Pacific

This responds positively to the demands of the Pacific Island Countries in the PACER Plus negotiations, which seek to enhance their participation in international trade. 

In June 2015, Australia took the unprecedented step in lifting the cap under the Seasonal Workers Program and extended it to the entire agriculture sector and to the accommodation sector in selected locations in the country. 

At climate talks in Paris, experts called for strong language on respecting human rights and the rights of indigenous people to be included in the agreement.

Craig Mokhiber of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says the climate crisis is a human rights crisis and it needs to be addressed as such.

Yesterday was Human Rights Day, which was marked across the Pacific.

The UNHRO Pacific head, Catherine Phuong, says ratification of human rights treaties is still very low in the region - one of the lowest in the world.

She says understanding of human rights is limited in some countries, rates of violence against women and children are very high and more needs to be done to address allegations of police brutality.

Diabetes Fiji will host youths from Tuvalu, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Its project manager Viliame Qio says the first-of-its-kind event will train participants in how to lead diabetes associations and help others with the disease in their countries.

He says part of the conference involves a health camp, where participants will meet with doctors and learn more about food, oral care and eye health.

The assurance was conveyed during a one hour dialogue led by Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop, on Wednesday morning with ministers from 12 of the 16 Forum Island Countries.

Australia is a key member of the Umbrella Group comprised of Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Kazakstan, Norway, Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States.

Minister Bennett refused to give New Zealand’s support to an explicit goal in the Paris climate agreement to limit global warming to a 1.5 degree increase, despite growing support from allies including Australia

The Island Climate Update, compiled by New Zealand's NIWA with other meteorological agencies and the Pacific Regional Environment Programmme, says each of those countries has experienced significantly lower than expected rain levels in the past five to six months.

The fifth Prime Minister's Pacific Youth Awards were held to recognise achievement and encourage success for young Pasifika in the arts, business, sport, leadership, and, for the first time, science.

The winner of the Leadership category was 17-year-old Leorida Peters, an Aucklander of Samoan descent, who was recognised for inspiring her community to have its voice heard more widely on the international stage.

Reaffirmation of the Pacific’s position was made by Dame Meg Taylor, the Secretary General of the Fiji-based Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and also the Pacific Ocean Commissioner.

A good agreement Dame Taylor says would be one that keeps temperature rise at well below 1.5 degrees Celsius, features a stand-alone lost and damage mechanism, and offers new and scaled up financing.

The new alliance has agreed a common position on some of the most divisive aspects of the proposed deal.

However, the EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Canete says talks are still ongoing on how to accommodate a 1.5 degrees warming limit within the agreement.