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Wed
04
Oct

Ambae Volcano Story Is About Ni-Vanuatu, Not Aid Workers

Submitted by PIR Editor on Wed, 10/04/2017 - 13:31

 

It happens every time disaster strikes in the developing world. The inhabitants of the place become background players in a drama about selfless aid workers saving lives in the furthest corners of the globe. To be fair, most aid workers reject that narrative. I should know. I’ve been one. When category 5 cyclone Pam devastated Vanuatu, I helped the UNICEF communications team deliver some of the first reports from the storm-ravaged country.

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Mon
25
Sep

The New Zealand Māori Party’s Pacific Path

Submitted by PIR Editor on Mon, 09/25/2017 - 08:49

 

Opinion - The Māori Party has endured a miserable election, ousted from Parliament with the loss of the Waiariki seat - but the party's venture into Pacific politics is a story which shouldn't be overlooked.

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Tue
25
Jul

As All Eyes Are On Raiatea, An Australian Mining Company Moves Closer To Makatea

Submitted by PIR Editor on Tue, 07/25/2017 - 11:11

 

Just a week and a half after the French Polynesian marae, Taputapuatea on the island of Raiatea, has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, another French Polynesian heritage site has edged one step closer to ecological ruin with the arrival of an Australian-based mining company to the island of Makatea. A widely recognised ‘hotspot for biodiversity’, Makatea is a raised coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago which despite being mined for over fifty years during the first half of the twentieth-century is now home to some of the richest avifauna in the region. 

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Sun
23
Jul

Cervical Cancer At Alarming Rates In Pacific

Submitted by PIR Editor on Sun, 07/23/2017 - 10:38

 

Cervical cancer is the number one cancer killing women in many developing countries.

This year an estimated 266,000 women around the world will die from it, and 85 per cent of them will live in low-resource settings. Incidence rates in the Pacific are equally alarming.

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Tue
04
Jul

Guam Stuck In A Financial Quagmire Due To Borrowing

Submitted by PIR Editor on Tue, 07/04/2017 - 13:05

 

Will raising Gross Receipts Tax from 4.0 percent to 4.75 percent fix Guam Memorial Hospital? It will allow Gov. Eddie Calvo to borrow $125 million to make capital improvements to GMH. Does he really believe that more borrowing will solve the hospital’s problems? Is Calvo mired down by such a deep financial morass that he is willing to borrow in order to keep GovGuam solvent for another 17 months? Is he kicking the can down the road for the next maga'lahi to solve? Last year he borrowed $45 million to bail out GMH but it continues to operate in the RED. With annual shortfalls of $9 million, how far will the new loan go before it needs another bailout?

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Mon
03
Jul

Federal Government Should Extend All Rights, Privileges To Guam

Submitted by PIR Editor on Mon, 07/03/2017 - 14:59

 

Today, Guam is the first to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, which is ironic because so many of the rights, freedoms and privileges that come with being an American don’t apply to us or the other U.S. territories. The Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal” and they have “certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 

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Wed
14
Jun

To Prevent Economic Collapse In Guam U.S. Must Revise H-2B Temporary Worker Visa Process

Submitted by PIR Editor on Wed, 06/14/2017 - 13:24

 

To prevent a potential economic collapse on Guam and ensure the military buildup can proceed, the federal government needs to revise its policy that denies almost all H-2B temporary worker visas applications on Guam. Last year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, began rejecting almost all H-2B visa applications because the federal government said Guam businesses have misused the program.

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Wed
07
Jun

Pacific Youth Activists Demand Ocean Protection

Submitted by PIR Editor on Wed, 06/07/2017 - 13:26

 

As regional leaders gather in New York for the week-long United Nations oceans conference, we wish to recognise the Pacific’s storied history, as stewards of the world’s largest ocean. We acknowledge the test of time that this region has withstood, and commemorate those who have endure and withstood nuclear testing, a period in history with ramifications that are still felt by our oceans, lands, and peoples.

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Thu
01
Jun

U.S. Should Increase, Not Cut Compact Impact Funds For Guam, The Region

Submitted by PIR Editor on Thu, 06/01/2017 - 09:24

 

President Trump’s budget proposal would eliminate $3 million in discretionary funds used to offset the financial impact of regional migrants from the Freely Associated States. Rather than cutting support to our community, the federal government should give us more money to provide educational and other services to people from the Freely Associated States.

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Thu
25
May

NGO Shares More Than 200 Stories From Pohnpei, FSM On YouTube

Submitted by PIR Editor on Thu, 05/25/2017 - 13:02

 

Pasifika Renaissance was established in September 2014 in Japan as an NGO, with a mission to preserve and promote cultural and historical heritage in the Pacific Islands. We aim to revitalize traditional culture and empower local communities. We work in three main fields: documenting, researching, and teaching about traditional cultures and cultural heritage; providing technical assistance to relevant agencies and organizations; and promoting tourism. You can find out more at our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ PasifikaRenaissance/), where we post cultural and historical information such as historical photos and educational materials and share updates on our organization’s activities.

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