Plenty of talk about ‘resilience’

Plenty of talk about ‘resilience’

We talk about ‘resilience’ all the time, but we generally ignore the population that is most resilient: rural villagers. We need to get out of our urban thinking box and engage rural communities to learn about building resilience elsewhere, argues Giff Johnson.
There’s no app for that

There’s no app for that

Parental control is really about surveillance and censorship and that's how content filters work. Putting responsibility for our children in the hands of governments and corporations is just wrong, argues Dan McGarry.
Donors are always right, aren’t they?

Donors are always right, aren’t they?

As the pressure for markets and resources—fish, energy, deep-sea minerals—escalates, interest in the islands will escalate. Island leaders and especially island communities need to look beyond the superficial to understand the motivation of donors, says Giff Johnson.
PNG’s Sovereign Wealth Fund: still too many loose ends

PNG’s Sovereign Wealth Fund: still too many loose ends

If it’s going to proceed with it, the government would do well to announce specific plans for the Sovereign Wealth Fund before the year is out. There are still too many loose ends to be tied up, and the government’s plans remain unclear, writes Mark Evans.
Pacific NGOs need government support

Pacific NGOs need government support

The contribution of NGOs to national development is obvious and irrefutable, yet they are notoriously under-funded for the work they do. Government-funded NGO staff positions would improve critical community service programs in the Pacific, writes Giff Johnson.
Pacific unity is paying off – in fisheries at least

Pacific unity is paying off – in fisheries at least

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement and the Forum Fisheries Agency have proved over the years that there is power in numbers. It’s an example of success for the region that could easily be applied to other economic areas, including deep-sea mining, writes Giff Johnson.