Results for Pacific Islands

A global SOS on sea level rise was issued by the UN Secretary General António Guterres today in Tonga, at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting, calling all world leaders to lead a fast and fair phase-out of fossil fuels. “A worldwide catastrophe is putting this Pacific paradise in peril,” said Guterres.“Global average sea levels are rising at an unprecedented rate. The ocean is overflowing.”

The decisions that world leaders face in the coming years will be determining the fate, firstly, of the Pacific Islands, but also of everyone else, the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said today, “If we save the Pacific we save the world.” He urged Pacific states “to make your voices heard and heard loudly.” The meeting of 18 Pacific Island leaders and their representatives was officially opened by HRH Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala at the Tonga High School’s new stadium.

The Pacific Islands Forum’s new Secretary General, Baron Waqa (Nauru), arrived in Tonga Thursday afternoon, ahead of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, which opens in Nuku’alofa on Monday 26 August. He said the time has come for climate action at this meeting, that brings together leaders from 18 members across the Pacific Ocean. Tonight, with the Prime Minister, he met Pacific Islands' news journalists at the newly built accommodation centre at Popua.

South West Pacific Heads of Maritime Forces (SWPHMF) met Wednesday in an exclusive meeting in Nuku’alofa, held at the Leadership Center, Masefield Naval Base. Tonga's CMDR Taniela Tuita said the 14 heads of the maritime forces will share knowledge, skills and action plans. Sitting alongside the Pacific Islands maritime forces leaders, are Australia's Chief of Navy, VADM Mark Hammond and New Zealand's Acting Chief of Navy, CDRE Andrew Brown. “We know each other. We are partnering nations, that's the first thing," said CDRE Brown.

Pacific border security needs to be strengthened against criminal networks who use the Pacific as a conduit for the transhipment of hard drugs into the markets of New Zealand and Australia. This was a key challenge that Cook Islands Prime Minister, Mark Brown, urged Pacific heads of Customs to address, at the 26th Annual Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) Conference, on 29 July, in Rarotonga.

Pacific Islands leaders are set to meet in Tokyo next month, 16 - 18 July, for the tenth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting 2024 (PALM10), with the Government of Japan. Tongan Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku will attend the meeting.

A five-day workshop for Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members, was held last week 3-7 June, aimed to boost fisheries officials negotiations skills. Key guest speakers included Professor David Freestone, Professor Martin Tsamenyi and the Director and Professor of Law at ANCORS, Professor Stuart Kaye, and others.

A two-week long 'Operation Tui Moana', combating Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing across the Pacific, closed today, 24 May 2024. The Tongan Royal Navy took part in the Operation that reported over 500 vessel contacts, using air, surface and remote-sensing platforms, with a total of 80 boardings in port and at sea. Ten vessels of interest were detected and reported to Members for further investigation.

An international group of scientists have arrived at the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai volcano this week, to conduct a month-long research to better understand the cause of the powerful 2022 eruption. NZ scientist Cornel de Ronde is leading the voyage onboard the research vessel R/V Tangaroa, from 15 May to 12 June. It will be the first voyage to HTHH to comprehensively map the seafloor, while also measuring the gravity and magnetic signatures of the remaining edifice.