Vanuatu Education minister now speaker
The Vanuatu Parliament has elected Seule Simeon as the new speaker just hours after Gracia Shadrack resigned from the position. To stand as candidate for speaker, Simeon resigned his education portfolio in the
Vanuatu
Vanuatu receives Sinopharm doses
Vanuatu has officially received the 20,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine and 22,400 syringes from the Chinese Government Monday. China’s Sinopharm was the second vaccine to arrive in Port Vila, a month after
Vanuatu beach volleyballers one step away from history
IOC Media Just one tournament stands between Vanuatu’s women’s beach volleyball team and a historic berth at the Olympic Games this summer at Tokyo 2020. Since Vanuatu’s first appearance on the Olympic stage
Vanuatu COVID-19 vaccine rollout underway
Vanuatu has finally started rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, after 24,000 doses of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine arrived through the COVAX facility. Health care workers, border and quarantine staff, public transport drivers
Pacific WTO members urged to support vaccine move
Pacific islands members of the World Trade Organisation are being urged to support a proposal designed to make COVID-19 vaccines more available to developing countries. Fiji and Vanuatu have already joined as sponsors
Colonialism Redux: How the EU is punishing Vanuatu for not ‘playing fair’
The unequal matchup between a bureaucratic behemoth and Vanuatu reveals more about history and geopolitics than it does about financial irregularities. (THE DIPLOMAT) In January 2015 the Asia/Pacific Group on Money
Sope’s history lesson
Vanuatu’s former Roving Ambassador and former Prime Minister, Barak Sope, has disputed claims that the late Sir Michael Somare was a supporter of West Papua. Sope says it is important that original political leaders
From coconut crab to chicken
Every household in Vanuatu’s Torres islands in Torba Province will be provided with chicken wire to farm chickens,now that the harvesting of coconut crab, has been banned by the Ministry of Fisheries. The ban is
Vanuatu’s ambitious new cattle breeding program
Vanuatu’s Director of Livestock is confident the nation will meet its targets on cattle farming, as long as land disputes do not impede its plans. Vanuatu seeks to raise half a million heads of cattle by 2025, a mere
Facebook: Can’t live with it, can’t live without it
Pacific governments face a crucial dilemma with social media. How they react will define our future. The decision this week by Solomon Islands’ cabinet to ban Facebook is wrong, of course. It represents
Food Revolutionaries
The founder of the Pacific Island Food Revolution says the campaign’s work on changing food choices in the Pacific region is “super relevant” in the current global coronavirus pandemic. “Our project is about
How will Vanuatu ride out COVID and cyclones
There was no social distancing evident as tens of thousands of Vanuatu citizens marched through the capital to celebrate the nation’s 40th Independence Anniversary at the end of last month. Vanuatu is one of just
COVID-19 to bring ‘prosperity’ to Vanuatu
The Presbyterian Church Chairman of Vanuatu’s Christian Council, Pastor Alain Nafuki, has thanked COVID-19 for enabling the country to focus hard on identifying the best way towards prosperity for the country for the
Hope on labour mobility
There’s good news for Vanuatu’s seasonal workers this week with the announcement that 170 workers will be able to go to Australia for the mango season. The workers will go to the Northern Territory in a pilot
Vanuatu celebrating 40 years
Red, Green, Yellow and Black are the four colours that distinguish the Flag of the Republic of Vanuatu from other national colours. Red symbolises blood that binds the human race. Green represents the fertile greenery
Vanuatu’s PM puts faith at the centre
Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Bob Loughman prompted the congregation of Malasitapu Presbyterian Church in the suburbs of Port Vila to clap with joy recently when his new government’s cabinet was commissioned by the
USP student across the region protest, police on Fiji campus
A “support good governance” protest organised by the University of the South Pacific Student Association today with the theme “wear blue” is now underway in a number of campuses around the region with the
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
On running for elections in Vanuatu as a woman
In the recent Vanuatu national elections, Dr Andrina Thomas stood for the rural electorate of Espiritu Santo. In this article, which was originally published on the DevPolicy blog, she offers some reflections to Elise
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,
Vanuatu’s new government has a massive task ahead
The newly-elected Vanuatu government formed late yesterday will have a huge responsibility as the country struggles over the Covid-19 crisis and massive destruction wrought by TC Harold this month. Vanua’aku Party
Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Fiji counting the cost of TC Harold
Clean up efforts are already underway in Vanuatu and Fiji, parts of which were hit by Cyclone Harold this week. In Vanuatu the first reports have emerged of the category-five storm’s destruction in Vanuatu.
TC Harold: Luganville’s Mayor fears rebuilding effort will be huge
The Lord Mayor of Luganville town in Vanuatu, Peter Patty says his biggest fear now is how they can rebuild as Cyclone Harold is already causing devastating damage in the northern town. The Category 5 Tropical Cyclone