PACNEWS TWO, 16 OCTOBER 2026

PAC – IMF OUTLOOK: PACNEWS                   PACNEWS 2: Fri 16 Oct 2026

Pacific Islands hit hardest by food and fuel shock, IMF says

By Pita Ligaiula

BANGKOK, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Pacific Island economies are bearing a disproportionate impact from rising food and fuel costs, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgrading its 2026 growth forecast as climate risks, heavy import dependence and limited fiscal space continue to constrain economic resilience.

IMF Deputy Director of the Asia and Pacific Department, Sonali Jain-Chandra said growth across Pacific Island economies was projected at 2.6 percent in 2026 and 2.5 percent in 2027.

Responding to a PACNEWS question at a virtual press conference in Bangkok on the sidelines of the IMF Annual Meeting, Jain-Chandra said the 2026 forecast had been reduced by 0.2 percentage points from the Fund’s April World Economic Outlook, while the projection for 2027 remained unchanged.

“The downgrade is due to the large food and fuel shock which has hit the Pacific Islands disproportionately,” she said.

However, continued strength in tourism and remittances, alongside donor financing and fiscal support, had helped cushion the impact on regional economies.

“Tourism and remittances have still been strong to the Pacific Islands, as has been donor financing and fiscal support, which is why we have a relatively small downgrade for the Pacific Islands,” Jain-Chandra said.

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) face distinct economic pressures, including climate-related risks, heavy reliance on imported goods and limited government resources to fund development and climate adaptation.

Jain-Chandra acknowledged these structural vulnerabilities, saying Pacific economies faced significant constraints in responding to external shocks while meeting their development needs.

“The structural challenges faced by the islands include high import dependence, a limited ability to diversify the economy, and then, of course, limited fiscal space to deal with that adaptation need, driven by the enormous challenge for climate change in the region,” she said.

IMF Director of the Asia and Pacific Department, Krishna Srinivasan said the Fund had also heard directly from Pacific finance ministers and central bank governors about the economic and climate challenges confronting their countries.

Responding to a PACNEWS question, Srinivasan said a dialogue between Pacific leaders and IMF management had provided an opportunity for island countries to raise their concerns about fiscal pressures and climate shocks.

“We had a very, very good dialogue between the Pacific island countries, ministers and governors of the central bank with our management. And we heard their concerns, and they’re very candid in talking about the concerns they had, be it fiscal, be it climate shocks and so on,” he said.

Srinivasan said the IMF was providing support to help countries strengthen their fiscal frameworks and manage these challenges, while acknowledging the scale of the task facing the region.

“It’s not easy. It’s clearly not easy. But from our perspective, we are providing a lot of support on how to address these challenges. And that’s something which we’ll continue doing,” he said.

He said the dialogue was valuable in allowing the Fund to hear directly from Pacific leaders about their concerns.

The combination of higher food and fuel costs and limited fiscal capacity leaves Pacific governments facing difficult choices in protecting households, maintaining essential services and investing in climate resilience.

Reliance on imported food and fuel means international price increases can quickly raise domestic costs, while limited economic diversification reduces opportunities to offset these pressures through other sources of growth and revenue.

Climate change adds further pressure, requiring sustained investment in adaptation, resilient infrastructure and disaster preparedness at a time when public resources are already constrained.

Governments must balance immediate economic pressures with longer-term development priorities, ensuring that financing for urgent needs and climate adaptation does not undermine debt sustainability.

The IMF’s assessment highlights the importance of continued support for Pacific economies, alongside stronger fiscal frameworks and policies that address structural vulnerabilities and improve resilience to future shocks…PACNEWS

PAC – ECONOMY: PACNEWS                       PACNEWS 2: Fri 16 Oct 2026

IMF warns Pacific, low-income Asian economies face growth downgrades

By Pita Ligaiula

BANGKOK, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Pacific Island and low-income Asian economies are facing downward growth revisions as energy shocks, rising fiscal pressures and uneven benefits from the artificial intelligence boom widen the gap between stronger and more vulnerable economies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says.

IMF Director of the Asia and Pacific Department, Krishna Srinivasan said the region’s economic resilience had helped sustain growth despite energy and trade shocks, but the benefits were uneven and risks to the outlook remained tilted to the downside.

Presenting the IMF’s latest Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and the Pacific at a virtual press conference from Bangkok on the sidelines of the IMF Annual Meeting, Srinivasan said regional growth was projected to slow from five percent in 2025 to 4.8 percent in 2026 and 4.4 percent in 2027.

Despite the slowdown, Asia was expected to contribute 68 percent of global economic growth, reflecting stronger-than-expected performance in several major economies.

However, Srinivasan said the outlook varied significantly across countries, with India, South Korea and some ASEAN economies benefiting from stronger technology-related investment and exports, while economies not directly benefiting from the technology boom faced weaker growth prospects.

“Low-income countries in the region, such as Cambodia and Bangladesh, and some Pacific island countries, have had sizable downward revisions,” he said.

Srinivasan identified three major forces shaping the region’s economic outlook: the energy shock that began in February, the technology boom that accelerated from the middle of 2025, and trade disruptions following tariff increases in 2025.

He said Asia’s heavy reliance on imported oil and gas, particularly from the Middle East, had exposed economies to higher energy costs and supply disruptions.

However, some countries had responded by diversifying energy import sources, reducing demand, increasing the use of alternative energy and drawing down inventories.

Government measures to contain inflation, support incomes and limit supply disruptions had also helped cushion the impact.

At the same time, strong demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure, semiconductors and data centres had boosted investment, exports and equity markets in several major Asian economies.

But Srinivasan warned that the resilience should not be taken for granted.

“There are limits to running down inventories, and fiscal costs of policy measures are increasing,” he said.

The IMF also warned that risks included renewed escalation of tensions in the Middle East, a reassessment of the profitability and productivity gains expected from AI, rising government borrowing costs and a potentially severe El Niño cycle.

Srinivasan said higher sea temperatures suggested the El Niño cycle could be exceptional, potentially adding to inflation and fiscal pressures across the region.

For Pacific Island Countries (PICs), these risks compound existing vulnerabilities, including high import dependence, exposure to climate-related disasters and limited fiscal buffers to respond to economic shocks.

On fiscal policy, Srinivasan said public debt across the region remained above pre-pandemic levels, while governments faced increasingly limited room to respond to further shocks.

