In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — MSG puts Indonesia on notice over UN rights visit to West Papua
2. PACIFIC — Kanaky Groups urge Forum Leaders to back decolonisation action
3. PACIFIC — ADB pushes Pacific-led finance as climate and debt pressures grow
4. PNG — Police investigating gold bullion heist
5. SOL — Three new Ministers sworn in
6. PACIFIC — Pacific islands to face food shortages over global warming: scientists
7. PACIFIC — 1.5C global warming breach likely as Australia defends Pacific climate talks
8. PACIFIC — Pacific communities prepare for a hotter world as 1.5°C limit slips further away, says UN
9. PACIFIC — Pacific urged to protect ‘whale highways’ that link the region’s waters
10. PACIFIC — Australia not doing enough on climate change: Vanuatu
11. FIJI — Rabuka leaves statehood decision to Parliament
12. B/VILLE — Bougainville President Toroama congratulates Kokoda Constituency for being Independence-Ready
13. SOL — Geopolitical rivalry amplifies Solomon Islands’ fragile domestic politics, security expert warns
14. B/VILLE — Bougainville reflects on peace, patriotism and the path to Independence
15. PACNEWS BIZ — ‘Pacific is at the centre’: ADB President pledges new push for regional investment
16. PACNEWS BIZ — Greenpeace Aotearoa slams U.S-NZ Penrhyn Port deal as ‘resource grabbing’
17. PACNEWS BIZ — Namah Backs Luai as PNG’s Face in Tourism
18. PACNEWS BIZ — VT90 billion national budget projected for 2027
19. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Vanuatu takes Matthew and Hunter dispute to ICJ
20. PACNEWS DIGEST — Investing in nature, building Pacific resilience: PPIN leaves a foundation for future action
21. PACNEWS DIGEST — Pacific Scientists Unite: Fifth Pacific Ocean Pacific Climate Change Conference to showcase regional research and innovation
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS MEET/WEST PAPUA: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
MSG puts Indonesia on notice over UN rights visit to West Papua
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 02 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) leaders have warned that Indonesia’s Associate Member status could be reviewed in 2027 if Jakarta does not facilitate a long-standing request for a visit by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to West Papua.
The decision, reached during an MSG Caucus on the margins of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Koror, Palau, has been welcomed by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), which says Melanesian leaders are moving towards greater accountability over the situation in the territory.
ULMWP Vice President Executive Octovianus Mote said the movement was encouraged by the MSG leaders’ decision.
“We are deeply encouraged by the decision of the MSG leaders to move beyond the language of diplomacy and toward the language of accountability,” Mote told PACNEWS.
“The ULMWP has been advocating for this shift for a very long time, and at last, the cries and suffering of the Papuan people are being heard by the Melanesian leaders whom we deeply respect.”
Mote said the decision reflected growing frustration over Indonesia’s handling of concerns raised by Melanesian countries and West Papuan representatives.
He said the MSG had originally engaged Indonesia in the hope of creating a pathway for dialogue over West Papua.
“The goodwill of the MSG leaders, who welcomed Indonesia with the intention of bringing Papua and Indonesia to the same table to seek a peaceful and meaningful way forward, with the facilitation of Melanesian leaders within the MSG, was instead used to undermine and marginalise the ULMWP,” Mote said.
Mote accused Indonesia of using the issue of sovereignty to avoid scrutiny of allegations concerning human rights and the treatment of indigenous Papuans.
“Even more seriously, the language of sovereignty has been used as a shield to deny the reality facing the Papuan people,” he said.
Mote described the situation as involving what the ULMWP considers “a slow-motion genocide”, environmental destruction and the erosion of Papuan identity.
He said restrictions on access to West Papua had prevented greater international scrutiny.
“These realities have been concealed from the international community by restricting access for journalists, diplomats and international humanitarian organisations,” Mote said.
“By limiting independent scrutiny and access to West Papua, the suffering of the Papuan people has been kept largely out of sight of the world.”
Mote said the MSG decision was therefore more than a diplomatic development.
“It is a significant step toward accountability, transparency and recognition of the voices of the Papuan people,” he said.
“We welcome this change and urge the MSG to remain steadfast in ensuring that the concerns, rights, dignity and aspirations of the Papuan people are finally given the attention they deserve.”
However, Fiji’s head of delegation and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sakiasi Ditoka, whose country is the current Chair of the MSG, said the group had not yet reached a conclusion on whether Indonesia’s Associate Member status should ultimately be reviewed.
Speaking to PACNEWS in Koror, Ditoka said there was still room for dialogue and negotiation with Jakarta over concerns about the welfare of Melanesians in West Papua.
“I think as far as MSG membership is concerned, we have not reached that conclusion,” Ditoka said when asked whether Indonesia’s Associate Member status could be reviewed in 2027.
“We feel that there is a lot of room for discussion in this area. We still can negotiate going forward in trying to look after the welfare of our kinfolk in West Papua.”
Ditoka said the MSG’s concerns should not be interpreted as a challenge to Indonesia’s sovereignty over West Papua.
“What we’d like to let Jakarta know is that it’s not a matter of sovereignty. As far as sovereignty is concerned, we have settled that. They belong to Indonesia. But they are our people, they are our blood.
“When things happen to them, it’s painful to us. So that’s why the concern,” said Ditoka.
He said confrontation had not always produced results and suggested that the way forward could involve direct, high-level discussions between Indonesia and MSG leaders.
“But eventually that doesn’t prove to be productive. We’re trying to go down that path and maybe what we’d like to do is have high-level discussions between Jakarta, Suva and the rest of the MSG nations.
“And let the leaders talk. Maybe we can provide a way forward in trying to look after our kinfolk in West Papua,” Ditoka said.
In its official record of decisions, the MSG said its leaders, ministers and official representatives had reaffirmed the group’s long-standing support for a visit by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to the Papuan provinces of Indonesia.
The leaders recalled decisions made at the 22nd MSG Leaders’ Meeting in 2023 and Pacific Islands Forum resolutions dating back to 2019, which were reiterated in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The MSG urged continued engagement with Indonesia to facilitate the visit before the end of Indonesia’s term as President of the UN Human Rights Council on 31 December 2026.
MSG leaders requested the Chair to formally write to Indonesia, as an Associate Member, seeking approval for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua.
The proposed visit would examine human rights issues in Papua and produce a report for consideration by the next MSG Summit in 2027.
The leaders said the report should be delivered in time for consideration at that meeting.
The MSG decision said that if the requested actions were not undertaken, “the Associate Member status shall be reviewed accordingly at the next MSG Summit in 2027.”
Sebastien Gillioz, Deputy Representative for the UN Human Rights Pacific Regional Office, said his office does not cover Indonesia or West Papua, but confirmed that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has been seeking access to the territory.
“I just want to state from the outset that the regional Pacific office that I belong to doesn’t cover that part of the region, but what I can say is that the UN Human Rights High Commissioner has been requesting the visit to West Papua,” Gillioz told PACNEWS.
His comments reinforce the long-standing position of the MSG and Pacific Islands Forum that Indonesia should facilitate a visit by the UN human rights body to Papua.
Civil society organisations also welcomed the MSG decision, saying Indonesia should respect its obligations as an Associate Member of the Melanesian grouping.
Joey Tau, Chair of the Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGO) Alliance and Coordinator of the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), told PACNEWS that Indonesia must allow an independent mission into West Papua.
“As an Associate Member of MSG, Indonesia must facilitate an independent mission into West Papua,” Tau said.
“This is not only an outstanding concern for Melanesian peoples, but one for the wider Pacific.”
Tau said Jakarta must respect the principles upon which the MSG was established.
“Indonesia must respect the founding principles of MSG and not dictate or bully its way through MSG members,” he said.
Ditoka said, however, that as current Chair, Fiji had listened carefully to concerns raised by MSG members and wanted those issues to be further discussed by Pacific leaders.
“During MSG, I think some sensitive issues were getting a whistle-blower, as well as those we had raised during the meeting.
“We had let those nations that had raised those issues know that we listened to what they had raised and their concerns as chair, current chair of MSG.
“And then, hopefully, during the leaders’ retreat, which can be raised again. And that’s something that we’ve asked that be raised at that forum,” he said.
The MSG decision marks one of the strongest positions taken by the Melanesian grouping on West Papua in recent years, although Ditoka’s comments indicate Fiji wants to pursue further dialogue with Jakarta before any final decision is taken on Indonesia’s Associate Member status.
MSG members also requested their embassies in Jakarta to support follow-up engagement with the Indonesian Government.
The MSG also linked its position to ongoing efforts by the Pacific Islands Forum to engage Indonesia on West Papua.
The leaders noted the appointment of the Prime Ministers of Fiji and Papua New Guinea as Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Envoys on West Papua at the Forum meeting in Rarotonga in 2023.
