In this bulletin:
FIJI – CYBER SECURITY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 15 Oct 2026
U.S strengthens Fiji’s cyber defences amid warnings over China-linked threats
SUVA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— The United States is supporting Fiji’s efforts to strengthen national cybersecurity as international agencies warn of malicious cyber activity linked to Chinese government-backed actors.
The U.S Embassy in Fiji said Washington was working with the Fiji Government to improve digital security, protect critical infrastructure and strengthen the country’s ability to respond to cyberattacks.
In December last year, the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) formalised a grant agreement with Fiji’s Ministry of Policing and Communications for technical assistance to modernise information and communications technology systems.
In March, the United States began supporting the implementation of Fiji’s first National Cybersecurity and Resilience Strategy, working with local and international partners to strengthen online defences.
The cooperation continued in April with Operation Silktail, described by the U.S Embassy as Fiji’s first national cyberattack exercise. The exercise brought together security agencies to test their responses to simulated cyberattack scenarios.
The United States said it would continue providing technical expertise to help protect citizens, critical infrastructure and networks from malicious cyber threats.
Separately, New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has joined international partners in issuing an advisory on cyber threat actors linked to the Chinese Government and enabled by China-based company Integrity Technology Group.
The advisory outlines the actors’ capabilities, indicators of compromise and recommended measures to detect and mitigate malicious activity.
According to the NCSC, the activity has affected a range of systems, often beginning with the exploitation of vulnerable websites and web applications. The advisory also identifies victims of data theft in government and healthcare sectors.
The agencies recommend that organisations disable unused services and network ports, strengthen web application security, implement identity and access management controls, and require multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
The advisory includes technical indicators to help organisations determine whether their systems have been compromised, alongside further guidance on prevention and response.
The NCSC said it had previously issued alerts about covert networks of compromised devices linked to China and malicious botnet activity associated with Integrity Technology Group.
In another development, the U.S Department of State’s Rewards for Justice programme is offering up to US$10 million for information on Zhang Yu, who is accused of working on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security to gain unauthorised access to COVID-19 research conducted by U.S universities and scientists.
His alleged co-conspirator, Xu Zewei, was arrested and extradited to the United States earlier this year.
The developments highlight growing international efforts to strengthen cybersecurity, share threat intelligence and protect sensitive information and critical networks from malicious activity…..PACNEWS
SOL – OMBUDSMAN: PACNEWS/SOL GOVT PACNEWS 2: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Dick Stanley Pirione sworn in as Solomon Islands Ombudsman
HONIARA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS/SOL GOVT) —Dick Stanley Pirione has been sworn in as the new Ombudsman of Solomon Islands, filling the vacancy left by the death of former Ombudsman Fred Fakarii earlier this year.
Pirione took his Oaths of Office and Allegiance before Governor-General Sir David Tiva Kapu at Government House on Wednesday.
A seasoned public servant and former permanent secretary, Pirione brings 25 years of experience in the Solomon Islands Government Public Service, including 17 years at the executive level.
His experience spans several government ministries, giving him extensive knowledge of public administration, governance systems and institutional operations.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, Kapu congratulated Pirione on his appointment and urged him to carry out his responsibilities with impartiality, integrity and independence, as required by the Constitution.
The Office of the Ombudsman is established under Chapter IX of the Solomon Islands Constitution and serves as an independent constitutional institution responsible for promoting good governance, fairness and accountability in the public service.
Its functions include investigating complaints of maladministration, injustice, abuse of power and unfair treatment by government agencies and public officials.
The office also investigates allegations of corruption, improper conduct and discriminatory practices, while promoting transparency and ensuring public officials comply with the law and principles of natural justice.
The Ombudsman can report findings and make recommendations to Parliament, the Prime Minister and relevant authorities to address identified problems.
The office provides members of the public with a channel to seek redress over government decisions and helps strengthen ethical standards and improve public administration.
The Government congratulated Pirione on his appointment and wished him well in his new role…..PACNEWS
AUST – DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Palau President visits Australian Government House ahead of embassy opening
CANBERRA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr has met Australia’s Governor-General during an official visit to Canberra to mark the opening of Palau’s first embassy in Australia.
