PACNEWS THREE 28 OCTOBER 2026

PAC – DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS                 PACNEWS 3: Wed 28 Oct 2026

Pacific Elders call for reversal of Forum’s Israel partnership

SUVA, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — The Pacific Elders’ Voice has called for the Pacific Islands Forum to review and reverse its partnership agreement with Israel, saying the decision conflicts with the region’s commitments to human rights, self-determination and international law.

The Pacific Elders’ Voice (PEV) in a statement expressed concern over Israel’s admission as a Forum partner, citing the conflict in Gaza, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and what it described as violations of international law.

The group endorsed a recent statement by the Pacific Regional NGO Network (PRNGO) calling for the partnership to be reviewed and reversed.

It also backed the Pacific Council of Churches (PCC), Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) and other national and regional non-governmental organisations calling for an immediate end to the partnership.

The PEV said the Forum’s engagement with Israel raised questions about the consistency of the region’s positions on colonialism, human rights and self-determination.

It highlighted the Pacific’s own experience with unresolved questions of political status and self-determination, including in Kanaky (New Caledonia), French Polynesia, West Papua and Bougainville.

The organisation said it had consistently supported decolonisation and self-determination in Kanaky and West Papua, as well as investigations by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Pacific Islands Forum into alleged serious human rights violations by France and Indonesia.

The PEV said these positions made the Forum’s partnership with Israel particularly concerning.

The statement also endorsed concerns raised by The Elders, an international group of independent leaders, over Israeli government policies towards Palestinians and the future of a two-state solution.

It cited The Elders’ criticism of the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and its call for governments worldwide to take urgent action.

The PEV also linked the partnership issue to wider regional security priorities, citing the PRNGO’s position that the Pacific’s vision of an Ocean of Peace must address climate change, fossil fuel dependence, extractive industries, militarisation, nuclear legacies, gender-based violence and the denial of self-determination.

“An Ocean of Peace cannot be built on a narrow security agenda,” the PRNGO statement said.

The PEV said peace and security in the Pacific could not be separated from climate justice, human rights and the region’s efforts to address the legacies of colonialism.

The group’s call adds to growing criticism from Pacific civil society organisations over the Forum’s decision to establish a partnership with Israel.

The PEV said the agreement should be reversed to ensure the Forum’s external partnerships remain consistent with the region’s stated principles on peace, justice and respect for international law…. PACNEWS

PNG – NDC/CLIMATE CHANGE: PACNEWS      PACNEWS 3: Wed 28 Oct 2026

PNG sets 20235 climate targets, pledges net- negative emissions

PORT MORESBY, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Papua New Guinea has set new climate targets to increase renewable energy, reduce deforestation and strengthen climate resilience, while aiming for net-negative emissions by 2035.

The Government launched its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) for 2025–2035, alongside its first Biennial Transparency Report, National Inventory Report and REDD+ Technical Annex in Port Moresby on Monday.

The package sets out PNG’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement and establishes a framework for tracking emissions, protecting forests and directing investment towards national climate priorities.

Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change John Kaupa said the commitments must be translated into action through sustained effort and cooperation across government and society.

“We can’t launch this important agenda and keep shying away.

We must work hard with all stakeholders to ensure that we continue to achieve our target so that we can create a better world for our children and their children to come,” Kaupa said.

Under NDC 3.0, PNG has committed to reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector by 29 percent by 2035, compared with 2022 levels.

The plan also targets increasing renewable energy to 80 percent of on-grid electricity generation by 2035, from about 60 percent in 2022, and expanding electricity access to 70 percent of the population by 2030.

PNG aims to reduce deforestation and forest degradation by 20 percent by 2035, compared with 2022 levels, while strengthening climate resilience in agriculture, infrastructure, transport, health and vulnerable communities.

The commitments include a pathway towards net-zero emissions by 2030 and net-negative emissions by 2035, supported by measures across energy, transport, forestry and land use.

For the first time, PNG’s national climate contribution includes a dedicated Loss and Damage framework addressing climate-related disasters, displacement and economic and non-economic losses.

Climate Change and Development Authority acting managing director Debra Sungi said the commitments must deliver practical benefits for communities.

“Our climate commitments must go beyond policy documents and translate into meaningful action that benefits our people and communities,” Sungi said.

She said strong institutions, transparent reporting and inclusive partnerships would be essential to implementing the targets.

The accompanying transparency reports provide technical information to track greenhouse gas emissions and removals, assess progress towards climate targets and support evidence-based policymaking.

The REDD+ Technical Annex outlines measures to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, improve forest management and strengthen the participation of customary landowners and fair benefit-sharing.

United Nations Resident Coordinator in PNG, Shalini Bahuguna said NDC 3.0 was both a climate commitment and a national development and investment agenda.

