACNEWS DIGEST — Workshop on Digital Trade and Artificial Intelligence Agreements for Asia and the Pacific
PAC – DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Fiji backs UN call to end U.S embargo on Cuba, citing Charter and humanitarian concerns
By Pita Ligaiula
NEW YORK, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Fiji has defended its vote in favour of ending the United States economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba, saying its position is grounded in the United Nations Charter, multilateralism and the humanitarian needs of the Cuban people.
Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Filipo Tarakinikini, delivered the country’s explanation of position to the UN General Assembly on 28 October, following the vote on the resolution.
Fiji said lasting solutions to international disputes and economic challenges were best achieved through constructive dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect.
The country also linked its position to the Pacific vision of an Ocean of Peace, emphasising the importance of a rules-based international order in which all nations, regardless of size, could pursue development in peace and dignity.
Fiji was among the countries supporting the resolution, which was adopted by the General Assembly on Wednesday by 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions.
The vote marked the 34th time the Assembly had called for an end to the U.S embargo, although support fell sharply from last year’s 165 votes in favour, seven against and 12 abstentions.
Pacific countries were divided in the vote.
Fiji, Samoa, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu voted in favour, while Palau and Solomon Islands abstained. Australia and New Zealand also supported the resolution.
Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and Naoero were not recorded as casting votes in the voting display.
The resolution, presented by Cuba, calls for an end to the embargo and urges countries to repeal laws with extraterritorial effects that restrict trade and economic relations with the island nation.
It specifically refers to the U.S Helms-Burton Act of 1996 and argues that tougher measures introduced since 2017 have reversed earlier efforts to ease restrictions.
The vote comes as Cuba faces a severe energy crisis, with fuel restrictions worsening shortages and disrupting essential services.
U.S Ambassador Mike Waltz rejected the resolution, arguing that Cuba’s economic difficulties stemmed from its own Government rather than the embargo.
“There is no blockade,” Waltz told the Assembly.
He cited more than US$876 million in US exports to Cuba during the first eight months of 2026 and shipments from other countries as evidence that trade with the island continued.
Waltz accused Cuba’s military-run business sector of controlling resources at the expense of ordinary citizens and urged countries to oppose the resolution.
A vote against the resolution, he said, was “the only thing standing between the communist kleptocratic regime and another propagandistic victory at the expense of the Cuban people.”
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla countered that the embargo was damaging essential services, particularly healthcare.
He said infant mortality had doubled, tens of thousands of surgeries had been delayed or cancelled, and restrictions had prevented cancer medicines from entering Cuba and Cuban-developed treatments from reaching international markets.
Rodríguez displayed a counter showing the estimated cost of the embargo since the debate began on Tuesday, which had exceeded US$22.9 million.
“What Cuba demands is to be left in peace,” he said. “Cuba is not a threat, the blockade is.”
The General Assembly resolution is not legally binding, and lifting the U.S embargo requires action by the United States…PACNEWS
PAC – WEATHER WATCH/ELNINO: SPREP PACNEWS 3: Thu 29 Oct 2026
El Niño makes its presence felt across the Pacific; countries share impacts at PICOF-19
PORT MORESBY, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)—The current ‘super El Niño’ that has been established in the Pacific is making its presence known, and felt, across the region.
Countries attending the 19th Pacific Islands Climate and Oceans Forum (PICOF-19) in Papua New Guinea shared some of the impacts they’ve seen on the ground as the El Niño event wreaks havoc on sectors such as water, health, agriculture, tourism, and fisheries.
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon when ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become warmer than normal, causing rainfall patterns to change and resulting in drier than normal conditions for some countries and wetter than normal conditions for others.
Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment’s (SPREP) Climate Science and Information programme, Mr. Salesa Nihmei, stressed that El Niño is not an abstract idea presented on maps and diagrams.
El Niño is real, and it is here, and countries must act now to soften the impacts that they are currently facing and those that are yet to come.
“This El Niño is one of the strongest ever recorded, and it is occurring in an even warmer world than the last major El Niño events, so the impacts are unpredictable and unprecedented,” Nihmei said.
“We are already starting to see the impacts in PNG, and the government is organising with its partners to deal with the crisis at hand. We urge all other countries to heed this warning, and to learn from PNG.
Papua New Guinea is bearing the brunt of these impacts, as its geographic location means its communities are among the first to feel the impacts of El Niño. The First Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Coffee and Meteorology, Mr. Nos Inox, urged Pacific island countries to heed the warnings from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and to prepare now for the worse still to come.
Droughts and water shortages have been declared in all four regions of PNG as a result of below-normal rainfall due to El Niño. This includes the capital of Port Moresby where 3 million people reside.
School have been forced to close due to the lack of water, and water transportation has been affected due to major rivers and waterways drying up. The hydropower station has also been affected due to the low water levels, resulting in power management across the capital.
Mining operations were affected in PNG, such as the OK Tedi Mine, a large-scale open-pit copper, gold, and silver mine located on Mount Fubilan in the Star Mountains of the North Fly District, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.
With the decrease in water level in the Fly river, supply chain has been disrupted forcing operation to use fiberglass boats and plane to move fuel and for other logistics. This mine works with the government of Indonesia to pipe fuel from Indonesia to PNG to keep the mine operational.
Haze can be seen in the sky as you fly into Jacksons International Airport from bushfires raging across the country, with Lou Islands in the Manus province being one of the hardest hit areas. Destructive frosts have plagued the PNG highlands, destroying crops, gardens, and plantations, and causing a food shortage crisis for highlanders.
Other countries in the Melanesian sub-region are also experiencing impacts. The Fiji Meteorological Service revealed that prolonged dry conditions have depleted rainwater catchment and storage and caused critical water shortages in areas such as Rakiraki, Nagigi and Labasa.
Residents have been forced to sell off their remaining livestock and scale back gardening due to insufficient water and pasture, schools and health facilities across Malolo and Yanuya have been forced to close, and there has been an increase in diarrhea cases.
The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service shared that El Niño has triggered higher sea surface temperatures which have resulted in marine heatwaves and excessive algae growth that has severely damaged seaweed farms. Lower sea levels in Solomon Islands have also resulted in a large number of fish kill, or fish that have died as a result of changing ocean conditions.
Prolonged dry conditions in Malaita, the Western Province, and the Choiseul Province have resulted in water shortages, creeks drying up, and residents reporting strong foul ordors from dead tilapia.
