Timber producers in Solomon Islands are stepping up their push for international certification, aiming to unlock high-value markets while safeguarding jobs and incomes for thousands of rural households. At the Solomon Islands Sawn Timber Knowledge Forum held in Honiara on 13 August, industry leaders, partners and government representatives celebrated p...

Fiji has embarked on its most comprehensive groundwater survey to date, aiming to strengthen water security and resilience on its largest island, Viti Levu. The Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, in partnership with the Australian Government through Geoscience Australia, launched a national initiative that will use advanced airborne electromagnet...

Pacific nations Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu have joined forces with the Republic of Korea and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) to launch a landmark regional initiative aimed at decarbonising maritime transport. The USD 9 million, five-year programme, officially launched at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva in August, will help the three island states...

Fiji and the Cook Islands have reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation following high-level talks in Suva last week between Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Lenora Qereqeretabua and Cook Islands Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Tingika Elikana. The meeting underscored the warm friendship between the two Pacific neighbours and th...

Prime Minister James Marape has described the official visit of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon as a “historic and defining moment” in bilateral relations, reaffirming a shared commitment to peace, prosperity and Pacific solidarity. The visit, from 4 to 6 August, marked a milestone in Papua New Guinea’s diplomatic history as Mr Luxon becam...

The Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Communications welcomes the United States’ decision to reduce the reciprocal tariff on Fijian-origin exports from 32 percent to 15 percent. This development follows sustained and principled engagement by Fiji with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (...

The Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO), representing 24 Pacific Island Customs administrations, has joined the Pacific E-commerce Alliance, as global digital trade reaches unprecedented levels. The partnership—approved during OCO’s annual conference in Guam—brings crucial Customs expertise to the alliance, which was coordinated by the Pacific Islands Foru...

The Government of Fiji and the Republic of India convened the Sixth Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) reaffirming their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, cultural ties, socio-economic development and international cooperation. The consultations brought together senior officials from both governments to review current areas of coo...

Prime Minister James Marape has announced a landmark development in Papua New Guinea–United States relations, following a historic first-ever bilateral meeting at the White House between a sitting Papua New Guinean Prime Minister and a US Vice President. This milestone meeting, held during Prime Minister Marape’s official visit to Washington D.C., took...

HONIARA, Solomon Islands — Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has laid out a comprehensive development blueprint for the Solomon Islands under his newly formed Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT), anchored on four core pillars: unity and stability, economic transformation, infrastructure development and human capital growth. Addressing ...

More than 350 human resources professionals in Port Moresby have received much-needed financial literacy training through a partnership led by PNGX Group Ltd, Comrade Trustees Services Ltd (CTSL) and the PNG Human Resources Institute (PNGHRI). The most recent session, held on Friday, 4 July, drew over 220 PNGHRI members from various industries. It foll...