Pacific region

Pacific Women’s Against Violence Network to roll-out gender based counsellor training package

The three-day meeting of Pacific experts will see the continuation of decades long progress led by the crisis centres towards standardising best practice approaches to gender-based violence counselling in the Pacific.

The meeting has been organised in partnership with the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and the UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office, through the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women (Pacific Partnership).

NZ rolls out more Covid-19 support for the Pacific

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the rollout in the Cook Islands would begin on 19 May. It was expected to take six to eight weeks, and would then be followed by programmes in Niue and Tokelau - both are also part of the realm of New Zealand.

The government today pledged to provide additional Covid-19 vaccines to Pacific Island nations, so their total delivery would reach at least 1.2 million people in the region in the coming year.

Inaugural Pacific Cooperation Foundation awards ceremony focuses on Pasifika youth leaders

The PCF awards acknowledge young leaders and their service to their communities in their respected fields.

There are 10 official award categories in total, with five awards especially set aside for Pacific students from the Pacific region studying in New Zealand.

PCF management consultant Afamasaga Jackie Curry said in her opening speech at the ceremony that the accolades encouraged and rewarded service leadership to benefit communities in Aotearoa as well as the Pacific.

Australia redirects $US65m to Pacific

The halt in tourism caused by border closures, cuts to remittances and seasonal worker programmes and other effects of Covid-19 have been devastating for many Pacific economies.

The funding will be redirected from the existing aid programme, and the government says it will provide respite for Pacific governments.

A fifth of the money will go to Papua New Guinea, with the rest to be shared among nine other countries.

     

COP 25: Pacific nations demand greater commitments

The demand comes as the World Meteorological Organisation released the latest in a run of dire scientific predictions for the fate of the world.

It's the latest of many dire assessments released in the past few weeks. This time, the World Meteorological Organisation.

The past decade has been one of exceptional heat, it said, and this year will probably be the second or third warmest on record.

Its secretary-general is Petteri Tallas.

Teachers in Pacific feel strain amid commercialisation of education

These challenges were discussed by delegates at the Council of Pacific Education's 2019 conference in Nadi, Fiji.

The council's outgoing president Correna Haythorpe opened the meeting with a speech on the lack of progress towards reaching Sustainable Development Goal 4 - High Quality Public Education for All.

She referred to Education International's report titled "Off Track" which highlights the fact that many nations are failing to spend 6 percent of their GDP and 20 percent of their national budged on public education.

Pacific region's stability also at issue in White House race

Sarah Graham of Sydney University's United States Studies Centre said Donald Trump has oscillated a lot on the region during the American election campaign, now in its closing hours.

Dr Graham said if Mr Trump is elected he would need a strong team behind him to help build a vision for the region that governments could be comfortable with.

She said he has questioned the value of America's traditional alliances in the region, particularly Japan.

"He's talked about making allies pay their fair share or walking away.