Bush fires and wildfires have been raging across Vanuatu as a result of prolonged dry conditions brought on by the El Niño event, affecting Iririki Island resort, a factory in Motalava Island, and the Elluk Plateau. Fish kill has also been reported by the Vanuatu Meteorological and Hydrological Department, due to the lower than normal sea levels.
Ambae experienced an outbreak of pertussis, or whooping cough, with a total of 276 cases reported and multiple hospitalisations. The Vanuatu Ministry of Health also declared a dengue fever outbreak in Tanna.
Maritime incidents have also been reported across Melanesia, from PNG to Fiji), with rough seas and swells resulting in maritime transport accidents and the loss of 57 lives.
In Vanuatu, the MV Matui vessel capsized due to rough ocean conditions. Warnings were issued by the Vanuatu Meteorological and Hydrology Division which were ignored by the crew of the vessel and resulted in two deaths and multiple still missing.
In Micronesia, the Palau Weather Service Office reported abnormal dryness in August, as well as haze from the wildfires in Indonesia.
National Meteorological Services in Naoero and the Federated States of Micronesia shared that both countries experienced heavy rainfall, with Naoero experiencing an outbreak in flu and dengue fever as a result of changes in rainfall patterns and humidity. In FSM, heavy rainfall caused landslides and flooding in Pohnpei and Kosrae, while coral reefs were exposed during low-tides due to below normal sea levels as a result of El Niño.
The Kiribati Meteorological Service reported that the atoll nation has been hit with strong winds, with Hurricane Lowell and storm surges causing coastal inundation.
The Polynesian sub-region began reporting impacts of El Niño in July, with Tonga reaching record low temperatures of 8.6° in ‘Eua, coral bleaching in Vava’u, and severe drought in the Ha’apai group.
Rainfall in Ha’apai has been below normal since April 2026 according to the Tonga Meteorological Service, and a drought was declared in June. Residents of the outer islands of Ha’apai are at risk of relocation, as crops and livestock cannot continue much longer due to the drought conditions.
In the Cook Islands, a prolonged August to September dry spell has intensified water shortages, drought, and the risk of bush fires. The dry spell has also reached the southern islands, causing stress on agriculture and food security, according to the country’s National Meteorological Service.
Samoa reported heavy rain and flooding conditions in May, with landslides and strong winds causing risk to infrastructure also thrown in the mix. Rough seas and bushfires were also reported.
According to SPREP’s Pacific Climate Services, the El Niño event is likely to persist until May 2027, and will peak in December to January. This provides another added risk to countries, as it coincides with the tropical cyclone season for the Southwest Pacific.
“The impacts we are seeing now across the Pacific are only going to get worse towards the end of this year and into next year,” said Nihmei.
“El Niño will manifest itself and its impacts gradually from the west to the east of the Pacific, so countries must prepare now for the worst is yet to come,” he added.
The PICOF-19 regional outlook statement that will be released at the conclusion of the forum will spell out the risks that can be expected over the next six months, and key messages for governments, sectors, and communities to plan and prepare in order to protect themselves and their livelihoods…PACNEWS
PAC – WEATHER WATCH/ELNINO: SPREP PACNEWS 3: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Strong El Niño to influence rainfall, temperatures and cyclones into 2027
PORT MORESBY, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)—Pacific climate experts are warning that the current strong El Niño is likely to become the strongest on record, with impacts on rain, air temperature, oceans and tropical cyclones likely across the western Pacific Islands well into 2027.
The warning comes from the official Regional Statement of the 19th Pacific Islands Climate and Ocean Forum (PICOF-19), held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on 20 and 21 October 2026. The statement was produced by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Pacific Regional Climate Centre Network (Pacific RCC Network) and issued on 23 October 2026.
The forum brought together national meteorological and hydrological services (NMHSs) from across the Pacific with regional and international partners, including SPREP, the Pacific Community, WMO, and humanitarian and food security agencies.
Pacific RCC Network Coordinator, Sunny Seuseu said “El Niño is already here and still getting stronger. A strong to very strong El Niño is likely from January to March 2027, and there is a high chance it will be the strongest since 1950. It is expected to continue into March to May 2027.”
“This El Niño is also happening in a much warmer world than the major events of 1982/1983 and 1997/ 1998. This means ocean and air temperatures are likely to be higher than in past El Niño events, and drought conditions may be made worse where rain is already low,” he explained.
From November 2026 to January 2027, many Pacific countries are likely to be drier than normal.
This includes much of the northwest Pacific from Palau to the Marshall Islands, and the southwest Pacific from Papua New Guinea southeast to southern French Polynesia.
Wetter than normal conditions are likely from Nauru to eastern Kiribati including Tokelau, the northern Cook Islands and northern French Polynesia.
Warmer than normal air temperatures are likely across most of the western and central tropical Pacific and from Papua New Guinea to New Caledonia.
In the ocean, lower than normal sea levels are expected from Palau to the Marshall Islands and from Papua New Guinea to Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Samoa, which can expose shallow reefs at low tide.
Strong to extreme marine heatwaves are forecast around eastern Kiribati, with coral bleaching risk there through February 2027 and in parts of the southwest Pacific in January. Tuna fishing grounds have already shifted well to the east, and this is expected to continue into March 2027.
Normal to above-normal tropical cyclone (TC) activity is forecast in the southwest Pacific. The normal season is from November to April but in El Niño years an extended season is possible with early TC(s) in October and late TC(s) in May and/or June.
The first TC has already occurred with TC Wati, forming in the Cook Islands in mid-October. The highest risk is near and east of the International Date Line. Activity may be normal or lower further west, but severe cyclones are still possible anywhere in the region. Pacific communities are reminded that it only takes one to cause severe damage.
Between May and October 2026, NMHSs recorded impacts on water, agriculture, fisheries, transport, infrastructure, health, education and tourism.
Water shortages were reported in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga.
More than 57 lives were lost in marine disasters in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji. TCs in the northern Pacific damaged homes and infrastructure, with nine deaths in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia.
Health services reported increases in dengue fever, diarrhoea, influenza and whooping cough in parts of the region, and fires were recorded across the Pacific.
“Safeguard our sectors, assets and water resources. Now is the time to do that. Don’t wait for the coming months and the situation to worsen before acting. This is the time to think about communal water sources and ways to protect them. We have come together to develop solutions for the forecasted impacts we are likely to experience during this El Niño” said Litea Biukoto, Deputy Director Disaster and Water Resilience at the Pacific Community.