The Governor-General welcomed President Whipps and First Lady Valerie R. Whipps to Government House, where they discussed the longstanding friendship and shared ties between Australia and Palau.
The visit included a tour of Government House and its grounds.
The delegation also included Palau Senator Kazuki Topps Sungino, Koror State Governor Eyos Rudimch, Minister for Tourism and Culture Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, and Palau’s Ambassador to Australia Roland Merar.
Merar formally presented his credentials to the Governor-General and took up his diplomatic role in recent weeks.
Australia’s Ambassador to Palau, Toby Sharpe, also attended the meeting.
The opening of Palau’s first embassy in Australia marks a new step in strengthening diplomatic relations and cooperation between the two countries….PACNEWS
PNG – HEALTH/HIV AIDS: NBC PNG NEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Madang Province in PNG records 60 new HIV positive cases between July-September
PORT MORESBY, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (NBC PNG NEWS)—Madang Province in Papua New Guinea has recorded 60 new HIV positive cases in the last three months, July- September, 2026.
A report presented by Idinad Clinic at a two- days stakeholders’ consultation, which concluded today, clinician Health Extension Officer (HEO), Lissie Wapip revealed the 60 cases were recorded in the third quarter of this year.
She said a total of 1, 956 tests were carried out between July and September, 68 percent of which were females and 32 percent males.
Twenty- four of the positive cases were reported at Idinad Clinic whilst the others came through different referral pathways, including the ante- clinic.
HEO Wapip said a lot of the positive cases continue to come through the ante- natal clinic.
Last year, Madang conducted 11, 653 HIV tests, of which 212 cases came out positive.
Of the total tests conducted last year, 2 951 were referrals from the Ante-natal clinics (ANC) Fourteen cases from the ANC returned positive results. This is 0.5 percent of the total referrals from the ANC.
On the national scale, an estimated 130, 000 people are living with HIV, with a national prevalence rate of 1.5 percent. In 2025, an estimated 11, 000 people acquired HIV and 3, 100 died from AIDS- related illnesses.
According to PNG’s HIV Fact Sheet, 2026; HIV testing increased from 91, 151 in 2021 to 388, 425 in 2025, resulting in more than 11, 000 HIV diagnoses.
HIV has been reported in all provinces, with a national positivity rate of 2. 9 percent and provincial rates ranging from 1.0 percent to 7.6 percent, reflecting marked geographic variation.
Globally, new HIV infections have declined by 42 percent since 2010. PNG, however; continues to record around 30 new HIV infections every day, including 7 babies acquiring HIV through mother- to- child transmission.
Although 62, 607 people are receiving anti- retroviral therapy (ART), treatment coverage remains below the estimated number of people living with HIV, underscoring the need to expand testing, treatment and retention in care.
The stakeholders consultation in the last two days was a lead- up to last night’s signing of a Memorandum of Agreement by the National AIDS Council Secretariat (NACS), the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs, the six district development authorities (DDAs), and the Madang Provincial Health Authority to collaborate in HIV prevention and coordination.
Acting Director of the National AIDS Council Secretariat, Michelle Nilkare, said her team is going around the provinces to see how best NACS can connect back to the province.
Madang is the 5th province to sign the MOA after West New Britain, Enga, Simbu, and Western provinces….PACNEWS
FIJI – CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 2: Thu 15 Oct 2026
2013 immunity clauses retained in Constitution Bill
SUVA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI SUN)—Absolute immunity for the President, Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, the military, police, corrections service, judiciary and public servants over events dating back to 05 December2006, is retained in the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, with almost no change from the 2013 Constitution.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has said the provisions remain because of a Supreme Court directive.
The immunity provisions move from Chapter 10 (sections 155 to 158) in the 2013 Constitution to Chapter 14 (sections 204 to 207) in the Bill.
The Bill replaces the word “Decree” with “Act” in references to the law governing the 2010 political events and the Crimes Act 2009.
Both texts grant “absolute and unconditional immunity”, “irrevocably”, to individuals “in their official or personal or individual capacity”.
However, offences under specified sections of the Crimes Act 2009 are excluded from the immunity provisions.
Both texts refer to “the date of the first sitting of the first Parliament elected after the commencement of this Constitution”. The Bill proposes that the new Constitution commence on March 31, 2028, although the President may set an earlier date.