“The United Nations family stands united behind the Government’s leadership and the aspirations of its people. Our collective responsibility is to turn these commitments into action that protects lives, strengthens livelihoods, preserves nature and creates opportunities for present and future generations.,” Bahuguna said.

She reaffirmed the UN’s support for government-led implementation through its Climate Promise: Forward initiative and partnerships.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Aadil Mansoor said success would depend on whether the commitments produced practical results for communities.

“The real measure of success will be the translation of NDC’s ambition into practical action, its implementation and making sure that communities see and feel its benefits,” Mansoor said.

The Government said implementation would require stronger coordination between agencies, the integration of climate priorities into sectoral development plans, and improved monitoring and reporting systems.

However, PNG’s NDC 3.0 commitments remain conditional on adequate, predictable and accessible international climate finance, technology transfer and capacity-building support.

Development partners supporting the process include the United Nations Development Programme, the NDC Partnership, Asian Development Bank, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Food and Agriculture Organisation, Expertise France and UNICEF.

The Government said national leadership and responsibility for implementation would remain with PNG, despite the support provided by international partners.

The launch marks a shift from preparing climate policies and reporting commitments towards implementation, investment mobilisation and measuring results over the coming years…. PACNEWS

UN – GLOBAL WARMING: UN NEWS CENTRE     PACNEWS 3: Wed 28 Oct 2026

Record carbon dioxide levels will impact us for centuries, says UN weather agency

GENEVA, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) — Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by burning fossil fuels reached record highs in 2025, locking in more long-term global warming, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Tuesday.

The agency’s latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin indicates an average global concentration of CO2 at 426.8 parts per million (ppm) last year, or 153 percent of the 1750 pre-industrial baseline. 

“Every additional part per million matters because it traps additional heat. In effect, we are supercharging the ocean and the atmosphere. That means that heat waves, tropical cyclones, and rainstorms are intensifying faster than our historical baselines prepared us for,” WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett told journalists in Geneva.

Equally worrying, levels of methane and nitrous oxide – the second and third most important long-lived greenhouse gases caused by human activities – also hit a new peak in 2025.

“Another year, another new record. Greenhouse gases are trapping an unprecedented amount of heat in the atmosphere, providing energy for more extreme weather and associated risks to our economies and societies,” Ms. Barrett stressed. 

“The past 11 years have been the warmest on record and this trend is set to continue. CO2 has a very long lifetime and so will affect the global climate not just for years but for decades and even centuries.” 

When the Bulletin was first published in 2004, the annual average level of CO2 measured by WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch network of monitoring stations was 377.5 ppm, compared with nearly 427 ppm today.

Growth rates of CO2 have tripled since the 1960s, accelerating from an annual average increase of 0.8 ppm per year to 2.4 ppm per year in the decade from 2011 to 2020. 

The “exceptional [3.5 ppm] surge” of 2023-2024 coincided with a strong El Niño “which reduced the efficiency of the biosphere through more drought, drier vegetation and more wildfires”, said WMO senior scientific officer Oksana Tarasova. 

She noted that although the 2.8 ppm annual increase from 2024-2025 represented a more modest increase, it was nonetheless “a substantial addition of carbon to the atmosphere from fossil fuel burning. We can expect to see a further increase in concentrations in 2026 because of fossil fuel burning and the development of a powerful El Niño which will impact land carbon sinks as it did in 2023-2024.”

The agency’s Bulletin reports on the amount of gas that accumulates in the atmosphere and not new annual emissions. About half of the total CO2 emitted each year remains in the atmosphere and the rest is absorbed by Earth’s land ecosystems and oceans.

The U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Annual Greenhouse Gas Index shows that from 1990 to 2025, the warming effect on our climate caused by greenhouse gases increased by 56 percent, with CO2 accounting for about 81 percent of this increase, known as “radiative forcing”.

WMO noted that as countries transform their energy systems towards decarbonization, careful attention should be given to two potent but less abundant trace gases closely related to electricity production and distribution: molecular hydrogen (H2) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

Widely used as a spark suppressant in electricity distribution, SF6 use has risen steadily in the past three decades in line with increased global electrification. “It has an atmospheric lifetime of over 1,000 years and has the highest 100-year global warming potential of approximately 24,300 times that of CO2. The increase of SF6 in 2025 was a record high,” the agency’s report notes.

Hydrogen concentration has increased by 5.3 percent between 2010 and 2024. Hydrogen is being used as an energy storage medium for hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as steelmaking, shipping, and long-duration energy storage, as well as for renewable sources and as an energy source for transport. 

“Its leakage into the atmosphere from production facilities, pipelines, storage tanks, and fuel cells poses a growing concern,” WMO said, highlighting that although hydrogen is not a greenhouse gas, “it influences atmospheric chemistry” and has a strong indirect effect on warming, the agency explained.

“Both H2 leakage and SF6 persistence represent potential threats that could undermine the climate benefits of the energy transition,” WMO said.