The PICOF-19 Regional Statement is a regional guide for NMHSs and Regional Organisations and is not an official outlook for any one country. Conditions differ from island to island.
Communities, farmers, fishers, water and health managers, disaster officials and businesses are encouraged to contact their NMHS for local forecasts and advice for their sector, including water, agriculture, fisheries, health and disaster preparedness. People should also follow official warnings from their NMHSs and disaster management offices throughout the TC season.
NMHSs will develop national outlooks and statements through their National Climate and Ocean Forums (NCOFs). Updates on El Niño and climate conditions will continue to be provided monthly through the Australian and New Zealand funded Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific (COSPPac) Online Climate and Ocean Forum (OCOF)…..PACNEWS
FIJI – CLIMATE CHANGE: AFP PACNEWS 3: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Climate-threatened Fijian utopia rejects calls to relocate
SERUA ISLAND, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (AFP)— As the sun sets over Fiji’s tiny Serua Island, its climate-threatened inhabitants soak in one of the reasons they have rejected attempts to relocate their village — the “$100 million views.”
The island looks like a utopia from the mainland, two steep palm-covered knolls sandwiching its low-lying centre, flanked by coral reefs and rich fishing grounds.
But it is on the island itself that the risk from rising seas becomes clearer, with a concrete sea wall providing the only defence against waves that are already swamping homes.
“The stronger the air pressure, the higher the waves. So the waves wash through inside the village,” Serua Island resident Avenai Ranuku.
Dozens of homes are in harm’s way when cyclones hit Fiji, as are vegetable crops and graves.
Water laps at the feet of concrete piles where homes and a hospital once stood on the island’s eastern end, and two homes were also moved from the western side where land has been washed away.
Despite the risks, most residents say they would rather strengthen the island’s defences than abandon their ancestral home.
Ranuku remembers when Category 5 Cyclone Winston hit as a child and the island’s population moved up one of the island’s peaks to take shelter.
“Terrifying,” Ranuku said of that night.
“All of the villagers, when the chief mention it, we go up. No one left behind. We help everyone, carry everything from the house, food. This is our evacuation plan.”
Safe on higher ground, Ranuku could hear “waves going around, and the roof of the houses being washed away.”
From that same haven on the hill, Ranuku explained why the threat of cyclones and sea level rise doesn’t deter people from living on the island.
“We love this island, you know. Fresh air, go out fishing every day, that’s why they don’t want to leave.
“Many people used to say, they go to that house on the hill to see the sunset, it’s a $100 million view.”
Serua Village worked with Habitat for Humanity in 2025 to write a detailed disaster risk reduction plan, as most of the population rejected calls for it to relocate.
Instead, residents wanted to protect their ancestral home and the culture linked to it.
The report found nearly 20 percent of homes on the island were in critical condition, and just three houses were strong enough to withstand a cyclone.
“Serua Island experiences more frequent seawall overtopping during high tides and king tides, saline intrusion affecting soil fertility, and standing water after rainfall, elevating health risks,” the report said.
“The assessment shows there is a lack of natural form of wave breakers on Serua Island, and it is constantly threatened by sea level rise and cyclones.
“More than 50 percent of houses have a combination of unstable foundations and roofs, and weak joints, walls, and bracing, making these homes most vulnerable to cyclones and severe weather events.”
On receiving the report, the village wasted no time in working to strengthen its resilience.
During a visit in October, dozens of workers were renovating homes along the northern coastline.
Flimsy walls and corrugated iron roofing were being removed and taken by boat to the mainland.
Some homes had already been raised to mitigate flood risk, and others would soon follow.
The report also recommended improving access to the island by building a more robust path.
During low tide, it is possible to walk the 750 meters to the island, guided by a string of power lines protruding from the sea floor.
But at high tide, the only access is by boat, and even then the report said work is needed to make docking on the island safer and easier.
It is work Ranuku said his village is committed to.
“Why would we want to leave?” he said, looking across the water to Fiji’s Coral Coast.
“We have $100 million views,” said Ranuku….PACNEWS
PAC – CLIMATE CHANGE: UN NEWS CENTRE PACNEWS 3: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Record heat-related deaths in 2023, WHO-partnered report finds
GENEVA, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE)—Climate inaction continues to harm and kill people in all countries with a record 710,000 estimated deaths globally from heat in 2023, a UN-partnered report warned on Wednesday.
For the first time, more than seven in 10 fatalities were attributable to human-caused climate change.
The latest Lancet Countdown report in association with the World Health Organisation (WHO), finds that health harms from climate change are accelerating, with expanded fossil fuel extraction holding back progress and threatening “catastrophic” health risks.
“Heat-related deaths, drought and other climate-related risks (are) increasing faster than a decade ago, even as clean energy investments and climate action begin to deliver health benefits,” the report’s authors state.
Key findings:
*Heat exposure caused the loss of 573 billion potential work hours in 2025, costed at US$1.07 trillion.
*Clean energy jobs grew 2.3 percent in 2024, almost twice direct fossil fuel employment.
*Cleaner air is preventing an estimated 323,000 deaths a year in 70 countries where air pollution from fossil fuels has fallen.
*National laws on climate change and health have risen roughly 50-fold since the year 2000 and most have been since 2016.
*Wealthy nations accounted for 55 percent of climate–health laws in 2025, compared to two per cent in developing countries.
Other findings indicate that the global area affected by extreme drought “has grown more than 700 percent faster than it did in 2006–2015”, with droughts affecting 51.8 percent of land on earth for at least one month in 2025.
The report also examines the link between rising temperatures and rainfall patterns to dengue transmission, finding that conditions suitable for dengue transmission by Aedes albopictus mosquitoes increased by 24 percent between 1981-90 and 2016-25, while suitability for transmission by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes rose by seven percent.
And in a warning that too little is being done to mitigate climate change, the report also notes that the world’s 100 largest oil and gas companies plan to produce “150 per cent more fossil fuels by 2040 than is compatible with keeping warming to 1.5°C [above pre-Industrial Revolution temperature averages], up from 138 percent a year earlier”.
These and other worrying findings highlight the urgent need to formally recognise climate change as a global health emergency, the authors maintain, in support of stronger, health-centred climate action ahead of the UN COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye.
Priorities include accelerating reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, increasing support for adaptation and expanding investments that strengthen health system resilience.