They also recalled the decision of the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Honiara in 2025, which requested that a mission be undertaken in 2026.
MSG leaders agreed to offer additional MSG representation to the Forum Leaders’ Envoys as part of the proposed fact-finding mission.
The move would strengthen Melanesian representation in the Forum-led engagement and provide a direct role for MSG members in efforts to assess developments on the ground.
The Caucus also considered a proposal for MSG leaders to meet Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York later this year.
The proposed meeting would provide another opportunity for Melanesian leaders to raise concerns about West Papua directly with Indonesia’s leadership.
MSG leaders requested their Chair to provide an update on the decisions and proposed follow-up actions to the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS MEET/KANAKY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Kanaky Groups urge Forum Leaders to back decolonisation action
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Kanaky New Caledonia civil society groups have called on Pacific Islands Forum leaders to take stronger action on decolonisation, human rights and self-determination, accusing France of presenting a misleading picture of the situation in the territory.
As the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Retreat gets under way in Koror, Palau, the groups have urged Forum leaders not to accept what they described as a “facade narrative” that presents decolonisation in Kanaky New Caledonia as complete.
The groups call for greater Pacific involvement in monitoring developments and supporting a process of self-determination.
“Pacific Leaders must not allow themselves to be misled by a facade narrative that conceals documented violations of decolonisation commitments and of the fundamental rights of the Kanak indigenous people,” the groups said.
The statement was endorsed by the Australian Association for Pacific Studies, the Église Protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie, La Pause Décoloniale and the International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination.
The groups highlighted the Pacific Peoples’ Mission to Kanaky New Caledonia following the violent unrest of May 2024.
They said the mission engaged directly with communities, customary leaders, women, young people and families of detainees and documented accounts of trauma, alleged law-enforcement abuses and economic hardship.
The groups said the mission provided a direct picture of conditions on the ground that could not be captured through official administrative reporting.
They argued that the findings should guide regional engagement under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
The statement also referred to the Pacific Islands Forum’s principle that the regional agenda should be “conceived by the Pacific, shaped by the Pacific and owned by the Pacific.”
The civil society groups said three issues required urgent regional attention.
They said the human impact of the 2024 unrest should not be overshadowed by discussions about economic damage and public finances.
The statement referred to 14 deaths, hundreds of injuries, displaced workers and continuing community trauma.
It also raised concerns about the use of force and alleged human rights violations, referring to findings and opinions by French and United Nations human rights bodies.
The groups also raised concerns about the transfer of Kanak detainees and young people to metropolitan France, describing the removals as arbitrary and saying families and legal representatives had not always been given prior notification.
They called for regional diplomatic efforts to support the return of Kanak individuals transferred from the territory.
The groups also warned against what they described as a “colonial debt trap” as discussions continue in Paris over New Caledonia’s public finances.
They said long-term loans should not replace what they described as France’s responsibility to provide national solidarity and reparations following the crisis.
“Over-indebtedness must not become a colonial tool to crush local autonomy or burden future generations of Oceanian youth,” the statement said.
The groups urged Forum leaders to use the region’s diplomatic influence to seek verifiable commitments from France on a clear self-determination process consistent with United Nations resolutions and international law.
They also proposed a joint Pacific observation mission involving regional civil society networks to monitor humanitarian needs, reconstruction and detention conditions.
The statement said regional leaders could also use diplomatic good offices to support family unity and secure the return of Kanak activists and young people transferred to metropolitan France.
The groups further called on Pacific countries, particularly Papua New Guinea and Fiji as members of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation, to support efforts for an official visiting mission to Kanaky New Caledonia.
The civil society groups said their call was consistent with wider regional political efforts, including a recent Melanesian Spearhead Group position advocating for a decolonisation framework “of Kanak design and Melanesian spirit.”
They said Pacific leaders meeting in Koror had an opportunity to demonstrate regional solidarity by linking France’s position as a Pacific Islands Forum Dialogue Partner to progress on self-determination and decolonisation.
The statement said the Pacific’s regional security framework could not be separated from issues of human dignity, indigenous rights and self-determination…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS MEET/MEDIA ROUNDTABLE: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
ADB pushes Pacific-led finance as climate and debt pressures grow
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR,03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — The Asian Development Bank says it is working to expand access to affordable climate and development finance for Pacific Island countries without adding to their already heavy debt burdens, as governments confront rising climate risks and the high cost of building infrastructure across small and remote economies.
ADB President Masato Kanda said the Pacific faced unique and growing challenges, including frequent cyclones, sea-level rise, coastal erosion and the high cost of delivering infrastructure and services across widely dispersed islands.
Responding to a PACNEWS question at a media roundtable on the margins of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Koror, Kanda said Pacific countries were central to the Bank’s mission.
“This is quite a relevant question.
“I met many leaders, and most of them are addressing these challenges.”
“The Pacific Islands are central to ADB’s mission and to our commitment to building a prosperous, inclusive, resilient and sustainable region,” Kanda said.
Kanda said ADB was the Pacific’s most significant multilateral development partner, with US$3.7 billion in projects currently underway across the region.
“Much of that support is provided as grants without adding to heavy debt burden,” he said.
The ADB President said the Bank recognised that Pacific countries could not be treated in the same way as larger economies because of their geography, small populations and high infrastructure costs.
“We recognise that Pacific Island countries face very unique challenges,” he said.
These included exposure to cyclones, sea-level rise and coastal erosion, as well as “the high cost of building small and remote economies.”
“This is really difficult,” Kanda said.
Kanda said ADB was committed to developing solutions led by Pacific countries and based on their national priorities.
“We are committed to developing development solutions that are Pacific-led,” he said.
He stressed that the Bank did not intend to impose a single model across the region.
“Not imposed by us,” Kanda said.
The approach would instead focus on solutions tailored to the specific circumstances and priorities of each Pacific country while mobilising resources at a larger scale.
“Tailor-made to each country and capable of mobilising resources at scale.
“The need is tremendously big,” Kanda said.
Kanda highlighted a new regional programmatic approach on climate action as an example of how ADB was seeking to respond to Pacific financing needs.
He said the long-term initiative would bring together climate finance, resilient infrastructure, stronger institutions and regional cooperation under a single approach.
“This is a long-term regional initiative to bring together financing, resilient infrastructure, strengthening institutions and regional cooperation in a single coherent approach,” Kanda said.
A key objective, he said, was to make it easier for Pacific countries to access international climate finance.
The programme is seeking to streamline access to the Green Climate Fund by reducing the number of applications and lowering transaction costs for Pacific governments.
“At this programme, we are seeking to streamline access to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) by fewer applications and less transaction costs,” Kanda said.
Kanda said the approach was aimed at bringing together Pacific leadership, development finance and regional cooperation to address the scale of the climate challenge.
“We are bringing together Pacific leadership, development finance and regional cooperation,” he said.
The ADB President’s comments come as Pacific leaders continue to call for faster and more affordable access to climate finance, warning that small administrations face increasing pressure to prepare projects, meet donor requirements and respond to climate disasters while managing already limited government capacity…. PACNEWS
PNG – GOLD ROBBERY: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Police investigating gold bullion heist
PORT MORESBY, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL) — An investigation is underway into an armed robbery of a shipment of gold bullion and cash that were being transported by a private security company Wednesday morning in Port Moresby.
Police Commissioner David Manning, in a statement, said: “It is reported that at around 4.30 this morning (Wednesday), two private security vehicles were intercepted by unknown vehicles in Port Moresby.
“Ten armed assailants held the security crew at gunpoint and proceeded to steal a quantity of gold and cash, as well as firearms.”
Manning said the investigation was under the direction of Deputy Police Commissioner Special Operations Donald Yamasombi.
“The gold and cash were being carried by a private security firm and police had not been alerted to the movement prior to it taking place,” Manning said.
“Police are not privy to the standard operating procedures of private security businesses that are contracted to carry commercial valuables.
“There are a number of witnesses that are being interviewed, including the private security crew, as well as management and workers from the firm.”
Manning said this was a very serious incident.
He said early indications were that the movement of these valuables by the security company left a lot to be desired in terms of how the private operation was conducted.
“The RPNGC and the clients of these security companies expect the highest professional conduct by their management and personnel,” he said.
“Investigations are well underway into all aspects of this incident, including the operating procedures of the security company.
“The priority for investigators is the timely identification of those involved and recovery of stolen goods,” he said…. PACNEWS
SOL – POLITICS: SOLOMON ISLANDS GOVT PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Three new Ministers sworn in
HONIARA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SOLOMON GOVT) — Three new Solomon Islands Cabinet ministers have been formally sworn into office today at Government House.
They are Minister for Finance and Treasury Rexon Ramofafia, Minister for Home Affairs Nestor Ghiro and Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs, Alfred Tuasulia.
