Health

With COVID-19 continuing to spread in the Pacific, the region is facing coordination challenges as an increasing number of security partners play a role in managing the pandemic, Hugh McClure writes.

Around the world, countries are going into hibernation to flatten the COVID-19 curve. This week, the Pacific region faced further crisis with a major cyclone, which has complicated the pandemic response and proves other security challenges are not on hold.

Even in a pandemic, the Pacific remains subject to geopolitical bickering, but the region’s response must be driven by Pacific people, Henry Ivarature writes.

Welcome to a new weekly Pacific Security College (PSC) and Policy Forum initiative, tracking policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic across the Pacific Islands region. This is a snapshot of policy responses, correct as of 10:30am, 7 April 2020.

After years toiling to build a regional framework of collaboration and partnership, Pacific nations are facing the ultimate collective test in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, Meg Keen, Director of Pacific Security College, writes.