Islands Forum

The last three years have certainly been amongst the most difficult in the history of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Last month, Sir Mekere Morauta launched a new website, calling for public submissions into his review of the Pacific Plan. Over the next eight months, the former Papua New Guinea Prime Minister will lead a team around the region to look at the plan, which is supposed to set priorities ...

So the PACP (Pacific group of the African, Caribbean, Pacific group of states) leaders have spoken. They have made their point loud and clear: They’ve had enough of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS). They want Fiji back into the PACP fold. Plus, they want to handle all EPA (a ...

The Leaders' Meeting of the 43rd Pacific Islands Forum was held in the Cook Islands in late-August. The event was attended by delegates from over 60 countries, including high level dignitaries such as Hillary Clinton (first time for a US Secretary of State), and resulted in new donor funding in ...

The security agents of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were instructed to leave their guns behind at Rarotonga Airport in the Cook Islands.

Reflecting on this year's successful Pacific Forum Leaders' Summit in the idyllic island paradise of the Cook Islands, one might ask if we are witnessing a renaissance in this long-overlooked region.

The participation of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the post-Pacific Islands Forum dialogue this year proved especially appropriate since the role of women had been for once pushed to the fore.

But the close ties between Australia and France will not please President Oscar Temaru in French Polynesia, with Australia opposing the Maohi leader’s call for re-inscription with the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonisation.

This August leaders will meet in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands at the annual Pacific Islands Forum Summit and many weighty issues will be discussed but almost all will be settled by officials well before the meeting begins.

The fish market, roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, wharves, airfield, water tanks, etc, have signs saying funded either by USAid, AusAid, EU, JICA, NZAid, Taiwan, China, or ADB. There is a vehicle in Tarawa with the words “we love Taiwan” written across it.

Later this month, Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) will arrive in Rarotonga to a packed agenda.

If you have a project in mind, just ask Beijing for yuan. You stand a better chance of a generous handout or soft loan from China than any other donor.