The wastewater comes from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The group is imploring the Pacific Islands Forum, or PIF, to boldly explore punitive measures to deter "unwanted" and "harmful" activities that "threaten the biodiversity and future of the Blue Pacific".

Meanwhile, the 79 Members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States are standing in solidarity with the PIF leaders.

They believe there is no clear evidence the release would be safe, despite Japan arguing otherwise.

PIF Chair Mark Brown said he trusts Japan's reassurance the release is safe.

Source

• RNZ

The conference, also known as COP26, is billed as the most important climate meeting since Paris in 2015 when countries reached the landmark agreement to try to limit the increase in global temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Bhagwan recognized that the 2021 conference would face serious challenges, in part due to travel restrictions related to Covid-19.

He stated that it was important that as many Pacific delegations attend as possible, so that Pacific voices could be heard. Read more

Its general-secretary James Bhagwan said they have also been complicit.

He said a monitoring system is being planned in which faith communities will be held accountable to the commitments they make to stop gender-based violence.

"I acknowledge that for far too long, we as the churches have not only been slow to address this issue, we have also been complicit in this issue.

But we have to recognise and own that. We are looking to see how we can be more intentional in translating the statements and declarations made by our member churches into some significant movement on this issue." Read more

Indonesia's Ambassador to Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand, Tantowi Yahya, says protesters supporting West Papua independence should have sought a government permit before they staged the protest.

About 30 local people participated in the protest in front of the hotel in which the Pacific Island Forum leaders summit is held in Samoa.Ambassador Yahya said the issue of Papua was not on the agenda at this Forum meeting.

An Indonesian foreign affairs Ambassador Yahya said the issue of Papua was not on the agenda at this Forum meeting. An Indonesian foreign affairs official says the Forum meeting is not the place to raise the West Papua issue.

He says the 1969 integration of West Papua into Indonesia has been relegated to the history pages.

However, The General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, Reverend Francois Pihaatae, said a protest that took place during the forum supporting West Papua's independence was nothing new.

Mr Pihaatae said it illustrated the strong support from some. He urged all Pacific nations to express their concern as seen in Samoa.

Indonesia's Ambassador was at the meeting and condemned the protest and accused Pacific Islanders of being misled on a human rights situation that had largely improved.

But on behalf of the churches, Mr Pihaatae says the demonstrators believe that people in West Papua are still struggling.

"Whatever the Indonesian said, I will never, never believe that something is fine in West Papua because we have evidence that [they are] living out every day, the killing of the people," Reverend Francois Pihaatae said.

The organiser of the [protest in Samoa, Jerome Mika, says Samoans have had the right to freedom of expression since independence and he said the demonstrators were encouraging Pacific island leaders to support such freedom for West Papua.

Source

• Radio NZ
• Radio NZ
• Image: Radio NZ

The Dutch human rights law firm, Prakken D'Oliveira, has submitted the complaint to the UN Human Rights Council.

It details vast and continuing alleged human rights violations by the Indonesian government against the people of West Papua. Continue reading

The Pacific Conference of Churches General Secretary, Reverend Francois Pihaatae, says Papuans are being killed and tortured merely because they want self-determination, a right guaranteed by the United Nations of which Indonesia is a member.

He said 500,000 Papuans have died since Indonesia annexed the territory in 1961.

Pihaatae said the situation in Papua was made worse by Indonesian denials when the evidence of abuse was clear.

"Social media makes it impossible for Indonesia to hide the atrocities committed by its security forces on a people who want to determine their political future for themselves."

The call came after the killing of a student in Timika and Indonesia's denials at the United Nations General Assembly of human rights abuses in the territory.

Rev Pihaatae said that despite the obvious, overwhelming evidence, the Indonesian government insulted the intelligence of Pacific people by its denials.

"Our leaders' silence will not make the issue go away," Pihaatae said.

"In the name of humanity we, the Pacific churches, call on our leaders to end this bloodshed and bring injustice in Papua to an end."

Source

• Facebook
• Image: freewestpapua.org

The prayer was conducted on Thursday, 4 September, as part of the OurVoices.net international campaign of people from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds who are urging world leaders to agree to a strong climate treaty at the UN climate talks in Paris in December 2015.

Participants in the prayer included representatives of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Samoa Council of Churches (SCC), the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) and the UN.

