U.S. Senate Bill to establish embassies in the Pacific
A bipartisan group of senators will introduce legislation to establish three new embassies in the Pacific Islands region to strengthen America’s relationships there and counter China’s growing influence. The
Samoa at PIF2022: on gender and geopolitics
Samoa’s Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is attending her first Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting as Prime Minister in Suva this week. As leaders gather for their retreat today, Islands Business contributor, Sera
“We absolutely must preserve the unity of the Forum”
French Polynesia at the regional summit For Jean-Christophe Bouissou, Vice President of French Polynesia, the 51st Pacific Islands Forum is an opportunity to highlight the ongoing challenge of climate change for the
International travel to resume in Kiribati this August
All international travel to and from Kiribati will return to normal on August 1st this year, reports Radio Kiribati. Incoming passengers are required to have a valid COVID-19 test 24hrs before departure. The number of
Pacific states push for TPNW assistance to nuclear survivors
Pacific delegates will play a key role at a major nuclear disarmament conference this week in Austria, as governments discuss the humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons and implementation of the new Treaty on the
China seeks security deals with Kiribati and Vanuatu
China is intensifying its drive for influence in the Pacific by negotiating security deals with two additional island nations following a pact with the Solomon Islands, according to officials in the U.S and allied
Biggest water project in Kiribati commences
People living in Kiribati’s most populated centres of South Tarawa, Betio and Buota expect to get safe and reliable water once the South Tarawa Water Supply Project (STWSP) is completed in five years. The Kiribati
Kiribati cancer patient returns home as border reopen
A Kiribati teenager has safely returned to his home country on Monday after being stranded in Taiwan for over two and a half years due to strict COVID-19 border controls, the Taipei-based MacKay Memorial Hospital said.
Opinion remains divided on PIPA opening
By Bernadette Carreon Kiribati’s decision to open the Phoenix Islands Protected Area to commercial fishing is their “business” says Parties to the Nauru Agreement ( PNA) CEO, Dr Sangaalofa Clark. PIPA has been a
Bainimarama condemns nuclear testing “atrocities”
Commemorating the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has spoken out about the health and environmental legacies of Cold War nuclear testing in the Pacific. As Pacific Islands
How did my husband die?
By Bernadette H. Carreon The Parties to the Nauru Agreement ( PNA) has described them as the "eyes of the sea," who help provide critical data to ensure the sustainability of tuna stocks. But while fisheries observers
Pacific unity against corruption: The Teieniwa vision
Gathering in Tarawa, Kiribati from 4 to 5 February 2020 with the President of Kiribati as the Chair, we, the Prime Minister of Samoa, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Vice President of Kiribati, Ministers from the
“How did my husband die?”
The Parties to the Nauru Agreement ( PNA) has described them as the “eyes of the sea,” who help provide critical data to ensure the sustainability of tuna stocks. But while fisheries observers are considered
Pacific water woes
Earlier this month the world learnt of the plight of Banabans, who had been living without fresh water for a year according to residents. A social media post from an overseas-based Banaban gave a stark insight into the
No Chinese base for Fiji land
Fears of a Chinese military base at the Kiribati Government land near Savusavu on one of Fiji’s northern provinces have been laid to rest by the office of President Tenati Maamau. “The [Kiribati] Government
EU funds projects to “put food on people’s plates”
The European Union (EU) and the South Pacific Community (SPC) have launched three separate projects for the Pacific region focussed on cutting dependence on imported fuel and improving access to clean water and
Kiribati: Maamau promised a cash windfall and won
Kiribati gave Taneti Maamau a resounding victory at the island nation’s presidential poll on 22 June, rewarding him with a second and final four-year term. As the ruling Tobwaan Kiribati Party (TKP) leader, Maamau
Pacific countries will access future COVID-19 vaccine through funding mechanism
Pacific island countries will be able to access a future COVID-19 vaccine through a new funding mechanism announced by Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, at the Global Vaccine Summit last week. Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States
Claims of Chinese interference hit upcoming Kiribati vote
The intense campaign in Kiribati’s presidential election has been dogged by allegations of interference by China’s ambassador to the country. Opposition presidential candidate, Banuera Berina, said China must stop
Kiribati President Maamau easily retains seat
Closed behind their borders amid fears of the Covid-19 virus, electors in Kiribati turned out in two rounds to elect members of the twelfth parliament, the Mwaneaba ni Maungatabu, paving the way for a certain battle
Another killer: dengue
The impact of the novel coronavirus has understandably absorbed all the energies and resources of health ministries across the region. But even as the Pacific grapples with the real and anticipated impact of COVID-19,
Coronavirus travel restrictions: a Pacific wrap
There have been no cases of coronavirus reported in the Pacific Islands region, although Australia and New Zealand have reported cases, and in the case of Australia, one death. However the Pacific region has responded
Pacific predictions: 2020
As we enter not only a new year but a new decade, there is much to anticipate in the Pacific islands region. Elections and domestic politics A number of countries in the region will have elections during 2020: Kiribati,