Although Pacific Island and low-income countries generally had lower debt ratios than some other economies, their fiscal buffers were thinning.

“The combination of delayed consolidation, high debt and/or thinning financial buffers, and rising global yields calls for fiscal prudence supported by strong medium-term fiscal frameworks,” he said.

He said governments should provide targeted assistance to people affected by economic shocks rather than attempt to control prices across the economy.

“The idea would be to protect people and not prices,” Srinivasan said.

He also called for structural reforms to address youth unemployment and skills mismatches, support workers adapting to AI, strengthen social protection, improve energy security and deepen regional integration.

The IMF’s report also examined the impact of AI on employment, finding that employer demand for workers in jobs more exposed to AI had fallen by 10 percent.

However, Srinivasan said the decline had stabilised despite continuing advances in AI capabilities, suggesting the technology was changing the nature of work rather than simply eliminating jobs.

The findings point to the need for investment in skills and training so workers can adapt to changing labour market demands.

The report also argues that stronger social safety nets can support household consumption and living standards if designed to remain fiscally sustainable.

Srinivasan said reducing domestic policy barriers to trade in services could also generate long-term economic gains across Asia.

For Pacific economies, the outlook underscores the need to strengthen fiscal management, build resilience against energy and climate shocks, and ensure limited public resources are directed towards those most affected by rising costs…. PACNEWS

PAC – WEATHER WATCH: PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES   PACNEWS 2: Fri 16 Oct 2026

Guam, CNMI brace for yet another typhoon: 29W now Tropical Storm Champi

SAIPAN, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES) —Barely recovering from typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are bracing for yet another storm forecast to pass through the region this weekend.

Tropical Depression 29W has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Champi, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour, and is expected to continue intensifying into a typhoon before passing through the Marianas.

Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan remain under a typhoon watch, indicating the possibility of typhoon-force winds of at least 74 mph within the next 48 hours.

“Residents of the Marianas are encouraged to continue storm preparations for heavy rainfall, damaging winds, and dangerous seas and surf this weekend,” reads the latest advisory from the National Weather Service issued Friday.

“Heed the advice of local government officials and emergency management agencies.”

Guam and the CNMI are under Condition of Readiness 3.

Classes at all public and Catholic schools on Guam will continue as scheduled Friday, according to the Archdiocese of Agana.

“When Typhoon Condition of Readiness 2 is declared by the Governor of Guam, classes will be suspended and students sent home. Protocols for securing buildings will be followed according to guidelines established by individual schools,” the archdiocese said.

In the CNMI, classes remain as scheduled until Typhoon Condition 2 is declared, the Public School System said.

The U.S Coast Guard Captain of the Port has set Port Heavy Weather Condition X-RAY for the Port Authority of Guam as an approaching tropical weather system threatens the Mariana Islands, marking the next phase of the Port’s ongoing storm preparedness efforts.

The USCG establishes the port’s PHWC and may adjust it as weather conditions change.

Each stage is based on the forecast for sustained winds of 39 mph or higher:

*WHISKEY — Possible within 72 hours: The Port remains open, and normal operations may continue.

*X-RAY — Forecast within 48 hours: Commercial vessels are preparing to complete cargo operations and depart.

*YANKEE — Forecast within 24 hours: Commercial vessels of 200 gross tons or more must depart unless the Captain of the Port authorizes them to remain in writing. Vessels require approval to enter.

*ZULU — Forecast within 12 hours: Vessel and facility operations, cargo work, and bunkering cease. Vessels require approval to enter.

Guam’s Attorney General Douglas Moylan warned all merchants, landlords and fuel providers against price gouging, reminding them that the law prohibits price increases based on shortages anticipated or caused by a disaster, even before an automatic price freeze takes effect.

“Simply put, do not take advantage of our people. Whenever there is a threat of a typhoon, we should be focused on protecting our families, not worrying about being taken advantage of at the gas pump or grocery store,” Moylan said, adding that his office will enforce consumer protection laws…..PACNEWS

FIJI – CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: FIJI SUN      PACNEWS 2: Fri 16 Oct 2026

Centre for Democracy and Dialogue warns of ‘self-coup’ over Fiji Constitution Bill

SUVA, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) —Centre for Democracy and Dialogue (CDD) chief executive Nilesh Lal warned yesterday that if the President brings the new Constitution into force between 24 and 31 December, Parliament would end, but Cabinet would remain in office without an election.

He described this as a “self-coup”.

Lal told the Special Committee on the first public consultation on the Constitution Amendment Bill that the current Parliament “is going to expire in every possible scenario on 24 December 2026”.

The Bill provides for the new Constitution to come into force on 31 March 2028, but allows the President to set an earlier date.

Lal said an election could not be held during that week because electoral boundaries would first have to be drawn. He said this would allow Cabinet to remain in power “undemocratically”.

He said this was contrary to a Fiji Labour Party press release issued on Wednesday.

Lal said the Government’s draft was “much closer to the 2013 draft” than to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) draft.

He said the CRC’s proposed 15-member Cabinet cap and two-term limit for the Prime Minister had been removed. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has said he personally considers a two-term limit “a good provision”, but the Bill contains no such limit.

Lal said the Prime Minister would appoint the chair and most members of the Boundaries Commission, with only two members appointed from the Opposition.

“There’s a very, very high risk of gerrymandering,” he said.

He said 18 of the 24 senators would be appointed on the advice of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga.

“Lawmaking is something that should be strictly confined to elected entities,” he said.

Lawyer Samuela Savu said power over the appointment of the Chief Justice “has never been so concentrated in the hands of one office”.

Meanwhile, taking the word “Fijian” away from indigenous people “is technically genocide”.

Former Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) general secretary Viliame Takayawa made the comments before the Special Committee at the Suva Civic Centre  during the first public consultation on the Constitution Amendment Bill.

He called for all citizens to be called Fiji Islanders.

“When you remove the word from us as indigenous, you are deleting our history,” Takayawa said.

The 1997 Constitution called all citizens Fiji Islanders and indigenous people Fijians. The 2013 Constitution calls all citizens Fijians and indigenous people iTaukei.

Lami-born Tarun Tikaram saw it differently.

“I’m born in Fiji, I’m a Fijian,” he said. “I’m very proud to be a Fijian.”

