Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and his wife Emmy Sogavare have touched the hearts of the sick at Gizo Hospital including children and women. The Sogavares’ were in Gizo on Wednesday 7th December to attend Western Province’s 33 rd Second Appointed Day Anniversary. During the visit, many of the patients who were unable to join the celebrations due to illness, were comforted by the Prime Minister’s presence and encouraging words while others, especially, women shed tears when seeing their leader coming down low to reach out to them during their difficult moments. The Prime Minister also used the occasion to donate gifts for children at the hospital. The gifts were donated by a US-based Taiwanese Charitable Organisation to the people of Solomon Islands. “I very pleased to distribute these gifts to the children who are admitted here at the hospital,” he said. The Prime Minister and his wife also delivered small cash donations to those who were visited. Many...

The United Nations General Assembly voted today to establish World Tuna Day as an international recognized event.  The event initiated by the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) in 2011 has now gained international ratification for the annual celebration of tuna on May 2. The United Nations General Assembly voted without objection to ratify a resolution on World Tuna Day that had been endorsed by nearly 100 nations prior to today's vote at UN Headquarters in New York City.  Ambassadors from PNA nations attended the vote. "We are delighted with United Nations ratification of World Tuna Day", said PNA CEO Ludwig Kumoru who is in Fiji attending the 13th annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).  "It confirms the world's appreciation of the value of tuna". Among Pacific islands and particularly PNA members that control the world's largest sustainable skipjack tuna fishery, tuna is a primary source of revenue fo...

The Solomon Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade has gone online today after the launch of its new look and informative website at the Ministry’s Headquarter in Honiara. The re-launching today (Thursday 1st December) marked another milestone in the Ministry’s efforts to keep people informed of the activities of its foreign relations functions and programmes after a break in its communication efforts due to the hacking of its former website in 2014. The new look MFAET website will become a key tool for communication and sharing of information to the public about the services provided by the Ministry and its missions overseas. The website was funded by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) which is a multi-donor programme under the auspices of the World Trade Organization. The Acting Permanent Secretary of MFAET Mr. Joseph Ma’ahanua acknowledged his staff for their efforts to revamp the website which will assist the work of the Ministry. Acting...

Improved ability to access climate change finance is a priority for the Solomon Islands, and this week representatives from government ministries, non-governmental organisations and the private sector are meeting in Honiara to contribute to the Solomon Islands Climate Change and Disaster Risk Finance Assessment. The assessment will focus on the practical application of options for improved access to, and management of, climate change and disaster risk finance for the Solomon Islands, who is the seventh Pacific Island country to undertake an assessment of this kind. A joint assessment team comprising the Solomon Islands Government, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the Pacific Community (SPC), including SPC’s Social Development Program, and GIZ will be consulting with a broad range of stakeholders over the next two weeks. Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Dr M...

The Public Accounts committee has began its hearing into the proposed draft 2017 budget.   Appearing before the PAC, the Finance Ministry revealed revenue collection for this year has not been as expected.   Chairman of PAC, Rick Hou said as opposed to revenue collection, more has been spent on expenditure and asked whether government is spending more than what it is currently receiving.  Also on that note, Member of Parliament for Aoke/Langalanga, Matthew Wale is skeptical about the proposed 2017 budget and questioned the credibility of that budget.  Mr. Wale highlighted how the projection for 2017 will be 19% higher than the 2016 budget, when there is a deficit in this year’s midterm review of the 2016 budget.  It had been reported that there was a deficit of about $200 million in the midterm review. Responding to the PAC’s query, Permanent Secretary Harry Kuma says, collection from the IRD has been slow.  However Mr. Kuma says, IRD its...

The Democratic Coalition for Change Government (DCCG) Caucus maintains its strong support for the leadership of Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare. The Caucus announced this today following the President of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Sir Tommy Chan’s unilateral cancellation of Prime Minister Sogavare’s membership of the party. UDP is one of the two Coalition Partners in the ruling Democratic Coalition for Change (DCC) Government headed by Hon Sogavare. The other two partners are the Peoples’ Alliance Party and Kadere Party. The announcement was made during a Caucus meeting today where the UDP MPs disassociated themselves from the decision taken by Sir Tommy to remove Prime Minister Sogavare from UDP. The decision would have automatically nullified Prime Minister Sogavare from being the UDP Parliamentary Wing-Leader if it was endorsed by the UDP Executive. The UDP MPs told Caucus that Sir Tommy took the decision unilaterally because it was never discussed and endorsed by the...

Although the Paris Agreement has come into force, much work still needs to continue as the world comes together to combat climate change.  Countries are now working towards establishing the rules and guidelines for implementation of the Paris Agreement come 2020.  “The eyes of the world are upon us,” stated  H.E. Mr. Salaheddine Mezouar of Morocco as he took the podium as the President of twenty-second Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP22) today. The opening marks the start of two weeks of negotiations which include a number of ‘firsts’, new milestones achieved by over 194 parties to the UNFCCC.  The two weeks from  7 – 18 November  will also include the first Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Paris Agreement which was adopted in December last year. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change  brings over 100 Parties together to action ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to...

