Union sundown

The Falepili Union and previous flexible sovereignty arrangements show potential for innovation even as the Pacific faces serious and complex challenges, originating from both within and outside the region.

Boosting women’s representation in Pacific politics

Independent states in the Pacific region have the lowest levels of women’s political representation in the world and, despite isolated bright spots, more action across the region is required.

Challenges to Pacific democracy

Democratic norms and practices have a solid foundation in the Pacific, but the events of 2022 prove that this cannot be taken for granted.

2021 in the Pacific

The Pacific Islands saw dramatic change in 2021 with the threatened exit of Micronesian states from the Pacific Islands Forum, the fall of the region’s longest serving political leader, growing geo-political tensions and the impact of COVID-19.

Samoa’s first female prime minister takes charge

After a long political stand-off, Naomi Mata’afa Fiame has become the first woman prime minister of Samoa, and the second-ever woman head of government in the Pacific islands region.

Samoa’s constitutional crisis

Samoa has elected its first woman prime minister. Now an ongoing constitutional crisis, ironically centred around competing interpretations of Samoa’s parliamentary gender quota provisions, is preventing her from taking power.

A rising tide swamps the currents of change

The past year has been a time of considerable change for the Pacific Islands, with new leadership, new partnerships and even the potential for new nations all coming into being.

The ‘Samoan model’ offers hope to female politicians in the Pacific

While elections in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam and Solomon Islands have brought in record numbers of women MPs, the Pacific region as a whole is still at the bottom of global league tables on women’s representation.