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Pacific Security College

Anna Naupa

Research and Engagement Fellow

A woman with braided hair smiles at the camera while standing outdoors. She wears a blue patterned shirt with floral designs and earrings, with green foliage softly blurred in the background.

Anna Naupa joined the Pacific Security College in 2026 as a Research and Engagement Fellow (Pacific Security). 

She serves as an Advisory Member to the Centre for Human Security and Social Change at LaTrobe University (Melbourne), as well as sits on the Advisory Committee for the Toda Peace Institute (Japan).

For the past twenty years, Anna has worked in her home country of Vanuatu and at the regional level in the Pacific, holding senior advisory and management roles at the Pacific Fusion Centre, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and UN-ESCAP.

She has produced expert strategic security assessments for Pacific Island countries in response to the Boe Declaration on Regional Security and is a thought leader on Pacific human and cultural security and geopolitics.

Anna holds a Master of Arts in Geography from the University of Hawai’i, Manoa, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, and is a doctoral candidate at the School of Culture, History and Culture in the Australian National University where her research interests include Pacific politics, statecraft, cultural security, decolonization and Melanesian diplomacy.

Beyond academia, Anna is actively involved in preserving her Erromango island community’s cultural heritage preservation and Vanuatu storytelling. She is happily married with three children.

Latest Content

Blog Wellbeing as security for Pacific women, everyone • By Anna Naupa Targeted, localised wellbeing measures can help to tell a fuller story about peace and security for women in the Pacific. And when we focus on understanding women’s wellbeing, the flow-on effects for the wider community can be substantial. Read moreabout Wellbeing as security for Pacific women, everyone
Blog Do we need a Pacific Peace Index? • By Anna Naupa As regional dialogue about an ‘Ocean of Peace’ concept advances, a dedicated Pacific Peace Index might provide additional form to an evolving political dialogue amongst Pacific Islands Forum member states. Read moreabout Do we need a Pacific Peace Index?
Blog There is no security without development, anything else is a distraction • By Anna Naupa Full realisation of the 2018 Boe Declaration is needed now more than ever, writes Anna Naupa, as she reflects on what a new ‘Ocean of Peace’ concept may mean for the Blue Pacific region. Read moreabout There is no security without development, anything else is a distraction
Blog Pacific human security: is climate finance reaching those most at risk? • By Anna Naupa Climate change poses a critical threat to Pacific Island nations, yet climate finance often fails to reach those most in need. A visit to the Pacific by a UN Special Rapporteur presents an opportunity to assess how climate finance can better protect human rights. Read moreabout Pacific human security: is climate finance reaching those most at risk?
Blog Thinking about the future of Pacific security • By Anna Naupa The recent launch of the Pacific Regional Security Outlook 2023-24 by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Pacific Fusion Centre forecasts an increasingly complex security environment dominated by intersecting strategic challenges, both national and regional. Read moreabout Thinking about the future of Pacific security
Blog Can Oceanic diplomacy solve the Pacific’s maritime disputes? • By Anna Naupa The Mota Lava Treaty between Solomon Islands and Vanuatu shows how traditional Oceanic diplomacy can be incorporated into current practice. Read moreabout Can Oceanic diplomacy solve the Pacific’s maritime disputes?

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