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...