What happened to me must never happen again: Forum SG Puna
In a frank admission on the circumstances which forced his exit from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Secretary General of the Forum Henry Puna has told a closed function hosted in Samoa that what took place
In the midst of neocolonialism – What are the threats to Pacific solidarity?
The state of Pacific island solidarity in the midst of a serious crisis pertaining to climate change and the strategic competition between the United States and China seems to be weak. At a time when solidarity may be
2050 tops Regionalism Agenda for 2023
Ask anyone what the trending topics are for the Pacific year ahead, and the answers will not surprise. The Climate Crisis. COVID. Food, family, economic security. Sustainable Development for all.
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
Inclusivity is expedient for PACER Plus
I wrote: ‘Re-Negotiated PACER Plus for Post-Covid-19 Pacific Regionalism’ for the July 2020 Island Business issue. This was pitched particularly at strengthening Pacific regionalism (Pacific Islands Forum) as a
Fast-tracking PICTA
By Ambassador Kaliopate Tavola The Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA), having acquired ratification by signatory Pacific Island Countries (PICs), came into force in 2003. However, some 18 years later, the
We Say: Learning from regionalism’s success stories
Ten years ago Islands Business named the PNA, an acronym for the parties to the Nauru Agreement, as our Pacific ‘Organisation of the Year’, a recognition previously only given to individuals. Given the events of the
Derogation of State Power to the Region Not an Option
In my last article in this magazine, I referred to the structure of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and its system of decision-making as being antiquated. This was on the basis that PIF’s type of regionalism is
COVID-19, geopolitics and the Pacific Way – Dame Meg Taylor on the path out of our current crisis
The Pacific today faces three crises: a health crisis, an economic crisis and the ongoing climate crisis, and Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers will discuss all three when they meet (virtually) next week. As the