BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Leaders will sign the Melanesian Ocean Reserve declaration and the Pacific Resilience Fund (PRF) during the 54^th Pacific Islands Forum Leader Meeting (PIF) next week.

“With regards to the Melanesian Ocean Reserve, that work is ongoing,” Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele told local media in a press conference on Thursday this week.

He said that the MORD is an important piece of work, not only in how the region sustainably manages its oceans between Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.

“Not only in terms of conservation, but also to sustainably manage resources that are there, allowing communities that are close to those reserve areas. So that’s the initiative.

“In terms of the Pacific Resilience Facility, once it is signed, then all the forum member countries will be part of the Pacific Resilience Facility. And of course, the forum member countries will continue to work together in terms of resourcing that PRF,” said PM Manele.

Providing further details on the Melanesian Ocean Reserve, Secretary to the Prime Minister (SPM), Melchior Mataki said that the Melanesian Ocean Reserve is intended to improve the overall governance of the ocean space between the three countries.

“And so, the objective is to look at improving governance, but also recognising the indigenous and also the fact that our people have always lived and worked on the ocean for ages.

“And I think that recognition is something that we are also bringing to the front to inform the overall governance, not just from a strict scientific perspective, but also to recognise the fact that our people have always been using the ocean, always been managing the ocean.

“I think that part is an important part of the work of the Melanesian Ocean Reserve,” said Mr. Mataki.

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BY NED GAGAHE

Honiara City Council (HCC) has ordered the temporary closure of Enargy Water after the company failed to meet required health and safety standards.

In a public notice issued yesterday, the HCC Environmental Health Division announced that the closure took effect from Friday, 29 August 2025.

The decision means all production and supply of Enargy Water has stopped and will remain suspended until the company complies with health regulations and secures official clearance from HCC.

The Council has also directed Enargy Water to recall all its products currently in the market.

At the same time, all business outlets across the city have been instructed to immediately cease selling the brand until further notice.

“HCC advises the company to recall all Enargy Water products immediately. Any business outlet found selling Enargy Water product after this public notice will be dealt with by the appropriate law,” the statement said.

The Council emphasized that the notice will remain in force for an indefinite period, pending compliance.

HCC acknowledges the importance of ensuring the public’s access to safe and reliable products and appeals for patience and cooperation while the matter is being addressed.

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BY MORRIS NAFU

Landowner and Permit Holder, Apolonia Gito requests that the ownership of resources be vested upon resource owners and not the Government as side partners.

Gito made the statement before the Bills and Legislative Committee (BLC) at the National Parliament under Alluvial Miners Hearing yesterday.

Gito emphasised on “Part 1, Section 7 Ownership of Mineral subsection 1” of the draft Mineral Resource Bill 2025.

This subsection as quoted is “Ownership of a Mineral located in or on Solomon Island lands or Solomon Islands waters is vested on the people and the Government of Solomon Islands regardless.”

Gito calls on the rights to be vested in the hands of the people of the land and let the Government to act in support.

“Rights of ownership should not be equally shared and let all the rights to be vested upon the resource owning people,” she said.

She then further requests the Government to reconsider the Monarch rule, urging the Government to place the rights to the land owners.

Gito also mentioned Subsection 2 of the draft bill which reads as “In dealing with matters concerning minerals in Solomon Islands, the Government acts on behalf of the people of Solomon Islands and must act in the best interests if the people of Solomon Islands.”

In this regard, she said this where the government should be responsible and not extend its hands.

Meanwhile the Chairman of the BLC and Member of Parliament for West Are’are Constituency, John Maneniaru appreciates the concerns of all the land and resource owners present in the hearing and requests written submission to be submitted before Committee for further elaboration on the bill before tabling it on the floor of Parliament.

In a released Parliament statement, the Committee hopes to collect these submissions as evidences of its inquiry into the Bill and report to Parliament. The closing date for submissions is 4:30pm on Sunday 7^th September 2025.

Inquiry into the Bill will commence on Monday 8th September 2025.

The Mineral Resources Bill 2025 is regarded as a landmark piece of legislation that aims to modernise the country’s regulatory framework for mineral resources.

It seeks to establish a clear and accountable system for authorising and regulating exploration, extraction, and processing of minerals.

Key objectives of the Bill include:

-Balancing development and protection by supporting mineral exploration and extraction while safeguarding the natural, social, and cultural environment of communities.

-Respecting customary rights, including ownership, use, and occupation of land, water, and sea in line with traditional practices.

-Promoting environmental responsibility and sound land management in mining operations.

-Clarifying rights and obligations of landowners, communities, and industry stakeholders to encourage fair, harmonious, and mutually beneficial relationships.

-Securing economic benefits by ensuring fair financial returns that maximise value for present and future generations of Solomon Islanders.

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BY BEN BILUA

Thirteen members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) are preparing to sign the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) Treaty, a landmark move that will pave the way for the establishment of the region’s first international financial institution.

Speaking ahead of the signing, PRF General Manager Finau Soqo said the facility is designed to attract and manage international donations to support climate and disaster resilience programmes across the Pacific.

She explained that the institution will also play a vital role in international payments and trade facilitation for member states.

Soqo said the decision to establish the PRF as a treaty-based international financial organisation is to ensure that development partners and multilateral agencies have a clear legal framework to channel support into climate change initiatives.

“The reason behind setting up the PRF under a treaty is to provide easier and legal access for our partners who are willing to support climate programs in the Pacific,” she said.

Sogo said the PRF has secured USD 159 million in pledges, reflecting growing recognition of the region’s climate finance needs in the past 18 months.

She said contributions have so far come from countries including Saudi Arabia, Germany, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Nauru and the United States.

“What we’re seeing is that, because it’s a new concept, a new idea to invest in grants, our investors are dipping their toes in the water – they’re testing, so they’re coming in with single digit contributions,” Soqo said.

She added that the long-term target remains at USD 500 million, which would ensure the fund’s sustainability before grant disbursements begin.

Despite the cautious start, Soqo remains optimistic.

“I’m hopeful that more signatories will join the treaty on Wednesday,” she said, underscoring the importance of regional solidarity in securing climate resilience financing.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The review on Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Review of Regional Architecture (RRA) is ongoing.

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele said that PIF leaders will be discussing the Review of Regional Architecture (RRA) at the Leaders’ Retreat in Noro, in the Western Province.

The RRA involves the structure of institutions, processes, and partnerships focused on achieving the Pacific Islands Forum’s priorities, in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

The Post-Forum Dialogue (PFD) is a mechanism for selected countries outside the Pacific Islands region to engage in discussions with Pacific Leaders after the main Forum meeting.

“This review of the regional architecture is important in terms of the work of the organisations, CROP agencies included, including the review of the post-forum dialogue mechanism. That’s part of the review of the regional architecture,” PM Manele told local Media Thursday this week.

“I believe this review of the regional architecture will further put us in a good position as a region to address the many challenges facing us, but also to capitalise on the opportunities that are before the region,” said PM Manele.

Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Special Duties, Dr Jimmie Rodgers, said that there are two parts to the reviews.

“Three of my colleagues, Melanesia, we are representing, Polynesia represented by Samoa, and Micronesia by Macedonia. We were reviewing four things. One of them is political leadership and unity,”

“The second is membership of the Forum. The third one is the rationalisation of the regional organisations. And the fourth one is how do you pull the regions together to work more together in areas that we can,” said Dr Rodgers.

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