Prime Minister Matthew Wale and members of his Cabinet were present to witness the swearing-in ceremony.
Ramofafia takes over the Finance and Treasury portfolio from Gordon Darcy Lilo, who has been removed from the portfolio.
Tuasulia replaces Clerzy Rore as Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs, while Ghiro replaces Manasseh Maelanga as Minister for Home Affairs.
The changes mark a significant replacement of key portfolios within the GREAT Coalition Government…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – GLOBAL WARMING: AFP PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Pacific islands to face food shortages over global warming: scientists
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (AFP) — Pacific islands will face food shortages and drinking water will be impacted by rising seas, scientists said Wednesday, as a UN report found the world would fail to limit global warming to 1.5C.
A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report projected global temperature rise will peak at 1.8C above pre-industrial levels, overshooting a goal of limiting warming to 1.5C set by the Paris Agreement.
Scientists told a summit of Pacific leaders in Palau that the impact of “overshooting” that target will be a $90 million loss in fishing licence fees, or 13 percent of government revenue in the region, causing an “economic crisis”.
Tuna will migrate east, away from island states where a third of the world’s tuna is caught, said Andrew Jones, deputy director general of The Pacific Community.
Coastal fishers that feed island people will lose 65 percent of their catch, he told reporters on Wednesday.
“That’s about two meals per family per week that is not on the plate — of clean, free healthy protein that will need to be replaced,” he said.
Devastating floods will increase, and salt water will inundate drinking water, reducing the ability to live on islands, he said.
Maina Talia, climate change minister for low-lying Tuvalu, said the science showed the climate crisis “is real now, it is here now”.
Pacific islands are seeking financial help for climate change adaptation and tougher action by developed countries to curb the use of fossil fuels.
“We are fighting against a very strong current that is sweeping us into very dangerous waters and we have to do everything in our powers to fight our way back to 1.5,” said Marshall Islands climate envoy Tina Stege.
Vanuatu’s climate change minister Ralph Regenvanu urged countries such as Australia, the largest member of the Pacific regional bloc and a major exporter of coal and gas, to stop expanding its fossil fuel exports.
“Australia is not doing enough. Australia is a major producer of fossil fuels, we all know fossil fuels are the primary driver of the crisis,” he told reporters.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country’s energy transition “can’t happen overnight”, adding gas had a role to play in the transition to renewables.
“We all need to do more,” he said…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – CLIMATE TALKS: ABC PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
1.5C global warming breach likely as Australia defends Pacific climate talks
CANBERRA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (ABC) — Australia’s prime minister has defended the number of leaders attending a high-profile climate meeting in the Pacific Islands, as a United Nations report warns the world will breach the 1.5C global warming benchmark within the next five years.
The federal government had initially wanted world leaders to attend pre-COP next month, ahead of the main climate talks in Türkiye in November.
Fiji and Tuvalu are hosting the lead-up event as part of a compromise, after Australia’s failed bid to host COP31, the world’s largest annual climate summit.
Reports said Australia was struggling to convince leaders outside the Pacific to attend a special meeting in Tuvalu, before Fiji’s foreign minister, Sakiasi Ditoka, gave the first public account of those going.
He said Antigua and Barbuda, Cabo Verde, Thailand, Maldives and Timor-Leste had so far agreed to send leaders to the event, and Germany, Mexico and South Korea will send ministers.
When questioned about attendance at the pre-COP while speaking to media at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, Anthony Albanese said the government had always anticipated that a pre-COP event would not attract the same level of patronage as COP itself.
“The fact that the pre-COP is being held in Fiji with a side trip to Tuvalu as well is something that is really welcomed because what it will do is provide a focus on what is happening in the Pacific.
“The entry fee for credibility at the Pacific Islands Forum and for bilateral engagement in the Pacific is taking climate change seriously.”
The prime minister also voiced his displeasure with the line of questioning.
“You are being so disrespectful to the Pacific leaders who are here,” he said.
“We need to actually have some respect for the process and respect for our Pacific leaders, and Australia has an absolute interest in engaging with the Pacific.”
The government pitched pre-COP as an opportunity to show leaders the perils that climate change poses to low-lying island nations in the Pacific, and to drive greater global action on climate change.
However, the nations sending leaders are hardly major polluters, nor do they need reminding of the risks climate change poses to vulnerable countries.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen said pre-COP was a “key opportunity” for the Pacific.
“The Pacific said to us, ‘We thought it would be good to invite some leaders.’ We’ve done that,” he said.
“There’s a very small component in Tuvalu, which is a small country, with limited capacity to host people.
“But that will be important in terms of not only prime ministers, heads of multilateral development banks, cabinet ministers who often don’t attend pre-COP either but are coming to this one.”
The growing climate risks confronting Pacific nations have been underscored by a landmark UN report, which has warned the world will likely pass 1.5C global warming in 2030.
It found that a temperature rise peak of 1.8C above pre-industrial levels was now the best-case scenario and highlights what can be done to return to 1.5C after the overshoot.
Countries have been trying to keep global temperatures to well below 2C as part of the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change.
That includes an agreement to “pursue efforts” to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial times.
That target was chosen because the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that crossing that threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change impacts.
Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean said urgent climate action remained necessary, despite the likelihood that the 1.5C target would be exceeded.
“Every fraction of a degree that we can limit global warming will reduce the danger and reduce the cost,” he said.
“There is a huge reason for Australia and indeed the rest of the world to limit global warming; the economic consequences will be dire if we don’t, and the danger to lives and livelihoods will be severe if we don’t.
“So, the message is very clear: we need to speed up the pace at which we’re reducing our emissions.”
Malte Meinshausen, professor of Climate Science at the University of Melbourne, said the energy transition means some of the worst scenarios that were possible a few years ago are no longer likely.
But he added that failure to reduce global emissions quickly meant the ideal scenario of limiting warming to just above 1.5C was no longer available.
“Compared with our options five years ago, the new paths are more costly, come with more floods, fires and droughts and the need to draw, at some point, carbon emissions out of the atmosphere that we are currently emitting,” Professor Meinshausen said.
“Acting now is still the cheaper option than not acting now, as we can still achieve 1.5C in the longer term.”
Speaking at the Pacific Islands Forum, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Adaptation and Energy Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, said Australia was not doing enough to curb carbon emissions.
“Australia is a major producer of fossil fuels; we all know fossil fuels are the primary driver of the climate crisis,” he said.
“The very least a country like Australia should be doing is stopping future expansion, and it’s not doing that. You need to stop expansion, and you need to start transitioning away.”
The comments come a day after Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King helped open a project that will feed gas fracked from the Beetaloo Basin into the Northern Territory’s power grid.
Albanese defended Australia’s approach to the energy transition, saying the country was “highly regarded” on climate change.
“The Pacific leaders have respect for the position that we’ve taken, and they also understand […] because they’re dealing with it as well, that the transition can’t happen overnight.
“It requires strategies and policies to be put in place, and one of the things that renewables require is firming capacity, and gas has a role to play in firming capacity,” he said…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – CLIMATE CHANGE: PMN PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Pacific communities prepare for a hotter world as 1.5°C limit slips further away, says UN
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PMN) — A new United Nations report says the world is likely to cross the 1.5°C global warming threshold within the next few years.
But in Palau, communities are already preparing for what comes next.
The UN Environment Programme’s latest report says even the most optimistic scenario would see global temperatures peak at 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels.
Other scenarios point to warming of more than 2°C.
The UN warns every fraction of a degree above 1.5°C increases the risks of extreme weather, damage to ecosystems and threats to low-lying island communities.
Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, says the world cannot treat crossing 1.5°C as a reason to give up. “There are no good outcomes if we remain above 1.5°C,” she said.
The report calls for an “overshoot, peak and decline” pathway, where countries make deep and sustained cuts to emissions to keep warming as low as possible, before bringing temperatures back down towards 1.5°C.
For people living across Palau’s scattered islands, the focus is already on how to protect communities when disasters hit.
In Bailechesau, Melekeok in Palau, Ibuuch Kumaici, a Red Cross volunteer and health officer is helping train local Disaster Action Teams in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR.
The work is supported through the Green Climate Fund-backed CIS-Pac5 programme, which is focused on improving climate information and disaster preparedness across five Pacific island countries.
Kumaici says having trained people within communities can make a major difference when an emergency happens.
“We do need these RDATs because they live here in the community,” she said. “They know the households with the most vulnerable so they can evacuate them first and the general community.”
Kumaici, who began volunteering while she was still at high school, says disaster preparedness is also about people knowing and supporting each other before a crisis.
“Connecting people to people, the people in the community connecting with people in the community,” she said.
That local work is becoming even more important as Pacific leaders warn that climate change remains one of the region’s biggest security threats.
