# Vanuatu - United States Department of State

- Vanuatu HomeReportsBureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices&#8230;Vanuatu				hide	document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {	if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}});																							2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Vanuatu																																					Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor																																																																																							Download Report																																																							Translations																																																																 In this section										/																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																																													EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																															Section 1. Respect for the Integrity of the Person																																																									a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings																																																																											b. Disappearance																																																																											c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses																																																																			Prison and Detention Center Conditions																																																																																																																		d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention																																																																			Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees																																																																																																																		e. Denial of Fair Public Trial																																																																			Trial Procedures																																																								Political Prisoners and Detainees																																																																																																																		f. Transnational Repression																																																																											g. Property Seizure and Restitution																																																																											h. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence																																																																																	Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties																																																									a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media																																																																			Internet Freedom																																																																																																																		b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association																																																																											c. Freedom of Religion																																																																											d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country																																																																											e. Protection of Refugees																																																																																	Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process																																																									Elections and Political Participation																																																																																	Section 4. Corruption in Government																															Section 5. Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights																															Section 6. Discrimination and Societal Abuses																																																									Women																																																																											Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination																																																																											Children																																																																											Antisemitism																																																																											http://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/Trafficking in Persons																																																																											Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics																																																																											Persons with Disabilities																																																																																	Section 7. Worker Rights																																																									a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining																																																																											b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor																																																																											c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment																																																																											d. Discrimination (see section 6)																																																																											e. Acceptable Conditions of Work																																																																																																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY				There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Vanuatu during the year.Significant human rights issues included credible reports of:  harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; serious government corruption; extensive gender-based violence; trafficking in persons; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons.The government took credible steps to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses.																														Section 1.													 Respect for the Integrity of the Person												    																																																a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings										There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings, during the year.																																				b. Disappearance										There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities.																																				c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses										The constitution prohibited such practices, and there were no credible reports that government officials employed them.  The law mandated the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate complaints of security force abuses.																Prison and Detention Center Conditions						Prison conditions were harsh and life threatening due to deteriorating facilities, unsanitary conditions, and a lack of access to medical care.Administration:  Authorities conducted investigations of credible allegations of mistreatment.  In July, the Ministry of Justice and Community Services announced the closure of the high-risk prison in Port Vila, due to deteriorating facilities and uninhabitable conditions that failed to meet UN standards.Independent Monitoring:  The government permitted visits by media and independent human rights observers.  The International Committee of the Red Cross visited during the year.  