The summary report of the PNG New Voices conference highlights the enthusiasm of Papua New Guinea's young people to participate in debate about PNG's economy and international outlook in the Asian century. Conference participants called for higher-quality leadership and the creation of opportunities for Papua New Guineans to prosper through investment in human resources, agriculture...

This wide-ranging survey examines public opinion in Fiji about the performance of Fiji's military-led government and Fiji’s relations with the world. Questions focused on the implementation of government promises, the role of Fiji’s military, and democracy. Foreign policy questions addressed Fiji’s relationships with traditional and newer partners, Fiji’s role in the Pacific, and Fiji’s suspension...

The Pacific Islands and the World: The Global Economic Crisis, held in Brisbane on 2 and 3 August, brought together Pacific Island leaders, ministers, officials from international and regional organisations, private sector and civil society representatives, in advance of the annual Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting. The Pacific Islands region as a whole has weathered...

A conference tackling extreme poverty in Papua New Guinea brought together politicians, government officials, academics, private sector and non-government experts to explore ways of improving the situation of about one million people living in extreme poverty in Australia’s nearest neighbour. Papua New Guinea’s most disadvantaged communities, who live around the fringes of the highlands and...

Australian aid has not been effective in helping the Pacific Islands region make significant progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Australian aid should be used to leverage growing corporate interest in reducing global poverty into investment in the Pacific - to create real income-earning opportunities for a burgeoning youth population and underscore a solid...