On land issues, University of the South Pacific (USP) student Laite Masitabua asked how landowners would be properly informed and consulted before development. 

She also asked what improvements proposed Section 48 would bring over Section 28 of the current Constitution.

“It’s not just only for economic resources. It’s our identity,” she said.

She also asked how people would learn what the Bill meant.

Gonewai said landowners should receive between five and 30 percent equity in businesses operating on their leased land. He said this would encourage them to offer land willingly.

O’Driscoll said iTaukei must feel secure in their land.

“You will see a far more secure country,” he said.

He warned of “some undercutting of the land rights” in the Bill…..PACNEWS

FIJI – ELECTION/POLITICS: FIJI SUN                 PACNEWS 2: Fri 16 Oct 2026

Fiji Election campaigning continues: Supervisor of Election Mataiciwa

SUVA, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI SUN)—Fiji Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa has confirmed that political campaigning for the upcoming general election remains ongoing, as the Electoral Commission has not revoked its decision to open the campaign period on 25 May.

Mataiciwa’s clarification follows the Prime Minister’s announcement last week of a proposed referendum date and his request for election campaigning to stop.

“The general election campaign is still ongoing. We had our briefing with the political parties Wednesday. They also raised the same issue, so we clarified with them,” Mataiciwa said.

She said the commission had indicated in a statement last week that it would consider the request and announce its decision once it had been made.

Mataiciwa said the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) was responsible for administering and conducting the general election and proposed referendum, while campaign-related matters fell within the Electoral Commission’s legal framework.

Mataiciwa said political parties had also raised concerns about the pace of preparations.

She said the Elections Office was working within the legal framework and following the stipulated dates, with its priority being to ensure Fijians were informed about both electoral events.

“We are legally mandated to be preparing for the upcoming two electoral events, and we urge our Fijians just get informed, not only on the general election, but as well as the referendum,” she said.

Mataiciwa said the Elections Office remained focused on preparing for both electoral processes and called on stakeholders, including the media, to help disseminate information to voters…..PACNEWS

PAC – CORAL BLEACHING: AFP                    PACNEWS 2: Fri 16 Oct 2026

Healthy corals help bleached neighbours recover, study finds

WASHINGTON, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (AFP)—- The world’s coral reefs face an existential threat from rising seawater temperatures that trigger widespread bleaching, a problem driven by climate change and compounded by this year’s intense El Nino phenomenon.

But a new lab study by scientists at Stanford University finds that simply placing healthy, colourful coral in contact with their bleached counterparts is enough to bring the dying ones back from the brink — a finding that could eventually pave the way for real-world interventions if it can be scaled.

“It’s stunning,” lead author Daniel Collins told AFP about the outcome of the experiments, recalling the “eureka moment” when he first saw positive results and rushed to his PhD supervisor’s office to share the news.

The paper was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

Coral reef recovery is a highly active area of research, with efforts ranging from using artificial nurseries to rescue reefs to finding and cultivating more heat-tolerant species.

Bleached corals had been largely written off because of their high mortality rate, said Collins — though the new work instead demonstrates they “really shouldn’t be thought of as a lost cause.”

The Stanford team ran a series of tests with pairs of cauliflower corals, finding five days of contact between healthy and bleached fragments was all it took for the latter to mount a spectacular recovery, at which point they could be safely pried apart.

The key to the success of the method which the team informally dubbed “helping hands” is the transfer of healthy photosynthetic algae, also known as symbionts, from which corals derive their colour.

Corals are marine invertebrates made up of hundreds to thousands of tiny, soft-bodied organisms called polyps.

They have a mutualistic relationship with symbionts, which produce the vast majority of food the corals require, in return for shelter, as well as water and the carbon dioxide they need to photosynthesise.

But in times of heat stress, algae can produce toxins, forcing their hosts to expel them.

Collins said the idea for the experiment came from two sources.

The first was a study that showed plastic waste in the ocean can promote disease in corals by transferring harmful pathogens, which made him wonder whether it would be possible to flip that mechanism on its head with a health-promoting transfer.

The second was a happy accident observed by Stephen Palumbi, the study’s senior author, also at Stanford, who noticed in his lab that a healthy coral and bleached coral had tipped over and were touching each other, and the bleached coral had started to recover.

The experiments revealed important constraints.

Three days of contact was the minimum required for a bleached coral to begin to recover, and five ensured full recovery. They also had to be in direct contact — a few millimeters apart, and nothing significant happened.

A major limitation was that the process only worked when the two corals shared the same genetic background, or “genet”. Mixed-genet pairings resulted in the corals deploying stinging cells, a hostile response that can be likened to organ rejection in humans.

Powerful laser microscopy revealed the mechanism: after a day or two of contact, the corals’ tissues began fusing, creating a “nutrient highway” between the pair.

The biggest challenge will be translating an exciting lab finding into a real-world solution. “We likely will not be touching corals to each other on reefs,” said Collins, noting the sheer size of reefs tends to preclude this option.

However, it is possible to extract healthy symbionts and culture them — and the team is now thinking about ways to re-introduce them en masse to bleached coral. This also has the benefit of side-stepping the genetic mismatch problem, which applies to the corals, not the symbionts…. PACNEWS

SAUDI ARABIA- HEALTH: FIJI TIMES                PACNEWS 2: Fri 16 Oct 2026

Fijian conjoined twins successfully separated in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI TIMES) —Fijian conjoined twins Jesepeli and Dicecea Kikau have undergone a major separation operation in Saudi Arabia, marking a historic medical milestone for Fiji.

The 13-month-old sisters were taken into surgery at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh on Thursday, 15 October, under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme.

A team of 34 medical professionals, including surgeons, specialists, nurses and technical staff, was assigned to the complex procedure, which was expected to take approximately 15 hours across nine stages.

The operation was led by Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, head of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme and Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.

Medical assessments revealed that the twins were joined at the abdomen and pelvis and shared several vital organs, including the liver, intestines, colon, urinary and reproductive systems, and pelvic bone.

Doctors assessed the operation as having a 70 percent chance of success because of its complexity.

The twins, who were born at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva in September 2025, are part of a set of triplets.

Their parents had sought specialist treatment overseas, but the estimated cost of more than US$1 million was beyond the family’s financial means.

The Saudi Government subsequently agreed to fund their medical treatment, travel and accommodation.

