Handover of USAID funded critical care consumables to Fiji Ministry of Health

SPC: Suva, Fiji – Today the U.S. Embassy Chargé D’Affaires Tony Greubel formally handed over critical care consumables to Permanent Secretary Dr. James Fong of Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services to boost the Fiji Government’s campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pacific Community (SPC) in collaboration with FHI 360, through funding support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) procured these critical care…

Tapping into $1 Trillion Global Outsourcing Services Sector Can Provide Fiji with Climate-Resilient Source of Jobs and Growth

SUVA, Fiji, May 4, 2022 – The development of outsourcing services (OS) could see Fiji tap into a global market estimated to be worth almost $1 trillion (FJ$2.1 trillion) while providing the economy with a climate-resilient source of growth and inclusive jobs, according to a new World Bank Group report. The Fiji Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD)…

Alarm over China-SI deal brushes over limits of Australia’s ‘influence’ in Pacific

by Joanne Wallis, Czes Tubilewicz  SYDNEY MORNING HERALD FOREIGN affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong has described Australia’s inability to dissuade the Solomon Islands from signing a security agreement with China as the “worst failure of Australian foreign policy in the Pacific” in almost 80 years.  This agreement seemingly confirms the Australian government’s anxiety about China’s growing…

Maritime zone training strengthens Fiji’s ocean governance

SPC, Suva, Fiji : This week, nine technical officers from Fiji’s Maritime Affairs Coordinating Committee received specialised software training to map and define the extent of Fiji’s maritime zones, including extended continental shelf areas. The training, funded by the United Kingdom and delivered in partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC) under the Pacific Extended Continental Shelf Project, is the first of several…

ANZ completes landmark stablecoin payment

MELBOURNE, (ANZ) — ANZ last week announced it has successfully executed the first ever Australian-bank issued Australian dollar stablecoin (A$DC) payment through a public permissionless blockchain transaction. A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency with a value linked to a commodity, currency or algorithm to manage supply. ANZ minted 30 million of A$DC using an ANZ built…

More plastics to be added to ban list, says Samoa Environment Chief

APIA, (SAMOA OBSERVER) — The Samoa Government will add more plastic items to the national ban that is currently in place on single-use plastic, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment(MNRE)CEO has revealed. Lealaisalanoa Frances Reupena-Brown told the Samoa Observer the country joined the global fight against plastic pollution when it introduced the Waste (Plastic…