Pacific

This was the message of CTA Director Michael Hailu at the recently held Brussels Briefing on “Agribusiness development in SIDS: the potential of tourism-related markets”. The Briefing delivered a strong impetus for the strengthening of linkages between local agri-food and tourism sectors, in order to support sustainable economic development and employment, and reduce the dependence on cheap imported foods which has led to dangerous rates of non-communicable diseases in many SIDS.

But the celebrations have reflected an urgency among Tuvaluans who are trying to keep their culture alive and strong, while their small island nation is sinking.

This comes as Australian funding for the existing Climate and Ocean Support Program is scheduled to end in June 2017 and many of its activities are transferring to SPC, (South Pacific Community), and SPREP, (Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme).

RNZ reports SOE portfolios in eight Pacific countries examined contribute only 1.8% to 12% of gross domestic product, despite having very large asset bases, ongoing government cash transfers, and monopoly market positions.

The ADB said productivity levels of the SOEs were also well below that found in developed countries.

But the Bank noted some successes in pursuing commercially-oriented reforms.

It said that over the past 14 years Solomon Islands has improved significantly, with Tonga also doing better.

The Rugby League International Federation has approved plans that would allow eligible players to nominate both a tier one and tier two nation to represent, and the ability to switch between the countries multiple times within a World Cup cycle, with no stand-down period.

Polynesian players would also be free to play State of Origin whilst remaining eligible for their native island country.

Toa Samoa coach Matt Parish has long called for changes to eligibility rules and said the changes were a massive boost for Pacific teams and the international game.

Volunteers from ten island nations, American Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands joined forces with close to 800,000 volunteers in 2015 to commemorate the event which collected over 18 million pounds of waste across the planet.

All waste collected is stored in the Ocean Trash Index, having been recorded by item and by the Ocean Conservancy each year culminating in a global snapshot of the marine debris found across the world.

FRDP is the world’s first integrated regional framework to build resilience to climate change and disasters.

The FRDP was developed in response to recommendations from the Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management and Pacific Climate Change Roundtable in 2011 and endorsed by the Pacific Island Forum Leaders in 2012.

The Framework aims to ensure that climate change and disasters are understood as a development challenge with priority actions to address vulnerability to climate change and disasters and build resilience across all sectors.

According to RNZ that is the message from this week's meeting in Fiji of more than 40 practitioners and experts working on ending violence against women in the Pacific.

Representatives from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Samoa are taking part in the regional consultation with a focus on preventing violence.

UN Women multi-country representative Aleta Miller said all parties agree violence is not inevitable and can be prevented and are seeking systematic measures to stop it.

RNZ reports On Friday, Fiji's trade minister, Faiyaz Koya, said his country was withdrawing from negotiations for PACER-Plus, citing inflexibility from Australia and New Zealand.

Fiji's withdrawal would mean the Pacific's two largest economies outside of New Zealand and Australia - Fiji and Papua New Guinea - would not be included in the deal.

Vanuatu had also recently expressed dissatisfaction.

But Dr Edwini Kessie said the remaining issues were not serious, and he believed a deal could still be reached - with Fiji included.

Barack Obama landed on the remote Pacific island of Midway less than a week after the US President created the world's largest protected marine reserve in the area surrounding the tiny atoll.

It's a big green feather in Obama's cap as he seeks to cement his environmental legacy before he leaves office.