BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The KIWA Empower project was recently launched in the Solomon Islands on June 24 in Honiara.

Elmah Panisi, Live & Learn Environmental Education’s (LLEE) Solomon Islands Country Manager, stated that the event marks a significant step in LLEE’s efforts to create a more equitable, sustainable and climate-resilient Pacific.

She said the KIWA project is a regional multi-million-dollar project which is being implemented in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Panisi stated that the project aims to empower communities to adapt and thrive in a changing climate by restoring ecosystems, integrating indigenous knowledge with innovative practices, and ensuring inclusive decision-making.

“For the Solomon Islands, this is an important project, as we are implementing in Malaita and Temotu provinces, in two communities which are remote and more at risk in terms of impacts of climate change,” said Panisi.

She said the project focuses on key climate issues, such as food security and livelihoods, water and watershed management and restoring degraded coastal and inland areas.

“In our engagement with stakeholders, the message has been clear. Climate change is affecting us all and we must unite to ensure that the people we serve are not left behind,” she said.

The LLEE Solomon Islands Country Manager said that the project is community-led, for the community and it aims to enhance ecosystem resilience, protect island communities from the impacts of climate change and support sustainable livelihoods.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Solomon Islands is set to benefit from SBD32 Million funded under Kiwa project across the Pacific region.

Australia is providing the 32 million with the aim to strengthen climate change resilience development across the Pacific including Solomon Islands.

First Secretary from the Australian High Commission Office, Prue Pickering spoke about this at the launch of the KIWA Empower project in Honiara on Tuesday 24, last week.

She said the Solomon Islands benefits from four different Kiwa initiative projects, including the Empower project.

“We all know that climate change is the greatest threat to livelihoods and wellbeing across the Pacific and that’s why Australia is committed to supporting climate-resilient development in Solomon Islands,” said Pickering.

She said empowerment is important because it focuses on improving water and ecosystem resilience, which is crucial for climate resilience.

“It’s particularly great that this project will focus on some of the more hard-to-reach communities in the Solomon Islands, because we all know that remoteness can increase vulnerability to climate impacts and disasters,” she said.

Pickering said the Kiwa initiative helps to meet the need for more financing for adaptation and climate resilience in the Pacific.

She stated that it is a unique program that leverages the engagement of Pacific regional organisations, just like Live & Learn, which is key to its success.

Pickering expressed that Australia recognises the opportunities that nature-based solutions present to effectively address environmental and social challenges of climate change simultaneously.

Henceforth, Australia values the opportunity to work with other donors on this initiative, such as New Zealand, the European Union, Canada and France.

She also mentioned that Australia supports a number of nature-based solutions initiatives in the Solomon Islands.

“In 2021, Australia launched Climate Resilient by Nature and through that project, we have some communities working on coastal erosion and mangrove restoration in Western Province and Makira. We’re also pleased to support the Baru Conservation Alliance in Malaita, who do some great work working with foreign forest conservation, working with tribal community leaders,” said Pickering.

She noted that Australia looks forward to seeing the project progress.

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BY NED GAGAHE

Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Peter Shanel Agovaka has confirmed that all five Solomon Islands students currently in Israel are safe amid ongoing instability in the region.

Speaking during a recent press conference, he said the government is actively coordinating with Australia and Papua New Guinea to arrange a joint evacuation plan for citizens from the region, including Papua New Guineans and Australians.

“Of course, we have five of our agriculture students in Israel. We’re working closely with the Australian Government and Papua New Guinea on an evacuation plan. At the moment, it’s really unsafe—the airports are closed,” Agovaka stated.

He adds that Solomon Islands officials have been in contact with the Israeli Ambassador in Canberra, who assured them that the students are under the care and protection of the Israeli Government.

In addition to the students in Israel, Agovaka confirmed the safety of other Solomon Islands nationals in the Middle East.

“We have one student in Qatar and we are working with the Government of Qatar through their embassy in Canberra to ensure the student’s well-being,” he said.

Minister Agovaka said seven Solomon Islands nationals working in the aviation sector in the United Arab Emirates Air Force are also safe.

