Aid spending soared to record level in Pacific islands as COVID-19 hit
Sydney, AustraliaReuters A record $US3.3 billion in aid flowed to the Pacific islands in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a 33 per cent increase on the previous year, according to a report released by the Lowy Institute thinktank on Monday. The pandemic led to border closures, confronting governments reliant on tourism with economic crisis. […]
Tuvalu, sinking in the Pacific, fears becoming a superpower “pawn”
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Tuvalu fears that climate change, an existential threat to the Pacific nation, is being forgotten and it worries that fellow island nations could become “pawns” in a global competition between China and the United States, its foreign minister said. Simon Kofe told Reuters the superpower competition was a concern, distracting attention from climate […]
Pacific island leaders bemoan weak Glasgow climate pact
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Leaders from Pacific islands threatened by rising sea levels said they were disappointed with the Glasgow climate pact, which called for a phase down rather than phasing out of coal use, the biggest source of global warming. Micronesia President David Panuelo said industrialised countries need to step up commitments to help other countries […]
Actions, not words – Pacific Islands urge strong commitment on climate
Canberra, AustraliaReuters The world must unite and take significant action now to tackle climate change that is threatening the survival of Pacific island nations, the region’s leaders said on Friday, as they prepared to travel to Scotland for a climate summit. The low-lying Pacific islands are widely seen as a main front line in the […]
Islands, rocks and tuna: Pacific nations draw new battle lines against rising seas
ALISTER DOYLE, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, looks at how Pacific island states are looking to ensure their territories don’t disppear with rising seas…
Updated: Fiji says two dead as powerful cyclone tears across Pacific nation
Updated 6.45pm (AEDT)Reuters A powerful cyclone pounded Fiji, killing two people, including a three-month old baby, and leaving a trail of destruction across the Pacific Island nation, authorities said on Friday. Cyclone Yasa, a top category five storm, made landfall over Bua province on the northern island of Vanua Levu on Thursday evening, bringing torrential […]
Australia to refocus international aid to health security on doorstep
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia will divert $A280 million in overseas aid this year to bolster the response of its closest neighbours to the coronavirus pandemic, with Canberra warning the stability of the Indo-Pacific region is at risk. The Pacific Islands, Timor-Leste and Indonesia will be the focus of the coronavirus aid strategy, said Australia’s Minister for […]
Pacific islands urged to retune post-pandemic for new economic age
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Pacific islands that rely on tourism should reset their economies and invest in sustainable industries and migrant workers to better weather the impact of disease and disaster, according to a senior United Nations official. Kanni Wignaraja, head of the UN Development Programme for Asia-Pacific, urged small Pacific economies that were […]
South Pacific cyclone and coronavirus create “perfect storm” of worry
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation As deadly Cyclone Harold churns through the South Pacific, small island nations in its path are struggling to balance responses to the disaster with maintaining efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, officials warned Wednesday. Cyclone Harold ripped through Vanuatu and Fiji as a deadly top-strength storm this week, […]
Australia should reduce emissions, coal mining – Pacific leaders
Funafuti, TuvaluReuters Australia should do more to reduce its carbon emissions and giving cash to countries battling climate change was not enough, Pacific island leaders said on Tuesday in a rebuke of Canberra’s latest attempt to improve ties with the region. Australia will give $A500 million to Pacific island nations for renewable energy projects and […]