World Environment Day 2020 – It’s Time for Nature

Opinion by Sefanaia Nawadra – Head of the UN Environment Programme, Pacific Office Around the globe there are more than one million plant and animal species on the verge of disappearing forever. The planet is not in good shape because of us. Nature is suffering biodiversity and habitat loss, a rapidly heating climate, and toxic […]

Fiji’s first state of the art greenhouse to be established

A brand new state of the art greenhouse will soon be established at Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture’s Koronivia Research Station (KRS), the first to be built for the Ministry. This has been made possible through partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFIL), underscoring the importance of enhancing Fiji’s […]

Vanuatu bans importation of OKI tinned fish from China

The Vanuatu Government will ban importation of OKI tinned fish from China to prevent citizens from being exposed to food hazard, after a large quantity of contaminated products were sent to volcano victims on Tanna. These OKI tinned fish contained worms, which is a physical hazard and not fit for consumption although they are dead […]

Tropical cyclone season officially over

Eight tropical cyclones crossed the Exclusive Economic Zones of the South Pacific this 2019 – 2020 tropical cyclone season that officially ended in April.  In Meteorological terms, this is known as a ‘near normal’ season. Tropical Cyclones Rita, Sarai, Tino, Uesi, Vicky, Wasi, Gretel and Harold wreaked havoc across the Pacific islands highlighting the need […]

Effective Management of Medical Waste Essential During Pandemic

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, countries are now facing another challenge as a result: how to manage medical waste safely and effectively. Many types of additional medical and hazardous wastes are being generated during the pandemic, including infected masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE). The Secretariat of the Pacific […]