WHO responds to climate-related health risks through surveillance, early warning systems, health adaptation planning, technical guidance and emergency response teams.
The agency is also closely following the expected health impacts of the ongoing El Niño event through a global incident management team, mobilizing expertise, health intelligence and support to countries most at risk.
WHO also oversees the work of ATACH (the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health), the only network of health ministries and partners working together to develop climate-resilient, low-carbon and sustainable health systems at the country level.
The report – produced by researchers and institutions from all over the world and led by University College London – analyses global trends across 54 indicators linking climate change and health.
It shows that heat-related deaths increased by nearly 36 percent in the years following the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change compared with the previous decade. The report also highlights worsening drought conditions, increasing exposure to water-related extremes and substantial economic losses linked to heat exposure.
In more positive developments, important progress has been made in resisting the health impacts of climate change, the report notes, pointing to a record US$2.1 trillion global investment in clean energy last year.
“Many countries that have lowered fossil fuel-related air pollution are estimated to be protecting thousands of people from premature deaths each year,” it adds.
The report also notes advances in climate-resilient health systems, including increased adoption of national health adaptation plans and climate-based early warning systems.
Around one in four countries now have a national plan for adapting health services to climate change, up from just 14 WHO Member States in 2015; 47 have separately completed a vulnerability assessment to underpin plans.
The development follows a warning by the UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) that levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other major greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere reached record highs in 2025, locking in more long-term temperature increase for the planet….PACNEWS
PAC – BIODIVERSITY: SPREP PACNEWS 3: Thu 29 Oct 2026
CBD COP17: Turning promises into results for biodiversity gains in Kiribati
YEREVAN, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)— Kiribati, a Big Ocean State comprising 33 islands across approximately 3.5 million sqm of an EEZ took the spotlight during the high-level segment of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
A custodian of ocean biodiversity for the world, Kiribati was represented by Minister Tokaibure Rabaua who told world leaders and ministers that finance is the test of this COP. The CBD COP17 is held from 19 to 30 October in Yerevan, Armenia.
Kiribati is finalising its national Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, as well as its national targets to align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It is also updating its Kiribati Integrated Environment Policy to support these – both of which are anchored in the Kiribati 20-Year Vision ensuring that biodiversity is part of how it plans its development and not separate from it.
“Our commitment is real. The barrier is access to finance, not commitment. The Kunming-Montreal commitment of at least 20 billion USD a year by 2025 and 30 billion by 2030 must be met in full. Yet quantity alone is not sufficient; the quality of finance is equally important,” stated Minister Tokaibure Rabaua of the Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Agriculture Development in Kiribati.
“For Pacific Small Island Developing States, finance must be grant-based, predictable and accessible, not loans that deepen our debt. It must flow directly to our national institutions and communities. Finance that cannot reach the point of implementation implements nothing.”
Kiribati stressed the need for simplified, direct access to the Global Biodiversity Fund and the Global Environment Facility with a dedicated window for Small Islands Developing States. Now in the final stages of establishing an autonomous National Environment Fund, Kiribati is ready to receive finance directly to deliver it on the ground.
“Support to prepare strategies is welcome, but it cannot replace sustained finance to implement work across the islands,” said Minister Rabaua.
“Under Article 20, the obligations of developed countries remain the foundation of this Convention, and they must be honoured first. Yet our needs are evolving, and the triple planetary crisis is deepening. We therefore encourage all those with the ability to contribute to do so.”
“This must bring new and additional resources, not shift the burden or dilute existing commitments. It must reflect real capacity, not income alone, so that Small Island Developing States are never drawn in by proxy.”
Article 20 of the KMGBF is to strengthen capacity-building, technology transfer, and scientific and technical cooperation for biodiversity.
Kiribati called upon world leaders and ministers to ensure the first global review of the KMGBF measures the whole planet including ocean biodiversity stressing the importance for monitoring to reflect the realities of atolls and ocean states so the importance of coral reefs, lagoons, fisheries and coastal ecosystems is visible in the global picture.
“Partnering with Kiribati is one of the highest-impact investments in global biodiversity available today. One partnership with Kiribati reaches some 3.5 million square kilometres of ocean. Our fisheries, reefs and marine life sustain people far beyond our shores. Every investment in our ocean and islands protects food security for our people and ocean health for the world,” stated Minister Rabaua.
“Our resilience is built in place, and we will do our part. We ask our partners to stand with us, so that Yerevan marks the turn from promises to results.”
Tokaibure Rabaua Minister of Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Agriculture Development of Kiribati spoke before global leaders and ministers on 27 October 2026 during the High-Level Segment of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity hosted in Yerevan, Armenia from 19 to 30 October 2026….PACNEWS
FIJI – CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM/POLITICS: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 3: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Cracks in SODELPA as Gavoka rejects party’s Constitution position
SUVA, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJ SUN)—Fiji Deputy Prime Minister and Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) Member of Parliament Viliame Gavoka disagrees with his party’s decision to oppose the Constitution Amendment Bill, suggesting that internal divisions may have influenced the decision.
Speaking to this masthead from Doha, Qatar, Gavoka urged the SODELPA management board to reconsider its position while consultations on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 were ongoing.
“If it’s true that SODELPA is already rejecting the third reading, then someone is acting in bad faith,” he said.
“How can you ask members of the party and a special general meeting (SGM) at that, to vote on something that is ‘work in progress’?”
SODELPA general secretary Levi Vere said that the party stood by its decision.
“What we have said, we have said,” Vere said.
Following the party’s SGM last Saturday, SODELPA agreed not to support the Bill’s third reading in Parliament. The decision would be communicated to the party’s three parliamentarians.
The party’s key concerns include the retention of the immunity clause and what it considers a lack of accountability and transparency in the overall amendment process.
The party also decided that any of its three parliamentarians who oppose the board’s directive would be subject to disciplinary provisions.
The three SODELPA parliamentarians are Minister for Education and party leader Aseri Radrodro, Minister for iTaukei Affairs Ifereimi Vasu and Gavoka.
“I would urge the hierarchy of the party to reconsider its position, because as it is, the members were not told the whole story at the SGM, and that’s very serious,” Gavoka said.
Radrodro and Vasu attended the meeting, while Gavoka was overseas on official travel.
“I would ask the party to reconsider its position as the work of the Special Committee is still ongoing,” Gavoka said.
“The final version will be known over the next few days or so and that’s when the party should meet and decide.