The Vanuatu Women’s Center visited women prisoners weekly and provided counseling and legal services.																										d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention										The constitution prohibited arbitrary arrest and detention and provided for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of their arrest or detention in court.  The government generally observed these requirements.																Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees						A warrant issued by a court was required for an arrest.  On limited occasions, with justified exceptions, police arrested individuals without warrants.  Authorities generally observed the constitutional provision to inform suspects of the charges against them.The law outlined the process for remanding alleged offenders in custody.  To remand a person in custody required a valid written warrant from a magistrate or a Supreme Court justice.  Warrants typically were valid for 14 days in the first instance, and the court could extend them.  In general, the Correctional Services Department’s practice was not to accept any detainee into custody without a valid warrant.  The law required a suspect be brought promptly before a judicial officer and charged with a crime, and those rights were respected.  A system of bail operated effectively, although some persons not granted bail spent lengthy periods in pretrial detention due to judicial inefficiency.  Authorities allowed detainees prompt access to counsel and family members.  The Public Defender’s Office provided free legal counsel to indigent defendants.Pretrial Detention:  Pretrial detainees constituted approximately one-quarter of the prison population.  Judges, prosecutors, and police complained of large case backlogs due to a lack of resources and limited numbers of qualified judges and prosecutors.  The average length of time spent in remand before a case went to trial was approximately 12 weeks, although it could be longer in the outer islands.																										e. Denial of Fair Public Trial										The constitution provided for an independent judiciary, and the government generally respected judicial independence and impartiality.																Trial Procedures						The constitution provided for the right to a fair and public trial, and an independent judiciary generally enforced this right.						Political Prisoners and Detainees						There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees.																										f. Transnational Repression										Not applicable.																																				g. Property Seizure and Restitution										Not applicable.																																				h. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence										The constitution prohibited such actions, and there were no reports that the government failed to respect these prohibitions.																																					Section 2.													 Respect for Civil Liberties												    																																																a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media										The constitution provided for freedom of expression, including for members of the press and other media, and the government generally respected this right.  An independent media and judiciary and a functioning democratic political system combined to promote freedom of expression, including for media members.Libel/Slander Laws:  Libel and slander were criminal offenses; cyber slander and cyber libel were separate criminal offenses.  There were no reports of enforcement during the year.																Internet Freedom						The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content.																										b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association										The constitution provided for the freedoms of assembly and association, and the government generally respected these rights.																																				c. Freedom of Religion										See the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report at  https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/.																																				d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country										The law provided for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights.																																				e. Protection of Refugees										The government cooperated with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in providing temporary, ad hoc protection and assistance to refugees, returning refugees, or asylum seekers, as well as other persons of concern.Access to Asylum:  The law did not provide for the granting of asylum or refugee status, but the government had a system for providing protection to refugees and granted temporary refugee status and asylum to those seeking it while awaiting resettlement by UNHCR.																																					Section 3.													 Freedom to Participate in the Political Process												    																						The constitution provided citizens the ability to choose their government in free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on universal and equal suffrage.																										Elections and Political Participation										Abuses or Irregularities in Recent Elections:  National elections in October 2022 were reported to be fair and free of abuses and irregularities; however, Transparency International Vanuatu expressed concern there was illegal activity during the polling and counting processes.Participation of Women and Members of Marginalized or Vulnerable Groups:  Patriarchal attitudes regarding male dominance and the expectation that women would serve as family caregivers were barriers to women’s participation in political life.  Women and independent candidates – whether men or women – faced significant hurdles to fundraising, which limited their electoral prospects, according to one report.  Men elected officials often treated women elected officials as unequal, not speaking to them directly, but instead through their husbands.  In the October 2022 election, the first woman since 2008 won a seat in parliament.																																					Section 4.													 Corruption in Government												    																						The law provided criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and the government generally implemented the law effectively.  Officials, however, sometimes engaged in corrupt practices with impunity, and there were numerous reports of government corruption.Corruption:  In September, then Prime Minister Sato Kilman appointed two former members of parliament convicted of bribery and corruption as the chair of Air Vanuatu and chair of the Office of Public Service Commission.The Office of the Ombudsman and the Auditor General’s Office were the government agencies responsible for combating government corruption.For additional information concerning corruption in the country, please see the Department of State’s Investment Climate Statement for the country, and the Department of State’s International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, which includes information on financial crimes.																											Section 5.													 Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights												    																						A variety of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction to monitor, investigate, and publish their findings on human rights conditions or cases.  Government officials were often cooperative and responsive to the views of these groups.  In November, the United Nations Development Programme, working with the Office of the Public Prosecutor, introduced the first Survivor-Victims Charter, which provided survivor-victims of gender-based violence guidelines on accessing the criminal justice system and other support services.Government Human Rights Bodies:  In consultation with other political leaders, the president appointed a government ombudsman to a five-year term.  Investigating alleged human rights abuses was among the Office of the Ombudsman’s responsibilities.  The office, however, did not have the power to prosecute, and the findings of its investigations were not admissible as evidence in court proceedings.  The ombudsman referred cases deemed valid to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for action, but there were few prosecutions.																											Section 6.													 Discrimination and Societal Abuses												    																																																Women										Rape and Domestic Violence:  Rape, regardless of the survivor’s gender, was a crime with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.  The law did not specifically criminalize spousal rape, but it could be prosecuted under related statutes that covered assault and domestic violence.  The law criminalized domestic violence and sought to protect the rights of women and children.  Violators could face maximum prison terms of five years, a fine, or both.  The law also called for police to issue protection orders for as long as there was a threat of violence.The government did not effectively enforce rape and domestic violence laws.  Police frequently were reluctant to intervene in what they considered domestic matters.In August, the Supreme Court sentenced a man to four years’ imprisonment for raping his stepdaughter.There was a “no drop,” evidence-based policy under which police were not supposed to drop reported domestic violence cases.  The Police Academy and the New Zealand government provided training for police in responding to domestic violence and sexual assault cases.In December, the Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls, a UN program in partnership with the EU, reported that more than 60 percent of the country’s women had experienced gender-based violence, often at the hands of their intimate partners or family members.These rates were higher in rural areas, but gender-based violence was prevalent across all regions, age groups, education levels, and religions.  Moreover, these numbers likely underreported violence because of stigma and shame around family violence, which was considered a private matter.  Most cases, including rape, were not reported to authorities because women, particularly in rural areas, were unaware of their rights or feared further abuse.The nongovernmental organization (NGO) Vanuatu Women’s Center and a gender and protection analysis report published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed increased gender-based violence following cyclones Judy and Kevin in March.  In May 2022, media reported an academic study of 192 women attending antenatal care in Sanma Province found 45 percent had experienced intimate partner violence during their current pregnancy.  The women’s center provided face-to-face counseling and free legal services to support the safety of women and children.  It also ran a national toll-free help-line number for free counseling, referral, and support services to women and child survivors of domestic violence that could be accessed on the country’s two networks.The Department of Women’s Affairs played a role in implementing family protection.  NGOs like the Vanuatu Women’s Center played an important role in educating the public regarding domestic violence and helping women access the formal justice system, but they lacked sufficient funding to implement their programs fully.Other Forms of Gender-based Violence or Harassment:  Customary bride-price payments continued and contributed to the perception of men’s ownership of women.The law did not prohibit sexual harassment and it was widespread in the workplace.  A May 2022 survey of 62 girls and women in Port Vila and surrounding areas conducted by women’s rights organization Sista found that 66 percent had experienced sexual harassment at their workplace; 79 percent of such cases were not reported due to “the normalization of sexual harassment” or “unclear strategies on how to report.”  The survey found many workplaces did not have sexual harassment policies.Discrimination:  The constitution provided women the same personal and religious rights as men.  Laws regarding marriage, criminal procedures, and employment further provided for women’s rights equal to those of men.Although the law did not prohibit women from owning or inheriting property or land, discrimination generally barred women from land ownership or property inheritance.The country’s culture was patriarchal and characterized by male dominance.  The government did not effectively enforce prohibitions on employment discrimination against women, which was widespread and especially common in promotions to management positions.  Women were legally prohibited from working night hours in the same way as men.  Women also experienced discrimination in access to credit and pay equity for substantially similar work.  The Department of Women’s Affairs worked with regional and international organizations to increase women’s access to the formal justice system and educate women regarding their rights under the law, holding multiple open workshops throughout the year that coincided with public holidays to encourage participation at the local community level.Reproductive Rights:  There were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities.Barriers impeding access to care and contraception included low literacy levels among women; risk of gender-based violence and social stigma; the belief that younger women, unmarried women, women without domestic partners, and women with no children should not use contraceptives; lack of health-care worker training; and community gossip and discrimination.  Access to menstrual health care was culturally constrained in most rural areas and was a financial challenge to girls living in urban areas.  In most rural areas access to sanitary pads was rare and during menstruation girls usually missed school.The government provided access to sexual and reproductive health services for survivors of sexual violence.  Emergency contraception and postexposure prophylaxis were available through private clinics, following counseling services for survivors.																																				Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination										The constitution provided that all persons were entitled to fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual without discrimination on the grounds of race, place of origin, religious or traditional beliefs, or language.  The law did not, however, explicitly prohibit employment discrimination based on ethnicity.  