Press Releases

Tonga on the path to phasing out single-use plastics, recognises the importance of national actions in meeting future plastics treaty obligations

19 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - Despite the challenges associated with being a small island developing state, the Kingdom of Tonga is making significant strides towards addressing the very visible problem of plastics. Tonga will soon finalise a...

Women: Women Leaders from Pacific Participate in U.S. Program on Climate Change

From August 18 – 28, 2013, twelve women climate leaders from across the Pacific region will visit Washington, D.C., Pensacola, Florida, and Honolulu, Hawaii to meet with policymakers, scientists, and innovators to share their experiences and to...

INC Chair expresses optimism for Ottawa negotiations to end with an agreed text

20 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - The Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, has...

Kiribati’s lead-acid battery recycling system highlighted at Clean Pacific Roundtable

7 August 2024, Funafuti Tuvalu - A commercial operation to recycle used lead-acid batteries in Kiribati, where 7000 tonnes of toxic waste has been removed from the island over a twenty year period, could be replicated and used in other Pacific...

How the Kingdom of Tonga is dealing with the scourge of End of Life Vehicles

6 August 2024, Funafuti Tuvalu - The mountain of End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) is an imposing challenge for the Kingdom of Tonga. Statistics show that the main island of Tongatapu has accumulated more than 30,000 ELVs over the years – and with more...

Journey to Ottawa: Pacific countries ready to negotiate revised draft text of plastics treaty

12 April 2024, Apia Samoa - To say waste generation - including plastic pollution is a global problem - would be stating things quite mildly. The statistics are in fact staggering, and even more concerning especially for Pacific countries who...

<span dir="ltr" lang="EN-US">President Lai meets delegation led by US House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman</span>

TAIWAN, May 27 - Details 2025-05-27 President Lai meets and hosts luncheon for delegation led by Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero of Guam On the morning of May 27, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Governor Lourdes A. Leon...

Let’s just get on with it, Fiji urges plastics treaty negotiators in Nairobi

13 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - As negotiators from all over the world gather in Nairobi, Kenya, for the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution,...

Negotiators Fail to Deliver at Doha Climate Summit

Outcome is Nowhere Near What is Needed to Meet 2°C Target DOHA, QATAR (December 8, 2011) – Delegates from more than 194 nations at the annual U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties meeting in Doha, Qatar...

Tuvalu spotlights human rights at global plastics treaty negotiations

15 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Delegates and negotiators attending the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment...

Kiribati begins Marine Spatial Planning journey with the Pacific BioScapes Programme

A successfully implemented marine spatial plan can reduce conflicts among users, reduce environmental impacts, facilitate compatible uses, and protect critical ecosystems. In practical terms, it provides a public policy process for society to...

First J-PRISM 3 Steering Committee Meeting highlights waste management successes in the Pacific

25 June 2024, Apia, Samoa – The management of solid waste has become one of the major concerns for small island countries in the Pacific region. In particular, improper waste management has the potential to pose a significant negative impact on...

2013 Staff Visit to the Republic of Palau: Concluding Statement of the IMF Mission

Describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the conclusion of certain missions (official staff visits, in most cases to member countries). Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the...

Tourism Source Market Poised to Reach US$ 1.1 Trillion by 2032 with a 6.6% CAGR

By tourist type, the group segment dominated the global market and is likely to remain dominant during the forecast period. WILMINGTON, DE, UNITED STATES, June 25, 2025 /⁨EINPresswire.com⁩/ -- The Tourism Source Market Size was valued at $599.40...

SPREP and PRISMSS move to expand Invasive Species Management in the Solomon Islands

March 12, 2024 – The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Pacific Regional Invasive Species Support Management Service (PRISMSS) is collaborating with the Solomon Islands Government and in particular the Barana...

Solomon Islands renews commitment to CITES following joint mission

20 September 2023, Honiara Solomon Islands - The Government of the Solomon Islands has renewed its commitment to the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The commitment was...

News Release – DOH Confirms Ninth Travel-Related Dengue Virus Case of 2025

STATE OF HAWAIʻI KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR KE KIAʻĀINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH KA ʻOIHANA OLAKINO KENNETH FINK DIRECTOR KA LUNA HOʻOKELE DOH REPORTS NINTH TRAVEL-RELATED DENGUE VIRUS CASE OF 2025 25-073 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...

GEF ISLANDS Pacific Project holds Second Steering Committee Meeting in New Zealand

16 February 2023, Auckland New Zealand - Pacific delegates gathered in Auckland, New Zealand today for the Global Environment Facility’s Implementing Sustainable Low and Non-Chemical Development in Small Island Developing States (ISLANDS) Pacific...

News Release – DOH Confirms Ninth Travel-Related Dengue Virus Case of 2025

STATE OF HAWAIʻI KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR KE KIAʻĀINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH KA ʻOIHANA OLAKINO KENNETH FINK DIRECTOR KA LUNA HOʻOKELE DOH REPORTS NINTH TRAVEL-RELATED DENGUE VIRUS CASE OF 2025 25-073 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...

DOH Reports Ninth Travel-Related Dengue Virus Case of 2025

Posted on Jun 27, 2025 in Newsroom HONOLULU — The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed a new travel-related case of dengue virus on Oʻahu, bringing the total number of cases reported in Hawai‘i in 2025 to nine (eight on Oʻahu, one on...