The Pacific islands have helped make world history as the Paris Agreement comes into force, with all 14 Pacific island parties to the United Framework Convention on Climate Change having ratified the Paris Agreement. Playing a pivotal role with the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) at the Climate Conference in December last year which brought about the Paris Agreement, the Pacific islands have shown solidarity yet again in ratifying the Agreement which starts from the year 2020. The Paris Agreement aims to keep the global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with the intentions to pursue this even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius through a series of actions and commitments. It will also help to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. "It just goes to show if we put our minds collectively to anything as a global family that we can do it. The fact that most of the Small Islands ...

A Pacific region that is united makes for a strong global voice. How should that voice speak for our ocean? Delegates from across Oceania gathered in Apia, Samoa, this week to discuss new and emerging opportunities to increase the economic benefits to Pacific islands countries and territories from the sustainable development, management and conservation of the ocean and its resources. The Pacific Ocean Alliance (POA) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Sustainable Ocean Initiative workshop for the Pacific Islands was co-organised and funded by the CBD Secretariat, POA, Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner (OPOC), Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Agence des aires marine protégées(French Agency for Marine Protected Areas), the Pacific Community (SPC), and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), with additional funding fro...

SUVA, FIJI (3 November 2016) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the University of the South Pacific (USP) today signed loan and grant agreements to fund construction of a new USP Honiara Campus, which will boost access to quality higher education. The Solomon Islands Government is providing the guarantee for the $15.4 million loan.   Solomon Islands Minister of Education and Human Resources Development, John Moffat Fugui, USP Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Rajesh Chandra, and the Regional Director of ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office Department Robert Jauncey participated in the ceremony. “The Higher Education in the Pacific Investment Program will provide Solomon Islands’ growing youth population with better access to quality education and training,” said Mr. Jauncey. “We are delighted to partner with USP in this initiative to help Solomon Islands address future employment challenges it may face.” The $15.4 million, along with the ADB-administered gra...

The value of mutual prosperity through ongoing cooperation and strategic partnerships between the Pacific Islands Forum and the Republic of Korea was reinforced during the   4th   Korea-Pacific Islands Senior Official’s Meeting in   Busan   this week. Recognising   the strong relationship that already exists, representative of the Forum Chair, Mr Samson   Pretrick   of the Federated States of Micronesia said in his opening statement “I would like to congratulate the Government of the Republic of Korea for its clear demonstration of commitment to our region as a Post-Forum   Dialogue   partner.” The talks   focussed   heavily on the Forum’s priority areas of climate change and disaster risk management, maritime and fisheries issues, and development cooperation. Officials from both parties   emphasised   the importance of global action to address the negative impacts of climate change, and Korea was   recogn...

Solomon Islands this week has joined other Pacific Island States to lead the Shipping Industry debate on Climate Change in London. Global attention on climate change is focused this week on the role of shipping as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) meets in London. International Shipping is a major and growing greenhouse gas emissions generating sector. Compared to a country, the shipping’s emissions are similar to that of Germany or Japan. These emissions are projected to grow to equivalent of all of Europe’s emissions by 2050. This would undermine all international efforts to achieve a 1.5 degree target. Pacific States, led by Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands with support from Fiji and Tonga have been actively calling on the IMO to take urgent and ambitious action to develop a clear work plan for reduction of shipping’s contribution to climate change causing emissions. Early last year, Marshall Islands is the only submitter on this critical iss...

The relationship between China and the Pacific Islands Forum was further strengthened with the handing over of USD $1.05 million by the Chinese Ambassador to Fiji, Mr. ZHANG Ping to Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor. During the ceremony Ambassador ZHANG Ping reiterated the importance of the relationship saying “This donation from the Chinese Government to the China-PIF Cooperative Fund for the year 2016 is another demonstration of China’s sincerity and willingness in seeking common development prosperity with Pacific Islands Countries.” Secretary General Taylor added, “During the past year we’ve had a number of high level visits from China and that, I think, sends a very strong signal to the region that China is very interested in our development and what we are trying to do. On behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum I wish to express a deep appreciation for the ongoing support from China as a partner to the region, both as a Post-Forum...

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT) has described the front-page article in the Island Sun newspaper on Monday 17 th October regarding the alleged sacking of the Accountant General and the purported delays in payments as a “deliberate attempt to distort the truth and to mislead the Public” The Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT) confirms that the Accountant-General had not been “sitting on payments” for dubious reasons, which it claims to have compounded the situation.  “This is far from the truth, if not a deliberate distorted account of the normal payment procedures in Treasury,” a statement from the Ministry said. MOFT, through the primary roles of the Permanent Secretary for Finance and Accountant-General are responsible under the Public Financial Management Act to advice the Minister of Finance and the Government on measures that ensure financial stability and proper use of public funds for the purpose it was intended for.   To dat...