The operation is the first separation procedure involving conjoined twins from Fiji under the Saudi programme, which has treated children from 28 countries since its establishment in 1990….PACNEWS

PNG – DIPLOMACY: THE NATIONAL              PACNEWS 2: Fri 16 Oct 2026

Work to start on K50million PNG-Indonesia border post: Foreign Minister Tkatchenko

PORT MORESBY, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL)—Papua New Guinea Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko says work will start immediately on the Papua New Guinea and Indonesia border post along North Fly in Western.

He said the Government had approved through the National Executive Council (NEC) for the new border post to be set up.

This has been negotiated with the Indonesian and PNG governments over the last three to four months.

“The submission came through the Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs Ministry which was anonymously approved to start work immediately with a budget allocation of K50 million (US$11 million) to build a state-of-the-art border post,” he said.

This was in relation to questions raised by the Western Governor Taboi Awi Yoto in Parliament yesterday on a NEC submission for the border post to be declared as an exit and entry point for trade.

Yoto made reference to Western being near crippled due to the effects of El Nino and this post will be easy access into Indonesia to get food supplies and further release over 20 tonnes of cargo in Merauke to Kiunga.

He said the province was seriously affected, people could be forced to do anything that may compromise the laws and security of the country when crossing over the international border.

The border crossing sits along Butmabin in North Fly and Yetetkun in Indonesia.

The 500m of no-man’s land boundary has been connected with road gravelling and upgrading and now awaits the border post to be constructed.

Tkatchenko said it was important to look at the continuity, maintenance and operation of this border post which is important for the trade and economic viability of the people in that area.

It was noted the Immigration Department has a submission to manage and operate the border post with the appropriate and important agencies such as Customs, Quarantine and other relevant agencies.

This, he said, was for proper checks and balances to be done on the border for the benefit of ensuring the country’s security over the long term.

“The NEC submission has been approved and going to implementation stage, because OK Tedi as well as businesses also need the border post open to supply much-needed fuel and supplies to their facility or shops.

“This is due to the El Nino taking great effect on the Fly River that supplies Ok Tedi.

“The river is no longer running, causing ships to carry supplies further up to Kiunga and Tabubil,” he said.

He said the process has been correctly addressed and Foreign Affairs will be part of the process to ensure the border post is implemented…. PACNEWS

PACNEWS BIZ

PAC – CONSESSIONAL FINANCE: VCFV20  PACNEWS BIZ: Fri 16 Oct 2026

V20 Ministers call for longer-term concessional finance, set next phase of Vulnerability to Viability Compact

BANGKOK 16 OCTOBER 2026 (VCFV20) — Finance ministers representing 77 economies most affected by disasters this week called for a pivot on resilience by prioritising investments in education, health, and clean water. 

Ministry officials of economies vulnerable to climate change said they are operating under six interconnected constraints, namely sovereign debt distress, low investment rates, high borrowing costs, repeated energy and climate shocks, and lower growth. 

V20 Ministers issued a statement saying “inaction in one drastically constricts potential in others, narrowing fiscal space, raising the cost of capital, and limiting the ability to invest in the very things that would break the cycle.”

The climate-vulnerable country call was issued as new analysis showed nine in ten assessed V20 countries are outside the more favorable low debt-risk category of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Debt Sustainability Framework. 

V20 Ministers said “The financing gap our countries face collectively is not simply one of scale but of structure. It is most acute where resilience and economic transformation converge, spanning water, health, education, and value addition, and where investment must simultaneously establish infrastructure, strengthen institutions, and build domestic capability.”

The V20’s ranks grew to 77 as ministers welcomed the Central African Republic, the Republic of Zambia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as the newest members of the CVF-V20, broadening its reach across Africa and the Caribbean.

Meeting on the margins of the 2026 IMF and World Bank Group Annual Meetings, V20 Finance Ministers adopted the 17th V20 Communiqué and agreed on the next phase of the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Compact, which targets concessionality, private capital mobilization, country ownership, and shock-responsive financing, launched earlier in June with 16 development finance institutions. 

The ministers called for a harmonisation of tenors and pricing across concessional finance windows, and broader eligibility for climate-vulnerable economies, vowing to detail strategic measures in greater granularity in a forthcoming V2V paper. 

WIth incessant rains and recent floods that inundated the Bangkok metropolis as their backdrop, ministers mandated the establishment of a capital mobilisation team within the CVF-V20 Secretariat to convert Compact commitments into investable transactions. V20 officials invited more development finance institutions (DFIs), bilateral agencies, philanthropies, and partner governments to join their initiative.

The communiqué called on DFIs, including multilateral development banks (MDBs) and vertical funds, to publish standardised, comparable information on pricing, tenor, and grace periods in a single accessible format as well as differentiated financing products for middle-income countries, including those emerging from debt restructuring.

Ministers also called for expanding the scope of climate-resilient debt clauses to cover hazards experienced by CVF-V20 members while providing comprehensive coverage to all of their borrowers.

“Courage means reforming the global financial architecture so that adequate financing reaches low-income and small, climate-vulnerable states for critical investments in education, health, and clean water,” the communiqué stated.

Finance Ministers expressed grave concern over the findings of the Fourth Edition of the V20 Debt Review.

The study found that out of the 48 V20 members eligible for the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) assessed under the Debt Sustainability Framework, five (5) are in debt distress, 17 are at high risk, 22 are at moderate risk, and only four are at low risk. This means roughly nine countries in ten are outside the low-risk category.

Debt-service pressures are also mounting. In 2024, 25 members spent 10 to 20 percent of government revenue on external debt service, while eight spent 20 percent or more.

“To ensure long-term growth, V20 countries need lower borrowing costs, longer maturities, and timely debt treatments. While debt swaps have returned to the discussion as useful tools, they only provide partial relief. Debt swaps should not obscure the need for a broader debt relief strategy and coordinated restructuring,” said Barbados Finance Minister Ryan Straughn.

“Ultimately, reforming the global financial architecture and sustaining international financial flows remain key, alongside improving domestic financing conditions,” he added.

Ministers welcomed efforts of the V20 Central Bank Governors to operationalise the Lifeline Fund, the first multi-regional financial arrangement designed to provide rapid liquidity to CVF-V20 countries when climate shocks translate into balance-of-payments needs.