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr, whose country is hosting this year’s Pacific Islands Forum, said the new UN findings carried a heavy emotional weight for Pacific nations that fought to have the 1.5°C limit recognised in the Paris Agreement.
“It is hard to overstate the depth of emotion,” he said.
Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says the responsibility cannot fall on Pacific communities alone.
“Countries like Australia are simply not doing enough,” he said.
The UNEP report says countries with greater responsibility for climate change need to act fastest and with the greatest ambition while finance, adaptation, and stronger international cooperation will be needed to protect vulnerable communities.
That message is especially important for Pacific nations heading towards COP31 in Australia in November.
The choices made by the world’s biggest emitters will help determine how high temperatures rise and how long they stay there.
But in places like Melekeok, Pacific communities are not waiting for another climate warning.
They are already training the people who will be there when the next disaster strikes.
The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting ends on Friday…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – MARINE BIODIVERSITY: PMN PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Pacific urged to protect ‘whale highways’ that link the region’s waters
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PMN) — The Pacific is being urged to protect the ocean routes that whales, tuna, turtles and other marine species rely on to travel between countries.
Conservation groups and academics say climate change, shipping, fishing and some whale-watching practices are putting these migration routes under growing pressure.
They want Pacific countries to work together to create protected “blue corridors” or “whale highways” across the region.
A new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), launched ahead of this week’s Pacific Islands Forum, calls for nations to coordinate their efforts to protect the routes that connect marine life, oceans and Pacific communities.
The Western Pacific Blue Corridors Initiative grew from a workshop held in Fiji earlier this year.
It aims to bring countries, projects and partners together around a shared approach to protecting ocean connections.
Tonga is backing the push. Tongan Prime Minister Lord Fatafehi Fakafanua, who is currently attending the Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, says whales play an important role in the health of the initiative.
“They are the great fertilisers of our oceans,” Fakafanua says in a statement. “Tonga is committed to advancing the protection of blue corridors nationally and regionally with neighbouring countries.”
Fakafanua estimates each whale is worth NZ$3.34 million (US$1.95 million) to Tonga through tourism and its contribution to healthy seas.
He says the Western Pacific Blue Corridors Initiative will help guide and strengthen Tonga’s ocean commitments for its people and future generations.
Alfred Ralifo, WWF Pacific Conservative Director, says protecting whales is also about protecting a deep connection between Pacific people and the ocean.
“Whales and dolphins are kin, ancestors and guides woven through our cultures. Protecting their blue corridors is an act of stewardship for generations to come,” he says in a statement.
The need for action is clear. New Zealand’s Department of Conservation says fewer than 2000 blue whales are thought to remain, compared with an estimated 250,000 before commercial whaling.
Fin whales are believed to be at less than five per cent of their former numbers, while humpback whales are at 10 to 20 per cent of their former population.
Southern right whales have also suffered major losses, with only a few thousand thought to remain from an estimated 60,000 before large-scale hunting.
The issue is also gaining ground in New Zealand’s political debate.
Earlier this year, Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono introduced a bill seeking to recognise whales as legal persons in New Zealand and strengthen protections for them under environmental and conservation laws.
Tuiono told PMN News the idea was shaped by conversations already taking place across the Pacific.
“When I was back in the Cook Islands, this is a conversation that’s been happening quite a lot across the Pacific and they’ve got different types of jurisdictions,” he said.
In 2024, indigenous leaders signed a treaty in Rarotonga based on similar principles, with a fund established to support community-led ocean protection.
The Pacific is home to 33 species of whales and dolphins, according to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). That represents about 40 per cent of the world’s known whale and dolphin species.
SPREP and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) have been working together since 2006 to protect whales and their habitats, including migration routes.
The CMS says commercial whaling pushed many of the world’s larger whale species towards extinction during the 20th Century.
While an international moratorium protects migratory marine species from commercial whaling, many remain endangered or vulnerable.
Pacific countries are being urged to take the next step, working across borders to protect the ocean highways these species need to survive…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – CLIMATE CHANGE: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Australia not doing enough on climate change: Vanuatu
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) — Australia is not doing enough to address the impact of climate change, given its expansive fossil fuel production, says Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu.
“Australia is a major producer of fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are the primary driver of the climate crisis. The very least a country like Australia should be doing is stopping future expansion,” he said.
However, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Sakiasi Ditoka says, from Fiji’s standpoint, Australia has done a lot for the region, while acknowledging Vanuatu’s views on the issue.
“Australia has bent over backwards in many places to help us in the region and we are very grateful for that, and hopefully we can continue to build on that going forward,” Ditoka said.
Leaders are gathered this week in Koror, Palau, for the 55th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, with climate change again high on the agenda, recognising that it is an existential threat to the region.
Next month, Australia and the Pacific will host the pre-COP in Fiji and the leaders’ special component in Tuvalu, in the hopes that international leaders will experience firsthand the effects of climate change in the Pacific.
Pacific Community (SPC) Deputy Director General Andrew Jones says, based on scientific data, climate change will affect the region’s tuna fisheries, coastal fisheries and sea level.
Jones said climate change would cause an economic crisis if global warming was not kept below 1.5 degrees Celsius, as tuna migrate out of the region’s exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
“Currently, 30 per cent of the world’s tuna is captured in Pacific Island countries EEZ, and this migration of tuna away from our exclusive economic zones means up to $90 million reductions in annual access fees from tuna fisheries,” he said.
“In terms of coastal fisheries, we’re going to see some areas with 65 per cent less catch.”
Jones said climate change would affect agriculture and human survival if sea levels continue to rise…. PACNEWS
FIJI – STATEHOOD: FBC NEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Rabuka leaves statehood decision to Parliament
SUVA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FBC NEWS) — Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the final decision on whether Fiji’s constitutional status as a secular state should change will be made by Parliament.
This comes after the Constitutional Review Commission reports recommended changes to Fiji’s Constitution, including its current provision defining Fiji as a secular state.
Rabuka says the recommendations presented to the President are based on views gathered from Fijians during the review process.
He says those recommendations must now go through the legislative process before any changes can be made.
Rabuka says Cabinet will first consider the recommendations before they are translated into an amendment Bill.
“Those will have to be considered by Cabinet and the final outcome will be the vote in Parliament.”
The Prime Minister says any proposed constitutional changes will then have to go through Parliament and a committee that will work with the drafters.
“All the recommendations, the views of the people are put into the bill, the amendment bill.”
This effectively places the next major decision in the hands of Cabinet and Parliament, rather than the Prime Minister alone.
Rabuka has previously made his Christian faith and views on Fiji’s identity clear but says the constitutional review process must now be allowed to run its course.
He has also urged Fijians and political leaders to approach the debate responsibly and avoid turning it into a religious or political confrontation.
The Constitution Review Commission’s recommendations are therefore not yet changes to Fiji’s Constitution with the final say resting with Parliament…. PACNEWS
B/VILLE – POLITICS: ABG GOVT PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Bougainville President Toroama congratulates Kokoda Constituency for being Independence-Ready
BUKA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (ABG GOVT) — President Ishmael Toroama witnessed the Kokoda Constituency’s declaration of being independence-ready, with other members of the Autonomous Bougainville Government, partners from the Solomon Islands and the people of Kokoda Constituency Wednesday.
While addressing the people at the event, President Toroama urged citizens to be responsible for their social behavior as they continue to develop their constituency, now that they have declared themselves independence ready.
“No one else will come and control you; we have to be responsible in the act and the manner that we are prepared to go into. I want to congratulate you for being independence ready. I want to reiterate that we (Autonomous Bougainville Government) continue to stand and bring this idea to all the constituency members in the House of Representatives and the members of the National Parliament; let us work together.”
His Excellency has pledged to build a level two hospital and a police station in the Kokoda Constituency to further boost the institution that they currently have.
“Today I want to say thank you and congratulate the Member for Kokoda Constituency, Honorable Member, Philip Pinaung. I want to say that the government stands with you and is ready to progress the work in the Kokoda Constituency, the work that has happened and those that will happen in the next year. The Government is placing K20million on the road to develop a level 2 hospital at Toimanapu and a police station that will be built here (Kerekere),” President Toroama said.
He reminded the people of Kokoda that the Autonomous Bougainville Government has held the people’s dream for independence in high regard and dialogued with the Papua New Guinea Government only for independence and no other options.
“We have consulted for a result, which is independence; we did not consult for the highest possible autonomy; we consulted for independence. The talks we had, the government stood with you. Because a leader must stand to protect your rights, the ideology and dreams of the people of Bougainville in the past and now the present.”
His Excellency also acknowledged the ex-combatants who fought for Bougainville during the conflict and now play a vital role in redevelopment in their communities and constituency.
