The beach is vanishing, one day at a time. The sea approaches the coastal village. It will not be negotiated with. With seawater flooding the water table, crops that have fed the islanders for centuries are losing viability. The problem is invisible, under the people’s feet. But it demands change. Each year, the cyclones have Read more
The Trump administration is considering tying foreign aid payments to how countries treat their religious minorities. Politico first reported the plan, which is currently being drafted as an executive order, which President Trump has yet to see. Critics argue the move is merely a political one, an effort to shore up support from evangelical Christians Read more
One of the region’s most experienced Pacific journalists suggests that countries such as Australia and New Zealand should use more people of faith in their development programmes. Bruce Hill has for many years reported for RNZ and ABC on Pacific issues. He says current secularism in the more developed nations is not exactly looked on with Read more
An Australian academic has suggested that one reason for the failure interventions for climate change adaptation in Pacific Island communities by external aid agencies is the wholly secular nature of their messages. Patrick D Nunn is Professor of Geography at the Australian Centre for Pacific Island Research and Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast. Read more
A new study has found large wage gaps between expatriate and local staff in developing countries reduces the effectiveness of aid delivery. The report said some Pacific Island countries had taken to calling the dual salary system ‘economic apartheid’, with the ratio of expat to local salaries ranging from 2:1 to 10:1 for staff with Read more
North Korea’s threat of nuclear war may be a desperate ploy to get foreign aid without losing self-esteem, according to the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea. “It is our presumption that they wish to draw out some financial assistance from abroad without conceding their pride or self-esteem,” said Bishop Peter Kang U-Il Read more
There are signs that Russia is buying support from Pacific nations according to Australia’s parliamentary secretary for Pacific Islands Affairs, Richard Marles. He says there are signs that Russia’s recent aid projects in the Pacific were designed to buy support for its territorial claims in Europe. Russia has made development aid commitments to tiny Tuvalu Read more
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said British overseas aid decisions should take into account persecution against Christians. Cameron told the BBC that: “British aid should have more strings attached in terms of do you persecute people for their faith or their Christianity or do you persecute people for their sexuality.” Cameron’s comments were welcomed Read more