Press Releases

Tonga Chairs 3rd SPREP Executive Board Meeting, encourages active engagement from members

08 September 2022, Apia, Samoa - Tonga has been appointed to Chair the 3rd Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s (SPREP) Executive Board meeting taking place on 08 September – 09 September 2022. The Chief Executive Officer of...

Niue raises special circumstances of SIDS in Nairobi

17 November 2023, Nairobi, Kenya - The Pacific nation of Niue has taken to the centre stage of the ongoing global plastics treaty negotiations to remind them about the special circumstances of Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) as they discuss...

New Zealand advocates ‘design of plastic waste out of system’ at treaty negotiations

02 June 2023, Paris France - An ambitious, robust and legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution including that within our marine environment must target the top of the waste hierarchy, reduce plastic waste, or avoid generating it in the...

Tuvalu negotiator optimistic about ongoing plastic treaty negotiations

02 June 2023, Paris France - Slow progress is better than no progress at all. That’s the view of the Director of Tuvalu’s Department of Waste Management, Mr Epu Falega, as negotiations at the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating...

Paris delivers mandate for zero draft as momentum builds towards plastic treaty

12 June 2023, Paris France – The global community is one step closer towards a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, with the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) in...

Sub-regional training kicks off to build Pacific capacity in the use of the Impacts Methodology

12 June 2023, Apia Samoa. Climate change practitioners from Fiji, Kiribati, and Samoa will benefit from a training organised by the EU funded Global Climate Change Alliance Plus Scaling Up Pacific Adaptation (GCCA+ SUPA) Project in partnership...

3rd Singapore-Pacific High-Level Visit, 20 to 22 May 2024

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan will host the 3rd Singapore-Pacific High-Level Visit from 20 to 22 May 2024. The High-Level Visit is a platform for Singapore and Pacific Ministers to foster closer ties and exchange views in...

Australia reaffirms support for Pacific countries, commits to ambitious plastics treaty

31 May 2023, Paris France –Australia has reiterated its commitment to negotiating an ambitious and legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution by 2040. The commitment during the opening plenary of INC-2 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris...

Australia champions Pacific’s case, spotlights Indigenous people at plastics treaty negotiations

18 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Australia continues to champion the One Pacific Voice calling for an urgent and ambitious Global Plastic Treaty that addresses the full life cycle of plastics, as the third session of the Intergovernmental...

We have no time to lose, AOSIS implores plastics treaty negotiations

31 May 2023, Paris France – The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has lent its support to calls for urgent attention to the formulation of a treaty to address plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. With French President His...

Pacific Nations Champion Stronger Mercury Controls at Minamata Convention's Fifth Assembly

02 November 2023, Geneva – As the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-5) to the Minamata Convention continues in Geneva, there is a palpable air of anticipation and commitment from Pacific nations. The gathering is particularly...

Samoa, as AOSIS Chair, calls for solidarity in plastics treaty negotiations on the eve of INC-2 in Paris

28 May 2023, Paris France - On the eve of the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC2) in Paris France,...

Pacific Women Negotiators take the lead

Ms Anama Solofa, Lead Negotiator on Ocean Issues, Alliance of Small Island States 1 June 2023, Paris France - More than 190 governments are now negotiating a new global treaty to end plastic pollution through an Intergovernmental Negotiation...

Pacific voice loud and clear at plastic treaty negotiations in Paris

Q and A with H.E Ambassador Ilana Seid, Permanent Representative of Palau to the UN and Chair of Pacific Small Island Developing States 2 June 2023, Paris France – Nearly 200 countries are meeting in Paris this week to negotiate one of the most...

Pacific Women heard at global negotiations for a plastic treaty

30 May 2023, Paris France - Of just over 50 Pacific Islands delegates attending the global negotiations for a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution, half are women negotiators with one Pacific Island delegation consisting solely of women....

Pacific, the moral voice in global plastic negotiations

As custodians of the world’s largest Ocean, the Pacific like in the climate change negotiations have the moral authority to speak out and lead international negotiations on plastic waste. The Pacific is disproportionately affected by global...

After procedural delays, Pacific delegates dive into nitty gritty of plastics treaty negotiations

01 June 2023, Paris France - Representatives from 12 Pacific island countries are in France this week with a common goal, to advance the discussions on the formulation of a treaty to end plastic pollution. It is the latest step in a journey dating...

DOH REPORTS EIGHTH TRAVEL-RELATED DENGUE VIRUS CASE OF 2025

Posted on May 2, 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 dengue cases to eight in the state in 2025 (one on Maui, seven on...

SPREP calls for more robust regime to address the full life cycle of Ghost Gear

18 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Abandoned, Lost, Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG), also known as Ghost Gear, is one of the most harmful forms of marine debris devastating our Ocean. Studies have found that 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear,...

INVESTING IN AMERICA: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $1 Billion in Funding to Modernize Airport Terminals Across 46 States

WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is awarding $970 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to 125 U.S. airports, spanning 46 states, Guam, and Palau. Today’s announcement is the fourth investment of nearly...