“Our priority is to ensure the safety of all our citizens abroad. We will do everything possible to bring our students home safely,” the Minister affirmed.

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BY INDY MAEALASIA

Solomon Islands National University (SINU) is working to forge deeper ties with regional and international universities aiming to enhance academic quality and research collaboration.

Vice Chancellor, Professor Transform Aqorau shared this vision during a recent address.

 “At SINU, while we are a national university, we are actively seeking partnerships with regional and international universities,” he said.

Aqorau said his dream is that within the next five to ten years, SINU will offer joint degree programs with institutions such as the University of the South Pacific (USP) and Australian universities—particularly in high-impact fields like nursing and climate science.

“These partnerships can elevate the quality of our programs to global standards, give students exchange opportunities and create research links focused on Pacific issues,” he explained.

Aqorau stressed that this will also send a message that Pacific universities are not isolated but are part of global knowledge commons and we contribute to it.

He pointed out that the University of the South Pacific (USP) stands as a typical example of fostering regional solidarity and collaboration.

“It has for decades brought together students from across Oceania; creating a pan-Pacific alumni network and identity,” he said.

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BY INDY MAEALASIA

PACIFIC universities are no longer just centers of learning—they are becoming hubs of cultural revival and innovation.

Vice Chancellor of Solomon Islands National University (SINU), Professor Transform Aqorau highlighted this during his recent address at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

“Universities have the responsibility to decolonize knowledge and promote innovation that fits our context. For far too long, Pacific knowledge systems and indigenous ingenuity were undervalued by formal education. That is changing,” he said.

Aqorau lauded the efforts in which pacific universities are incorporating Pacific studies, local languages and traditional ecological knowledge into their programmes.

“We recognise that our custom and modern science can complement each other. As one young climate activist put it recently, our indigenous knowledge must be respected as a form of science.”

“Whether it’s Polynesian navigation techniques or agroforestry practices in Melanesia, our ancestors developed sophisticated solutions adapted to our environment,” he added.

Aqorau stressed that universities should invest in documentation, research and teach these alongside Western science.

“This is part of decolonising the curriculum – validating our ways of knowing and learning from them to forge innovative approaches. For example, in agriculture faculties, students might study both the latest agronomy and the traditional methods of yam cultivation that promote soil health,” he said.

He pointed out that in regards to climate research, Western data models can be enriched by local observations passed down over generations and by marrying the best of both worlds, we can innovate in a way that is truly Pacific.

 “This fusion can help us address everything from climate adaptation like restoring traditional resilient crop varieties to modern tech solutions like adapting apps for local languages,” he added.

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BY BEN BILUA
Gizo

THE Chief Field Officer of the Agriculture Division in Western Province has commended the Cocoa and Coconut Revolving Fund (CCRF) for the significant impact it’s having on agricultural activities and rural livelihoods.

Sipuru Rove said the fund introduced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), has reignited interest in coconut and cocoa farming; prompting plantation owners to clean up and rejuvenate their neglected plots.

“The fund is working. People are going back to their plantations, cleaning up their land and putting in the work. It’s not about skyrocketing prices it’s about opportunity,” Rove told Island Sun.

He highlighted that in the village, even children are being involved in the harvesting of coconuts.

“In one of the villages we visited, parents have built small copra dryers beside their kitchens. Children collect ten coconuts each day and their parents help them dry the nuts. After some days, they fill a 10kg bag and sell it for $40. That’s big money in these communities,” he explained.

Rove added that the fund is also helping stimulate local economies, with visible cash flow in rural areas.

He said of ten buyers who participated in the program in Western Province, nine are coconut buyers and one is a cocoa buyer.

Rove says the program should be further supported and expanded as it has a positive impact on rural communities.

“This is the kind of program that directly empowers people. It puts tools, resources and motivation in the hands of farmers. We are seeing real, positive change,” he said.

The Cocoa and Coconut Revolving Fund is a government initiative aimed at revitalizing the country’s agriculture sector by supporting key players in the value chain and increasing production.

There is a total of 57 recipients from this fund across the country, including farmers, traders and exporters.

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