“Leadership of the ex-combatants, I want to say thank you for your support; the support that the community brings with the general public is tremendous. Working together as we stand to pave a way that we can exercise our right.”
As Bougainville progress towards the target date for self-governance and independence, the region’s economy remains the greatest challenge. His Excellency stressed the importance of redeveloping the Panguna Mine to jumpstart the economy before independence.
“The biggest challenge the government has faced in the fourth and current House is on how to build the economy. I stand today and mention Panguna Lloyds Metal, who is our partner in redeveloping Panguna Mine; we also have Island Passage, which has come to complete explorations, and if we go into actual mining, we can look at those areas.”
He stressed that being independent and ready is everyone’s responsibility.
“Fathers, mothers, you are responsible; civil society, you are all responsible. We are responsible for this declaration. Youth leaders, you are responsible for the way your youths behave and socialise; it is your responsibility. Ward members, it is your responsibility; we have our constituency members who stand to implement the vision for an independence-ready mission. Today I want to say that we will not back down from the comments made by people who tell us that we are not ready. Bougainville, we are ready! We are ready to declare Self-Government on the first of September 2027,” he said…. PACNEWS
SOL – POLITICS: INDEPTH SOLOMONS PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Geopolitical rivalry amplifies Solomon Islands’ fragile domestic politics, security expert warns
HONIARA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (INDEPTH SOLOMONS) — The intensifying geopolitical competition between China, the United States and Australia are dangerously amplifying existing political instability in the Solomon Islands, a leading regional security expert has warned.
Dr Alexander L. Vuving of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies said the country’s fragile political system—characterised by weak political parties and personality-driven coalitions- makes it particularly vulnerable at a time when major powers are competing for influence in the Pacific.
“Domestic politics in the Solomon Islands is inherently unstable, due to the absence of strong party structures and the dominance of personality-driven coalitions,” Vuving said.
“You have different individuals juggling for power, and they would change the coalition.”
Vuving said this domestic volatility is increasingly intersecting with intense international rivalry, placing Solomon Islands directly in a global tug-of-war.
“Now that Solomon Islands is in the crosshairs of a great power competition, then it’s even more amplified,” he said, adding that international agreements with major powers carry “tremendous implications and tremendous consequences for those people involved.”
A critical concern Vuving raised is the binding nature of these bilateral pacts. He warned that future Solomon Islands governments will find it difficult to unilaterally abandon security or economic arrangements made by their predecessors.
“It’s not easy for Solomon Islands to just throw such an agreement away, because it’s a bilateral agreement with another country,” Vuving explained.
The expert also highlighted the sensitive nature of China’s role in the country. While careful not to overstate the extent of foreign interference, he noted that Beijing is likely attempting to shape local political outcomes to its advantage, leveraging influence among parliamentarians and cabinet members.
“I think it’s very possible,” Vuving said regarding Beijing’s efforts to sway domestic politics. Pointing to recent political friction, he added: “China is very unhappy with the prime minister… and they would not have stayed idle.”
Though the true extent of direct interference remains unproven, Vuving added that the Solomon Islands has returned to a level of strategic centrality not seen since it was a major World War II battlefield.
Today, the nation sits at a modern nexus of subsea internet cables, vital sea routes, and rich natural resources, a reality that ensures its fragile internal politics and major power rivalries remain dangerously linked.
Experts observed that a political crisis in the Solomon Islands threatens Western efforts to counter Chinese influence after Prime Minister Matthew Wale left an international summit to face a no-confidence motion.
After exiting the Palau summit, Prime Minister Wale remains silent on the threat to his leadership, while cabinet members hold urgent talks to keep power.
Last week, Tarcisius Kabutaulaka, an associate professor and former director of the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, said, “I think the issues underlying the motion are much more complicated.”
“Most people pointed to the Pacific Games Special Audit Report, the controversial 33rd shipment of bauxite from Rennell, the sufferance wharves saga, and the audit of the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) as the “real” reasons for the motion of no confidence.”
“Some alleged, while providing no evidence, that certain members of Parliament had been implicated in these reports.”
“Perhaps there is also some truth in the reasons provided by Maelanga, said Kabutaulaka… PACNEWS
B/VILLE – POLITICS: ABG GOVT PACNEWS 3: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Bougainville reflects on peace, patriotism and the path to Independence
BUKA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (ABG GOVT) — Bougainville has marked two significant dates in its political history — the Bougainville Peace Agreement Commemoration Day on 30 August and Bougainville Independence Patriotism Day on 1 September — with commemorations reflecting on its journey from conflict and division to peace, unity and the continued journey towards independence.
The two occasions, separated by just two days, provided an opportunity for Bougainvilleans across the three regions to reflect on the sacrifices of the past, the achievements of the peace process and the political journey that continues to shape Bougainville’s future.
In Arawa, Central Bougainville, ABG President Ishmael Toroama delivered a strong message of unity and patriotism during the Independence Patriotism Day celebrations.
“1st September is a patriotic day, a day where it recognises each and everyone of us on our political journey – see this day as you own it, be patriotic and stand together,” he said. “I stand here and salute those that have gone and those that are alive here so that we remember those that fought.”
President Toroama said the commemoration was an opportunity for Bougainvilleans to remember the patriotic leaders who stood up for Bougainville’s independence, noting that the 97.7 per cent referendum vote was clear evidence of the enduring desire for self-determination.
He further reiterated that his government remains united in pursuing Bougainville’s aspirations for independence, while emphasising the responsibility of the younger generation to carry the political journey forward.
“Today’s leadership lies with the young generation and it will remain so. Bougainville Patriotism Day is one pillar that recognises all the work we have done,” he said. “Bougainville is standing on another pillar, another stepping stone that gives the strong political and economical recognition that we are participating.”
President Toroama also acknowledged the contribution of business houses across Bougainville to the development of the region’s economy, as well as the contributions of Bougainvillean men and women.
The celebrations in Arawa were part of wider Independence Patriotism Day commemorations held across North, Central and South Bougainville.
1 September commemorates 1 September 1975, when the Bougainville flag was raised for the first time and a Universal Declaration of Independence was made.
Although the declaration went unrecognised internationally, its significance has remained with Bougainvilleans.
Speaking at the Independence Patriotism Day celebration in Buka, ABG Minister for Infrastructure, Patrick Nisira, said the events of 51 years ago planted the foundations of a continuing aspiration for self-determination.
“The declaration went unrecognised internationally, but amongst us, the seed was already planted,” Minister Nisira said.
He said the declaration had demonstrated a strong sense of unity among Bougainvilleans — a spirit that continues today.
“That day marked a strong sense of unity amongst Bougainvilleans 51 years ago. Today, we stand here in that same spirit of unity, but stronger, as we prepare to pass the final hurdle of our political process,” he said.
The Buka celebration also featured a special address by Marilyn Havini, the designer of the official Bougainville flag, first raised during Bougainville’s 1975 declaration.
The Independence Patriotism Day commemorations followed the Bougainville Peace Agreement Commemoration Day, which began at dawn on 30 August at Bel Isi Park in Buka, marking the signing of the Bougainville Peace Agreement 25 years ago.
The occasion provided an opportunity for Bougainvilleans to reflect on the significance of the peace process and its implementation since the end of the conflict.
The Bougainville Peace Agreement remains a significant milestone in Bougainville’s modern history and is widely regarded as one of the world’s successful examples of a negotiated peace process…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PACIFIC – BANK: PACNEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 03 Sep 2026
‘Pacific is at the centre’: ADB President pledges new push for regional investment
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER (PACNEWS) — Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda has pledged a new push to connect the Pacific through digital infrastructure, private investment and country-specific development programmes, declaring that the region is “not the edge” of Asia-Pacific but at the centre of ADB’s future.
Speaking at a media roundtable on the margins of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Koror, Kanda said he deliberately chose Palau for his first meeting with the media following the announcement of his re-election as ADB President.
“This is my first time speaking with the press since the announcement of my re-election.
“So, this is a bit special to me, and I chose to do it here in Palau, in the Pacific. That is deliberate
“The Pacific is not the edge of our region or the Asia-Pacific, but it is at the centre — centre of how ADB thinks about the future,” Kanda said.
Kanda said he viewed his re-election not simply as an endorsement of his first term, but as a mandate for the next five years.
“I take it not as an endorsement of my first term, but as an instruction about the next five years,” he said.
Kanda said Asia and the Pacific were increasingly connected by global risks but had yet to fully connect the opportunities available through stronger infrastructure, markets and investment.
“Asia and the Pacific is connected for risk, but not yet for opportunity,” he said.
He highlighted the impact of conflicts and global shocks, saying they could quickly drive-up fuel, food and transport costs across the Pacific.
“When a conflict erupts on the other side of the world, the price of fuel, food and flights rises within weeks,” Kanda said.