“SODELPA made representations to the Special Committee along the way; in Ba, Tavua, Rakiraki, Wailotua and other venues. Those contributions help in the crafting of the final Bill for the third reading.
“The party should wait for the ‘finished product’ and decide. Who knows, perhaps some of the issues they articulated have made it to the final Bill.”
When contacted, Vasu said he was hopeful the Coalition Government would complete its term on a positive note.
“My intention is for us to finish this year together on a good note, just as we started it together,” he said.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said Gavoka, SODELPA’s representative on the Special Committee on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, was not currently participating in consultations because he was overseas on official duties.
Rabuka said Biman Prasad, a Member of Parliament representing the National Federation Party on the committee, had requested to be excused.
Bill 32 is expected to be tabled in Parliament for its third reading next week.
Meanwhile, SODELPA leader Aseri Radrodro says he and party MP Viliame Gavoka are bound by the authority of the party’s General Assembly, which has made its position clear on the Constitution Amendment Bill at a Special General Assembly.
Responding to Gavoka’s comments that he was devastated by the party’s decision not to support the Bill, Radrodro said he would encourage Gavoka to use his position on the Special Committee to raise the issues preventing SODELPA from supporting the legislation in its current form.
Radrodro said Gavoka’s input could help address the party’s concerns and enable SODELPA to deliver on the wishes of its members and Fijians who had publicly expressed similar views.
He said the constitutional reform process was a defining moment for Fiji and should unite the country rather than divide or polarise it.
Radrodro said SODELPA would continue to listen to the voices of the people and stressed that constitutional reform should not be treated as an election promise exercise.
Instead, he said, the process must ensure every citizen’s voice is considered, laws are changed or improved where necessary, and the public takes ownership of the outcome….PACNEWS
PALAU – WEATHER WATCH/ELNINO: ISLAND TIMES PACNEWS 3: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Angaur residents face drinking water crisis in Palau and lost income as El Niño drought deepens
KOROR, 29 OCTOBER 2026(ISLAND TIMES)—Angaur residents are struggling to secure drinking water and maintain their livelihoods as a prolonged drought linked to a super El Niño threatens Palau and much of the western Pacific.
Surrounded by seawater, salty inland lakes and wells with brackish water, Angaur is facing a growing water crisis. Despite having water all around the island, residents depend on drinking water transported from Koror, while the dry conditions are making it harder to find crabs, grow crops and earn income.
Melanie Santiago, an Angaurian facing challenges caused by unusually long dry spell.
Each week, Angaur State transports residents’ water containers to Koror to be filled with drinking water at no cost to the people. But the service depends on boat transportation and is vulnerable to weather and other conditions that can interrupt deliveries.
An Angaur resident traveling to Koror said she counted 82 five-gallon containers and 20 three-gallon containers during the last boat trip.
The containers are normally transported about once a week, but the boat had not returned for two weeks, raising concerns about the growing demand for drinking water.
“I think there will definitely be more containers since the boat has not been back for sometime,” she said.
The delay highlights the challenges residents face in securing enough safe water as the drought continues.
“We have water tanks,” said Melanie Santiago, an Angaur resident who sells ukaeb, or processed land crab meat, to supplement her formal income. “But with little rain, we don’t have much water and what is in there is not safe, so we need to get fresh water from Koror.”
Angaur’s main water source is its underground wells. Although water levels remain adequate, residents say the water is not safe for drinking or cooking.
Thoms Alfred, a Palau Public Utilities employee responsible for Angaur’s water system, said the water levels in the wells remain good.
However, residents report concerns about using the water for household needs beyond cleaning and washing clothes.
Some residents say bathing in the well water can cause “pink eyes” or skin rashes, although those concerns have not been independently confirmed.
One resident said she now brings water from Koror to cook rice rather than use the water from Angaur’s wells.
The situation leaves families dependent on water transported by boat, even as delays and limited rainfall make it harder to maintain a reliable supply.
The water shortage is only one part of the hardship facing Angaur residents.
The prolonged dry conditions are also affecting two important sources of income for local families: ukaeb, or processed coconut land crab meat, and kebui, or pepper leaves.
Santiago said the dry, hot weather drives crabs deeper underground, making them increasingly difficult to find.
“When it’s dry and hot like it is now, the crabs go deep underground and it becomes very very hard to find them,” she said.
The drought created particular concern when the government ordered 2,500 ukaeb and 2,500 crab cakes from Angaur producers for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Summit.
Santiago said producers feared they would not be able to fulfill the order because the prolonged dry conditions had made crabs difficult to catch.
Fortunately, rain arrived, allowing residents to collect crabs as they emerged from the ground.
“We were so worried because it has been so dry for so long, that we could not find any crabs,” Santiago said. “We were worried we may not be able to fulfill our order.”
She said residents rushed to catch crabs when the rain came, trying to gather as much as possible to sell.
That has become a pattern for Angaur producers: waiting for occasional rainfall and taking advantage of brief opportunities to harvest crabs before the ground dries again.
Santiago estimates that about 60 percent of Angaur residents supplement their income by selling products such as crab meat and kebui.
The drought is affecting those livelihoods, particularly for families who depend on the products as their main source of income.
“It is even worse for those that have no other means income other than selling their crops and crab products for living,” she said.
For those households, the prolonged dry spell threatens not only food and water supplies but also the money needed to support their families.
The effects extend beyond crab harvesting and pepper leaves.
Other crops, including papayas, betel nut and coconuts, are already facing challenges from invasive macaque monkeys and coconut beetles. The drought is adding another strain.
Brown and yellowing leaves on various crops indicate the effects of the dry conditions and raise concerns about further damage if rainfall remains limited.
While the drought is affecting Babeldaob and other parts of Palau, the impact is particularly severe in smaller, outlying states such as Angaur.
Residents must contend with limited local sources of safe drinking water, dependence on boat transportation and declining opportunities to earn income from traditional products.
With water levels in wells still adequate but residents questioning the water’s safety, the island’s immediate challenge is securing dependable drinking water while the drought continues.
For Angaur families, the consequences are already visible in delayed water deliveries, difficult crab harvests and crops showing signs of stress.
The prolonged dry spell is placing pressure on both household needs and the local economy, leaving residents increasingly dependent on rainfall and transportation from Koror…..PACNEWS
PAC – HEALTH: PACNEWS/FFA PACNEWS 3: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Cancer survivor turns personal experience into advocacy for women
HONIARA, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS/FFA) —A cancer survivor is using her personal experience to encourage women to speak openly about the disease, seek support and help break the stigma surrounding cancer.