“Careful monitoring of the composition of Earth’s atmosphere is essential to detect, understand and prevent unintended consequences of these changes.”.

WMO releases the Bulletin to provide authoritative scientific data for negotiators attending the annual UN Climate conference. The aim of the Conference of the Parties meeting (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November is to turn climate commitments into concrete action…. PACNEWS 

FIJI – CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: FIJI SUN  PACNEWS 3: Wed 28 Oct 2026

Son of 2000 coup victim urges removal of immunity provisions

SOMOSOMO, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) — The pain of losing his father during Fiji’s 2000 coup remains with Selesitino Kalounivale, who is calling for immunity provisions to be removed from the proposed 2026 Constitution.

Speaking during consultations on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 at Somosomo, Taveuni, Kalounivale urged the special committee to remove Chapter 14, which retains immunity protections.

“My father died during the 2000 coup, we still in pain, please remove the Immunity Clause,” he said.

Kalounivale said his father was a former Republic of Fiji Military soldier. 

He said the issue was personal and argued that people who had not directly experienced the effects of immunity might not understand its impact on families who had lost loved ones.

“The pain within my heart still hurts, even after 26 years.”

In his submission, Kalounivale said he supported the proposed 2026 Constitution but wanted the immunity provisions removed from the final document.

His concerns centre on Chapter 14, particularly Sections 204 to 207 of the proposed Constitution, which retain existing immunity protections and provide further immunity for specified people and events.

Section 206 proposes immunity for people who held certain public offices, including the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, members of the military, Police and Corrections, the Judiciary and the public service, in relation to a specified period beginning on December 5, 2006.

The proposed provisions also retain protections linked to earlier constitutional arrangements and legislation.

Kalounivale argued that the judicial system should not favour any group and that everyone should be subject to investigation over past events.

“Please consider my submissions when finalising the proposed Constitution,” he said.

Several submissions in recent weeks have called for the removal of immunity clauses from the proposed Constitution. The special committee will consider the submissions before the proposed amendments proceed further.

Kalounivale said his submission reflected the loss his family continued to carry and his plea for accountability to be considered in Fiji’s constitutional future.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has been challenged to show the courage to confront his past by removing the constitutional immunity that protects him and others.

The appeal came from former schoolmate Penisoni Gauna, who once regarded Rabuka as a hero.

Gauna, who attended Queen Victoria School (QVS) when Rabuka was head boy in 1967, made the appeal in an open letter submitted to the Prime Minister during the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 consultation in Somosomo, Taveuni.

In his letter, Gauna recalled an incident from their school days when Rabuka stood up to a senior student who was bullying a junior boy, leaving a lasting impression on him.

Gauna recalled that Rabuka slapped the senior student who had tried to bully his classmate.

When school head Joeli Temo questioned Rabuka during a meeting, the future prime minister said he would do the same again if a senior student bullied a junior.

The incident helped shape Gauna’s view of Rabuka as a young man prepared to stand up for what was right.

However, Gauna questioned how that image had changed over the years, describing Rabuka as a deeply polarising figure in Fiji.

“After watching you all these years, Steve, the question I often ask myself is what happened to that just and noble head boy of ours,” he wrote.

 Gauna also referred to the 1987 coup led by Rabuka, arguing that it had inflicted serious damage on the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, which he believed was only now beginning to recover.

He acknowledged that Rabuka had made positive contributions to Fiji, describing him as a brave man with a strong belief in God.

However, he said the courage Rabuka had shown in 1987 should now be directed towards removing constitutional immunity.

“If for the time you have left in your life, you can summon up that courage to trust in God and dismantle from the Constitution the very immunity that shields you and others, if you can confront the past and not manage it, then you will leave behind a more accountable democracy in our beloved Fiji and we will have peace in our time then,”  Gauna wrote.

He said confronting the past, rather than managing it, would give Fiji an opportunity to strengthen accountability and build a more peaceful democracy.

Gauna’s appeal comes as the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 is being considered through public consultations, with constitutional immunity among the issues raised in the national debate…. PACNEWS

AUST – RACISM: AAP                                 PACNEWS 3: Wed 28 Oct 2026

Missing data hides true reality of deep racism problems in Australia

CANBERRA, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (AAP) — Australians’ experiences of racism are being erased because of a failure to adequately collect and use data, the human rights watchdog says.

A report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has found data on race and racism in the nation is fragmented or collected inconsistently.

This means people’s experiences of racism were severely under-counted or erased and made the “critical problem” harder to tackle, Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said.

“We’re missing so much of the picture at the moment,” Sivaraman told AAP.

“Racist violence is on our streets in the worst possible way.

“Yet we still don’t have good means of collecting data on where racism is occurring, who it is affecting, and what solutions will work best.”

He said data on racism was gathered in a piecemeal way from a combination of police reports, work by community organisations or complaints filed to the commission.

“That’s a microcosm of the racism that occurs in society,” he said.