He said the physical foundations for greater regional connectivity already existed through cables, grids, ports and agreements, but stronger links were needed to bring them together.
“What is still missing is what connects into one market — the interconnectors, the exchange points and the common rules,” he said.
“Changing that is the work of the second term.”
“One region, one connected future,” Kanda said.
Kanda said the ADB had committed US$70 billion to build what he described as an Asia-Pacific digital highway.
He said the Bank had also amended its charter for the first time in its history, unlocking 50 percent more finance without requiring additional capital from shareholders.
“We have committed US$70 billion to the Asia-Pacific digital highway,” he said.
Kanda said ADB was also aiming to increase private investment fourfold to US$13 billion annually by 2030.
The increased focus on private sector investment is expected to be a major part of the Bank’s next phase of work in the Pacific, where governments have repeatedly raised concerns about limited public sector capacity and the need to attract more private capital.
Kanda said his visit to the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting was aimed at listening to Pacific governments and responding to their priorities.
“I came to this Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting to listen and to act,” he said.
He said ADB was strengthening its presence in the region by upgrading its office in the North Pacific and opening a private sector hub in Palau.
The Bank is also supporting Palau’s renewable energy transition and fiscal reforms.
Kanda said ADB was developing a new Pacific approach based on priorities identified by Pacific countries themselves.
“Our regional strategy is shaped by what you have asked of us,” he said.
“Not what we are imposing, but you told us what to do.”
Kanda said ADB would move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and develop long-term programmes tailored to the circumstances of individual Pacific countries.
“Long-term programmes tailored to each country — not one size fits all, but tailored to each country’s specific circumstances,” he said.
He said the Bank also wanted more decisions to be made closer to Pacific communities.
“Listening more and prescribing less,” Kanda said.
Kanda said the Bank wanted to work with the Pacific as a connected region rather than through fragmented approaches.
“We will not face the future as a fragmented vision.
“We will step forward as one.”
“Step forward as one with ADB as a steadfast anchor,” he said…PACNEWS
PAC – PORT: COOK ISLANDS NEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Greenpeace Aotearoa slams U.S-NZ Penrhyn Port deal as ‘resource grabbing’
RAROTONGA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (COOK ISLANDS NEWS) — Greenpeace Aotearoa has labelled the recent announcement of a United States and New Zealand $10 million co-funded project for the port of Penrhyn ‘a gross act of colonialism and resource grabbing.’
Prime Minister Mark Brown, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and U.S Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced the project in Palau on Monday (CI Time) on the margins of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.
The U.S Department of State, working with Congress, will contribute US$50 million and New Zealand will contribute NZ$17.5 million (approximately US$10 million) to build a new port at Tongareva atoll (Penrhyn), a former U.S military base.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Greenpeace Aotearoa claims this is part of the U.S agenda to start deep-sea mining in the Pacific, despite huge resistance within the Cook Islands and across the Pacific.
The U.S Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who is also attending PIFLM, has said the “investment” builds on the Critical Minerals Framework that the Cook Islands and the U.S signed earlier this year.
Greenpeace states that the Penrhyn Basin contains a large density of high-grade polymetallic nodules, which would-be deep-sea miners are pushing to exploit and the U.S research vessel Okeanos Explorer has just been exploring this basin over July and August.
Juressa Lee, spokesperson for Greenpeace Aotearoa, says it was disappointing to see NZ is complicit in this U.S plan, claiming it is part of its bid to expedite unilateral mining permits to mine in international waters, and establish a strategic position.
“I don’t know why a meeting of Pacific Leaders feels like an appropriate time and place to progress the United States’ war machine, let alone the presence of the U.S itself. This meeting is for our leaders to assert sovereignty, honour what it means to be Pacific, and build regional consensus on matters that are uniquely ours, with our Pacific values at the centre,” says Lee.
Meanwhile RNZ Pacific reports that Peters defended the move stating that the Penrhyn Port project was a strategic investment in the Cook Islands’ future.
Peters told RNZ that the decision was made due to fishing illegality, transnational crime and other reasons adding that the Americans were putting some ‘serious money into it’.
“Talk’s one thing, but we need action, and these people need our assistance and our help in terms of our collective interest.
“The blue continent is 1/3 of the world’s surface, and there’s not enough contributors to its long-term economic and social survival.”
Peters said he was delighted that the U.S had “stepped up big time”.
“This is seriously what we were hoping for because what we were saying to them [the U.S] was, look, it’s not only our front yard; it’s your front yard as well.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has denied that the port deal was about sending a message to Beijing.
Luxon told RNZ it was ‘genuinely’ upgrading … “to advance that country as it moves from … low income to mid income to ultimately to high income countries.”
Meanwhile, Lee adds that the Trump Administration is not about supporting Pacific sovereignty and is clear about their priorities, and end game.
“A government that is pushing unilateral mining of the deep sea to fuel the U.S war machine has no comprehension of decision-making driven by our values and agreed by consensus.
“We know deep-sea mining will harm the ocean we all rely on, and we know the minerals that would be dredged up are not going to any “green transition”, they will be war minerals that serve U.S interests.
“We have been watching the U.S government wage war across the globe for too long. I’m confused why Winston Peters and Mark Brown think this is a moment to be proud of, considering the Pacific nuclear-free legacy.
“We fought against U.S imperialism and established the Treaty of Rarotonga declaring the region a nuclear-free zone. This treaty was an exercise of our cooperation, values and sovereignty – all of which the U.S dismisses by still refusing to ratify.”
Lee who is in Palau observing leaders from across Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa demonstrate Pacific values and priorities around climate responsiveness and ocean health said, “Many of these nations, bar a few outliers, are calling for a pause on deep-sea mining. But the U.S is here hijacking this space to force deep sea mining – for their own interests – onto us, risking our homes and livelihoods.
“They have no right, and our leaders must call out this overstep, and stand firm in their own authority, and put the Pacific first.”
Lee claims New Zealand’s involvement in the port at Tongareva reveals where the Luxon Government stands with regards to its own war minerals deal in negotiations with the U.S.
“If it goes ahead despite the overwhelming opposition from iwi, communities and experts, the NZ government would also be putting foreign interests ahead of the health of the people and the environment in Aotearoa.
“The Pacific is not a playground for the U.S. Deep-sea mining, if allowed to go ahead, will put the ocean and Pacific Peoples’ way of life at risk. The movement against this new extractive industry is strong and growing. We’ve won fights like this before, including winning a Nuclear-Free Pacific. It’s time for leaders around the world to say no to deep sea mining,” says Lee…. PACNEWS
PNG – TOURISM: TVWAN PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 03 Sep 2026
Namah Backs Luai as PNG’s Face in Tourism
PORT MORESBY, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (TVWAN) — PNG Tourism Minister Belden Namah has thrown his support behind a proposal to make PNG Chiefs star recruit Jerome Luai a premier national tourism ambassador, using the NRL star’s growing international profile to promote Papua New Guinea to the world.
Namah said the National Executive Council would soon receive a formal submission to establish Luai as a national tourism “product” and roving Pacific tourism ambassador.
Under the proposal, Luai’s image and persona would feature in major international tourism campaigns, including at Brisbane and Sydney airports, promoting Papua New Guinea as a secure, vibrant and attractive destination.
Luai’s presence graced the greens of the Golf course. He was in the country over the weekend for the 2026 Golf PNG Open and was seen with Prime Minister James Marape and Minister Namah.
“Jerome is now a role model for our young people,” Namah said. “Jerome’s face and persona will promote the PNG Chiefs, rugby league, and our iconic tourism products like the Kokoda Track and the historic Battle of Milne Bay.”
Alongside Namah, Prime Minister Marape also praised Luai as a courageous pioneer who had chosen cultural legacy and regional impact over purely financial considerations.
“Jerome is our first mover, and we owe a great debt of gratitude to him, and the other six who are also joining us,” he said.
Marape confirmed that six other players had followed Luai’s lead, with Joey Manu secured as player number 7.
The Prime Minister said Luai and the incoming players could have earned similar money in Sydney or New Zealand but had instead chosen to be part of a broader Pacific vision.
“While critics focus on money, Jerome and our incoming players could earn those same dollars in Sydney or New Zealand. Jerome chose this Pacific vision because of the opportunity to influence over 10 million rugby league-crazy kids in PNG,” Marape said.
Marape also defended the Government’s approach to player contracts, saying the arrangements were being structured within NRL compliance requirements and standard tax laws. He said tax incentives had been designed to give international players and their families comfort, security and financial peace of mind while relocating to PNG.
For Namah, Luai’s appointment would connect three powerful national assets, tourism, rugby league and the country’s young population while giving PNG a high-profile Pacific voice on the international stage…. PACNEWS
VAN – BUDGET: VANUATU DAILY POST PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 03 Sep 2026
VT90 billion national budget projected for 2027
PORT VILA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (VANUATU DAILY POST) — Vanuatu’s national budget for the 2027 financial year is projected at more than VT90 billion (US$762.61 million), according to a reliable government source.