Yvonne Ogaoga, a lawyer with family roots in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, shared her cancer journey at a breast cancer awareness session hosted by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
She spoke about the challenges she faced during treatment and follow-up reviews, and how the experience motivated her to support other women affected by cancer.
Ogaoga said sharing her story had helped raise awareness and had made a difference in the lives of others, including a woman who approached her to thank her for speaking openly about the disease.
The encounter reinforced her belief that personal stories could encourage others facing cancer and help create an environment where people feel safe discussing their experiences.
Beyond raising awareness, Ogaoga has been advocating for greater understanding of cancer within the legal profession and engaging colleagues on the issue.
She has also helped organise a breakfast for cancer survivors and is working towards establishing a Solomon Islands Cancer Society to strengthen support for people affected by cancer.
Her advocacy highlights the importance of public awareness, survivor support and open conversations in addressing the stigma that can prevent people from seeking help.
This year’s breast cancer awareness theme, “Every Story is Unique, Every Journey Matters”, calls for compassion and understanding for people affected by cancer.
FFA thanked Ogaoga for sharing her experience and contributing to efforts to raise awareness and support cancer survivors, their families and communities….PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – DEEP SEA MINING: PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 29 Oct 2026
U.S company eyes deep-sea mining exploration in waters between Guam, Wake Island
WASHINGTON/ HAGATNA, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES) —The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has received an application for a license to conduct mineral exploration in waters between Guam and Wake Island, potentially expanding the target area for commercial deep-sea mining.
NOAA will hold a virtual hearing on 16 November to seek feedback on Eco Minerals’ license application, which was submitted on 05 December 2025, but made public only this month.
In a notice published in the Federal Register on 13 October, NOAA said Eco Minerals is seeking to map a portion of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean, covering a new area outside the zones previously designated by the Marine Management Administration.
According to the Marine Management Administration, Eco Minerals’ application covers a target area not included in the proposed lease notice for 69.1 million acres of waters off the Northern Mariana Islands, which are scheduled for auction in December.
Wake Island is an unorganized, unincorporated U.S territory, approximately 1,501 miles from Guam. However, the island, which is a coral atoll, is also claimed by the Marshall Islands.
Earlier this year, Governor Lou Leon Guerrero signed a law banning deep‑sea mining in Guam’s territorial waters.
Known as one of the world’s largest polymetallic nodule fields, the zone lies in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and Mexico. It is administered by the International Seabed Authority.
The world’s increasing appetite for rare-earth minerals and other critical minerals, such as nickel and cobalt, is creating this century’s equivalent of a gold rush, as countries and companies race to mine the estimated 210 trillion tons of polymetallic nodules that litter the ocean floor worldwide.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone alone is estimated to have 21.1 tons of polymetallic nodules scattered on the seafloor in an area of about 1.7 million square miles.
Polymetallic nodules are fist-sized rocks that contain valuable metals and minerals essential to modern technologies such as batteries and renewable energy systems.
Their extraction from the ocean floor is being heralded as the answer to the growing global demand for critical resources, but many environmental groups oppose the headlong rush toward seabed mining because of the lack of regulations governing this emerging industry and fears of environmental collapse.
Although the United States has not yet issued any licenses to begin commercial deep-sea mining, environmental advocates point to what they say is an accelerated process for this emerging industry, which begins with a planned auction on 19 November.
The U.S plans to hold the first deep-sea mining lease sale off American Samoa and will offer about 31 million acres of seabed for exploration by mining companies.
As part of the application review process, NOAA will hold one virtual public hearing and accept written comments via email. The deadline for submission of comments is 14 December.
The virtual public hearing will be held on 16 November….PACNEWS
FIJI – DEBT: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Fiji’s debt could exceed 90 per cent of GDP by 2028 – World Bank
SUVA, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI TIMES) —Fiji’s public debt could exceed 90 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2028 if a prolonged Middle East conflict, severe weather events and delays in government spending reforms combine to weaken the economy.
The warning is contained in the World Bank’s Fiji Economic Update released Wednesday, which identifies rising energy costs, an intensifying El Niño and election-related spending as major risks to the country’s economic outlook.
“The main downside risk is a combination of a prolonged conflict in the Middle East that keeps oil prices and shipping costs elevated, an El Niño event, and delayed fiscal adjustment,” the report stated.
The World Bank warned that continued disruption to global shipping routes, including attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, could keep freight, insurance and fuel costs high for import-dependent economies such as Fiji.
It also highlighted the possibility of worsening weather conditions.
“If El Niño intensifies to the levels projected by NOAA, Fiji could face drought-related agricultural losses in late 2026, followed by elevated cyclone risk in the first half of 2027.”
The report warned that a cyclone comparable to Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016, which caused damage equivalent to 25 per cent of GDP, could severely disrupt tourism, destroy infrastructure and increase government emergency spending.
“Under this scenario, public debt could exceed 90 percent of GDP by 2028, and the reserve buffer would come under pressure.”
The World Bank also raised concerns about election-related expenditure, warning that delaying fiscal adjustments beyond 2026 would make debt reduction considerably more difficult in subsequent years.
“If fiscal adjustment is deferred beyond 2026, the consolidation burden in 2027–28 grows significantly larger,” the report stated.
Despite these risks, the Bank outlined a more favourable scenario in which an easing of Middle East tensions reduces fuel prices and inflation, while stronger tourism demand and decisive fiscal reforms support economic recovery.
Under those conditions, Fiji’s economic growth could approach 3.5 percent by 2027, with public debt stabilising earlier than projected.
However, the World Bank warned that Fiji’s longer-term development ambitions would require sustained improvements in productivity and investment.
It estimated the country’s potential economic growth at approximately 3.5 per cent under baseline conditions, compared with the average annual growth of more than 3.6 per cent needed over 25 years to achieve the Government’s Vision 2050 goal of high-income status.
“Achieving the Vision 2050 goal of high-income status requires sustained growth averaging above 3.6 percent for 25 years.”
The report said achieving this would require greater economic diversification, investment in human capital and measures to increase women’s participation in the workforce…..PACNEWS
FIJI – FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 29 Oct 2026
World Bank calls for gradual withdrawal of temporary financial assistance
SUVA, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI TIMES)—The World Bank has recommended that the Fiji Government gradually withdraw temporary financial assistance introduced to cushion households from rising costs once economic conditions improve.
