Results for Pacific

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) announced an extra USD$4.5 million for the second phase of the Tonga Rural Innovation Project (TRIP) this week after officials visited ‘Eua and Tongatapu. IFAD Associate Vice-President, Donal Brown said TRIP was one of the most successful projects they had in the Pacific. By Eleanor Gee.

A team of 35 medical professionals from Open Heart International (OHI) in Australia are currently in Tonga performing open heart surgery on locals with rheumatic heart disease. The lead surgeon stressed that Tongans need to try and prevent acute rheumatic fever, a disease that occurs from having tonsillitis that is not treated with antibiotics early enough.

Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Dame Meg Taylor, has called for urgent action to end increasing violence in West Papua (Tanah Papua) along with a human rights investigation in a statement released on 2 September. Her message has been welcomed by a member-led network of global civil society organisations, the Pacific network of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC).

Students in American Samoa can now learn from University of Hawaii (UH) lecturers through 3D holograms beamed live into classrooms in real time at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) HoloCampus, in a programme launched last week.

An award recognizing the sport of table tennis used to promote and protect the health of its members including people with disabilities in its ‘Smashing Down Barriers with Table Tennis’ initiative, was handed over by Ministry of Health CEO, Dr Siale ‘Akauola to Tonga Table Tennis Federation (TTTF) CEO Netina Latu at Vaiola Hospital today, 13 August.

More than 30 Pacific Island environmental practitioners and government officials, from 14 countries, including Tonga, will contribute more to protect biodiversity and ecosystems in their countries after receiving post graduate certificates in Ridge to Reef Sustainable Development from James Cook University, on 1 August, in Nadi, Fiji.

A handful of church leaders and groups attended a public consultation session on the PACER-Plus Agreement on 10 June at the Wesleyan Church Moulten Hall, in Nuku’alofa. PACER-Plus promotes a free trade agreement between Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific countries.

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation expects there will be a sustained 3.3% on average tourism growth in the Pacific region for 2019-2024.

Women in Tonga can contribute to creating a more open and productive economy if the barriers they face are addressed, states a book recently released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).