Meeting

President Yoon to host inaugural Korea-Pacific Islands Summit in May

The inaugural Korea-Pacific Islands Summit will be held in Seoul from 29-30 May with the participation of leaders from all 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum, an intergovernmental body aimed at enhancing cooperation among island countries in the region.

The 18 are Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Tonga, Palau, Niue, Nauru, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Cook Islands, Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia and New Caledonia.

Tonga Prime Minister meets Rwanda’s President Kagame

Hu'akavameiliku conveyed his gratefulness for the invitation to meet the country's Head of State.

He also expressed best wishes from King Tupou VI to President Kagame.

Accompanying the Prime Minister on the visit was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Fekitamoeloa 'Utoikamanu and the Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet, Edgar Cocker.

Prime Minister, Hu'akavameiliku is in Rwanda to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

 

 

European leaders risk train ride to meet Zelensky

The prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday evening as a curfew began in Kyiv.

Afterwards, the Czech leader told Ukrainians that they are "not alone".

The group are the first Western leaders to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded.

"We admire your brave fight," Petr Fiala wrote in a tweet. "We know that you're also fighting for our lives. You're not alone, our countries stand by your side."

US to hold high-level talks with Pacific leaders

According to the U.S State Department, Mr Blinken will be in Fiji on Friday to discuss a range of issues, including "the climate crisis, ending the Covid-19 pandemic, [and] disaster assistance".

The talks will also include America and the Pacific's "shared commitment to democracy, regional solidarity, and prosperity in the Pacific."

Fiji's acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the country is looking forward to welcoming the Secretary of State.

Tonga partners meet with Digicel Group Senior Government Relations Officer

Mrs Benoit-Guyot is attending to matters across the Digicel markets on behalf of Chairman and Founder, Denis O’Brien.

On Monday, she joined Digicel Tonga, Chief Executive Officer, Francis Thomsen in meetings with regulators, the Prime Minister’s Office, New Zealand High Commission and Nishi Trading.

Mrs Benoit-Guyot also met with staff at the Digicel office.

 

Photo supplied 

     

Pacific Games Chef De Missions meet in Apia

The Chairman of the Pacific Games Organizing Committee said he is excited to welcome the CDM envoy to Samoa and hopes that the meeting will be a fruitful and successful one.

Polynesian nations to consider membership

The group was brought together in 2011 to seek a future for Polynesian peoples and to maintain and protect the importance of cultures, traditions and languages.

It was set up as the Melanesian Spearhead Group gained more prominence and a Micronesian leaders group was established by the nations that are also members of the Pacific Islands Forum.

The Funafuti meeting will also review a draft charter for the group and discuss the establishment of its secretariat.

American Samoa is to offer to host the meeting in 2019.

 

 

Commonwealth women's summit in Apia closes

RNZ reports Women's Affairs Ministers from around the Commonwealth have ended their gathering in Samoa stressing the need to work together on the Sustainable Development Goals set at the UN a year ago.

The SDGs, as they are known, aim to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, said the Secretariat was already looking at an office for civil and criminal justice reform for all Commonwealth countries to draw from.

Fight to eradicate invasive species in Pacific Islands

There have been more than 500 positive eradications around the world, some described at the Pacific Invasives Learning Network (PILN) conference last week In Samoa.

The Pacific Invasives Learning Network (PILN) met on 1–5 August in Samoa to share their best practices for invasive species management on Pacific islands.
It is possible to get rid of the invasive species even after they arrive says Mr Richard Griffiths from agency Island conservation.

Harmonising search and rescue cooperation in vast Pacific Ocean

There is a moral and legal obligation on all nations to respond to any person in distress within their coastal waters.

This places huge responsibilities on small island nations and amplifies the need for international cooperation to coordinate search and rescue operations over the vast Pacific Ocean.