In her remarks, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley called on ministers to join the Lifeline Fund as founding members. She called on members of the G7, G20, and the philanthropic community to help capitalize the fund. 

“When the next shock comes, and we know it will, we should not have to start negotiating from zero. We should already have the Lifeline in place,” Mottley said. 

The communique concluded with an emphatic reminder to the ministerial’s participants: “The architecture for success exists, the evidence for it is settled, and our partnership is hereby formed and cemented. What remains is the courage to deliver for all of us. History is not made by promises. History is made by delivery.”

The CVF-V20 now represents 77 member countries from small island developing states (SIDS), least developed countries (LDCs), low to middle-income countries (LMICs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and fragile and conflict-affected states (FCS).

Working together, the CVF-V20 aims to achieve climate justice through the realization of Climate Prosperity Plans, which contain ambitious economic and financial resilience strategies designed to attract investment and resources that advance the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 30×30 Global Biodiversity, and help keep the average global temperature within the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C safety threshold.

CVF-V20 Membership include Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana (Troika), Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia

Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh (Troika), Bhutan, Cambodia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Yemen

Caribbean: Barbados (Chair/Troika), Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago

Latin America: Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay

Pacific: Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu ……PACNEWS

PNG – CLIMATE CHANGE: THE NATIONAL  PACNEWS BIZ: Fri 16 Oct 2026

EU funds PNG climate projects

PORT MORESBY, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL) —The European Union (EU) is investing about K270 million (US$59.82 million) in Papua New Guinea to support action against climate change through the EU-forestry climate change biodiversity programme.

EU Ambassador to PNG Erika Haznos said that EU climate law targets were reaching 90 percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040, and net zero by 2050.

Haznos said that the EU was on track to meet these targets, but requires clean energy investment.

“Renewable energy framed was clean, affordable, and predictably domestic,” she said.

“And we know PNG has a huge potential in energy.

“The European Union and Papua New Guinea have built a solid partnership on environment and climate change, with strong emphasis on partnership and dialogue.

“We saw clean transition as the most effective way to ensure energy security and economic growth, while tackling the climate crisis.

“Our commitment to the clean transition was reinforced by current geopolitical context.

“Accelerating the deployment of clean, renewable, affordable and domestic energy would enhance security of supply, reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets, and increase competitiveness.

“The climate crisis was deepening in front of our eyes.

“Impacts were visible.

“Paris Agreement has made a significant difference, but as the world is falling short of its commitments, it was headed to cross the 1.5 degrees global warming threshold.

“We needed decisive climate action to limit the consequences as soon as possible.”

Haznos added that over the past seven years, the EU had invested K365 million (US$80.80 million) through the EU-STREIT programme, which the EU’s largest grant programme in the Pacific….PACNEWS

PACNEWS In Focus

The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS

Albo the ‘number one social media influencer for Palau’

By Finn McHugh

CANBERRA, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (POLITICO)—Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr visited Australia this week to open the country’s new embassy in Canberra, another sign of the Albanese government’s attempts to deepen its ties in the Pacific.

Looming over the region is China’s desire to exert influence and Whipps, the leader of a country with just 18,000 people, has stared down Beijing’s attempted coercion.

Finn McHugh sat down with Whipps, discussing that coercion, climate action, and why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may be Palau’s “number one social media influencer.”

We’re a week on from the pre-COP negotiations. It received some criticism in Australia for not a lot of leaders outside the Pacific traveling. What was achieved?

First of all we need to understand what pre-COP events are. They’re ministerial meetings — that’s the first thing. This is the first time that leaders have gone to pre-COP. But the main purpose that we wanted, especially Pacific leaders and as many others that could join us, is to bring attention to the Pacific. It’s been about forests, it’s been about other things, but the oceans and the Pacific have not been in focus. So one of the reasons why the Pacific called for COP to happen in Australia is to bring that focus. Part of that was, if it was going to be an Australian COP, we would bring a pre-COP to the Pacific.

We’re grateful to the Australian government for following through, and even though they’re not hosting the COP here, the pre-COP still came to the Pacific — with the opportunity to bring leaders, media. There were over 3000 participants in Fiji, over a thousand side events. There were a lot of people there — ministers from India, ministers from Japan. The people that care, who see the importance of multilateralism and working together, were there.

Most importantly, the leaders of the Pacific were there because we continue to lead. We led on 1.5 [degrees Celcius warming target]. We led on sea level rises. We led on ocean conservation, ocean protection — the High Seas Treaty. These are things that the Pacific has done, so we felt that it’s important for us. We’re so grateful to Australia, because together we brought that attention to the Pacific. Going to Tuvalu, although it’s difficult and it’s far and it’s hard, was so important because you need to bring people in and help them focus. The message is the same for all our islands. The children say it best: “Please save our land, our home, our culture, and our identity.” That is the message that we need to get to the world.

We know that the challenge is great. We know that we’re going to exceed 1.5 [degrees] — but let’s not overshoot too much. There’s still hope, and we need to give our children hope. We know that energy transition is happening, and we need to double down. Hopefully these are the opportunities that we can help people focus and understand the importance.

I’ve heard you praise Australia’s actions in the Pacific. One of the criticisms that the Australian government receives, including during pre-COP, is that it goes to the Pacific and talks about climate change. When it’s back home, it’s building massive new coal and gas projects. Is that hypocrisy?

I’m pretty practical. People are still going to burn coal, they’re still going to burn gasoline. They’re going to still burn diesel, because they have equipment that depends on it. And whether it’s Australia selling to them, or Saudi Arabia, or West Virginia or whoever — they’re all selling because there’s a need for them. What’s more important is we focus on the energy transition, and I think that’s what the pre-COP and also COP coming up in Turkey is going to focus on.

How do we transition? Australia has already demonstrated that you’re at 50 percent, and your goal is to get to 82 percent in 2030. We want to be the first region in the world at 100 percent. Now in the Pacific, through programmes with the Australian government, Japan, Taiwan, that energy transition is beginning to happen. Palau, we just finished a project and we’re going to be at 25 percent renewable on our power grid. So I think the focus should be on Australian exports, but what are they doing to reduce and change?