Both texts state that the immunities “shall not be reviewed, amended, altered, repealed or revoked”.
The 2010 law “shall not be reviewed… by Parliament”, while “no court or tribunal shall have the jurisdiction” to hear a challenge.
Both texts also state: “No compensation shall be payable by the State.”
Meanwhile, Opposition MP Alvick Maharaj has urged Fijians to “come out in numbers” as the Special Committee on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, chaired by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, begins public consultations at the Suva Civic Centre today.
Maharaj, one of four Opposition members on the 11-member committee, said the Bill had passed its second reading and was now before the committee.
“It’s very important for the Fijians if they want to have their voice heard. They need to come out in numbers,” he said.
“If they have anything, they can come and talk to the committee and give their submission on what they want to be changed in the draft Bill.”
Maharaj said the Opposition had concerns about the Bill, which would be raised during the committee process.
“We are at the very preliminary stage at the moment. We are just going through the Bill.”
Rabuka said Fijians who could not read the lengthy Bill would be able to follow the process through broadcasts in iTaukei, Hindi and English.
“Listen carefully to that,” he said.
Newspaper articles and advertisements would provide details of the consultation times and scope.
The other Opposition members on the committee are Leader of the Opposition Inia Seruiratu, Parveen Bala and Jone Usamate.
Government members are Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka, Biman Prasad, former Acting Attorney-General Siromi Turaga, Filimoni Vosarogo, Lynda Tabuya and Mosese Bulitavu.
Written submissions can be emailed to the committee chairperson and must reach Parliament by 4pm on Friday, 23 October..PACNEWS
FIJI – POLITICS/IMMUNITY: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 2: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Immunity debate alone will not bring lasting reconciliation: Tui Nayau
SUVA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI SUN)—The paramount chief of Lau, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara, warns that resolving the immunity debate alone will not bring lasting reconciliation without addressing inequality and social crises in Fiji.
The Tui Nayau, Sau ni Vanua ko Lau and Tui Lau said the conditions exploited during the 1987 and 2000 coups remained unresolved.
He said the debate must extend beyond legal provisions to address the marginalisation of iTaukei families in commercial opportunities and the growing drug and HIV crises.
“The Supreme Court has given its opinion on immunity, and I respect it,” Ratu Tevita said.
“But lasting reconciliation will not come from the law alone, whatever the law provides.”
He stressed that while nothing could justify the seizure of power by force, longstanding grievances must be addressed to prevent them from being exploited again.
“Fifty-six years after independence, too many iTaukei families still stand at the edge of the nation’s commercial life, on land and sea that should be bringing them prosperity,” he said.
The Tui Nayau identified economic exclusion as one of the grievances exploited during previous upheavals and called for decisive action rather than leaving the issues for future generations.
He warned that the HIV and methamphetamine crises were intensifying pressures on communities, particularly among young iTaukei people.
Citing the Government’s declaration of a national HIV emergency, he said around nine in every 10 new HIV diagnoses in the previous year were among iTaukei, most of them young, and linked the crisis to methamphetamine use.
Ratu Tevita called on the Government, the vanua (people), churches and families to work together to confront the crisis, saying it should not be hidden out of shame.
He condemned threats made against critics of chiefs on social media, saying disagreements over chiefly institutions must never lead to intimidation or violence.
“I understand the hurt that moved some of our people to speak out in defence of our chiefs, but we answer disrespect with dignity, never with threats.”
He welcomed the apology issued by the author of the remarks to the Indo-Fijian community and urged Fijians to move forward through forgiveness and greater care in their public statements.
Referring to the Deed of Cession in 1874 and Fiji’s independence in 1970, both observed on October 10, he said the milestones reflected the country’s shared national identity and the place of all communities in Fiji.
Ratu Tevita endorsed recent statements by Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Major-General Ro Jone Kalouniwai, particularly his position that military force must never override the democratic will of voters.
He said the Commander’s commitment to protecting the ballot and respecting Parliament was reassuring as Fiji prepared for the referendum and elections ahead.
He called on leaders across all levels of society, including traditional institutions, religious communities and political leadership, to pursue unity and responsible leadership.