There were also a number of barriers that prevented people from reporting racism, including fear of retaliation, the commissioner said.

“In my experience, it’s often the case that the person that reports racism or makes a complaint suffers far more than the perpetrator,” he added.

“Another problem is that people often think, ‘well, nothing’s going to happen if I report it’.”

The watchdog has called for a national anti-racism plan which would involve setting up an advisory group with First Nations representatives, as well as those from other communities.

Sivaraman said this was to ensure these groups had agency over how their data was collected and used.

Australia had a troubled history of data collection, he said, particularly regarding Indigenous people.

“Data on First Peoples was collected to remove Aboriginal children from families. It was collected to force Aboriginal families into settlements and camps.

“What we need is a new way of collecting data with First Peoples that’s co-designed, that is on a strengths basis, and most importantly, that ensures data sovereignty for First Peoples,” he said… PACNEWS

PAC – CHIEFS MEET: FIJI TIMES                   PACNEWS 3: Wed 28 Oct 2026

Great Council of Chiefs to meet in Suva next month

SUVA, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI TIMES) — The sixth meeting of Fiji’s Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) will be held at the Vale ni Bose Complex in Draiba, Suva, next month.

According to a public notice issued by the Bose Levu Vakaturaga Secretariat, the meeting is scheduled for November 25 and 26.

The notice, issued on October 24, states that the meeting will be convened in accordance with Section 11(1) of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga Act 34 of 2026.

It serves as a formal one-month notification to council members, provincial representatives, secretariat officials, invited guests and other attendees.

All members and associated attendees have been requested to make the necessary arrangements to attend and participate in the council’s proceedings.

The Secretariat said details regarding registration, the meeting agenda, accommodation and other logistical arrangements would be communicated in due course.

Meeting times will also be confirmed through the official programme and correspondence…. PACNEWS

PACNEWS BIZ

FIJI – ECONOMY: WORLD BANK             PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 28 Oct 2026

Fiji can turn economic recovery into stronger, more resilient growth: World Bank

SUVA,28 OCTOBER 2026 (WORLD BANK) — Fiji has made important economic progress since the pandemic, but its room to respond to future shocks is narrowing. Sustaining stronger growth will require higher productivity, stronger investment, enhanced fiscal discipline, and a broader economy according to the World Bank Group’s first Fiji Economic Update released today in Suva.

Launched in partnership with the University of the South Pacific, the report – titled “Creating Fiscal Space to Accelerate Growth” – projects the economy will grow by 2.1 percent in 2026 before recovering to 3.0 percent by 2028.

Higher fuel and shipping costs are squeezing household budgets, while recent policy measures and the new external shock have begun to reverse Fiji’s earlier fiscal gains. 

Public debt, which fell from about 95 percent of GDP in 2021 to 76.9 percent in 2025, is projected to rise again.

“Fiji has made real progress. Now is the time to build on it so growth supports jobs, opportunities, and a more resilient future for Fijians,” said Tatiana Proskuryakova, World Bank Group Division Director for the South and North Pacific. 

“Better-targeted support and careful choices about spending and revenue can protect vulnerable families while continuing to invest in infrastructure, skills and private-sector growth. Rebuilding fiscal space is about giving Fiji more choices to invest in its people while remaining able to respond to the next shock.”

The report identifies opportunities to unlock stronger and more resilient growth by diversifying Fiji’s export base, expanding renewable energy, and strengthening agriculture and fisheries value chains alongside stronger private investment. 

Addressing skills shortages and increasing women’s participation in the workforce could further strengthen Fiji’s growth potential by making full use of its productive potential.

The report finds that targeting assistance to vulnerable households can provide more effective support than broad-based relief, while making better use of limited public resources.

It recommends a practical approach: target support to those who need it most, improve the quality of public spending, stabilise debt and protect investments that support growth and jobs. Stronger social protection and disaster financing can also help Fiji prepare for future shocks.

Fiji’s Vision 2050 ambition to achieve high-income status will require a more ambitious growth rate, roughly doubling the historical growth rates from 2-3 percent to 4-6 percent. 

The report finds that this will require higher productivity, a more diverse economy, greater investment in people and skills, and higher workforce participation…. PACNEWS

PAC – REMITTANCES: BRUSSELS TIMES     PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 28 Oct 2026

Costly remittances divide Pacific nations as EU, partners back solutions

NADI, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (BRUSSELS TIMES) — Pacific central banks, regulators, banks and payment firms met in Fiji’s capital Suva on Tuesday to discuss ways to reduce barriers that make sending money across Pacific borders complex and costly.

The Pacific Regional Conference on Cross-Border Remittances brought together representatives from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Kiribati, alongside commercial banks, remittance providers and payment service providers, the European External Action Service (EEAS) reported.

