The General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, Reverend James Bhagwan says now more than ever, there is a need to respect the ocean. As today marks “World Oceans Day”, Reverend Bhagwan says people turn to the sea for survival as a result of lockdown and unemployment. Rev. Bhagwan says during the time
Opinion Feature Our team arrived at the riverbank just below Katehana village. It took us about half an hour bumpy drive through a red muddy terrain. The clear afternoon had quickly turned dull. The sky was already grey and droplets of rain beckoned us to turn around. Darker clouds loomed further up
In the midst of economic shocks and border closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Pacific region has yet again been ravaged by a Category 5 cyclone that left a trail of destruction across four Pacific island countries in a span of 4 days. The economic toll from Cyclone Harold and the response to
The Pacific region is poised to receive substantial flows of ‘climate finance’ thanks to the increasing commitments made by bilateral and multilateral agencies after two decades of moral pressure at the global level. On a per capita basis, the Pacific region is considered to be one of the highest recipients of climate finance. However,
Raising Pacific Voices (RPV) has launched a research project on behalf of the Pacific Regional NGO Alliance (PRNGO) to listen to the voices of communities and community leaders in Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Tuvalu about what the ocean means to them. The 'Blue Economy' topic for research was selected by the
The General Secretary for the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) Rev. James Bhagwan was one of the keynote speakers at the Uniting Church in Australia President’s Conference in Fiji from 13-17 July 2019. In an interview reflecting his key themes, James shares how the Pacific is on a journey of self-determination, reclaiming itself as
Pacific Island countries have long recognised the climate crisis as the greatest threat to their futures. Drawing on the region’s strengths, values and a united Pacific voice, Pacific Island countries have sought to lead by example – making bold national commitments, playing a major role in international negotiations, and holding their bigger neighbours –
The future and sovereignty of the people of Ma’ohi Nui/French Polynesia and their natural resources remains a concern as Pacific churches continue to push for the decolonisation process. The President of the Association Union Chretienne des Jeunes Gens, Tiare-Maohi Tairua, says: “We remain optimistic that a genuine process of implementation of these mandates will
By Katerina Teaiwa The office of Nei Tabera Ni Kai (NTK), a film unit based in the town of Taborio, in the small island nation of Kiribati, is a small concrete building situated two metres above sea level, 30 metres from the lagoon on one side and 45 metres from the ocean on the
By SAMANTHA MAGICK, Islands Business Harnessing traditional knowledge of the oceans in a way that isn’t exploitative or tokenistic is emerging as a strong theme at a regional ocean meeting currently underway in Noumea. Scientists, policy makers and others with an interest in oceans management are meeting at the Pacific Community to plan for
By MAUREEN PENJUELI, Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) [The following article was first published in the Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2019 report.] Global powers and Pacific Island nations are racing to divide up the ocean's resources using the narratives of Blue Economy and Blue Growth to justify their exploitation. Technology advances make once-unfeasible seafloor
The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), Blue Ocean Law (BOL) and the Allard Law International Justice & Human Rights Clinic (IJHR) at UBC, has released a report highlighting how France’s ongoing control of French Polynesia’s natural resources violates the basic human right of self-determination. Entitled “Enduring Colonisation: How France’s Continuing Control of