The government source said the Ministerial Budget Committee (MBC) met in Luganville, Santo, this week to finalise the proposed budget amount.
The source said the proposed budget represents an increase of more than VT20 billion (US$168.89 million) compared with the 2026 national budget.
The MBC meeting in Luganville was the final stage of the 2027 budget preparation process, the source said.
The proposed budget will now be presented to the Council of Ministers (COM) for approval before being tabled in Parliament.
Parliament confirmed Wednesday that its final Ordinary Session for 2026 is expected to be held in November.
If approved at more than VT90 billion (US$762.61 million), the 2027 national budget would be the largest in Vanuatu’s history and the first to exceed VT90 billion (US$762.61 million) since independence in 1980…. 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
Vanuatu takes Matthew and Hunter dispute to ICJ
By Nic Maclellan in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (ISLANDS BUSINESS) — Vanuatu has lodged an application to the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, seeking recognition of its sovereignty over Umaenupne (Matthew) and Umaeneag (Hunter), two uninhabited volcanic islands located east of New Caledonia and southeast of Vanuatu.
The decision to launch an ICJ case comes after the Vanuatu government walked away from bilateral negotiations with France over the sovereignty claim and the disputed maritime boundary with the neighbouring French Pacific colony of New Caledonia.
Speaking on the sidelines of this week’s Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, the head of the Vanuatu delegation Ralph Regenvanu said: “We’ve decided that we’ve discussed this issue long enough and we have now submitted an application to the court for the court to resolve this issue. Of course, it’s up to France to consent or not – tha’t’s the process.”
A statement from the ICJ confirmed that on 31 August “Vanuatu filed an application before the International Court of Justice relating to a dispute between itself and France concerning Vanuatu’s sovereignty over Umaenupne (Matthew) and Umaeneg/Leka (Hunter) Islands…and concerning the establishment of a single maritime boundary between the exclusive economic zones and continental shelf of Vanuatu and France (with respect to New Caledonia).”
The ICJ noted that “Vanuatu’s application has been transmitted to France. However, no action will be taken in the proceedings unless and until France consents to the Court’s jurisdiction in the case.”
France has not accepted the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction over disputes with other states, and the French government is yet to announce whether it will participate in the arbitration. Vanuatu awaits that decision, but Regenvanu noted: “The other route is to seek an advisory opinion. We’ve done that with the climate change case, so we know what we have to do, which is get a majority vote of the UN General Assembly to have the advisory opinion issued.”
France’s Minister Delegate for Francophonie Éléonore Caroit is leading the French delegation to this week’s Forum summit in Palau.
She acknowledged that Vanuatu had lodged the case, but said: “Unfortunately, I do not have much more to tell you except that it is a unilateral decision by Vanuatu, while we were engaged in a process that was going very well, but in which the position of France is unchanged.”
“Our position is we maintain our sovereignty on these territories of Matthew and Hunter,” she said. “So, what are the concessions that you could possibly make? Because if you remain open to dialogue, it would be impossible. In fact, it is not about concessions.”
Customary pathways
The debate over Matthew and Hunter is driven by customary leaders and national councils of chiefs in both Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Meeting in Noumea in April 2009, chiefs from Vanuatu’s Malvatumauri and New Caledonia’s Sénat coutumier (Kanak Customary Senate) signed a joint statement reaffirming – in customary law and Melanesian culture – Vanuatu’s right to Matthew and Hunter.
Their statement noted that “the demarcation of the maritime boundaries separating New Caledonia and the Republic of Vanuatu has never been submitted for approval to the customary authorities of the two countries, and so it follows that the misappropriation of territory – as understood within the indigenous Melanesian perspective, based on myths, oral traditions and the historical movement of populations – may have occurred at the time said boundaries were drawn.”
“With regard to the annexation of the Matthew and Hunter Islands to New Caledonia and its dependencies,” they declared, “it must be considered that this act has no historical or customary basis and that, according to Melanesian tradition, these islands therefore belong to the Republic of Vanuatu.”
In July 2009, Vanuatu’s then Prime Minister Edward Natapei and representatives of New Caledonia’s independence movement Front de Libération National Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) travelled to Tanna in Tafea province, joining customary leaders to witness the signing of the Keamu Accord. The agreement was described as “a solemn commitment between the Kanak people and the people of Vanuatu, that whatever the political and institutional future of New Caledonia, Matthew and Hunter Islands will always remain the property of the people of Vanuatu.”
This position has been reaffirmed ever since by the FLNKS. Last month, the provincial president of New Caledonia’s Loyalty Islands Mickaël Forrest told Islands Business: “These islands are part of the cultural heritage of Melanesian peoples. This is nothing new. The status of these two islands is a matter between Melanesian peoples. For Kanak, for the FLNKS, for the Sénat coutumier, Matthew and Hunter are part of the Republic of Vanuatu’s natural heritage, full stop.”
Speaking this week in Palau, Vanuatu’s Ralph Regenvanu acknowledged the importance of this pan-Melanesian connection, noting: “The cultural case – which is supported by the Kanak leadership and the customary chiefs of Kanaky who recognise that Matthew and Hunter belong to Vanuatu – is part of the evidence that will be brought before the arbitration.”
Delayed negotiations
For Vanuatu, the 2009 Keamu Accord boosted its efforts to press France to defer the 2007 bid to extend New Caledonia’s continental shelf and come to the negotiating table on the disputed maritime boundary.
Two rounds of initial talks were held in 2018 and 2019 but faltered until President Macron visited New Caledonia and Vanuatu in July 2023, where he pledged action on the issue. After newly elected Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat visited Paris in June 2025, the two nations agreed to hold an officials meeting in November, followed by negotiations in July this year.
However further progress was derailed when the November meeting – initially ignored by the French media – became controversial a month later. The conservative French newspaper Le Figaro speculated that the two islands could be ceded to Vanuatu and raised alarm over “the major geopolitical risks such a precedent could create.” Far-right politicians erupted at the perceived threat to French sovereignty, targeting French President Emmanuel Macron and angering the French government, which was doing everything possible to hold onto the islands.
Marine Le Pen is leader of the extreme-right party Rassemblement National and a candidate in next year’s French Presidential elections. Never one to miss an opportunity to denigrate Emmanuel Macron, Le Pen tweeted that national sovereignty “is neither negotiable nor something to be relinquished. The French people do not expect the Macronist government to carve up our overseas territories, which are real levers of power, influence and economic development, behind their backs.”
Her attack was echoed on social media by another far-right leader, Marion Maréchal, who argued that “the prospect of transferring our Pacific islets, Matthew and Hunter, to Vanuatu would represent a major strategic breach and blunder for France, threatening its heritage, security and credibility alike. It would be an affront to our national heritage, as these islets off the coast of New Caledonia are not mere specks of rock. They grant France a vast exclusive economic zone, rich in potential fisheries, energy and mineral resources.”
Surrendering the islands “would be a breach of our national security,” Maréchal thundered, “as any territorial cession sets a precedent. It would inevitably lead to further claims. The very credibility of the nation is at stake. By giving in, the President of the Republic would be committing a historic error in the eyes of France and the French people.”
In response, the French foreign ministry affirmed that “no cession of territory or renunciation of our sovereignty was discussed” during discussions with Vanuatu leaders. The Napat government was angered, since the unresolved issue of sovereignty over Matthew and Hunter is at the very heart of the maritime border dispute.
In Koror, French Minister Caroit acknowledged that the debate had been complicated by “bad faith” interventions in Paris.
“When you have a dispute, you first find a path of dialogue, contrary to what opportunistic politicians in France say,” she said. “In particular, I think of Marine Le Pen, who has made completely opportunistic and bad faith statements on this subject. The first thing is to establish a dialogue, in which you can think about forms of cooperation, because we have common issues, and all Pacific Islands face the same threats, the same issues.”
However, after talks in Paris in July, Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister Johhny Koanapo announced the government would end bilateral discussions and rejected France’s proposal to conclude a maritime boundary agreement while the sovereignty issue remained unresolved: “Our journey to full independence will not be complete until Vanuatu’s rightful ownership of Matthew and Hunter Islands is fully recognised.”
In Koror, France’s Minister for Francophonie Caroit reaffirmed her government’s position on sovereignty but would not confirm whether Paris will participate in the ICJ process: “It has never been a question of renouncing sovereignty. France is attached to multilateralism, it is attached to international law. At this stage, really, I cannot tell you more, because it is a process that is at its very beginning…. PACNEWS
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The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Investing in nature, building Pacific resilience: PPIN leaves a foundation for future action
SUVA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (IUCN) — After four years of strengthening policy, building capacity and making the economic case for working with nature, Pacific governments and regional partners are marking the conclusion of the Promoting Pacific Islands Nature-based Solutions (PPIN) project with a call to take Nature-based Solutions from demonstration to scale across the region.