“The vanua has always understood that to lead is to serve,” he said. “Let us all find the common path to unity,” Ratu Tevita said…. PACNEWS
SAMOA – DISASTER PREP: TALAMUA MEDIA PACNEWS 2: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Samoa launches Mobile Makespace to strengthen Disaster preparedness
APIA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (TALAMUA MEDIA)– Samoa has launched a mobile engineering workshop designed to strengthen disaster preparedness, support emergency repairs and help restore essential services following natural disasters.
The Mobile Makespace was launched at the National Emergency Operations Centre compound in Tuana’imato by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Ale Vena Ale, in partnership with Field Ready and the Pacific Community (SPC).
Ale said the initiative would strengthen local technical capabilities and help communities respond more effectively to emergencies.
“Resilience begins at the local level. This mobile is an investment in local capability, local innovation, and most importantly, our people,” he said.
Developed by Field Ready, the trailer-mounted workshop is equipped with power tools, 3D printers, plastic welders and an independent power supply.
The equipment will allow trained technicians to manufacture replacement parts and carry out urgent repairs in disaster-affected areas, helping communities address critical needs when conventional supply chains are disrupted.
Beyond emergency response, the facility will support technical training, innovation and skills development for local engineers, technicians and community members.
The initiative also promotes gender equality, disability and social inclusion by encouraging women and people with disabilities to participate in technical training and disaster resilience activities.
Field Ready Pacific Regional Director Luke Johnston said cooperation between countries and access to practical skills and equipment were important for strengthening disaster resilience across the region.
“Disaster resilience is strengthened when countries work together and communities have access to the tools, knowledge and skills needed to respond to emergencies,” Johnston said.
The launch coincided with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, highlighting the importance of translating preparedness commitments into practical action.
“By putting the makerspace on wheels, we are taking the tools of safety, creativity and preparation directly into the heart of our community and homes,” Ale said.
The minister acknowledged Field Ready and SPC for their contributions to strengthening Samoa’s disaster risk reduction and emergency response capabilities.
The Mobile Makespace is scheduled for its first deployment to the Falealupo district on 14 October, supporting activities under the Tsunami Ready Programme being conducted in the area.
The initiative is supported by SPC through the Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program, the Disaster Management Office, the National Field Ready Board and other national stakeholders and development partners.
The Government of Samoa said the initiative reflected its commitment to strengthening local technical capacity, improving community preparedness and building safer, more resilient communities….PACNEWS
NZ – ELECTION/POLITICS: PMN PACNEWS 2: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Labour and Greens clash over what’s ‘transformative’ for NZ’s Pacific voters
WELLINGTON, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (PMN)—With 23 days until New Zealand’s general election, Labour and the Greens are making competing cases for how their policies would change life for families including Pacific households under pressure from rising costs.
Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni says her party’s plans for free doctors’ visits and prescriptions, alongside cost-of-living measures, would make a real difference. Green MP Teanau Tuiono argues voters want bolder solutions.
The debate comes as the latest 1News-Verian poll puts Labour and National level on 28 percent and the Greens on 15 percent.
Speaking on Pacific Morning, Sepuloni was asked where Labour’s transformative policies were, the kind that would “fight a fire” under voters.
“Oh, we’ve announced our capital gains tax. That’s transformative,” Sepuloni told PMN.
“You can’t say that three free GP visits and free prescriptions are not transformative. This is about trying to move our primary health care system to a place where it is free and you can access that for free.”
The PMN-Horizon Research Pacific Issues Election Survey found nine in 10 Pacific respondents said the cost of living would influence their vote. Health and housing were also major concerns, identified by 66 percent and 65 percent respectively.
Tuiono was asked whether any party was offering truly transformational change.
“Except for us,” Tuiono said to PMN. “People are looking for a bold policy. They are looking for solutions. That’s what our policies do offer.”
Sepuloni says Labour’s package includes cheaper school uniforms, action on supermarket pricing, three free GP visits, free prescriptions and a $20(US$11)-a-week fare cap in Auckland.
“One policy alone isn’t going to make a difference, but the suite of policies that we have announced are going to make a difference to the cost of living for Pacific people,” she said.
Asked whether Labour would reject the Greens’ proposed super wealth tax in coalition talks, Sepuloni said the party was sticking to its own tax plan.
