Results for Pacific Islands

Tonga could be used as a transfer point for the illegal trade of arms if its government doesn’t sign the International Arms Trade Treaty warns Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA). In the Pacific region, Tuvalu, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand have signed and ratified the treaty and Vanuatu, Palau, Kiribati and Nauru have signed.

A new cyclone is threatening children and families in Fiji, UNICEF warned this afternoon. Only weeks after Category 5 Cyclone Winston ripped through the Fiji Islands, affecting 40% of the population, Fiji is once again facing extreme weather conditions due to the presence of three tropical disturbances, one of which has formed into rapidly-intensifying Cyclone Zena.

A new Pacific research institute, aimed at supporting sustainable development in the Pacific region, was launched by New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, on 22 March 2016 at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

The Official Draw for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Papua New Guinea took place in Zurich on Thursday, 17 March, with the 16 participating nations placed into four groups ahead of the tournament kick-off on 13 November in Port Moresby.

Twenty-eight skilled construction workers from three Pacific Islands, including Tonga, will be working on the Christchurch rebuild, to fill skills shortages before the end of May this year.

A rescue and tourism helicopter service offered to Tonga by Rodger McCutcheon, a New Zealand pilot, has moved to Samoa after Tonga delayed the start of the service earlier this year. Samoa’s Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Luesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi welcomed the new helicopter service and stated, “It is utter nonsense and ridiculous for any government to discard a service of this nature.”

New Zealand’s future development assistance to Tonga will be focused on energy, law and justice, education and skills development, and economic development, as an outcome of consultations completed in Tonga today, with New Zealand’s Deputy Secretary for International Development, Jonathan Kings and the Tonga Government. New Zealand anticipates investing approximately TOP$112 million (NZD$75 million) in development assistance to Tonga over the next three years.

In the maritime arena, Tonga is grappling with security of its extensive coastline as well as policing of its 676,401 sq km territory. Its remote location makes it a fertile region for transnational crime, while unauthorized exploitation of its fisheries and marine wealth in its coastal waters as well as in its EEZ has direct impact on its national economy and security.

The ‘Epeli Hau’ofa Dance Festival II, showcasing art, music, education, culture and heritage is planned by the University of the South Pacific’s Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies, on 21-26 March 2016 in memory of the late Professor ‘Epeli Hau’ofa.