Challenging times for regionalism in Rarotonga
Pacific Islands Forum 2023: Every September, the opening of the United Nations General Assembly provides an opportunity for presidents, prime ministers and heads of states to highlight their views on global challenges.
Opinion: Seabed mining rules lapse is window for Pacific regulations
In late July, after weeks of fierce debate at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting in Jamaica, deep-sea mining proponents failed to get an agreement for the immediate licensing of deep sea mining operations.
Moratorium placed on deep sea mining in PNG: PM Marape
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says a moratorium has been placed on the Nautilus deep sea mining and will continue until scientific evidence proves otherwise. Marape said the Melanesian Spearhead
Palau calls for halt on seabed mining until 2030
Palau President Surangel Whipps Junior said he wanted the seabed mining practice temporarily suspended until at least 2030. “The ocean for us is life. We depend on it for sustenance, we depend on it for our economy
Ocean miner completes controversial Pacific trials
The Canadian miner, the Metals Company, has announced the completion of a controversial deep sea bed mining trial in the Pacific. The trial was approved by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in September much to
Pacific groups welcome call to ban deep sea mining
The Pacific Blue Line collective has welcomed the call by France for a ban on deep sea mining, a call that Pacific civil society groups and movements have been pushing for since 2012. French President Emmanuel Macron
Small island, big ocean: Niue makes its entire EEZ a marine park
When Niueans are babies, their parents traditionally take them down to the seashore and throw them in the water so they learn to swim, Mona Ainu’u told Mongabay. That’s more important in Niue than most places. The
Deep Sea Mining pilot gets go ahead
Piloting of deep sea mining by the Metals Company has been given the green light by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). This follows the ISA’s review of an environmental impact statement (EIS) and environmental
Cook Islands: “Uphold the decision making process of our Forum leaders”
The Cook Islands representative to the Pacific Islands Forum, Tepaeru Herrmann says they respect Kiribati’s decision to withdraw from the Forum, but that upholding the decision to appoint former Henry Puna to the
MPs seek regional dialogue on deep sea mining
A new alliance of parliamentarians from across the Pacific has called for a regional dialogue on the potential impacts of deep sea mining. The public launch of the Pacific Parliamentarians’ Alliance on Deep Sea Mining
FSM files continental shelf claim
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has filed with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf a claim of an extended continental shelf covering a high-sea area of approximately 188,000
