Changes to the Ok Tedi Mining Agreement by the Papua New Guinea parliament last week officially transferred full ownership of the copper-gold mine to the PNG government. But political wrangling over vested interests has hindered open discussion of the Ok Tedi takeover.

A debate over United States donor aid to the Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia is intensifying as island leaders chafe at controls being exerted by the United States government. Giff Johnson argues that sovereignty would be best expressed by action on MDGs, not rhetoric

Vanuatu, amongst its Pacific neighbours, is trying its best to be optimistic but is also bracing itself against any changes rippling from the decision of Australia’s Coalition Government to slash $4.5b in foreign aid. Change is inevitable, but no one knows yet how Vanuatu will be affected.

If Pacific voices are to be heard in the post-2015 debate, our leaders and thinkers need to step up their presence on the international stage. We must deconstruct colonial thinking and start truly conducting ourselves as independent states.