Peter Emberson of the PCC offered a germinating coconut as a "symbol of hope and resilience in life" to Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Figueres, along with the former ambassador to the UN Dessima Williams, threw the coconut into the ocean, where it would inevitably find its way back to shore, grow, and show its resilience.

Source

• Anglican News Service
• Image: Anglican News Servce

Reverend Francois Pihaatae says Fiji's Prime Minister, Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama, only mentioned the Kanaks, and failed to mention the plight of other territories in the region when he addressed a regional seminar of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonisation (C24) in Nadi last week.

"Fiji will continue to encourage both sides to work positively within the spirit of the Agreement (Noumea Accord, 1998) towards a result that is seen as legitimate by all parties," Bainimarama said.

Pihaate said, the PCC applauded the explicit support for Kanaky's self-determination.

He said that all Pacific governments, particularly Fiji and Papua New Guinea - the two regional representatives on the C24 - also needed to "take a similar position on other non-self-governing Pacific territories.

The PCC has launched an initiative to increase awareness on the issue of decolonisation of respective communities in the region.

Other territories on the C24 list are American Samoa, Guam, Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), West Papua, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Pitcairn and Tokelau.

West Papua is not on the C24 list but Pihaatae says the PCC will be lobbying Pacific leaders about sponsoring the inclusion of Indonesian territory.

Source

• Radio New Zealand International
• FBC
• Island Business
• Image: 2.bp.blogspot.com

Pacific church leaders from 12 countries have signed the petition which also calls on the WCC to send a fact-finding mission to the Indonesian-controlled territory and establish a specific commission to address the issue.

The petition contains a further two demands:

• The end to arbitrary arrests, detention, brutality, torture and abuse by Indonesian security forces of West Papuan people.
• The right of West Papuans to self-determination and their rights to exercise political freedom.

The petition follows an announcement by West Papua churches of their intention to join the Pacific Conference of Churches as a full member after the assembly.

Source

• Island Business
• Image World Council of Churches

"From the perspective of the church and faith-based organisations, we have a huge constituency and network which can be used for development, advocacy, education and attitudinal change," PCC General Secretary, Rev François Pihaatae said.

"The PIDF move to engage with faith leaders, the media and other institutions which can influence change is positive and we would like to see other regional organisations take similar approaches."

"Leaders must not gather, talk about important issues and then walk away without putting these points into actions which make positive changes to the region and the people," Pihaatae said.

"Matters such as climate change, extractive industries, fisheries, gender-based violence, poverty and self-determination must be addressed and the voices of our people must be heard."

He said if institutions - including churches and governments - wished to remain relevant, they must address the needs of the people with real, sustainable initiatives which protected lifestyles and the environment.

The PIDF is an initiative of Fiji's interim Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama and wound up it's inaugural three day meeting on Wednesday.

Outlining how the Secretariat would work, Commodore Bainimarama said it would be very different from the Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Forum.

He said the Pacific didn't need expensive facilities or an army of overpaid officials, but results from committed publically-minded individuals ultilising scarce resources to maximum effect.

Source

• Island Business
• Radio Australia
• Image: Pacific Scoop

Pacific Conference of Churches Treaties Adviser Murray Isimeli says the region cannot afford damage to the environment by testing.

"There is no evidence on what effect testing or mining will have so we would caution against doing anything until there is substantial proof of the effects of disturbing the sea bed," Mr Isimeli said.

His comments came after a regional summit on deep sea mining organised by SOPAC (South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission) in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

He also warned governments and their representatives about liberally using the Bible to support mining after speakers at the Vanuatu summit spoke of underwater minerals as divine blessings.

Source

• Island Business
• Image: AKRockefeller

General secretary Francois Pihaartae has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat in his view, same sex marriage remains against God's will.

"Pacific churches are very much conservative. And also really hard to convert to this new idea of same-sex marriage," he said.

"I don't think that the decision of the New Zealand Government will change the discussion."

Pihaartae has warned gay couples in the Pacific who travel to New Zealand to get married will not have their marriage recognised by the church.

• Tahiti independence
• West Papua independence
• Freedom Sunday
• Nuclear testing
• Seabed mining
• Solidarity on mining
• Tourism, fishing and forestry
• Facilitating the concerns of members by engaging on the issue with agencies such as the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Melanesian spearhead Group.
• Ending HIV-AIDS stigmatisation
• Climate change and resettlement
• Teachers for Chuuk
• Arms trade and nuclear weapons

Source

• Island Business
• Image: Cook Island News

In a submission presented to regional leaders at the Pacific Conference of Churches 10th General Assembly in Honiara, the Solomon Islands this week the Church acknowledged that it has had a part in damaging communities by importing alien cultures into the region.