In its Fiji Economic Update released Wednesday, the World Bank said the Government should avoid introducing further broad-based relief measures and instead prioritise restoring fiscal sustainability.
“If energy prices and transport costs ease, gradually withdraw the temporary assistance introduced in response to the shock, while preserving core social-protection benefits for vulnerable households,” the report stated.
The World Bank stressed that the withdrawal of temporary support should be carefully managed to ensure vulnerable households continue receiving essential assistance.
It also urged the Government to avoid additional widespread relief measures.
“Avoid introducing further broad-based relief,” the report recommended.
The Bank said Fiji’s immediate economic priority should be reducing fiscal pressures while protecting essential services and investments that support economic growth.
“Fiji’s immediate priority is to restore fiscal sustainability while protecting vulnerable households and growth-enhancing investment.”
It recommended that the Government establish a credible fiscal consolidation plan within the next 12 months, including a medium-term fiscal framework outlining measures to stabilise public debt and eventually reduce it.
The report also called for tighter controls on government expenditure, particularly recruitment, official travel and nonessential spending.
“Apply existing restrictions on recruitment, travel, and nonessential spending, and closely monitor implementation across ministries and public entities.”
The World Bank said stronger debt and liquidity management would also be necessary to address Fiji’s financial vulnerabilities.
It recommended managing near-term refinancing risks by spreading out domestic debt repayments and extending repayment periods where financially beneficial.
The report also suggested that the Reserve Bank of Fiji gradually resume issuing RBF Notes to absorb excess liquidity and improve the effectiveness of monetary policy.
However, it cautioned that such measures should be carefully coordinated with government debt management to avoid placing unnecessary pressure on borrowing costs.
The World Bank said longer-term reforms would also be needed to reduce Fiji’s dependence on imported energy, tourism and a limited labour supply.
Its recommendations place particular emphasis on reducing government spending pressures while maintaining social protection for households most vulnerable to economic shocks…..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
Protecting the storytellers: Women journalists on the frontline of conflict
By Ana Carmo
NEW YORK, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE)—As online abuse, gender-based attacks and impunity ramp up the threats to women reporting from crisis zones, journalists and UN leaders are calling for urgent action to protect those who document conflict.
“Every woman journalist driven out of a conflict zone is a peace process that loses its witness,” said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, addressing the United Nations this week.
She urged governments to move beyond promises and take concrete action to protect women media workers in the field.
“When the messenger is a woman, it is sexualized, it’s dehumanizing, and it is relentless,” said Ressa, co-founder of the Philippine news organisation Rappler.
As part of Women, Peace and Security Week, she was speaking at a high-level event organised by the Permanent Mission of Greece, gender equality agency UN Women, and the UN education and culture agency, UNESCO, which champions journalist protection.
‘Fight before it’s too late’
Ressa, who has faced arrest, legal cases and sustained online attacks, reiterated how intimidation can wear down journalists’ credibility and confidence, threaten their safety and ultimately kill their determination to continue reporting.
At the height of the attacks against her, she received 90 hate messages an hour.
The attacks illustrate how gender-based abuse can be used to discredit women who challenge those in power.
“Kill the messenger to kill the message,” she explained to the event – Every Voice for Peace Counts: New Perspectives on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
AI enabler
Artificial intelligence is adding to the threat, enabling deepfakes, fabricated sexual images, cloned voices and coordinated attacks to spread at scale.
According to UN Women data, nearly one in four women human rights defenders, activists and journalists reported experiencing AI-enabled abuse which in time can manifest as physical violence.
Recent research highlights how online attacks – once dismissed as “virtual” problems – are now spilling offline, affecting women’s safety, well-being, and ability to participate freely in public debate.
Ressa called for online violence to be treated as such, arguing for stronger accountability for perpetrators and technology companies that amplify abuse, sustained funding for women-led journalism, and the inclusion of women journalists in peace and security discussions.
‘This is the moment’
Invoking the words of Mzia Amaglobeli, a Georgian journalist who remains imprisoned, Ressa described how she had held up a copy of How to Stand Up to a Dictator in court when she was unable to speak freely.
“What she said from her cell is, fight before it’s too late,” Ressa said. “We’re getting there. This is it. This is the moment.”
She called on journalists, civil society, governments and international institutions to stand together against a system that allows attacks on women journalists to go unchecked.
“We refuse to be the victim,” she said. “The women here turned the attack into the story, and every time one of us stood up, others stood with us. Courage is contagious. But courage isn’t a protection strategy – the nations of the UN are”.
The meeting took place 26 years since the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325, which affirmed the importance of women’s full participation in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding.
Keeping Afghan women’s voices alive
For Afghan journalist and media entrepreneur Hamida Aman, protecting women journalists means ensuring that millions of women are not shut out of public life altogether.
When she launched Radio Begum in March 2021, her aim was to create a space where Afghan women could share their experiences and access information relevant to their lives. Since the Taliban takeover, restrictions have made that work increasingly difficult.
Citing figures from the International Federation of Journalists,Aman said the number of women journalists in Afghanistan had fallen from about 2,800 before the takeover to fewer than 700.
“Being allowed to operate doesn’t mean being free to operate,” she said, describing the scrutiny and administrative obstacles facing Radio Begum. The organisation has been threatened and temporarily shut down, and some colleagues have been jailed for more than six months.
“If these journalists disappear, who will speak about the lives of Afghan women? Who will make their voices heard?” Aman asked.
Silencing collective stories
Protecting women journalists is not only about individual safety. It is also about whose experiences of conflict are documented, whose voices shape public understanding and whose contributions to peace are recognised.
“When women journalists are silenced, the women whose stories they are telling is also silenced,” said UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination, and Programme Results, Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda.
“So, it’s not just the silencing of the journalists, it’s the silencing of our collective story.”
Women in conflict settings are often portrayed as victims, she noted, despite their roles in preventing violence, mediating disputes, sustaining communities and rebuilding societies. When their experiences go unreported, the public sees only part of the reality of war, “half of the picture of peace”.
The scale of the problem is stark. According to a recent study by UN Women and UNESCO, 75 percent of women journalists surveyed had experienced online violence. Forty-two per cent linked online attacks to abuse or assault in the physical world, up from 20 percent in 2020.
Meanwhile, between 2013 and 2023, coverage of conflicts grew more than sixfold, yet only 5 percent of published articles focused on women’s experiences of war. Just 0.04 per cent mentioned women leaders in peace processes, according to figures presented at the event.
