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Showing 9 of 247 news items in Policy & Governance

Policy & GovernanceSeptember 17, 2025

Pacific islands freeze out US and China at annual summit

Caption: Jeremiah Manele, prime minister of the Solomon Islands, opens the annual Pacific Islands Forum in Honiara on Monday. Photo credit: Ma Ping / Xinhua via Alamy Excerpt from ft.com Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. Pacific island leaders gathering in the Solomon Islands this week have adopted a novel strategy to prevent US-China tensions from overshadowing the region’s most important annual summit: inviting neither. The Pacific Islands Forum — which brings together 18 countries ranging from tiny island nations Tuvalu and Niue to regional heavyweights Australia and New Zealand — has been dominated in recent years by an escalating competition for influence between China and western allies. Pacific island countries have also been riven over recognition of Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty. Three of Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies — Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands — are in the Pacific, and Taipei is one of about 20 external partners to the PIF, sending representatives to its annual summits alongside countries such as the US, China and Japan.

Policy & GovernanceSeptember 17, 2025

Smaller Island States Leaders Set Priorities Ahead of Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting - Island Times

Excerpt from islandtimes.org HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Sept. 8, 2025) — “The unity and clarity of purpose that we show here will set the tone for the rest of our deliberations in Honiara,” Kiribati President Taneti Maamau said Monday as he opened the Small Island States (SIS) Leaders Meeting, the first gathering leading into the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting later this week. Leaders of the SIS grouping — representing some of the Pacific’s most vulnerable nations — are meeting in Honiara to address pressing priorities that include securing reliable air and sea transport, advancing fisheries development, strengthening health systems, and improving access to climate finance. The SIS group is made up of Kiribati, Palau, Tuvalu, Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Niue. Together, they represent some of the smallest populations in the Pacific Islands Forum but face some of the region’s most severe challenges, from climate change impacts to economic viability and connectivity barriers.

Policy & GovernanceSeptember 17, 2025

Historic vote paves the way for Chagos Islands' return to Mauritius

Excerpt from africanews.com The long-standing issue of the Chagos Islands has taken a significant turn this week, as the British House of Commons voted in favor of a bill supporting the retrocession of the archipelago to Mauritius. On September 9, 2025, the legislation passed with a vote of 330 to 174. This bill affirms Mauritian sovereignty over the islands while allowing for Diego Garcia to remain under a 99-year Anglo-American military lease. In addition, it promises substantial financial support to both the Mauritian government and the Chagossian community. Chagossians residing in Mauritius are expressing a renewed sense of hope regarding their dream of returning to their ancestral lands. The drive for Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Islands is rooted in a painful history. In 1965, just three years before Mauritius gained independence, the British government detached the Chagos from Mauritian territory at the request of Washington. The inhabitants were subsequently evacuated and relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles, where they have waited for decades for the chance to return to their homeland. One of the last remnants of the British Empire, the Chagos Islands have been under U.K. control since 1814. Britain split the islands away from Mauritius, a former British colony, in 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence.

Policy & GovernanceSeptember 16, 2025

Don’t forget the islands - Ireland and Cyprus nudge EU on funding

Excerpt from irishtimes.com Ireland and Cyprus have appealed to the European Commission not to forget about island states when thinking about how to shake up the EU’s trillion-euro budget for funding schemes and subsidies. Correspondence shows behind the scenes Government lobbying to protect EU funding for transport projects, which have helped finance works in the ports of Dublin, Cork and Rosslare. The commission – the EU’s executive branch that proposes laws – has pitched for an expanded €2 trillion budget that would overhaul Common Agricultural Policy (Cap) payments to farmers and many other funding schemes. The proposal is just the starting point for two years of negotiations to agree the size of the EU’s next seven-year budget, which will run from 2028 onwards.

Policy & GovernanceSeptember 16, 2025

Top court delivers a ‘huge’ climate win for island nations

Excerpt from news.mongabay.com The recent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on states’ obligations regarding climate change was celebrated globally for providing clarity on countries’ legal obligation to prevent climate harm, but was also appreciated by island nations for its additional certainty on their maritime boundaries remaining intact regardless of sea level rise. This week on Mongabay’s podcast, environmental lawyer Angelique Pouponneau, a Seychelles native and lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), explains these victories, their legal implications, and how they matter for small island nations. She says Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face a multitude of climate impacts, “one of which [was] this idea of the shrinking exclusive economic zones.”