Remittances — money sent home by people working abroad — are a key source of household income across the region, but small and dispersed markets, different regulations and limited links between payment systems can make cross-border transfers difficult and expensive.

Ariff Ali, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji, said Pacific countries had made progress modernising domestic payment systems, but cross-border payments remained more complex, and “greater regional cooperation and interoperability will be key to delivering pragmatic solutions and shared benefits”.

The conference was convened by the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Reserve Bank of Fiji, and supported through the Pacific Digital Economy Programme, which has onboarded more than 375,000 new users in digital financial services across Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu since 2021.

Barbara Plinkert, the EU Ambassador to the Pacific, said the EU was supporting efforts to make remittance services “less costly, faster, safer and more inclusive” by reducing transaction costs, improving transparency and expanding access to digital financial services.

Australia’s High Commissioner to Fiji, Peter Roberts, said Fijian workers sent home an average of A$1,459 per month, contributing an estimated A$90.6 million in remittances in 2025 (January to December), adding that Australia remained committed to working with Pacific partners.

Sam Cox, New Zealand’s Deputy High Commissioner to Fiji, said making remittances work better required cooperation between sending and receiving countries, as well as the financial institutions and payment providers connecting them, and added that “greater transparency, competition and connectivity” could help families receive more value from the money sent to them.

A regulatory dialogue among Pacific central banks was also held to explore where greater cooperation could reduce cross-border friction while maintaining supervision and financial integrity…. PACNEWS

PAC – TRADE: PACNEWS/PIFS                PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 28 Oct 2026

Australia, IISD partner to strengthen Pacific role in WTO reforms

GENEVA, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS/PIFS) — Pacific Island countries are to receive technical support to strengthen their participation in World Trade Organisation (WTO) reform negotiations under a new partnership between Australia and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

The partnership was formalised this week at a signing ceremony hosted by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Geneva Office, with the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and IISD agreeing to support Pacific WTO members through the ongoing reform process.

The initiative aims to ensure the interests of small island economies are represented as WTO members negotiate changes to the multilateral trading system.

Under the arrangement, IISD will provide targeted technical assistance, including monitoring negotiations, analysing reform proposals and preparing expert briefings to help Pacific countries engage effectively in discussions.

The PIF Geneva Office will coordinate engagement with Pacific WTO members and facilitate regional participation in the reform process.

The partnership comes as WTO members consider reforms to key aspects of the global trading system, with implications for small economies that rely heavily on international trade.

The Forum said it was essential that Pacific countries’ voices and interests were heard during the negotiations.

Pacific ambassadors and experts based in Geneva attended the signing ceremony, which stressed the importance of regional coordination in advancing Pacific interests in multilateral trade discussions…. PACNEWS

VAN – FINANCIAL RULES: VANUATU DAILY POST    PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 28 Oct 2026

 Bills aimed at credible financial rules in Vanuatu

PORT VILA, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (VANUATU DAILY POST) — Vanuatu Parliament has passed a series of finance-related bills tabled by the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Finance Minister, Johnny Koanapo, during the First Extraordinary Session of Parliament.

The legislative package covers several areas of Vanuatu’s financial system, including banking, taxation, international business, financial services, trusts and companies.

The reforms are intended to strengthen the country’s economic and regulatory framework, improve oversight of financial activities and support Vanuatu’s position in the international financial system.

The bills form part of a wider government legislative program, with a significant number of proposed amendments focusing on financial and economic matters. According to the Parliament website, 19 of the 28 bills originally proposed for the session involved amendments relating to financial and economic matters.

The reforms are particularly important as Vanuatu continues efforts to maintain international financial compliance, improve transparency and strengthen safeguards against money laundering and terrorist financing.

These bills are: Tax Administration (Amendment); Financial Institutions (Amendment); Financial Dealers Licensing (Amendment); International Banking (Amendment); International Companies (Amendment); Companies (Amendment); Company and Trust Service Providers (Amendment); Foundation (Amendment) Bill; Incorporated Cell Companies (Amendment); Mutual Funds (Amendment); Offshore Limited Partnerships (Amendment); Partnership (Amendment); Protected Cell Companies (Amendment); Trust Act Bill; Unit Trusts (Amendment); Virtual Assets Service Providers (Amendment); Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (Amendment); Vanuatu Interactive Gaming (Amendment); and Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (Amendment).

These bills cover different parts of the financial and commercial system. Their inclusion in the legislative programme does not mean that every bill has the same purpose or that every measure directly increases government revenue.

A key objective of financial legislation is to provide clear rules for businesses, investors and financial service providers while ensuring that regulatory authorities have appropriate oversight.

Updates to banking, company, trust and investment laws can help clarify compliance obligations, improve supervision and maintain confidence in Vanuatu’s financial services sector.

Tax administration reforms are also relevant to the Government’s ability to administer tax obligations and protect public revenue. Meanwhile, legislation addressing money laundering, terrorist financing and international cooperation supports efforts to prevent the financial system from being used for criminal activities.