“Chris [Hipkins] has been very clear, we have one tax policy, and that’s what we’re campaigning on, and that’s what we’re planning on implementing.” “
Tuiono said the Greens expected their policies to be considered in any negotiations, arguing that New Zealand does not tax wealth properly.
Jobs are another point of difference. The Greens’ youth jobs guarantee aims to get 32,000 people aged 16 to 24 into local jobs through the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs. National has questioned the proposal’s affordability, putting its cost at $4.86 billion (US$2.71 billion) over four years.
“Young people are looking for work. There’s just no jobs out there,’ Tuiono said.
The debate has also turned to the cost of the parties’ plans. At a multi-party debate on Tuesday night, New Zealand First leader Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters said the Greens wanted an $88b (US$49 billion) increase in debt.
“Here we have this guy cosplaying like he’s a friend of the workers. Well, he isn’t,” Tuiono said.
National has argued that big spending promises are the wrong approach in difficult economic conditions.
Henderson candidate Angee Nicholas told PMN earlier in the campaign: “Grand ideas are not going to get us anywhere on the backdrop of really tough economic conditions.”
Sepuloni rejected National’s claim that Labour planned nine new taxes, saying its proposed capital gains tax would not apply to nine in 10 New Zealanders.
“There are not nine new taxes. It is disinformation,” she said.
National’s Louise Upston has said a Labour-led coalition would increase debt and introduce nine new taxes to fund its plans.
ACT leader David Seymour said at the multi-party debate: “You don’t get higher wages from the government passing a law.”
The final day to enrol to vote is 25 October. Advance voting runs from 26 October to 6 November, and election day is on 7 November….PACNEWS
PAC – WRITTEN HERITAGE: KOREAN TIMES PACNEWS 2: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Korea helps 16 Asia-Pacific nations preserve written heritage
JAKARTA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (KOREAN TIMES)—Korea is bringing together archivists and cultural experts from 16 Asia-Pacific nations in Jakarta, Indonesia for an international workshop focused on preserving historical records and preparing them for global recognition under UNESCO’s documentary heritage program.
The 2026 UNESCO Memory of the World International Capacity-Training Workshop, running from Tuesday to Friday, is hosted by the Korea’s Heritage Service and Korean National Commission for UNESCO at the National Archives of Indonesia.
Launched in 2009, the annual program provides practical training for countries seeking to identify significant documentary heritage and prepare nominations for UNESCO’s Memory of the World register, with particular attention to nations underrepresented on the international list.
Over 17 years, 18 documentary heritage items from participating countries have been added to the register, while 11 others have entered regional registers, organsers said.
This year’s workshop is the largest yet, drawing participants from Timor-Leste, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Palau, Fiji and the Philippines.
Organizers expect about 130 people to attend in person, while livestreamed sessions, including the opening ceremony and expert lectures, are expected to reach more than 1,000 online viewers.
The program covers nomination procedures, emerging trends and strategies for preserving documentary heritage while expanding public access.
Jang Jung-ah, a professor at Incheon National University, presented on the use and commercialization of Korean documentary heritage, while Aijarkyn Kojobekova discussed international case studies.
Participants will also visit Indonesia’s National Library and National Archives to examine local preservation practices.
Hong Hyun-ik, secretary-general of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, said documentary heritage represents humanity’s shared memory and expressed hope that Korea’s experience would help other countries develop their cultural sectors…PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
FIJI – SHIP BUILDING/MARITIME SECURITY: PACNEWS/FIJI GOVT PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Fiji advances plans for $792 million shipbuilding and repair facility in Lautoka
SUVA, 15 October 2026 (PACNEWS) — Fiji is advancing plans to establish a shipbuilding and ship repair facility in Lautoka, with a feasibility study estimating capital costs at FJD$792 million (US$396 million).
Cabinet has endorsed the findings of the feasibility study, which identified Lautoka as the preferred location because of its proximity to existing port infrastructure and the availability of land.
The study projects the facility could generate FJD$2.7 billion (US$1.35 billion) in revenue against operating costs of FJD$2.4 billion (US$1.2 billion) over 30 years.
It recommends a public-private partnership (PPP) model to attract private sector financing and expertise, reduce the Government’s financial exposure and support the project’s long-term sustainability.
