BY NED GAGAHE
PRIME Minister Jeremiah Manele on Thursday 11 December 2025 warned Parliament that the Solomon Islands continues to face mounting external and internal pressures, as he moved the Sine-Die Motion.
The Prime Minister said the global economic climate remains highly volatile, with rising fuel costs, inflation and ongoing disruptions in international supply chains placing significant strain on the country’s cost of living and national budget.
“Despite these challenges, our Government has worked tirelessly to cushion the impacts on households and essential services,” Manele said.
Mr Manele said geopolitical tensions continue to complicate Solomon Islands’ positions on certain issues, particularly its recognition of the One China policy.
“Let me reiterate my Government’s position to the One China policy,” he said, adding that while geopolitics is unavoidable, “before geopolitics, we must deal with geography,” emphasising the importance of maintaining close cooperation with the Pacific family.
The Prime Minister again underscored climate change as the “biggest existential threat” to Solomon Islands, noting the devastating impacts of sea level rise, coastal erosion, cyclones and flooding.
“These continue to destroy infrastructure, displace communities and threaten our way of life,” he said.
He added that the Government is delivering adaptation and mitigation programmes through relevant ministries, provincial governments, NGOs and multilateral partners, while maintaining strong advocacy for climate justice at the global level.
Mr Manele acknowledged that weak public delivery systems remain a longstanding obstacle to timely implementation of government programmes.
“Limited technical capacity, slow processes and resource constraints affect the speed at which programmes can be implemented,” he said, but noted ongoing reforms and capacity-building initiatives aimed at addressing these weaknesses.
The Prime Minister also raised concerns about rapid urban drift, unemployment, crime and the increasing pressure on land and resources—issues he said are straining communities, especially in Honiara.
“Honiara is our city, and we must all take responsibility for it,” he stressed.
He called for proactive urban planning in the provinces to avoid repeating the capital’s current challenges.
“I call on the ministries for Lands, Housing, Survey and Provincial Government, and all provincial governments to properly plan for urbanisation in our provincial towns,” he said.
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