Policy & GovernanceAugust 19, 2025

Advancing Local Women Empowerment in Leadership and Economic Development

Photo credit: IslandsBusiness.com Excerpt from islandsbusiness.com It is June, mid-2025, and in Bougainville, the perfume of an island air – perhaps some would take it as the morning breeze; yet, for the 97% of the population, it is hopeful news when they bathe in that fresh aroma. For the women and girls, they are like a bird on a lofty breeze, carried over the sky with ease on one wing. The third round of moderated talks between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government on Bougainville’s issue of independence has commenced in Burnham, New Zealand. Among issues which remain outstanding are the timing for independence and the kind of relationship Bougainville and Papua New Guinea would eventually share when Bougainville is granted independence. Bougainville is embarking on a great adventure. It is an autonomous province with its own government. A referendum on independence supported by women in 2019 saw an overwhelming 97.7% vote in favour of political independence. A pending ratification of referendum results by the parliament of Papua New Guinea will determine the next step – either to accept or reject full independence. Back on the island, the question of what Bougainville can achieve as a new nation is one they are exploring when the ratification window opens, with moderated consultations. Their choices may depend on family or clan loyalty, allegiance to political parties, beliefs that they will benefit, or their feelings about political issues. But there are two important things they must not neglect: character and policy. It would be wise for Bougainvilleans to consider these qualities in leaders when casting their votes. Bougainville Women’s Federation’s dream is to see women and girls as equal partners in Bougainville’s development. This dream has a 50% possibility of being realised in Bougainville’s political space. Bougainville Women’s Federation (BWF) is advocating for more women to get into Bougainville’s parliament in this year’s 2025 Bougainville National Election. On the same note, over 120 young women have been supported to create new pathways to leadership for themselves through the Bougainville Women’s Federation Young Women Leadership Project."

Policy & GovernanceAugust 19, 2025

CARICOM country Guyana named in new UK list of 'deport now, appeal later' countries

Excerpt from jamaica-gleaner.com LONDON, CMC – Guyana is the lone Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country named among 15 new countries under the United Kingdom’s “deport now, appeal later” scheme, as the European country seeks to return foreigners who commit crimes in the UK to their homelands before they can appeal the decision. London has also named Canada, India, and Australia to the new list, bringing the total number of participating countries to 23. The UK Home Office says more could be added in the future. The other countries named are Angola, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Uganda, and Zambia. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says the expansion of the scheme is intended to prevent foreign criminals from “exploiting” the UK’s immigration system and to fast-track their removals. Under the new scheme, foreign nationals whose claims have been refused will be expelled from the UK and will be allowed to participate in their appeal hearings remotely from their home countries via video link.

Policy & GovernanceAugust 12, 2025

Palau backs Solomon Islands' move to exclude Pacific Islands Forum partner talks until 2026

Caption: Palau backs Solomon Islands' decision to defer the Pacific Islands Forum dialogue partners meeting to 2026, when Palau will be hosting the annual gathering. Photo credit: RNZ Pacific via RNZ.co.nz Excerpt from rnz.co.nz Palau "respects" the Solomon Islands' decision to exclude Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) dialogue partners when it hosts the annual leaders' meeting in Honiara next month. Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has sent letters to PIF member states suggesting a move to restrict partners, including China, the United States and Taiwan, from the gathering next month. This will not be the first time a host of the Leaders Meeting has wanted external partners excluded. "Palau acknowledges and respects the decision by host, Solomon Islands, to defer the partners' dialogues to 2026," the Palau President's Office said in a statement to RNZ Pacific.

Policy & GovernanceAugust 11, 2025

Leave no-one behind: social protection reducing poverty in Kiribati

Excerpt from devpolicy.org “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” Nelson Mandela’s powerful words resonate deeply and underscore the significance of a historic achievement we’re thrilled to share from Kiribati. Last month, the Poverty and Inequality in Kiribati report was released, based on our latest Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) results. It revealed something truly remarkable: over 19,000 I-Kiribati citizens have been lifted out of poverty. This monumental effort has seen our national poverty rate plummet by nearly 75% and extreme poverty effectively eliminated across our islands. This isn’t the arbitrary luck of campaign promises. It’s the result of faith, determination and extremely hard work. Despite facing the immense challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and global economic turbulence, Kiribati is delivering on key priorities outlined in its 20-year Vision. We set out to grow economic wealth and leave no one behind, and these results demonstrate solid headway against the challenges of poverty and economic inequality. So, what defines poverty? Globally, extreme poverty is benchmarked by the World Bank’s international poverty line: living on less than US$2.15 per person per day, a threshold indicating that basic survival needs cannot be met. (The new international poverty line has since been updated to US$3.00 per person per day, but the US$2.15 per person line was in place at the time the HIES analysis was completed.) Now, what does this really mean in Kiribati? It demonstrates a fundamental shift in people’s lives. It means fewer children are going hungry or missing school. It means more families have access to clean water, electricity and transport. Most profoundly, it means that more I-Kiribati, wherever they live, have the vital resources to live with dignity.