The virtual assets sector and international financial services also present regulatory challenges as financial products and business structures continue to evolve. Clear and effective laws can help authorities respond to those challenges while providing greater certainty for legitimate businesses.

For Vanuatu, maintaining credible financial regulation is important not only for the domestic economy but also for relationships with international financial institutions, investors and business partners…. PACNEWS

PACNEWS DIGEST

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

EU/SPREP Pacific BioScapes Programme steering committee meeting hosted in the Solomon Islands for the first time

HONIARA, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP) — The Pacific BioScapes Programme is a European Union (EU) funded action, managed and implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). 

The Programme aims to contribute to the sustainable development of Pacific Small Island Developing States through the implementation of regional activities and 30 national activities taking place across a diversity of ecosystems in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.

The Programme is applying ridge-to-reef approach to include both marine and terrestrial environments and address barriers to effective conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Some key programme activities include marine spatial planning in the Cook Islands and Kiribati, climate-smart ecosystem-based management in Fiji, management of coral reef fisheries and resilience of coral reef ecosystems in the Marshall Islands, integrated island and ocean management in the Central Province in Solomon Islands, and capacity building for the Palau protected areas network.

The Programme held its Third Programme Steering Committee Meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from 13–15 October 2026.

Karl Kurper, Deputy Secretary for the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, opened the meeting:‘Your presence here reflects our strong regional partnership, ongoing collaboration and shared commitment in serving our people as we continue to address increasing pressure of climate change, biodiversity loss, unsustainable use of natural resources, other environmental and socio-economic challenges.

The Solomon Islands Government remains committed to addressing these issues through collective actions by working together with our international and regional partners, development partners, NGOs, CBOs and communities.

For the Solomon Islands, the implementation of the Pacific BioScapes Programme is closely aligned with our government’s existing policy and strategic priorities for environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management and climate-change resilience, namely through our National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) (which is currently under review); Community-Based Resource Management (CBRM) Strategy and National Climate Change Policy (just to name a few). I know that this not different for our other Pacific BioScapes Participating countries’.

The meeting brought together representatives from 11 Pacific Island countries, government agencies, regional organisations, implementing partners and the EU representative, to review progress made under the Pacific BioScapes Programme, reflect on lessons learnt, discuss challenges, opportunities and provide strategic guidance that will enable countries and partners to continue to implement and deliver on the 30 projects.

Representatives from SPREP and partners including the The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Birdlife International, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) were present in Honiara to work together on programme implementation.

Amenatave Yauvoli, Director of Biodiversity Conservation at SPREP highlighted the support the Programme has received:

‘We sincerely appreciate the EU’s continued commitment, collaboration and support not only through the Pacific BioScapes Programme but also across other projects and initiatives that advances the Pacific’s shared objectives of a resilient Pacific environment.

An important highlight of our programme will be the field visit to Soka Community, where we will have an opportunity to see firsthand the activities supported through the Pacific BioScapes Programme. Such visits are a gentle reminder of how programmes such as this can provide positive impacts for our communities and the ecosystems upon which they depend on’.

The visit to Soka in the Ngella Islands included the official launch and handover of the Community-based Fisheries Management Plan (CFMP), marking an important milestone in supporting community-led conservation and sustainable marine resource management initiatives in the Solomon Islands.

During an engaging Tok Stori session, community representatives, including women and youth, shared their experiences and efforts to protect their marine environment and sustain livelihoods for future generations. Delegates also visited the community’s Marine Conservation Area as well as the community forest restoration area and observed nature-based solution approaches supported through the Pacific BioScapes Programme.

Across the wider Pacific region, the strength of the programme lies in the partnerships that have brought so many organisations together in their collective efforts to achieve successful outcomes across the Pacific BioScapes Programme. As the Steering Committee ended, all present left with a sense of renewed energy in their work that leads us towards a sustainable and healthy Pacific environment…. PACNEWS

For more information please visit: https://www.sprep.org/bioscapes

PACNEWS DIGEST

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

Japan, Australia, U.S should build a second-island-chain air bridge

By Shigehiro Noshita

TOKYO, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (THE STRATEGIST) — Japan and Australia, with the United States and other partners, should build an air bridge between them in peacetime. This would be a set of regular air corridors with settled overflight and landing rights, refuelling routes and dispersed supply and maintenance sites.

In a crisis, it would carry supplies to dispersed forces, especially those along the second island chain, which runs from Japan’s home islands to its outlying Pacific islands and through Guam to Palau and New Guinea.

This is where Japan is beginning to plan to build up defences, because of China’s lengthening naval reach. The air bridge might help reinforce these defences if war looked imminent, and it would support them with necessary supplies if fighting began, such as precision-guided munitions, spare parts and components, maintenance tools, critical medical supplies, including blood products, and portable desalination units.

