Samoa is highly vulnerable to natural hazards. Seventy percent of Samoa’s population lives on the coast, facing hazards such as cyclones, tsunamis, flooding and storm surges. Cyclones Ofa (1990) and Val...
Niuatoputapu is one of the two inhabited islands in Tonga’s Niua group, located in the northern-most part of Tonga. The total population of about 1,100 lives in four villages, Hihifo, Vaipoa, Falehau...
The price of electricity in Solomon Islands remains one of the highest in the Pacific region at around 50 US cents/kWh. The Solomon Islands Electricity Authority (SIEA) faces numerous challenges in providing...
The majority of Papua New Guinea’s population lives in rural areas, largely dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. Coffee and cocoa are the main cash crops, with half of the country’s total workforce...
The status of the health sector in Solomon Islands deteriorated significantly from 1998-2003 during a period of civil conflict known as the ‘tensions’. The health sector has continuing problems, with some...
The Government of Vanuatu is undertaking a comprehensive economic reform program in the infrastructure sectors, including in telecommunications. It aims to promote rapid socioeconomic development, create...
Youth played a seminal role in the violence that erupted in 2006 which saw hundreds of thousands people displaced, property worth thousands of dollars destroyed, hundreds injured, and dozens killed. In...
With its remote location, small size, dispersed islands setting and other geographical factors, Tonga faces many challenges in developing and maintaining sustainable internal, regional and international...
The Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE) center is the only public distance learning institution serving Papua New Guinea’s upper primary and secondary school leavers. It provides English, Mathematics...
Justice for the Poor (J4P) is a global research and development program that aims to make development projects more effective and equitable, and to manage the risk of serious conflict between the various...
Papua New Guinea is a relatively young country, having gained independence in 1975. Since then minerals, particularly gold and copper, have been the backbone of the economy. However, the country remains...
Bougainville is located at the eastern-most point of the New Guinea islands and comprises two large and many smaller islands. It has a population of approximately 200,000 with over a dozen different language...