Pacific churches have welcomed Fiji’s support for self-determination of the Kanaky people and called on regional governments to follow this course. The call came after Fiji’s Prime Minister, Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama reaffirmed his country’s support for the indigenous people of Kanaky (New Caledonia) at a United Nation’s Special Committee on Decolonization (C24) regional seminar…
Songs of the Pacific have been heard at Parliament House as islanders from countries likely to be most at threat from rising sea levels braved the Canberra winter to highlight the issue of climate change. In traditional dress, the group performed a cultural dance and spoke about their concerns. The delegates, from Kiribati, Tuvalu and…
Profound change is underway in the Papua New Guinean economy — and the fortunes of Australian Securities Exchange-listed companies Oil Search and Santos — following the first shipment from the ExxonMobil-led PNG liquefied natural gas project. First gas from the $US19 billion project is making its way to a utility company in Japan on board…
The benefits, challenges and opportunities for collaboration in the management of large marine protected areas (MPA) in the Pacific are the focus of discussion at a workshop being held in Suva, Fiji, this week. The countries and territories of the Pacific Ocean are custodians for large tracts of the largest ocean in the world, which…
The regional non-governmental group, the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), is calling on Forum Island Trade Ministers meeting in Kiribati this week to learn the mistakes from previous negotiations and avoid making binding commitments in areas that will not support their exporters. The focus of this week’s meeting is on the economic opportunities of trade…
Two-thirds of the Pacific Islands communities could run out of fish to feed their populations within 15 years. The concern is over both inshore and deep ocean fisheries that are not sustainable. The warning comes as the Pacific Islands prepare to talk tuna fisheries management in Samoa in early July. Dr Quentin Hanich, fisheries governance…
Developing countries that invested in quality jobs from the early 2000s grew nearly one percentage point faster every year since 2007 and were better able to weather the economic crisis than comparable economies, according to a new report by the United Nations labour agency. The annual report of the International Labour Organization (ILO), The World…
The 2014 Forum Trade Ministers Meeting (FTMM) will be held in Tarawa, Kiribati on 28 May 2014. ‘Leveraging Economic Growth Opportunities through Trade Promotion and Facilitation Reforms’ is the theme for this year’s Forum Trade Ministers meeting. “The focus on trade promotion and facilitation initiatives will assist our Members in translating opportunities into real trade…
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, on Tuesday launched Lighting Papua New Guinea, a project to help half a million people get safe and affordable solar off-grid lighting that will boost business, allow children to study, cut household costs, and help women stay safe on the streets. With IFC’s help, solar manufacturers mainly…
THEY fit in a pocket, have batteries that last all week and are almost indestructible: old-school Nokias, Ericssons and Motorolas are making a comeback as consumers tired of fragile and overly-wired smartphones. With no apps, video calls or smiley faces, handsets like the Nokia 3310 or the Motorola StarTec 130 allow just basic text messaging…