A phased approach prioritising ship repairs before expanding into shipbuilding is also recommended. This would allow operations to become established while developing the skills and capacity of the local workforce.
The Australian Government has indicated support for the next phase of the project through technical, legal and financial assistance for the procurement process.
Further engagement with the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) is expected to help facilitate the transaction and identify a suitable private sector partner.
The proposed facility is expected to attract foreign investment, create jobs, strengthen local industries and supply chains, and support the transfer of skills and technology to Fijian workers and businesses.
In the longer term, the project aims to strengthen Fiji’s maritime capabilities and position the country as a regional centre for shipbuilding, vessel repairs and maritime services across the Pacific.
Meanwhile, Fiji will strengthen protection of its maritime domain under a new national strategy aimed at improving coordination, addressing emerging security threats and safeguarding critical infrastructure.
Cabinet has endorsed the Fiji Maritime Security Strategy 2026–2035, which establishes a framework for an integrated national maritime security system.
The strategy recognises the importance of maritime security to Fiji’s economy, with more than 96 percent of the country’s trade moving by sea.
It identifies key threats and vulnerabilities, including transnational crime, illegal fishing, sovereignty challenges, climate and environmental risks, cyber threats and weaknesses in critical maritime infrastructure and institutional coordination.
The strategy is built around seven strategic pillars covering maritime governance, intelligence sharing, coordinated operations, infrastructure resilience, environmental security, cyber resilience and regional cooperation.
It also proposes establishing a Maritime Senior Officials Committee to oversee implementation, coordinate government-wide policy and monitor progress.
Implementation will take place in three phases, beginning with governance arrangements and foundational reforms, followed by capability development and operational integration, before moving towards long-term maritime resilience.
Delivery will use existing Government structures and remain subject to annual planning, budgeting and appropriation processes.
The strategy is expected to strengthen the protection of Fiji’s maritime resources and critical infrastructure, support resource-owning communities and improve regional and international cooperation.
It also aims to reinforce Fiji’s role as a maritime security partner in the Blue Pacific…PACNEWS
SOL – MINERAL SECTOR: SOL GOVT PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 15 Oct 2026
Solomon Islands team studies PNG’s mineral sector ahead of new legislation
HONIARA, 13 OCTOBER 2026 (SOL GOVT) — Solomon Islands is looking to Papua New Guinea’s experience in managing mineral resources as it prepares to strengthen its legal and institutional framework for the mining sector.
A Solomon Islands Government technical team completed a week-long fact-finding mission to Port Moresby from 20 to 26 September to examine PNG’s approaches to mineral resource management, gold refining, downstream processing and value addition.
The mission was led by Dr Chris Vehe, Permanent Secretary for Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, and included senior officials from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification and the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.
The delegation also included Sam Kaupa, Mineral Sector Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, and former Finance and Treasury Permanent Secretary Mckinnie Dentana.
Solomon Islands High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea William Soaki joined the delegation and helped coordinate its programme of engagements.
The visit aimed to strengthen the government’s understanding of the policy, regulatory, financial and institutional arrangements underpinning PNG’s minerals sector.
The delegation held discussions with the Mineral Resources Authority, Bank of Papua New Guinea, Kumul Minerals Holdings Limited, Italpreziosi South Pacific Limited and the Mineral Resources Development Company.
The engagements examined the respective roles of government agencies, state-owned enterprises, financial institutions and private-sector operators in managing and developing mineral resources.
Discussions also focused on gold refining, domestic mineral processing and downstream industries, including the opportunities and challenges involved in retaining more economic value from mineral resources within the country.
The mission comes as the Solomon Islands Government works to establish a stronger legislative foundation for the responsible and sustainable development of its mineral resources.
A Mineral Resources Bill is expected to be presented to Parliament soon, providing an important basis for the sector’s future development.
The government said the findings from the mission could help inform ongoing policy development, legislative reform and institutional arrangements for the minerals sector.
It thanked the Papua New Guinea Government, participating institutions and companies for sharing their technical knowledge and experience with the delegation.