The good news about countries like Australia, because they’re big in the energy transition — or China or India — is when you have these big markets, they drive down the cost, which helps everybody. India now has battery plus solar being built at 3.5 cents a kilowatt. Renewable energy is now cheaper than coal. So there is an end to the use of coal. It’s coming, because the economics already say that it’s going to happen. I don’t think we should be focused on who’s producing it, because if Australia is not producing, somebody else will. But what is Australia doing with the money that it is getting? It’s investing in renewables. It’s helping in adaptation in Tuvalu. It’s being responsible. So that’s what we expect the rest of the world to follow as a model.

It feels like climate denialism is rising in the West — U.S President Donald Trump is a perfect example. How much of a hindrance to global action?

I still think that progress continues to move. Politics, political people come in and change — they’re trying to speak to their base, what helps their economies, what helps their people. But with all the rumbles about Trump and his position on climate, the good news is that even though the War in Iran is terrible for the price of oil and for inflation, it’s been the best thing for speeding up the transition to renewables. I like to always look at what is the positive thing that’s happening. So if you look at it on one side, the U.S. is making a lot more money on 20 percent of the world’s oil that it supplies right now. But at the same time, the world has now understood that for energy security, for economic security, and for the planet, we should speed up our transition.

I actually wanted to ask you about the War in Iran. The U.S. is almost entirely responsible for Palau’s defence. Do you fear that Washington is spending too much attention on the Middle East, and not focusing enough on our region?

Peace and security should be our number one priority, that’s the only way you have prosperity. Unfortunately, the crisis in the Middle East — led by one country who has proxies all over the Middle East — has been a challenge to the world. The United States standing up to that, I think, is important. I was hoping that the rest of the world would support the United States and get this done. Unfortunately, politics doesn’t work that way. Everybody agrees that this is the number one terrorist organization on the planet. But sometimes you need the political will to follow through.

The War in Iran, unfortunately, has gone on longer than it was predicted. But oil is flowing; it’s just the price is not coming down, because of the presumed risk. We hope that it gets settled soon. I feel terrible for the thousands of people that lost their lives because they stood up to the regime, and they’re afraid to stand up. This is where multilateralism, and fighting for sovereignty and freedom, is so important. So it’s really important that like-minded countries stand together. Palau is small. Even with the U.S, even having to deal with Ukraine and having to deal with the Middle East, is also investing a lot in the Pacific. Even at home there is concern because the U.S has more military exercises, they’re upgrading our airport, they’re upgrading our ports. They’re putting in new radar systems. There’s one side that says we’re bringing war back to our islands. But what’s most important is deterrence. As a compact state with the United States and our free association, we agreed to give them our security rights — but we’re also in partnership with them to ensure that we have a secure Pacific. Part of that is making sure that the United States is ready and able to defend, and that means they need port access, they need airport access, they need radars, and it is a partnership to ensure that the Pacific is a peaceful place.

Australia is investing more in the military, Japan is investing more, Taiwan is investing more. That’s important because if you want to maintain peace, you have to deter. Australia started 30 years ago with a patrol boat programme in Palau. It’s a model of success. Through that program over the years, we’ve seen a reduction in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Why? Because they know we have a patrol boat, and we’re going to come out, and we’re going to get them. We have to maintain that.

I’m grateful to our partners for helping maintain peace and security in the Pacific. Now, we’ve had our friends to the north who send missiles into the middle of the Pacific without notifying anybody. What we’ve asked for is transparency, we’ve asked for notification. Our issue is: why in the middle of all our islands? There’s the North Pacific — that’s all open. Just send it over there. Why don’t you send it over North Korea? Why next to Tuvalu?

On your “friend to the north.” There are different views across the region about whether China’s rise is a threat or an opportunity. Where on that spectrum do you land?

I think most importantly, the people in China are lovely people. Many visitors from China come to Palau. But sometimes the government practices don’t align with that. Of course, the government has its own interests — and one of them is trying to coerce Palau to sever ties with Taiwan. That’s been an ongoing conversation that I’ve had since I first got into office. Whether it’s the Chinese ambassador saying: “You’re a businessman and you understand China can give you a million tourists and build all the hotels you want. What are you waiting for? We have a billion people, and there’s only 23 million people over here.” That is their conversation. But then it also turns to: “Now, if you don’t follow what we say, we’re going to have to retaliate.”

To me, that’s not a partnership. That’s not being a good friend. We shouldn’t be beaten, or have our sovereignty threatened, because we have made our sovereign decision to recognise Taiwan.

They have their research vessels, they come into our exclusive zone, violate our rule, which is — you need permits to do research activities. We’ve caught their vessels in our exclusive economic zone with gear in the water. We have cyber attacks, we have organised crime that’s come from China into Palau, and drugs. I’ve talked to them about these problems, and they say: “Oh yeah, we’d like to clean them up, too.” But sometimes you wonder, do they really want to clean them up? They’ll clean them up if you follow what they say.

Palau is one of the few remaining countries in the Pacific to recognise Taiwan. Why is that so important, and can you imagine that ever changing?

What’s most important to us is we’re a small country, and our values of freedom and democracy, and rule of law. These are shared values that we have with our friends in Taiwan. As a small country, understanding at times that you cannot protect your own sovereignty. You need alliances. If Taiwan can be taken over, then Palau can be taken over, and the Philippines can be taken over. It’s so important for us to defend each other, stand up for each other.

We’ve never said to China that we don’t want to be a diplomatic partner. What we’ve said is you don’t tell us that we can’t recognise Taiwan, because we don’t follow the One China Principle. But they try to tell me that we need to follow the One China Principle. I said: “That’s our choice, not your choice.”

Australia is talking a lot more about the need to build a closer relationship with Japan, which also has a vested interest in offering an alternative to China. How does Tokyo engage with Pacific countries like Palau?

Japan has been a long-standing partner of Palau. Palau and Japan go back before World War II. We were a colony of Japan, and 25 percent of our population has Japanese ancestry. Because of that relationship, after the war and in the development of our country, they’ve been an important partner — helping us with agriculture, fisheries, infrastructure development, education. They continue to be that supporting partner. But they also, in terms of security, want to help us enforce and control our borders. They continue to have exercises with the United States, and some of those exercises happen in Palau. That’s important. It’s important that not only the United States carries the burden of ensuring peace in the Pacific — that Japan, Korea step up and strengthen their militaries so that they can defend. It’s not about taking over another country, it’s about defence and deterrence.

