Almost 40 years after it descended into a devastating civil war, the autonomous region of Bougainville is on the cusp of achieving independence from Papua New Guinea. At its heart sits Panguna, a long-shuttered gold and copper mine worth an estimated $160 billion.

For Pacific Islanders, who are increasingly being flooded out of their home islands by rising seas, this is an occasion to put their lived experience, knowledge and solutions directly before the world, Qereqeretabua said.

Naoero's economic transformation over the past decade reflects the strategy recommended by a New Zealand official, who advised Pacific leaders to cut reliance on aid and focus on growing domestic economies, President David Adeang said.

Foreign affairs leaders called on the Pacific Islands Forum to “remain united around” the region’s own priorities, including its own security challenges, in the face of growing geopolitical rivalry and the superpowers’ influence-peddling in the Pacific.

Scattered across the Pacific Ocean are beautiful islands that were once home to thriving communities. In these islands, archaeologists have discovered the remains of stone houses, ancient tools, ceremonial sites and abandoned settlements.

Most island nations mum on China's missile tests By Mar-Vic Cagurangan Palau and the Marshall Islands have joined dozens of nations in seeking to regulate missile tests by demanding a 24-hour notice before the launch. "Conducting nuclear-capable ballistic missile tests without sufficient advance notice and detail is dangerous and disrupts the peace and security of relevant nations in proximity to these tests," reads a U.S.-led joint statement issued by 39 countries. The state

U.S. military contractors in Palau have resumed work at the defense project site in Ngaraard State after it paused due to mudslides triggered by heavy rains.

While the pageant in Hawai’i is meant to showcase true representation, it is also a statement of values. And as I considered other Pacific island pageants, like Miss Heilala, I can’t help but think it’s time for pageant committees to use their platform to support local communities in the ways they need it most.

The expedition, led by National Geographic Pristine Seas in partnership with Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, will examine marine life in reef, open-ocean and deepwater habitats. Researchers also plan to study areas outside the protected zones to understand how marine ecosystems are connected.

When people look at the map of the Pacific Ocean, they see isolation. Tiny islands appear as scattered dots separated by thousands of miles of open water. It’s easy to imagine that ancient Pacific Islanders lived in small, disconnected communities with little contact beyond their own shores.

When the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Trump v. Barbara on June 30, it reverberated far beyond Washington, D.C.

After nearly 50 years of living in Micronesia, I have come to appreciate something that I did not fully understand when I first arrived in the Pacific as a young Peace Corps volunteer. The most valuable historical records in our islands are not found in libraries, archives, government offices, or museums. They are found in the memories of our elders.