The Pacific Way

Australia and the Pacific Community (SPC) have renewed their longstanding partnership, reaffirming their commitment to supporting the sustainable development of the Pacific. Australia will provide A$42.5 million in core funding to the SPC over the next 3 years to support the renewed 10-year strategic partnership (2014-2023) between Australia and SPC. SPC is the region’s leading scientific and tech...

The European Union (EU) and the Pacific Community (SPC) have today launched three new projects that will help address the social and economic impacts of COVID-19, whilst supporting longer-term economic recovery and health benefits for the Pacific region. The EUR 1.5 million Pacific Regional Integrated Food and Nutrition Security Initiative to COVID-19 (PRISCO19) will provide immediate support for...

The recently introduced Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19 (PHP-C) was in focus this month with the first flight of medical supplies departing Nadi, Fiji bound for Port Moresby in PNG. The cargo consisted of 44 cubic metres of essential medical supplies. We speak to  the Tuvalu High Commissioner in Fiji, the Secretary-General of Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS),  the Pacifi...

The two-week Women in Agriculture Campaign concludes today with an awards ceremony recognising the hard work of Women who have contributed more than 15 years of service towards the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Land Resources Division (LRD). Collectively, the four women awarded today have more than 80 years of experience in the agriculture field, ranging from programme management to working with genet...

Ensuring Food security in the midst of COVID-19 has become a priority across the Pacific, with limited imports increasing the demand for local staples. However, the instinct for survival and self-sufficiency is  resulting in a growing number of individuals looking into the potential of tilapia farming in the Fiji Islands.

This week the Pacific Community (SPC) handed over 350kg vegetable seeds and 400 tissue culture plants to the Fiji Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). The event was part of Pacific Seeds for Life (PS4L) and represented the projects first contribution towards the Fiji Government’s relief efforts for TC Harold and the  global pandemic COVID-19. https://www.spc.int/updates/news/media-release/2020/05/s...

Some reflections on this years Head of Fisheries Meeting, held virtually under the cloud of COVID-19. 

The arrival of COVID-19 in the Pacific is changing the way the region works. In this edition of the Podcast we hear how SPC is adjusting to the crisis, while ensuring that its core work continues to progress. 

Niue suffered significant damage during cyclone Heta in January 2004, sustaining winds greater than 240km/h, classifying it as a category 4-5 cyclone. The Niue Hospital and dwellings near the shore were damaged as huge waves crossed the cliff line and battered houses, roads and the fuel depot. In response, Niue, with help from the Pacific Community established National Emergency Operation Centre (...

The European Union (EU) has provided EUR 3 million (FJD 7.2 million) to the Pacific Community’s to strengthen health security in the Pacific. The Public Health Surveillance Network Services to Strengthen Health Security in the Pacific project, which will be led by Pacific Community’s (SPC) Public Health Division, will support regional capacity for surveillance and epidemiology; laboratory services...

Papua New Guinea sits on the 'ring of fire' and has a history of volcanic activity. A volcanic eruption can be devastating to local communities, so the government is working with SPC's Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific (BSRP) to increase the nations early warning and resilience capacity. Better monitoring systems combined with traditional knowledge are helping to ensure that when the n...

The eruption of the Manaro volcano in Vanuatu caught many off guard and forced thousands residents of villages in the area to evacuate.  Vanuatu is now  working to ensure they are better prepared for these types of evacuations in the future, in part through the establishment of a coordination center in Santo.   

While strong public awareness efforts about disaster preparation are underway across the Pacific, how can officials be certain they are reaching the regions most vulnerable populations? Would a 5 year old child know what to do during a disaster? How can a child safeguard themselves before or during a sudden disaster? These are some of the questions the Samoan Government aimed to answer with its ea...

Our weekly podcast comes a bit early this week as we mark the end of 16 Days of Activism with a program about how the Solomon Islands is using drama to tackle the issue of domestic violence. 

New water and electricity supply schemes have been officially opened on Kiritimati Island, providing greener energy sources and improving access to clean drinking water for the local hospital and more than 400 households in the communities of Tennessee and Ronton.

New Zealand’s strong commitment to supporting sustainable development in the Pacific was highlighted during a small ceremony this week, which marked the official extension of its partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC). The new five-year partnership between the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and SPC commits NZ$45 million (NZ$9 million per annum), a signific...

Understanding where we are and where things are in relation to us has always been important.  Anyone who has ever used a smartphone app to locate themselves or search for driving directions can appreciate how widespread this technology has become, to the point that it is even taken for granted. ‘Where’ is now at everyone’s fingertips. On Earth’s dynamic surface, however, ‘where’ we are is con...

For centuries, pacific people have traveled across the vast oceans using traditional canoes and other means of transportation. Today hundreds of thousands of people are dependent on sea and shipping services for business, inter-island travel or just the daily commute to get to work or school. Sea transportation is also the only source of income for many in the region like 29 year old Frankie Kalte...

NCDs are now the leading cause of death, disease and disability in the Pacific and diabetes prevalence is 3 to 4 times higher than elsewhere in the world. Left unchecked, NCDs will cause serious health and social problems for individuals and their families, overwhelm national health systems, and severely limit the development potential of the entire Pacific region.

A local tilapia fish farmer is inspiring change in Fiji. With some investment and a little training, the farm has become a model operation, showing the way for other farmers to see success in tilapia farming.

Representatives of the 26 countries and territories that govern the Pacific Community (SPC) have gathered in Noumea, New Caledonia for the 49th meeting of the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations and the 11th Conference of the Pacific Community.  In this final podcast,  we hear highlights from keynote presentations and review the outcomes of the 11th Conference...

Representatives of the 26 countries and territories that govern the Pacific Community (SPC) have gathered in Noumea, New Caledonia for the 49th meeting of the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations and the 11th Conference of the Pacific Community.  In this podcast, we speak highlight a new agreement signed this week between SPC and its CROP partner SPREP, which will s...

   Representatives of the 26 countries and territories that govern the Pacific Community (SPC) have gathered in Noumea, New Caledonia for the 49th meeting of the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations and the 11th Conference of the Pacific Community.  In this podcast, we speak to representatives from some of SPC key partners about their work with the organiz...

Representatives of the 26 countries and territories that govern the Pacific Community (SPC) have gathered in Noumea, New Caledonia for the 49th meeting of the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations and the 11th Conference of the Pacific Community.   Breakout interactive sessions were held to help highlight some of SPC's key areas of work. In this podcas...

Representatives of the 26 countries and territories that govern the Pacific Community (SPC) have gathered in Noumea, New Caledonia for the 49th meeting of the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations and the 11th Conference of the Pacific Community.  We speak to SPC's Deputy Director-General, Dr. Audrey Aumua and SPC's Director of Communications, Peter W....