The government did not effectively enforce constitutional or legal prohibitions of discrimination or violence against members of racial or ethnic minority groups.																																				Children										Education:  The government stressed the importance of children’s rights and welfare, but significant problems existed with access to education.  Although the government stated its commitment to free and universal education, school fees and difficult geography were barriers to school attendance for some children.School attendance was not compulsory.  In general, boys received more education than girls.  Although attendance rates were similar in early primary grades, significantly fewer girls advanced to higher grades, which NGOs attributed in part to lack of menstrual health-care options in rural areas.Child Abuse:  The country did not have a legal definition of child abuse, but the law addressed sexual abuse of children and stated that parents had to protect children from violence within the family setting.  The national child protection policy recognized the government’s responsibility to protect all children from violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect.According to a Disaster Management Reference handbook published in July by the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, one in three girls younger than 15 encountered sexual abuse.Child, Early, and Forced Marriage:  The legal age for marriage was 21, although boys as young as 18 and girls as young as 16 could marry with parental permission.  In rural areas and outer islands, some children married at younger ages.  In June 2022, UNICEF reported approximately 21 percent of children married before age 18.Sexual Exploitation of Children:  The law addressed statutory rape, providing for a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment if the child was older than 13 but younger than 15, or 14 years’ imprisonment if the child was younger than 13.  The law also prohibited commercial sexual exploitation of children, the sale of children, and child sex trafficking (the offering or use of a child for the purpose of commercial sex or pornography).  There were no criminal cases dealing with pornography or child sexual exploitation during the year.The maximum penalty for publishing child pornography was five years’ imprisonment and two years’ imprisonment for possession.Authorities did not report enforcing laws against commercial sexual exploitation of children, child sex trafficking, and child pornography.By law the age of consensual sex was 16 regardless of gender or sexual orientation.  Some children younger than 18 were exploited in commercial sexual exploitation.																																				Antisemitism										The country’s Jewish community consisted of a few foreign nationals, and there were no known reports of antisemitic incidents.																																				http://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/Trafficking in Persons										See the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.																																				Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics										Criminalization:  No law criminalized consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults.Violence and Harassment:  There were reports of violence and harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQI+) persons.  LGBTQI+ activist group VPride Foundation reported the perception within the local LGBTQI+ community that police tolerated violence and discrimination against LGBTQI+ persons; consequently, harassment, discrimination, and criminal acts often went unreported.  There were no hate crime laws or criminal justice mechanisms to aid in the prosecution of bias-motivated crimes against LGBTQI+ persons.Discrimination:  No law specifically prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics; nor did the law recognize LGBTQI+ individuals, couples, or their families.  Societal discrimination against LGBTQI+ individuals indirectly prevented them from freely accessing health-care services.Availability of Legal Gender Recognition:  Legal gender recognition was not available.Involuntary or Coercive Medical or Psychological Practices:  There were no reports of involuntary or coercive medical or psychological practices including so-called conversion therapy targeting LGBTQI+ individuals during the year.Restrictions of Freedom of Expression, Association, or Peaceful Assembly:  There were no restrictions on freedom of expression, association, or peaceful assembly related to LGBTQI+ matters.																																				Persons with Disabilities										Persons with disabilities were unable to access education, health services, public buildings, or transportation on an equal basis with others.  Government information and communication on disability concerns was not provided in accessible formats.  No law specifically prohibited discrimination against persons with disabilities.  Although the building code mandated access for persons with disabilities to existing and new facilities, most buildings did not facilitate such access.The government did not effectively implement national policy designed to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.  Access to services through the Ministry of Health’s mental health policy was very limited.  Schools were generally not accessible to children with disabilities.Persons with disabilities faced discrimination with respect to employment and occupations; the social stigma attached to disabilities contributed to the scarcity of jobs available to persons with disabilities amid a high rate of unemployment in the general population.  The International Labor Organization (ILO) noted that legislation allowing for the removal of persons with disabilities from some senior positions appeared to reflect an assumption that persons with any form of disability were incapable of holding such a position.																																					Section 7.													 Worker Rights												    																																																a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining										The law provided for the right of workers to form and join independent unions and strike.  These rights were not extended to the police force or prison service.  While the law did not require union recognition by the employer, it prohibited antiunion discrimination once a union was recognized.  Unions were required to register with the government and to submit audited statements of revenue and expenditure to the registrar annually.  Unions required government permission to affiliate with international labor federations; the government did not deny any union such permission.  The government and employers respected freedom of association, but the right to collective bargaining was not explicitly laid out in the law.Unions were independent of the government.  The law required unions to give 30 days’ notice of intent to strike and to provide a list of the names of potential strikers.  A union also had to show it attempted negotiation with the employer and reported the matter to the industrial registrar for possible mediation.  