The Solomon Islands High Commission in Papua New Guinea said it looked forward to continued cooperation between the two countries as Solomon Islands works to develop a minerals sector that delivers sustainable economic benefits……PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Beyond Representation: Making Room for Women to Lead in the Pacific
By Karla Hershey, Mamadou Kane and Dirk Wagener, United Nations Resident Coordinators in the Pacific
SUVA/APIA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (UNRCO)—In 2016, Dr Hilda Heine of the Republic of the Marshall Islands became the first woman elected president of a Pacific Island country. She returned to the presidency in 2024.
Her leadership demonstrated that women can lead Pacific nations.
A decade after her historic election, a harder question remains: are the Pacific’s political systems ready to make room for more women to lead?
Cook Islands has just completed its national elections, and Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Marshall Islands are preparing to go to the polls next year. Gender parity therefore deserves particular attention now, while candidate lists are being drawn and campaign budgets set. The problem is not a lack of women with leadership qualities and credentials. It is the barriers women encounter on the way to power.
The 2025 Pacific Gender Outlook cites Inter-Parliamentary Union figures that put women at under 8 percent of the seats in Pacific Island parliaments. This figure is among the lowest globally.
Four Pacific cabinets have no women ministers at all: Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. In Tuvalu, the complete absence of women MPs further illustrates the scale of the representation gap.
In Palau and the Marshall Islands, lineage and land pass through women, and women hold recognised traditional authority, yet very few of them are entrusted with political leadership positions: even where custom recognises women’s authority, the political machinery keeps them on the sidelines.
The Pacific has already made commitments to close the gap. The 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent identifies gender equality and inclusive participation as central to the region’s future. The Revitalised Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration of 2023 commits leaders to accelerating women’s political participation. In 2024, the CEDAW Committee named the standard those commitments must meet: fifty-fifty parity as “a starting point and universal norm”, with 30 percent targets held incompatible with the Convention.
In 1995 women held 2.3 percent of the seats in Pacific parliaments. Thirty-one years have yielded just over five percentage points. FSM elected its first woman Senator only in 2021 – more than four decades after its Congress was founded. On this trend, the region will not reach gender balance until 2274! By the original 2050 target, women will hold fewer than one seat in eight.
Vanuatu shows what structural reform can do. A 2013 amendment to the Municipalities Act reserved one seat for a woman in every ward of the Port Vila and Luganville councils. In the 2023 municipal elections women won six of Luganville’s thirteen seats, two more than the reserved seats required, and the council became the most gender-balanced elected body in the country’s history. Vanuatu’s national parliament, meanwhile, went fourteen years without a single woman member. This contrast is telling: the measure made a difference where it applies, making a case for considering the measures at the national level for greater impact.
Samoa shows the limits. Its constitution guarantees women a minimum of 10 percent of parliamentary seats, filled, where too few women are elected, by appointing the highest-polling women candidates to additional seats. Following the 2025 General Election, only five women were elected to Parliament. It took more than a year for election petitions and subsequent by-elections to conclude before the constitutional provision was finally activated in October 2026. Although the process will increase the number of women MPs to six, thereby meeting the constitutional threshold, the prolonged delay highlighted the controversy that continues to surround mechanisms designed to promote women’s political representation.
Vanuatu and Samoa illustrate the promise and challenges of Temporary Special Measures, targeted interventions designed to accelerate women’s participation and representation where persistent barriers stand in the way. Such measures can create space for women. Political parties determine whether that space expands. They decide whom to recruit, whom to nominate, where candidates stand and what resources they receive. If parties are serious about equal representation, it will show on their candidate lists and in their campaign spending.
Safeguards matter. They help prevent a parliament with no women at all. But a minimum should never become an ambition.
Support for women must translate into votes
But the barriers do not end with political parties.
UN Women’s 2016 study of gender attitudes and voter preferences in Solomon Islands set two findings side by side. In the 2009 RAMSI People’s Survey, 81 percent of men and 86 percent of women said they would vote for a good woman candidate. The 2014 Voter Behaviour Study found that 26 percent of men and 27 percent of women had actually done so.
That gap matters.
Public support for women’s leadership means little if it disappears at the ballot box. Changing that takes sustained public education that confronts assumptions about who looks, sounds and behaves like a political leader.
And it is not that there are not qualified women candidates. In FSM, for instance, women now match or exceed men’s participation at every level of education, yet remain underrepresented in senior political and government decision-making roles.
