The spiralling debt crisis, and what to do about it
Global debt has reached an unprecedented high, surpassing levels experienced in the infamous 1980s crisis. For debt-burdened countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted their repayment capacity due to
Time for UBS to come clean on PNG loan
Swiss investment bank, UBS, needs to lift the transparency around how the sovereign lending sausage it sold to the PNG government was made, and what it earned from making it. UBS can respond in one of two ways to the
Canberra’s tired old script has led to a less democratic Solomon Islands and a less secure Australia
China must be hoping that Australia persists in its “business as usual” approach to Solomon Islands. An appeasement policy by Australia towards the Solomons prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has been outstandingly
COVID-19:Tackling the pandemic of inequality in Asia and the Pacific
For countries in Asia and the Pacific, meeting the challenge of COVID-19 is challenging due to deeper structural economic
Staying afloat: ensuring public debt sustainability in the Pacific islands
[UNESCAP] The risk of public debt distress is considerably high in almost all Pacific small island developing States (PSIDS). The debt levels in most PSIDS were on a rising trajectory since early 2010s and are projected
Rethinking Solomon Islands security
It has been an interesting couple of weeks for Solomon Islands, with stories of policing, weapons, replica weapons and a security agreement with China dominating the local and regional media. Let’s start with the
Solomons: Putting a draft security deal with China in local context
A draft MOU between Honiara and Beijing on security related issues has sparked international headlines and worried response from
Lessons from Volcanoes in Predicting the Next Pandemic
COVID-19 alerts and warnings can be better developed by bringing together lessons learned from natural hazards like
Leadership and the Pacific Way
Will the leadership tussle within the Pacific Islands Forum be resolved using the Pacific Way? Dr Henry Ivarature looks back to a previous era to see if it offers lessons on the current impasse. Reports indicating
The Pacific Islands become collateral damage on drug superhighway
(THE INTERPRETER) The illicit drugs trade in the Pacific Islands continues to evolve despite Covid-19 border closures. The seizure of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine in Papua New Guinea in 2020 demonstrated that the
Anti-money laundering regulations in the Pacific – a double-edged sword
Across the world, new measures are being introduced to keep up with the increasingly sophisticated money laundering and terrorism-financing schemes. The compliance burdens of the anti-money laundering and
Decolonisation for Guam still matters
In 1982, the first delegation of Chamorus travelled to the United Nations to raise their voices as native inhabitants and Indigenous people of Guam, they petitioned for self-determination and decolonisation. That same
Opinion: Promoting kava exports, ignoring sustainability
On 1 December 2021, Australia launched a pilot program for the commercial importation of kava from the Pacific islands, joining a modest global boom in trade in this iconic Pacific product. As Pacific Trade Invest
Opinion: Europe’s efforts to vilify Vanuatu’s Citizenship Program are tone deaf, protectionist and foolish
In a press call on 12 January, the European Union announced that it may look to suspend its bilateral agreement with Vanuatu, which allows citizens of the Pacific nation to enter, visa free. This obstruction—which
Opinion: Guam, a prime military target for the Chinese
Guam remains a key target for the Chinese military. During the Cold War Guam was a target of the Soviet military in part because Sumay was home to Navy submarines that carried intercontinental ballistic missiles
Fiji made me, but which Fiji is mine?
‘Three scores and ten’ is the age allotted to humans, the Good Book tells us. Modern medicine might add 10 odd years, but the end is in sight, the shadow lengthening visibly. By that measure, my time is up or will
COP26 at the micro level
(Pacific climate talanoa) By the beginning of the second week of September, the informal Pacific Regional Talanoa Group (PRTG), of which I am a member, was suitably enthused to start its virtual talanoa series on the
View from the West
By Dennis Rounds One thing is certain about living in Fiji’s western and northern farmlands and having to rely on wells and boreholes for water needs. When there’s a hole in the bucket, Dear Henry now knows all too
Opinion: Framing a “new Pacific consciousness”
By Kaliopate Tavola Outgoing USP Chancellor, H.E. President of Nauru Lionel Rouwen Aingimea, recently penned an editorial, which, having fulfilled his one-year stint as Chancellor and on the way out, can be regarded as
Protect the Poor when fighting money laundering in the Pacific
The risk of “de-risking” – the process of international banks disassociating from financial partners, such as small remittance providers and local banks – is that it could push people out of the
View from the West: The COVID 360 shuffle
By Dennis Rounds Kava sessions in Western Fiji can be quite “intellectual” with discussions around the tanoa ranging from fishermen’s tales to “bush lawyer” arguments about politics, democracy and the economy.
Changing prescription for regional leadership
By Ambassador Kaliopate Tavola The former Secretary General (SG) of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Dame Meg Taylor, discussed her prescription for Forum leadership when she participated at the Blue
Opinion: Does disallowing diversity data create an equitable Fiji?
The release of Fiji poverty data desegregated by ethnicity and religion by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics in its 2019-20 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES), resulted in the firing of its CEO last week.
Former Fiji Stats Chief clarifies controversial Household Income and Expenditure Survey
I note that there has been much debate since the release of the 2019-2020 Household Income and Expenditure Survey on the Fiji Bureau of Statistics Website www.statsfiji.gov.fj. The Minister of Economy, Aiyaz Sayed
