THE remarks below were made by an Australian Judge Justice Stephen Pallaras, who had been serving in the country. These were remarks made in relation to a murder case he judged. This is the observation he made in relation to deaths and service provided by the National Referral Hospital. I have been fortunate to have…
ON gender equality – it is no secret that the Pacific is lagging. The region is home to some of the world’s highest domestic violence rates. Economic empowerment of women in many countries, particularly in Melanesia, is desperately low. Women lack access to finance, land, jobs and income. In my country, Solomon Islands, there is…
WHEN you think of SIEA (Solomon Islands Electricity Authority), you normally think of men in orange overalls working on power poles or fixing generators, or checking meter boxes. You never think of women doing this, they are usually in the office behind desks or serving customers. But at around the turn of the century, two…
TEN years after the last time Spain was part of the UN Security Council, my country has decided to launch a new candidacy for a non-permanent seat for the biennium 2015-2016. Why? Because Spain is a reliable international team player. During the past decade our commitment to the United Nations principles has remained as strong…
The Government is facing a budget crisis barely a month after it rushed through an historic $3.2 billion election budget only last December. As a result, Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo’s Government has been forced to slash this year’s constituency funding by a massive 60 per cent. This means that instead of getting $6 million…
THE head of the Forum Fisheries Agency says an informed media can play a key role in helping the public and decision makers to respond effectively to the economic crisis in the Pacific’s albacore long line fisheries. “In recent weeks, there has been a great deal of media interest in the economic difficulties facing tuna…
It is 11 years since 9/11 and here is a wonderful story about that terrible day. It is an amazingly true story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following 9-11 disaster. On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic. All…
PEOPLE, with the inclusion of women and girls, must be central to any development frameworks if humanity is to end the persistent presence of inequality which sustains the enabling environment that allows societal scourges like extreme poverty and violence. This inclusion will demand of us a fundamental shift in the way the participation and input…
THE ability of the domestic industry to compete in the southern long-line albacore fishery has hit the point of no return. Tying-up vessels and sending employees home is now the reality that is faced by the Pacific Islands Tuna Industry Association (PITIA) members that have an interest in this fishery. Scientists have warned for…
A mission to educate pacific islanders and discourage them from using genetic modified organism (GMO) seeds to grow on their farms for food and sales is currently underway. A Noumea based non-government organisation (NGO) in New Caledonia called ‘Stop MGO Pacifique’ is visiting parts of the pacific to collect data and information on GMO in…