To prepare for this, what’s needed now is a strong and steady peacetime flow of aircraft between Japan and Australia that solidifies the capability. Britain’s experience in improvising an air bridge using an airfield on Ascension Island in the Falklands War of 1982 shows why this must be done. Ascension’s Wideawake airfield, staffed for just three aircraft movements a week, had to be turned within three weeks into a base for more than 800 personnel and up to 32 aircraft.

In peacetime, Japanese and Australian aircraft using the air bridge would carry supplies and essential support equipment to be stored along the route, including on islands. Japan, Australia and the U.S already have logistics agreements with storage provisions, so each could keep stocks in the others’ territory, including islands.

Japan’s 2026 defence white paper devoted a section to Chinese aircraft carrier operations in the Pacific. China has a well-established ability to deny an enemy use of surface ships on the waters inside the first island chain, which runs from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines and Indonesia. This is based mainly on anti-ship missiles that would be launched from land or by land-based bombers. Submarines, with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, would contribute.

Japan is looking at setting up defences on the second chain because this Chinese sea-denial capability is now extending beyond the first chain. In April, the defence ministry set up an office to plan Pacific defences. The ministry plans surveys for installing a radar on Chichi Jima, an island on the second chain. The defence ministry’s 2027 budget request includes a surveillance site on Kita-Daito Jima, an island east of Okinawa, between the two chains, and a study of cargo-handling facilities on Iwo Jima, also on the second chain.

The second chain lies within the range at which, according to the Pentagon, Chinese strikes would probably be effective against U.S intervention; once inside the reach of the Chinese denial capability, U.S ships and aircraft would have to fight for access, supported by friendly forces.

For Japan’s trade, the second chain becomes a lifeline in a Taiwan crisis, when ships would struggle to use the waters along the first chain and between the two chains. If the Malacca Strait were also closed, most traffic between the Indian Ocean and Northeast Asia would divert through Indonesia’s Lombok and Sunda straits, or far to Australia’s south and east, then out to the second chain.

Six Japanese Lockheed Martin F-35As and two air-surveillance radar aircraft flew to Australia for Exercise Southern Cross in July, refuelled in the air by Japanese and Australian tankers. The biggest step forward was on the ground, where maintainers from Japan, Australia and the United States inspected, refuelled and rearmed the F-35As. The three countries’ air forces formalised that work in July through a new trilateral air logistics body.

In mid-August, the Japanese and Australian defence ministers said that they looked forward to more exercises with an eye to further rotational deployments. While these may be preparations for protective dispersal of combat aircraft in a crisis, they can also contribute to the beginnings of an air bridge, ideally by using varied routes and thereby making it broad as well as long.

Specifically, frequent movements of aircraft between Japan and Australia would settle overflight permissions, airspace clearances, refuelling patterns and compliance with host-nation procedures. Equipment and supplies needed to keep aircraft moving would build up at the landing points. All this would then amount to standing infrastructure, even if much of it were not physical.

The air bridge might be sustained in part with uncrewed aircraft. Australia’s Project Camel Train is trialling autonomous cargo aircraft under a concept that ranges from short-range precision delivery to longer-range transportation of heavier loads along dedicated corridors. Extended over water, such systems could resupply dispersed sites from northern Australia through Southeast Asia, Pacific Island states, U.S territories and Japan’s remote islands without risking crews…PACNEWS

Shigehiro Noshita is a Colonel in the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force and a researcher in the Military Strategy Division of Japan’s National Institute for Defence Studies. He commanded the 2nd Logistic Support Regiment from 2023 to 2026 after serving as the Defence and Army Attache to Australia.

PACNEWS DIGEST

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

Tenor: My Name Is Pati Wins Best Documentary Feature at Naples International Film Festival as International Awards streak continues

Rebecca Tansley’s acclaimed documentary about Samoan opera star Pene Pati adds a major juried award in Florida to its Vancouver audience win, Golden Prague Grand Prix and five New Zealand Screen Awards finalist recognitions

NAPLES, 28 OCTOBER 2026 (RBL FILMS) — Another festival, another major award for TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI. The acclaimed New Zealand documentary, directed by Rebecca Tansley, has won Best Documentary Feature in juried competition at the 2026 Naples International Film Festival, continuing an impressive run of international honours for the film.

The Naples victory follows the documentary’s Portraits Audience Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival earlier this month and its Grand Prix at the 63rd Golden Prague International Television Festival in September.

Adding to those wins, TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI was recently named a finalist in five categories at the 2026 New Zealand Screen Awards, including Best Documentary Feature and Best Director for Tansley.

The recognition comes alongside the film’s commercial success in New Zealand, where it has grossed more than NZ$1.2 million (IUS$680,000), reached #1 on the country’s daily box-office chart during its opening week and established itself among New Zealand’s five highest-grossing locally produced feature documentaries.

