Vanuatu
Riots serve an unexpected lesson in the Pacific
“Do you think there will be riots today?” is a common question I get in my message box each time there are political controversies in Solomon Islands.
A number of colleagues…
Strengthening disaster resilience in the Pacific
Climate change is compounding disaster risk around the world. Recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) make clear that the growing effects of…
Why Indonesia’s engagement with Pacific countries matters
Last week, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi wrapped up a brief official visit to Fiji and Solomon Islands. On her agenda, apart from the usual high-level bilateral…
From Port Vila to the Peace Palace
An ambitious plan to bring one of the world’s most pressing issues to the world’s highest court – which began as an idea that was kicked around by a few law students at the…
Pacific labour mobility and the existential threat of climate change
The consolidation of Australia’s identity as an Asia-Pacific nation is a work in progress. It is as a consistently attentive and engaged Asia-Pacific nation – rather than as a US…
Commentary
Telstra’s Digicel Pacific challenge
The deal with the government insulates the telco from financial risk. But accepting the role of Australia’s lead business ambassador in the region makes it no set-and-forget…
Pacific Step-Up needs a Covid-era reboot
Through thickly vegetated jungle paths, teams of doctors hike for hours to reach Fiji’s most remote villages. Travelling ahead of them, as reported in The…
Policy Briefs
Avoiding a Pacific Lost Decade: Financing the Pacific's COVID-19 Recovery
The Pacific's post-pandemic economic revival will rely on an international
multi-year recovery package of grants and loans led by Australia
Keeping West Papua on the agenda
When Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Bob Loughman addressed the UN General Assembly last month, he echoed a concern that has often been expressed by his predecessors, not about the…
Vanuatu: A real test for local emergency response
Rated as the country with the highest disaster risk worldwide, Vanuatu is no stranger to severe tropical cyclones. When Tropical Cyclone Pam struck the country in 2015, it…