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...