Press Releases

Voices of Pacific Women: Diana Hinge Salili

Negotiating a Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution including in the Marine Environment 24 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - Seeing this Pacific Island woman still active in the UN negotiation space is rewarding given the first time she was...

Pacific Islands calls on the plastic treaty to include legally binding obligations and implementing mechanisms to address legacy plastics

26 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - The plastics treaty needs to include legally binding obligations that cover the full lifecycle of plastics including addressing legacy plastic already in the marine environment. The point was raised by Samoa, as the...

Partnerships formalised at Plastics Treaty talks to empower a resilient Cook Islands

25 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - Enhancing Cook Islands capacity and learning opportunities when it comes to science, environment and legal policy is at the core of a partnership between the National Environment Service and Monash University in...

Bridge to Busan Declaration open for signing at Plastics Treaty talks

29 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - Today at INC4 over two dozen countries have signed on to the Bridge to Busan Declaration. Launched at the Plastics Treaty negotiations, it invigorates the call for sustainable production levels of primary plastic...

Three-point Q and A with Chair of the Pacific Small Islands Developing States H.E Ambassador Odo Tevi

21 April 2024, Ottawa, Canada - The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-4), is taking place from 23 to...

Voices of Pacific Women: Marjorie Wells

Negotiating a Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution including in the Marine Environment 29 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - Stepping into deep shoes at the Plastics Treaty now underway, this Pacific Islands women negotiator is showing she can...

Pacific negotiators feel the pressure as INC ramps up work to meet deadline

28 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - Delegates from 14 Pacific countries advocating their national and regional priorities at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) to develop an international legally binding...

FSM advocates for a dedicated multilateral fund for plastics to ensure the effective compliance and implementation of the future treaty

The Pacific is disproportionately affected by the global plastic pollution, contributing less than 1.3 percent but our ocean is inundated with bulk of the world’s transboundary washed away plastics which has serious negative environmental, health,...

Voices of Pacific Women: Moe Saitala Paulo

Negotiating a Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution including in the Marine Environment The Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committing for a Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution including in the Marine...

Three-point Q and A with Palau’s Chief Negotiator Ms Gwen Sisior

The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-4), is taking place from 23 to 29 April 2024 in Ottawa, Canada....

Members of the Alliance of Small Island States comb through revised draft text of plastics treaty on eve of INC-4

18 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - Pacific members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) have joined the group’s member states in Ottawa, Canada, to comb through the revised draft text of the international legally binding instrument on...

European Union and FAO launch new programmes to boost food and nutrition security, sustainable agriculture and resilience

A farmer working in a rice field in Bangladesh. The EU-FAO partnership seeks to boost food and nutrition security, sustainable agriculture and resilience in some 35 countries. 16 July 2015, Addis Ababa - The European Union and the UN Food and...

Vanuatu as PSIDS Chair calls for stronger commitment to plastics treaty in build up to INC-4

17 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - Delegates from 14 Pacific countries have descended upon Ottawa, Canada, to finalise preparations for the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding...

Midway INC-4 update: Contact groups work to streamline revised draft text

26 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-4) in Ottawa Canada has reached...

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...

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...

Second Phase of Community Benefit Sharing Project Launches for Tina Catchment Communities

Second Phase of Community Benefit Sharing Project Launches for Tina Catchment Communities 3 October 2024, Honiara, Solomon Islands – The Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) have launched phase 2 of the Community Benefit...

The Australian and New Zealand Governments handover new classrooms to Lambi Community High School

The Australian and New Zealand Governments handover new classrooms to Lambi Community High School Honiara, Solomon Islands [27 September 2024] – Taking a step toward enhancing education infrastructure in Solomon Islands, Lambi Community High...

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...

MAL Plant Doctors continues rollout of PHC activities.

MAL Plant Doctors continues rollout of PHC activities. Farmers in the Solomon Islands will soon be able to have access to frequent plant health clinic programs where they can take sick (infected) plants (crops and vegetables) to, for diagnosis and...