PINA

As the clock ticks towards the final hours of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-4) in Ottawa Canada, attention has turned to intersessional work required between the INC-4 and INC-5 in Korea, to support the further development of a plastics pollution...

Countries are for the first time considering restrictions on the global production of plastic – to reduce it by 40 percent in 15 years – in an attempt to protect human health and the environment. As the world attempts to make a treaty to cut plastic waste at UN talks in Ottawa, Canada, two countries have put forward the first...

Solomon Islands Caretaker Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has passed on the leadership of the Parliamentary Wing of OUR Party to Prime Ministerial candidate, Jeremiah Manele. Speaking at a press briefing Monday night, Sogavare announced his decision to hand over the reins to Manele, who currently serves as the Member of Parliament elect for Hograno/Kia/Katova/Havulei. “It is with great honor and privilege...

Fiji and Australia’s renewed and elevated Vuvale Partnership will be further strengthened this week through the first official visit to Fiji by the Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, and Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy. During the two-day (Tuesday 30 April to Wednesday 01 May 2024) visit to Fiji, Minister Conroy will have a bilateral meeting with...

The human rights record of Vanuatu will be examined by the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth time on Thursday, 02 May 2024, in a meeting in Geneva. Vanuatu is one of 14 States to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its upcoming session from 29 April to 10 May...

The International Labour Organisation (ILO), reports ongoing challenges within the Pacific job market, despite resilient growth. The Pacific Tripartite High-Level Dialogue on Decent Work and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent meeting in Fiji last week saw the release of the Pacific Employment and Social Monitor for April 2024. The report notes that unemployment rates have reverted to pre-pandemic...

By Paul Chen, Representative Taipei Trade Office in Fiji As the world experienced the years of COVID-19 pandemic, it is of paramount importance that we join forces to combat and learn this global public health emergency. Taiwan has been a pivotal partner in the fight against COVID-19 and other diseases in the world as well, generously sharing its best practices...

The Fiji Rugby Union treats its men’s and women’s national 7s teams equally and strives to ensure that players are well taken care of. FRU High-Performance General Manager BJ Mather made this statement following the incident last year, where members of the Fiji Airways Fijiana 7s side were seen sleeping outside Sydney Airport during a flight layover en route to...

Romani Katoa has been re-elected the vice president of the Oceania Aquatics Board of Directors for a new four-year term. Katoa has been the president of the Cook Islands Aquatics Federation since 2009. He is also the first Pacific Islander to be elected to the bureau of the World Aquatics International Swimming Federation executive board. “I’m very honoured to receive the overwhelming...

The Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) and the Oceania Paralympic Committee (OPC) are thrilled to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), aimed at fortifying the relationship between the two organisations. This landmark agreement is designed to elevate the development of Para sports throughout the Oceania region, encompassing the 17 member countries of ONOC. The MOU highlights a commitment...