NEWW YORK, 08 APRIL 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) —For 25 years, the world has made significant progress in advancing women’s right to health, particularly in sexual and reproductive care. Women are living longer than ever before – but they are not living better. Across the world, UN data shows, women are still less likely to […]
Category: In Focus
Posted inIn Focus
Starlink’s entry into the Pacific: the Samoan case
By Amanda H Watson, Ioana Chan Mow, Aleksandar Deejay, Fiafaitupe Tuiloma-Lafaele APIA, 13 APRIL 2026 (DEVPOLICY.ORG) — This article draws on peer-reviewed research informed by analysis of Samoan media coverage. It reflects on Starlink’s entry into Samoa and what it reveals about public communication, policy and regulation during the entry of new technologies. Internet access […]
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Delivering on the WHO Vision: Taiwan’s Path Toward Ending Hepatitis C as a Public Health Threat
Dr. Chung-Liang Shih Minister of Health and Welfare, Taiwan For decades, hepatitis C has been recognized as a major global public health challenge, with an estimated 58 million people living with chronic hepatitis C infection worldwide. Although no vaccine currently exists, hepatitis C is now curable with highly effective direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapies delivered […]
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Scholars warn Micronesia in the crossfire as militarisation rises
By Pita Ligaiula HAGATNA, 26 MARCH 2026 (PACNEWS) — The Pacific Centre for Island Security (PCIS) has released a sweeping review of geopolitics across Micronesia, warning that the region is increasingly central to major power competition as the United States expands its military footprint in the northern Pacific. The Micronesia Security Outlook 2025 brings together […]
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Migration is good for the Pacific
By Stephen Howes CANBERRA, 23 MARCH 2026 (DEVPOLICY.ORG) —The debate over whether migration is a positive or negative for the Pacific is a long-standing one. Bernard Poirine’s 1995 paper “Should we love or hate MIRAB” set out both sides of the argument, and why he thought both migration and foreign aid were positives for the […]
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Pacific security agreements: lessons from the Iran–U.S–Israel conflict
By Bal Kama CANBERRA, 19 MARCH 2026 (DEVPOLICY.ORG) — The escalating conflict involving Iran, the United States (U.S) and Israel might seem distant from the Pacific, yet its strategic implications reach deep into the region. When Iran retaliated, it didn’t just strike Israel or U.S warships. It struck ten other countries in the region such […]