You’re a leader on [stopping] undersea mining. But other Pacific countries — the Cook Islands, Nauru, Tonga, Kiribati — support it. How hard is it to galvanise a global opposition to it?

There’s no question it’s hard, because once again you have your domestic interests: we need to take care of our families, we need to provide for our people, and why not this opportunity that’s sitting at our doorstep? So I understand why Kiribati, Nauru, and Cook Islands are doing it. But I also understand that we all have a responsibility to ensure that whatever we do, we don’t do something that is irreversible.

Some people say it’s just a desert. Well, a desert has life in it. The bottom of the deep sea is full of life, and a lot of life that we don’t know anything about. That’s why it’s so important that we don’t destroy the treasures that we already have. We’re trying to reduce carbon emissions, but we’re going to destroy the carbon sink that we have?

This ocean is one ocean, and it moves around. If you’re deep sea mining in the northern hemisphere, that water that they’re dredging is the same water that comes all the way past Palau and circulates around the North Pacific. Then there’s the whole water column in between. How is that going to affect whales? How is it going to affect tuna, which so many Pacific islands depend on as part of their economy?

It costs a lot more to do underwater piping than one on shore. Many times more. So I just don’t understand how the economics make sense to go five miles underwater, to pull up deep sea minerals. But anyway, someone on Wall Street seems to think there’s a possibility. I wouldn’t invest in that company, but maybe somebody will.

Finally, when are we going to have daily flights to Palau from Australia?

Well, the good news is we’re having a second flight per week, and in the last year, the numbers for Palau through August were up 68 percent. It keeps on doubling every year, and that’s fantastic.

Many Australians don’t know about Palau, so having the PIF in Palau was fantastic. Having your prime minister giving his news briefings from Palau, then people go: “Oh, Palau, what’s Palau?”

What we need to do is fill up the Qantas flight, so Qantas thinks we need another one. I met with them on my way here in Brisbane, and that was the first thing I said: “Thank you for the second flight. How soon can we project to be on the daily system?”

It takes everybody working together. The word of mouth is key. So we’re grateful for Prime Minister Albanese for spending eight days in Palau and being the number one social media influencer for Palau….PACNEWS

PACNEWS DIGEST

The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS

When everyone knows everyone: independence in practice

By Mele Fakatouato Mangisi

NUKU’ALOFA, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (ISLANDS BUSINESS) —When we speak about the independence of an anti-corruption commission, we often begin with distance: protection from political direction, fair appointments, secure funding, and the freedom to follow evidence without fear or favour.

These safeguards are essential, and international standards such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the Jakarta Principles are right to insist on them. But what does independence look like when everyone knows everyone?

In small island societies, relationships are not incidental to public life.

Family ties, church affiliations, village connections, school networks, and professional relationships overlap in ways that are normal and unavoidable. The person making a complaint may be related to the person they are reporting.

An investigator may have attended school with a witness. A public official might find that a matter before them involves someone from their community or extended family.

These realities are not unique to the Pacific, but they are more visible in small jurisdictions where social distance is limited. Relationships cannot be eliminated. For anti-corruption agencies, the challenge is to ensure they do not determine public decisions.

This question is not theoretical for me. It comes from my experience helping to establish Tonga’s dedicated anti-corruption institution under the Anti-Corruption Commissioner Act, at a time when Pacific countries are strengthening their wider integrity systems through commitments such as the Teieniwa Vision.

What follows is drawn from that institutional practice rather than from interviews or fieldwork, and it makes no representative claim about Tonga or the wider Pacific.

A commission may be legally independent on paper yet still struggle to convince the public that decisions are impartial. An agency may carefully manage conflicts of interest and follow rigorous processes, but if the public cannot see how those safeguards operate, trust may remain fragile.

As Luís de Sousa has shown, agencies can hold formal powers and still become institutionally irrelevant. The question is how independence becomes visible and credible.

I describe this as practised institutional independence: the conversion of formal autonomy into decisions that are impartial, explainable, and reviewable. The framework I set out here is my own, but three of its four dimensions restate concerns already established in the literature on integrity institutions.

Structural authority asks whether an agency has the lawful position, powers, protections, and resources to decide independently; these are the benchmarks set out in the Jakarta Principles and elaborated in the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s Colombo Commentary.

Operational capability asks whether it has the people, secure systems, and expertise to use that authority, the gap between formal powers and practical effect that de Sousa identifies. Procedural fairness asks whether decisions are consistent, proportionate, and supported by recorded reasons, which is where Tom Tyler’s work on procedural justice links fair process to legitimacy and public cooperation.

The fourth dimension is the addition I am proposing. Relational integrity asks whether personal, family, community, and professional ties have been identified and prevented from controlling those decisions. Weakness in any one can turn formal independence into dependence, arbitrary power, or public distrust.

Relationships are not inherently corrupt. Grant Walton and David Jackson’s work on reciprocity networks in Papua New Guinea shows that the same ties can supply social support and enable favouritism.

The response is neither to assume that every relationship is evidence of bias nor to ignore relationship-based risk because it is common. OECD guidance on conflicts of interest points the same way: identify, disclose, assess, and manage, rather than automatically exclude.

Consider a single file. An officer assigned to a complaint recognises a community connection to an organisation named in it. She discloses the connection and withdraws from the initial assessment. Her access to the file is restricted, and a senior decision-maker records the risk and the control chosen.

Depending on the closeness of the tie and the safeguards available, the matter may continue under supervision, be reassigned, or be referred for external assistance. The institution has applied a proportionate control and left a record that can be reviewed later, without disclosing the complaint to anyone who does not need to see it.

Recusal should be normal, but it cannot be the only tool. In a small agency, repeated recusals concentrate work in too few hands or stall a matter altogether. Controls therefore need to be graded. An officer with a minor connection might be kept out of the decision while still performing a technical task under supervision. Another may need to leave the matter entirely.

Senior leaders should disclose their own connections first, so that staff understand that stepping aside is professional strength rather than embarrassment.

This is also a question of the vā, the relational space between people and institutions that Sione Finau, Melaia Paea, and Martyn Reynolds describe as linking relationality, ethics, and action. Caring for that space does not mean avoiding hard decisions. It means exercising authority with respect, clarity, and consistency.