Government representatives from Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu are joining the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Pacific Community (SPC), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the New Zealand Government and other partners in Nadi, Fiji, from 27–28 August for the PPIN Closing Workshop.
Under the theme “From Demonstration to Regional Scale: Sustaining Pacific-led Nature-based Solutions beyond PPIN,” the gathering marks the final regional convening of the project and an important transition from project delivery towards longer-term Pacific ownership, investment and implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS).
For Pacific Island countries on the frontline of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, the case for investing in nature has never been stronger. Rising seas, coastal erosion, extreme weather, ecosystem degradation and growing pressures on food and water security are already affecting communities and economies across the region.
Nature-based Solutions offer an opportunity to address these challenges together. By protecting, sustainably managing and restoring ecosystems such as forests, mangroves, reefs and wetlands, countries can strengthen resilience to climate impacts while conserving biodiversity, supporting livelihoods and food systems, and protecting the natural resources upon which Pacific cultures, communities and economies depend.
“Nature-based Solutions are not an environment agenda. They are a public investment agenda that the environment sector happened to understand first”, expressed Dr Sivendra Michael, Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Government of Fiji during his keynote.
Four years of building the foundations for Pacific-led NbS
Established in 2022 and supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), PPIN has been led by IUCN Oceania in partnership with SPC, SPREP and GGGI, with Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu serving as demonstration countries.
Rather than treating NbS solely as individual conservation interventions, PPIN has worked to strengthen the wider systems needed for NbS to succeed: policy and governance, technical capacity, regional cooperation, economic evidence, finance and investment.
This approach has generated important milestones across the three countries.
In Fiji, PPIN supported the development and handover of three major policy outputs covering customary land governance, coastal resilience and forestry. A landmark achievement was the development of the Natural Resource and Environmental Management Policy for the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) – the first dedicated policy of its kind in TLTB’s 86-year history and the first Nature-based Solutions policy developed specifically for a customary land management institution through the project. The policy provides a framework for integrating NbS into the management of iTaukei land, which accounts for approximately 91 per cent of Fiji’s land area.
In Tonga, PPIN has helped bring Nature-based Solutions more firmly into national planning for agriculture and forestry. The project supported the development of NbS guidelines for these sectors, recognising the direct connections between healthy ecosystems, food security, resilient rural livelihoods and climate adaptation. Work in Tonga also combined policy development with cost-benefit analysis and capacity building to help decision-makers better assess the environmental and economic value of investing in nature.
In Vanuatu, policy tools developed through PPIN include guidance for integrating NbS into the country’s first National Adaptation Plan, alongside a national policy framework assessment and policy recommendations for coastal resilience and forestry. These resources recognise that while the terminology of NbS may be relatively new, customary management, traditional knowledge and community stewardship have long shaped how ni-Vanuatu communities care for forests, coasts and natural resources.
Turning knowledge into capacity, and capacity into action
A major focus of PPIN has also been ensuring that Pacific practitioners have the knowledge and tools to design and implement effective Nature-based Solutions.
Following a regional capacity needs assessment, SPC delivered capacity-building initiatives spanning the foundations of NbS, application of the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions, policy mainstreaming, cost-benefit analysis, project planning and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, traditional knowledge, and gender equality and social inclusion.
In 2026, 35 practitioners from Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu participated in SPC’s Resilient Shores, Resilient Communities regional training exchange, focused on practical approaches to coastal resilience. Women represented 51 per cent of participants, while participants came from governments, regional organisations, civil society and community groups working on coastal management and climate adaptation.
GGGI’s contribution has helped strengthen another critical part of the equation: demonstrating the economic case for NbS. Through cost-benefit analysis work in the demonstration countries, PPIN has sought to help decision-makers compare NbS with business-as-usual approaches, recognise avoided losses and ecosystem benefits, and build stronger evidence for investment in climate-resilient development.
Together, these strands reflect a central lesson from PPIN: scaling Nature-based Solutions requires more than good projects on the ground. It requires enabling policies, capable institutions and practitioners, economic evidence, financing, strong partnerships and approaches that respect Pacific knowledge and customary systems.
“The legacy we should seek is a Pacific where investing in nature is no longer regarded as an environmental add-on, but as an investment in our resilience, our economies, our communities and the future of our islands,” said Susana Waqainabete-Tuisese, Regional Director IUCN Oceania
From project closure to a Pacific legacy
The closing of PPIN is therefore not intended to mark the end of the Nature-based Solutions journey.
The two-day workshop has been designed to turn the project’s experience and outputs into continued ownership, practical uptake, financing conversations and commitments beyond PPIN. It will formally showcase project outputs, examine lessons from Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu, and bring implementing and development partners together to consider opportunities for continued collaboration and investment.
“The end of PPIN is not the end of this work; it is a transition from demonstration to scale. We now need to take the policies, knowledge, capacity and partnerships built through PPIN and turn them into sustained investment and action, so that Nature-based Solutions become part of how the Pacific builds resilience and plans for its future,” said Vinay Singh, NbS Programme Coordinator, IUCN Oceania
The workshop will conclude with a field visit to Yavusania Village in Nadi, where participants will see and discuss the practical application of community-based Nature-based Solutions for coastal protection and resilience – connecting regional discussions on policy, capacity and financing back to the communities and ecosystems they are ultimately intended to serve.
As the Pacific confronts a rapidly changing climate and accelerating pressure on its natural systems, the legacy of PPIN is ultimately about a shift in how development is understood: nature is not separate from resilience and development; it is fundamental to both.
The challenge beyond PPIN will be to take the policies, knowledge, partnerships and evidence built over the project and translate them into sustained investment and action – ensuring that Nature-based Solutions become an increasingly mainstream part of how Pacific countries plan, finance and build their future…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Pacific Scientists Unite: Fifth Pacific Ocean Pacific Climate Change Conference to showcase regional research and innovation
HONIARA, 03 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SPREP) — From rising sea levels and intensifying cyclones to saltwater intrusion and warming oceans, the climate crisis is reshaping life across the Blue Pacific. Now, the region’s leading scientists, researchers, and universities are coming together to accelerate solutions.
The 5th Pacific Ocean Pacific Climate Change Conference (POPCCC), scheduled for 14–18 September 2026 in Honiara, marks a milestone for Pacific‑led science. The theme, “Amplifying One Pacific Voice for Action on 1.5°C to Stay Alive,” reflects urgency and unity among researchers.
For the first time, Solomon Islands National University (SINU) hosts this premier gathering, a testament to the growing capacity of Pacific academic institutions.
“This is much more than hosting a regional conference,” says Vice Chancellor Professor Transform Aqorau. “It is an opportunity to bring some of the Pacific’s most important conversations about our ocean, climate and future directly into our University. We have a responsibility to contribute knowledge, develop solutions and prepare the next generation of Pacific leaders.”
The conference is jointly organised by SINU, SPREP’s Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC), Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington (VUW), and the National University of Samoa (NUS). SPREP Director General, Sefanaia Nawadra, emphasised the critical role of universities and research in driving climate action across the Pacific.
“I wish to acknowledge the foundational role of Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban, formerly of Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, whose vision and dedication were instrumental in bringing this conference to life. Now more than ever, we need to invest in our Pacific scientists and the institutions that train them,” he said.
“This conference is about showcasing the remarkable research already being undertaken across our region and demonstrating that Pacific-led science is delivering practical, locally relevant solutions. By bringing together our universities and researchers, we can inspire the next generation of Pacific scientists and build the evidence base we need to tackle the climate crisis.”
The conference provides a vital platform for emerging researchers to engage with leading international scientists. “We want our students to participate in these conversations and recognise that Pacific‑led research must help shape the solutions,” Professor Aqorau emphasises.
Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington has been a partner since the beginning, bringing world‑leading climate scientists to share expertise alongside traditional knowledge. “Our region is on the frontline of climate change, but it is also at the forefront of climate leadership,” says Dr Emma Dunlop Bennett, Assistant Vice Chancellor Pasifika at Te Herenga Waka. “The most effective solutions are those developed with communities and informed by both Pacific knowledge systems and scientific evidence.”
Following the National University of Samoa (NUS) hosting the 2024 POPCCC conference, NUS Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Tuifuisa ‘a Patila Malua Amosa, expressed her satisfaction with the event’s regional expansion. Having been involved with the initiative since its inception, Professor Amosa welcomed the transition of the conference into a broader regional space, with Solomon Islands National University (SINU) hosting this session and the Tonga National University designated to host the nest for building blue pacific resilience in the region…. PACNEWS