"At times the church has acted in collaboration with political and economic powers, undermining healthy Pacific economic systems that valued creation and people," the submission said.

"It has sometimes treated people in ways that do not reflect their inherent dignity in Jesus Christ and has not taken opportunities offered by Pacific countries to learn how to be more thoroughly Christian."

Source

Island Business

He was speaking at Pacific Conference of Churches Assembly. More than 200 delegates representing 34 churches and organizations are in Honiara for the week-long event.

Addressing the Assembly on Sunday Solomon Islands Deputy Prime Minister, Mannaseh Maelanga, also spoke about the important role for the Churches in address the issues of poverty, climate change and mining.

"These issues affect our people and we - governments and churches - must work together in these areas," Maelanga said.

On Saturday young Christian leaders made a similar call urging churches to take strong positions on the eradication of poverty and the protection of the environment.

Youth delegates from Maohi Nui (Tahiti) have asked young people at the assembly to join their quest to ensure that France does not conduct further nuclear tests in the region.

"What has happened in our islands with nuclear testing must never be allowed to happen again," Maohi Nui representative told delegates.

Source

• Island Business
• Image: PCC.org.fj

The Assembly will hear that corruption, bad political leadership and poverty have continued to rise in the Pacific over the past two decades.

"It's important that the regional leaders know that there are mechanisms which exist within the different cultures that allow for good governance practices,'' said PCC Programme Coordinator Aisake Casimira.

"Often we take the Australian, New Zealand or US view of governance and the economy or leadership. Those options are not necessarily the best in our Pacific situation."

Source

• Island Business
• Image Pacific Council of Churches

PCC acting general secretary and Tahiti native, Reverend Francois Pihaate, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program that it was time Pacific Island Forum Leaders showed their support for the move.

When the UN was founded in 1945, one of its first initiatives was to engage in a proper decolonisation process, establishing a list of territories yet to be decolonised.

French Polynesia, of which Tahiti is the economic and political centre, was included on the list.

France succeeded in having French Polynesia withdrawn from the list two years later.

Source

• Radio Australia
• Image Flagsflagsflags.net

The survey was carried out by the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, which interviewed more than 3,000 women over two years, from rural and urban areas in all four divisions in Fiji.

The research found 64 percent of women experience either physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, and the violence is often severe, like being kicked or dragged and beaten, choked or burnt.

A gender based violence workshop is taking place in Suva this week

Pacific Conference of Churches ecumenical animator for women Akanisi Tarabe, said gender-based violence was not just confined to women but it had been perpetrated by those in powers that affects men and women, the young and the old.

"We need to re-look at the way we are doing things and the way we work," she said.

"Any act of violence is the direct violation of God's justice," Ms Tarabe said.

Source

• Radio New Zealand International
• Fiji Times
• Image:

President Oscar Temaru, of Tahiti, in a special address to the PCC church leaders, appealed to the churches of the Pacific to help in his country's fight for independence, by listening to and aiding the people of Maohi Nui in their plight.

"My country used to be free, and my people used to be in charge of their destiny. That changed in the 19th century after the European discoverers reached our shores," he said.

The church leaders in attendance were unanimous in their support of this call. Mr Temaru noted, however, that: "Without the UN as a referee between France and us, this is once again an unfair and uphill battle. We seek a balanced evolution of our relations with France, under the observation of the UN."

Also present at the meeting, Reverend Dr. Olav Tveit, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), pledged to find a proper way to address the issue and offered the assistance of the WCC in raising awareness of the issues facing the people of Maohi Nui.

Source

• Samoa Observer
• Image: Tahiti Presse

Delivering a pointed keynote address, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi restated the PCC's role in the region and its people.

"The focus of the Christian churches around the world and in our region is to strengthen and invigorate the religious and spiritual lives of our people."

With the commemoration of its 50 years in existence, the Prime Minister challenged, "it is obviously also the time to reflect on the achievements of the PCC around the Pacific."

The Prime Minister also added that the Conference "should also play a vocal role in the political turmoil in Fiji.

"The military regime still rule by decree and the Public Emergency Regulations which continue to restrict human rights may have also impacted on representation from Fiji to your own gathering here today."

Full story: Savali News