“We are not invisible”, Ressa told the room of women in New York.
Begoñã Lasagabaster, Director of UNESCO’s Division for Gender Equality, recalled the exhibition They Told the World About It, documenting almost 200 women journalists from more than 25 countries who reported on the Spanish Civil War 90 years ago.
“While much of the world counted battles, these women counted lives – they wrote about hunger, displacement, about what war does to a mother, a father, a child, a city, a country,” she said, and with that “they changed the way the world saw war”.
Protection must become action
International frameworks for protecting journalists already exist. Yet women journalists continue to face physical violence, legal harassment, psychological trauma and online campaigns designed to discredit their reporting.
As the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists approaches on 2 November, UNESCO is preparing to launch a new campaign – Threats Evolve, Impunity Endures – alongside new findings on journalist safety and impunity.
“Every voice for peace counts,” said Ressa, “but a voice only counts if it is heard, if that woman survives being heard,” she said….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Early adopters programme for phasing out single-use plastics in the tourism industry progressed as focus shifts to data collection and monitoring
HONIARA, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)— As part of efforts to progress action to phase out of single use plastics (SUPs) in the Pacific tourism industry, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through the Australian Government funded Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP) and in partnership with the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), delivered the Baseline Survey Training Workshop and Meetings in Honiara Solomon Islands during 15 – 19 October 2026.
Building on the successful development of the Standards and Certification Programme (SCP) for phasing out SUPs in 2024 and the subsequent rollout of awareness workshops and capacity building activities in 2025, POLP is now working to support a selected group of tourism businesses through the Early Adopters Programme, to take the next step in their journey towards certification.
This phase focuses on establishing baseline data on SUP consumption and waste generation, enabling businesses to understand their current use of SUP products, identify priority areas for reduction and track progress against the SCP.
The baseline assessment will provide the evidence needed to develop practical reduction strategies and support businesses in progressing towards certification under the SCP framework by 2027, while contributing to broader regional efforts to reduce plastic pollution across Pacific Island destinations.
The workshop brought together tourism stakeholders to strengthen awareness of the impact of plastic pollution and the urgent need to refuse, reduce, and replace SUPs.
Officially opened by Tourism Solomons CEO, Andrew Nihopara, the workshop focused on onboarding tourism businesses as early adopters and champions of the SUP phase-out for Solomon Islands, translating regional and national commitments into practical action across the tourism sector.
At the workshop, the PlasTICK digital data collection tool developed in collaboration with Common Seas was showcased and trialled. The platform will support industry and national tourism organisations in establishing plastic usage baselines and monitoring and tracking usage and reduction over time.
The tool was positively received by industry stakeholders, with discussions highlighting the importance of effective communication, enforcement, and compliance in driving change through a structured phase-out process and encouraging sustained industry commitment.
Targeted meetings with tourism businesses and partners to plan the rollout of baseline data surveys for early adopters, followed the workshop.
The workshop and meetings were delivered with the support of Tourism Solomons and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. These reinforce ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology to address plastic pollution in Solomon Islands….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Workshop on Digital Trade and Artificial Intelligence Agreements for Asia and the Pacific
SUVA, 29 OCTOBER 2026 (ESCAP)—The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will convene the Workshop on Digital Trade and Artificial Intelligence Agreements for Asia and the Pacific in China, from 8 to 10 December 2026.
The workshop will bring together senior officials from ESCAP member States to exchange views on priorities and options for strengthening regional cooperation on digital trade and artificial intelligence (AI).
Digital trade has become a main driver of the region’s services trade. In 2025, Asia-Pacific services exports grew by 5.4 percent, led by digitally deliverable services such as ICT, telecommunications, computer, business and financial services. The Commission has recognised that trade with and among developing countries is fundamental to their ability to benefit from technological advances (resolution 80/1, para. 5). AI is expected to shape the next phase of this transformation.
Asia-Pacific economies are at the forefront of incorporating AI into trade rules: as of January 2025, 14 of the 16 trade agreements worldwide with AI provisions involved economies of the region. The use of AI in trade operations, however, remains limited, standing below 15 per cent among the economies surveyed by ESCAP and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and ranging from 1 to 40 percent across subregions.
The regional governance of digital trade has not kept pace. Existing instruments, including CPTPP, RCEP, DEPA, ASEAN DEFA and the WTO Agreement on Electronic Commerce, leave gaps in data governance enforcement, AI governance, digital inclusion for smaller and developing economies, and connectivity for Pacific Island States.
Participation is uneven: economies in East and South-East Asia lead in developing digital economy agreements, while those in Central and South Asia and the developing Pacific Islands economies lag behind, especially in intraregional cooperation.
National regulatory approaches also diverge widely. Scores on ESCAP’s Regional Digital Trade Integration Index (RDTII), where higher scores indicate more restrictive or complex regulation, range from 0.28 to 0.59 across ASEAN and from 0.34 to 0.61 across South and South-West Asia. Rules and capacity on AI remain limited. Only 2.5 per cent of trade agreements worldwide refer to AI, and skills shortages, infrastructure costs, fragmented data systems and regulatory uncertainty constrain AI adoption in trade, with Pacific economies facing the greatest difficulties.
These challenges cannot be addressed by national measures alone. ESCAP research finds that reducing regulatory heterogeneity is important for the effective participation of smaller firms and less developed countries in cross-border digital trade. There is also considerable scope for deeper regional integration, as only about 21 per cent of the region’s services exports are destined for other economies in the region.
ESCAP has a record of supporting regional cooperation in this area. In 2012, the Commission invited member States to work towards regional arrangements on cross-border paperless trade (resolution 68/3). In 2016, it adopted the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (resolution 72/4). The Agreement entered into force on 20 February 2021 and has 15 parties, including least developed and landlocked developing countries. Its experience offers practical lessons for regional cooperation on digital trade.
Against this background, closer regional dialogue on digital trade and AI is needed. Economies that are not party to the main digital trade agreements, in particular, have had limited opportunities to discuss their priorities, the support they require, and the forms of regional cooperation that would best serve their development objectives. The workshop will provide a platform for this dialogue. It will draw on ESCAP analytical work on digital trade regulation and regional trade agreements, including the draft Asia-
Pacific Model Digital Economy Agreement (AP-MDEA) reference tool, which sets out the policy options used in existing agreements for each area of digital trade. The views expressed will inform further regional cooperation among member States….PACNEWS
