News Roundup

Pacific Islands News Roundup – September 12 – 18, 2025

Editor’s Note: We are undergoing a web host migration process and may need to make necessary modifications to our format and frequency over the next several weeks. Thank you in advance for your understanding. 

Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security

  • Pacific Islands Forum 2025: Navigating Great-Power Rivalry (CSIS)
  • Guam marks debut as associate member of Pacific Islands Forum (Pacific Island Times)
  • PM Marape on the next 50 years for Papua New Guinea: ‘We have more work to do’ (RNZ)
  • Prime Minister Manele participates in U.S.–Pacific Islands roundtable discussion (SIBC)
  • INTERPOL-led crackdown nets 76 tonnes of synthetic drugs across 18 nations, including Fiji (Fiji Times)
  • Australia and Papua New Guinea to ‘totally integrate’ military (Pacific Beat ABC)
  • Opération d’abandon d’armes sur 14 îles et atolls (Tahiti Infos)
  • Papua New Guinea and Australia Agree on Historic Defence Pact (PNG Haus Bung)
  • China pilots village surveillance in Solomon Islands, seeks stability (Talanoa ‘O Tonga)
  • Palau Sides with U.S. and Israel Again, Rejects UN Vote on Palestinian Statehood (Island Times)
  • Laaulialemalietoa Schmidt sworn in as Samoa’s 8th Prime Minister, third leader from Savai’i (RNZ)

People-Centered Development

  • Hawaiʻi medical school’s Kauaʻi program aims to combat physician shortage on the island (HPR)
  • “We Feel Unseen”: Palau’s Disability Community Speaks Out (Island Times)
  • ‘We are an ancient people’: Papua New Guinea celebrates 50 years of nationhood (RNZ)
  • “One of the important thing I learnt is how to Navigate” Meet young Nawai who sailed from Fiji to Solomon Islands (SIBC)
  • Fisheries Expert Breaks Silence on Gender Barriers (Islands Business)
  • Polyfest to be split across two venues due to ‘exponential’ growth (Te Ao)
  • Solomon Islands removes menstrual product taxes (Islands Business)
  • 50 years of te Wiki o te Reo Māori: From the loss of language to championing its revival (PMN)
  • Agriculture sector provides job opportunities (Island Sun)
  • Dengue case count continues its upward trend (Samoa News)
  • Over 800 Fijians left country on long-term employment in August (Fiji Times)
  • Freedom Walk brings islanders together to remember and reflect (Marianas Variety)
  • Pacific Youth demand urgent action on migration and employment at Global Forum (Talanoa ‘O Tonga)

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

  • Palau Marks National Ozone Day, Urges Action to Protect Earth’s Shield (Island Times)
  • Three oil spills annually in Fiji – ‘oil spills threaten our peace’ (The Fiji Times)
  • Finalising maritime boundaries anchors Pacific sovereignty: Ocean Commissioner Manoni (Pasifika Environews)
  • Pacific Youth Taking Steps Toward a Cleaner Future (Islands Business)
  • Pacific Island Tuna supports Arno community with $100,000 for coastal resource management (Marianas Variety)
  • Pacific Resilience Facility Treaty hailed as a historic step for Pacific Climate action (Pasifika Environews)
  • Taiwan’s climate donation (Marshall Islands Journal)
  • The Pacific won a stunning climate victory at the International Court of Justice. What’s next? (ABC Australia)
  • Une réserve aménagée à Moorea pour les escargots Partula (Tahiti Infos)
  • French Polynesia calls for moratorium on deep sea mining (RNZ)

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

  • Arrivals to Guam in first 10 months of FY 2025 only 44% of pre-pandemic levels; GVB reports $1.4B tourism impacts (Pacific Daily News)  
  • United Airlines prévoit d’augmenter ses fréquences vers Tahiti (Tahiti Infos)
  • Nauru sells citizenship to wealthy while ‘poor’ refugees remain in detention, advocate says (RNZ)
  • Fiji Airways makes global top 10 (Islands Business)
  • $115m budget to modernize agriculture and aid Fiji farmers (FBC News)
  • Vanuatu to Host First-Ever National Fruit Festival to Tackle Wastage and Promote Preservation (VBTC)
  • Ports upgrades celebrated (Marshall Islands Journal)
  • FAST Government to pass emergency budget (Talanei)
  • RBF transfers $146 million profit to govt (Fiji Village)
  • Sandalwood export open to foreign investors (Daily Post Digital)
  • Maui Council green-lights fast-track affordable housing at Kahului Civic Center site (Maui Now)

Latest Content from the Pacific Islands Report

  • Pacific Islands Security In the Era of US-China Competition (Visions & Voices)
  • Abandonment of Soft Power, Neglect of Climate Change, and the Shifting Geopolitical Landscape of the Pacific (Visions & Voices)
  • Tackling Systemic Inequities in The Solomon Islands Healthcare System: The Race-Health-Governance Nexus (Visions & Voices)
  • The Watchdogs of the Blue Pacific: Media Accountability in Regional Security (Visions & Voices)

The Pacific Islands Report (PIR) is a project of the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) at the East-West Center and the Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

This non-exhaustive news roundup, featuring open-access information, is organized with the thematic areas of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its implementation plan.

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