A Return to Naples Brings Another Award

The Naples win carries particular significance for Tansley, who returned to the festival seven years after her earlier documentary, THE HEART DANCES, received its Focus on the Arts Award in 2019.

Tansley attended this year’s festival for the film’s East Coast Premiere on October 23 at Cinema Under the Stars in Norris Garden, followed by a second screening on October 24 at Paragon Theaters – Pavilion. She also participated in the festival’s Unscripted & Unfiltered: Tales from the Set filmmaker panel.

The Best Documentary Feature award marks the film’s third major international festival honour in a matter of weeks, following recognition from both a European jury and Canadian audiences.

At Vancouver, Tansley reflected on the reception:”I’m thrilled that Vancouver audiences responded so overwhelmingly positively to our film. We had laughter, tears and applause – the whole gamut. The VIFF selection was wonderful and now this is the icing on the cake. Thank you VIFF and thank you Vancouver audiences for embracing Tenor: My Name is Pati.”

The Naples award now adds another chapter to that success, with jurors recognizing the documentary in one of the festival’s principal competitive categories.

A Samoan Family Story Reaching Audiences Worldwide

TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI follows internationally acclaimed Samoan tenor Pene Pati and his younger brother Amitai Pati, whose musical beginnings in Samoa and South Auckland eventually led to careers on the world’s leading opera stages.

Growing up surrounded by music in their family, church and community, the brothers never expected to become internationally recognised opera singers. Their early success as members of the popular vocal trio Sol3 Mio introduced them to audiences throughout New Zealand before their individual careers took them abroad.

Through family archives, backstage footage, candid conversations and musical performances, Tansley’s film explores the brothers’ careers while keeping their family relationships, Samoan identity and cultural traditions at the centre of the story.

The production involved Samoan creatives including Executive Producer Taualeo’o Stephen Stehlin, composer Andrew Faleatua and Associate Producer Abba-Rose Vaiaoga-Ioasa. Tansley and Stehlin also established Afa, a group of Samoan media and music professionals who provided cultural guidance throughout the filmmaking process.

The film has found audiences far beyond the classical music community, with its theatrical success in New Zealand now matched by recognition at international festivals.

Five New Zealand Screen Awards Finalist Recognitions

The Naples victory arrives shortly after the announcement that TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI is a finalist for five New Zealand Screen Awards, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director: Documentary Feature, Best Editing: Documentary/Factual Feature, Best Camerawork: Documentary/Factual Feature and Best Sound: Feature.

The awards will be presented on November 19 in Auckland, giving the documentary another major event on its calendar.

Before then, the film continues its Canadian festival engagements with a screening at the Windsor International Film Festival on Wednesday, November 4 at 6:00 PM, at the Kelly Theatre in Windsor, Ontario.

About Tenor: My Name Is Pati

TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI is a feature documentary about internationally acclaimed Samoan tenor Pene Pati and his brother Amitai, tracing their lives from Samoa and South Auckland to the international opera stage.

The film combines family archives, musical performances and behind-the-scenes access to explore the brothers’ careers, family relationships and cultural identity.

Its international honours include the 2026 Naples International Film Festival Best Documentary Feature Award, the 2026 Vancouver International Film Festival Portraits Audience Award and the Grand Prix at the 63rd Golden Prague International Television Festival.

Produced by Minerva Productions, with support from the New Zealand Film Commission Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga, in association with Mercury Studios, and in co-production with ZDF for ARTE.

Rebecca Tansley is an award-winning New Zealand writer, director and producer and founder of Minerva Productions. Her documentary films include CROSSING RACHMANINOFF and THE HEART DANCES, while her opera work includes SEMELE and THE STRANGEST OF ANGELS.

THE HEART DANCES won the Focus on the Arts Award at the 2019 Naples International Film Festival, and THE STRANGEST OF ANGELS received a Special Mention for Extraordinary Artistic Achievement at Golden Prague in 2023.

Her latest film, TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI, has now won major honours at Golden Prague, Vancouver and Naples, alongside five New Zealand Screen Awards finalist recognitions.

Pene Pati is an internationally acclaimed Samoan tenor and former San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow. Born in Samoa and raised in South Auckland, he has performed at major opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Opéra national de Paris, London’s Royal Opera House and San Francisco Opera.

A founding member of the popular New Zealand vocal trio Sol3 Mio and an exclusive Warner Classics recording artist, Pati has earned international recognition for his operatic performances and recordings.

His family, Samoan heritage and musical beginnings are central to TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI.

Mercury Studios, powered by Universal Music Group, develops, produces and distributes music-focused film and television programming internationally.

Its catalogue includes thousands of hours of music-related content distributed across more than 125 territories.

Mercury Studios distributes TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI globally, excluding premiere rights in France and Germany….PACNEWS

For media inquiries contact:

Ry Levey

RBL Films & PR

647-781-0818

rylevey@gmail.com or ry@rylevey.com