A fair process can preserve a person’s dignity when the outcome is unwelcome, while an unexplained or humiliating one damages trust even when the legal conclusion is correct. But there is a risk in this framing that should be registered. Pacific values and social networks should not be invoked to excuse favouritism, silence complainants, or avoid enforcing the law. Cultural understanding must sharpen accountability, not dilute it.

Large jurisdictions can move a matter to another office or region when conflicts arise. Small ones often cannot. This is why pre-agreed external assistance pathways matter, covering legal authority, information sharing, confidentiality, cost, and who owns the decision.

They should be settled before a difficult matter arrives, because arrangements improvised under pressure rarely inspire confidence. Regional networks, secondments, and referral arrangements make independence more achievable.

Three further design choices follow. Conflict checks should run at intake, allocation, key decision points, and closure, because circumstances change as a matter develops. Critical decisions should be separated even where whole units cannot be: the officer who receives a complaint need not be the one who decides whether it proceeds.

And agencies should measure more than outputs. Complaint and investigation totals show activity, not whether independence is becoming credible. Recorded conflict checks, timely control decisions, and confidence in reporting channels tell you more.

Independence requires protection from improper influence, but legitimacy also requires connection, explanation, and accountability. An agency too exposed to relationships may be compromised; one that treats independence as social distance becomes isolated and poorly informed. The same tension faces regulators, auditors, and public service commissions across the region.

In societies where everyone knows everyone, independence cannot rest on the fiction that public officials stand outside relationships. Nor should it accept the opposite fiction that relationships are harmless because they are normal.

The practical test is whether an institution can show, decision by decision, that connections were disclosed, risks were managed, reasons were recorded, and relationships did not determine the outcome. Legal establishment creates the institution; practised independence enables it. How these disciplines work in different Pacific settings is one of the questions on the region’s anti-corruption research agenda….PACNEWS

PACNEWS DIGEST

The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS

Pacific takes waste problem to COP31

KOROR, 16 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)—In Palau, there was a time when nobody worried about rubbish. A banana peel or a fish bone thrown on the ground simply went back to the earth.

“We’re used to waste where we throw it and it disappeared,” said Steven Victor, Palau’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment, at the Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis through Zero Waste in Big Ocean States panel, a Pre-COP31 side event in Fiji. Then imported goods and plastics arrived. 

“Plastics do not disappear in the environment. They’re causing a lot of health-related issues, from microplastics to chemicals.”

Waste does not disappear. Palau’s Minister Hon. Steven Victor warns that plastics and imported waste pose growing environmental and health risks, including exposure to microplastics and chemicals.

Next month, from November 9-20th world leaders gather in Antalya, Türkiye, for COP31. 

As host and president, Türkiye has put waste firmly on the agenda. According to Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the presidency will “prioritise the Zero Waste approach throughout the COP31 process.” Zero waste is one of the presidency’s headline themes, alongside climate finance, resilient cities and the energy transition.

For the Pacific, it is a rare chance to be heard on an issue it lives with every day.

Anthony Talouli, SPREP’s Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control said the problem is plain to see. “Just look around the streets in Nadi [Fiji]” he said.

According to Talouli, Pacific Islanders generate 62 percent more waste per person than the global average.

He said imported packaging, tourism and disasters drive much of this. Less than half of the waste is collected, the rest is burned, dumped or washed into the sea.

Talouli linked it to dengue, leptospirosis, typhoid and flooding from clogged drains. Waste and pollution also account for around 8 -10% of national greenhouse gas emissions. Speakers noted that reducing waste-related methane is one of the fastest climate actions available to Pacific Island countries.

Hosted by Japan’s Sasakawa Peace Foundation, the event’s moderator, Dr Santosh Rauniyar, Senior Researcher with the Foundation’s Ocean Policy Research Institute, said “Climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss all meet in one place- the dump, the drain and the shoreline. Fix waste and you act on all three at once, with tools island governments already control.”

His figures are concerning. In Solomon Islands, 42% of national emissions come from solid waste disposal. Up to 138,000 tonnes of plastic a year could leak into the ocean from 14 Pacific countries. Yet Palau and Fiji together account for a tiny fraction of global emissions.

“The Pacific did not cause this crisis,” said Dr Rauniyar.

Leading the way for the Pacific is Palau. Palau banned single-use plastics in 2017 and has paid a five percent refund on drink containers since 2011. 

In Koror, the recycling centre turns food scraps into compost, non-recyclable plastic into fuel, and bottles into glass art. “You have to explore what a facility can do to produce multiple products,” said Hon. Victor.

Pacific representatives and partners at the “Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis through Zero Waste in Big Ocean States” panel, a Pre-COP31 side event in Nadi, Fiji, calling for stronger regional cooperation and practical solutions to tackle waste and pollution ahead of COP31 in Türkiye.

Most of the plastic isn’t Palau’s anyway. “The plastic that we’re trying to turn into something usable, we didn’t produce it. It came through the ocean current with somebody else’s waste.”

“That is why a global plastics treaty is essential. Managing production is just as critical,” he added.

However, Talouli sees the barrier as money. Small populations, long distances and high shipping costs mean recycling rarely pays. 

He said “Waste is not economically viable, no business case. So how do we build the case? Two simple things – increase the value of waste, and reduce cost.”

The good news is help is on the way. The Asian Development Bank is developing a Circular Pacific Regional Recycling Network. At the 2026 Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting in Palau, the region also agreed to develop a regional Extended Producer Responsibility framework. Under it, producers and importers would share the cost of dealing with their products’ waste. The framework is intended to ensure greater responsibility for products throughout their lifecycle and suport a regional circular economy. “It won’t be a one size fits all,” said Talouli.

Let’s not forget the communities on the ground to ensure this works. 

Kushaal Raj, Conservation International’s Pacific Policy Lead highlighted CI’s work with communities and said none of it works without villages on board. In Fiji’s Lau Seascape, that means starting with customary leadership including the Bose Vanua. “Communities must be engaged as partners and leaders, not simply beneficiaries,” he said.

He urged islands to learn from one another with care.

“Solutions need to be adapted, not copied. The Pacific has a rich history of sharing knowledge across islands and ocean pathways.” 

The panel also emphasised the importance of traditional knowledge, community leadership and regional coorperation in developing effective waste solutions.

As delegates head to COP31 in Türkiye, Dr Rauniyar has a message they can take forward.

“Done right, every tonne of waste pays back four times- in jobs, community, culture and climate.”….PACNEWS