Women should not have to endure abuse to enter public life
Winning a place in public life does not mean the barriers disappear. Women who enter politics face another barrier: technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
In 2025, the Inter-Parliamentary Union surveyed 150 women parliamentarians and parliamentary staff across 33 Asia-Pacific countries. Sixty percent had been targeted online with hate speech, disinformation, image-based abuse or the release of their personal data, the highest rate the IPU has recorded in any region it has studied. Political disagreement is part of democracy. Gendered abuse, threats and attacks on a politician’s private life are not.
Women considering public office see what is done to those already there. Abuse becomes another cost attached to political participation.
Pacific countries therefore need laws and enforcement mechanisms capable of addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence while protecting legitimate political debate and freedom of expression. Parliaments need codes of conduct and complaints procedures that cover it.
Stop holding women to a different standard
Even beyond online abuse, women leaders face another, quieter double standard.
Women leaders are expected to be competent and, beyond that, embody a higher personal standard. Their behaviour, families and personal lives are weighed alongside their policies and performance in ways their male counterparts rarely face.
Women cannot be expected to serve as the moral corrective to male leadership.
Good governance demands accountability from every politician, judged by the same standards, regardless of gender.
Open the door
The Pacific has produced women presidents, prime ministers, ministers, parliamentarians and community leaders. Their ability to lead is not in question.
What remains in question is whether the systems around them will change.
Governments should review the electoral laws and party rules that hold women back and legislate temporary special measures where the evidence supports them. Political parties should recruit and resource women candidates on the same terms as men.
Donors should ask whether their funding reinforces the inequalities it is meant to correct. Platforms should face enforceable obligations on gendered abuse. And voters must confront the gap between saying they support women leaders and voting for them.
A decade after Dr Hilda Heie first became president, the Pacific already knows what women’s leadership looks like.
Now it must make room for it….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Health workers tackle taboos over drinking with new AI tool
GENEVA, 15 OCTOBER 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) —A new AI-powered hub for health professionals aims to help identify alcohol-related risks and launch discussions with patients, including the link between drinking and cancer, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Wednesday.
“Alcohol harm isn’t abstract,” said Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, the WHO Europe regional adviser on alcohol.
“It can be heart and liver disease. It can be a baby exposed to alcohol before birth. It can be anxiety and depression. It can be a woman who develops breast cancer without ever being told alcohol was a risk.”
The launch highlighted the widespread lack of awareness about alcohol-related health risks.
‘Not an awkward extra’
“We know screening and brief interventions work, but only if health professionals feel able to use them” she continued.
“A doctor or nurse with a few minutes between patients can now ask the hub’s AI assistant how to ask about alcohol consumption and get an answer based on WHO evidence. That makes conversations about alcohol a normal part of care, not an awkward extra.”
Only 15 percent of people surveyed in 14 European Union countries know that alcohol can cause breast cancer, WHO said, adding that it actually causes at least seven types of cancer as well as cardiovascular and liver disease.
“Alcohol is so deeply embedded in our cultures and social lives that even doctors and nurses can feel uncomfortable asking patients about it, particularly when the patient has come in for something seemingly unrelated,” said Dr Ferreira-Borges.
“Add time pressures, limited training and uncertainty about how to approach the subject without sounding judgemental and you have a major missed opportunity for prevention.”
Prevention opportunities
To address this gap, WHO Europe has launched its new alcohol screening and brief interventions hub, which brings together evidence, guidance and practical tools to help health professionals discuss alcohol-related risks.
Health workers can begin with a 10-question screening test to assess a patient’s alcohol-related risk then use the hub’s AI assistant to prepare for a conversation or find relevant guidance.
“The science is evolving and keeping up with the evidence on alcohol and its links to more than 200 diseases and health conditions is not always straightforward,” Dr. Ferreira-Borges noted.
Catching links
Alcohol is among the least frequently discussed behavioural risk factors in healthcare, WHO noted, and is raised less often than smoking, physical activity or diet.
Many health professionals have been trained to recognise the symptoms associated with heavy drinking, “but not necessarily to understand and communicate the risks associated with more routine consumption”, Dr Ferreira-Borges continued.
“Say they have a patient with high blood pressure or mental health issues, alcohol rarely comes up, even though it can play an important role.”….PACNEWS