The minister of labor could prohibit persons employed in essential services from striking.  By law a court could find any person who failed to comply with such a prohibition guilty of an offense.  Similarly, for strikes in nonessential services, courts could also find workers failing to comply with procedural requirements guilty of an offense.  Convictions for such offenses could result in an obligation to perform compulsory labor in public prisons.  The law prohibited retaliation for legal strikes but did not explicitly require reinstatement for workers fired for union activity.  Complaints from private-sector workers regarding violations of freedom of association were referred to the Department of Labor for conciliation and arbitration.  The Public Service Commission handled complaints of violations from public-sector workers.  Complaints of antiunion discrimination had to be referred to the Department of Labor.  According to the commissioner for labor, the department had a dispute-resolution process to manage these grievances.The government effectively enforced applicable law although enforcement was often constrained or delayed due to lack of resources.  Investigations were generally only carried out following complaints.  Penalties for violating the law were commensurate with those under other laws involving denials of civil rights.  Penalties were never applied against violators.																																				b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor										See the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.																																				c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment										See the Department of Labor’s Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor at  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/findings&nbsp;.																																				d. Discrimination (see section 6)																																														e. Acceptable Conditions of Work										Wage and Hour Laws:  The minimum wage, raised on May 9, was above the national poverty income level.  The law provided for a 44-hour maximum workweek, and the total number of hours worked, including overtime, was limited to 56 hours per week.  Workers were supposed to receive more than three days paid annual holidays.  The law provided for a premium of 50 to 75 percent more than the normal rate of pay for overtime work.Occupational Safety and Health:  The law included provisions for occupational safety and health (OSH) standards, which were up to date and appropriate for the main sectors.  Legal provisions on working conditions and safety standards applied equally to foreign workers and citizens in the formal sector.  Inspectors had the right to make unannounced inspections and initiate sanctions.  OSH experts did not actively identify unsafe conditions or respond to workers’ OSH complaints.  While workers had the legal right to remove themselves from dangerous situations, the government did not protect workers in this situation.  Many companies in logging, agriculture, construction, and manufacturing did not provide personal safety equipment and standard scaffolding for workers.Wage, Hour, and OSH Enforcement:  The government did not effectively enforce wage, overtime, or OSH laws, especially in the informal sector and among small businesses.  Penalties for wage, hour, and OSH violations were not commensurate with those for similar crimes.  Penalties were rarely applied against violators.The labor commissioner stated that most companies complied with the wage rate, and inspectors conducted routine inspections to determine that minimum wages were paid.  The number of inspectors was not sufficient to deter violations.  The government did not receive any formal complaints of violations regarding minimum wage, hours of work, or safety standards during the year.The ILO in 2021 estimated that approximately 67 percent of the country’s workforce was in the informal sector.  Wage and safety standards applied to the informal sector but were not enforced.  No government entity provided protection services to workers in the informal economy.  According to the 2020 ILO-supported Vanuatu Workers Rapid Assessment on Impact of COVID-19, the incidence of informal employment was highest in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector (95 percent), followed by industry (62 percent), and the service sector (45 percent).  The report also confirmed that informal employment was higher among women than among men, and the lower the level of educational attainment, the greater the likelihood of being informally employed.																																				    							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Respect for the Integrity of the Person																																							a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings																																																						b. Disappearance																																																						c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses																																																				Prison and Detention Center Conditions																																																																																				d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention																																																				Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees																																																																																				e. 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- Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Allen Travels to Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, and Chile Office of the SpokespersonFrom October 11-19, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Liz Allen will visit Nadi, Fiji; Port Vila, Vanuatu; Sydney, Australia, and Santiago, Chile. The Under Secretary’s visit will demonstrate the United States’ ongoing commitment to key partners in the Pacific and South America; support open and free media environments; counter foreign malign influence; and strengthen and expand people-to-people ties.Under Secretary Allen will begin her travel in Nadi, Fiji, where she will meet with local partners and alumni of U.S. exchange programs to discuss their work in Fiji and the shared vision of a connected, prosperous, peaceful, and resilient Blue Pacific continent.The Under Secretary will then travel to Port Vila, Vanuatu, where she will meet with senior government officials to discuss shared climate priorities, regional cooperation, and the deepening U.S.-Vanuatu relationship in advance of the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Port Vila. The Under Secretary will also meet with media and civil society organizations in Vanuatu to discuss their work to increase transparency and promote democratic values.Under Secretary Allen will travel next to Sydney, Australia, to give opening remarks at the establishment of a Digital Communication Network (DCN) hub in East Asia and the Pacific. The DCN is a global NGO whose members collaborate across borders to promote independent storytelling, combat disinformation, and safeguard information integrity. She will also meet with senior Australian public diplomacy officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, local subject matter experts, and students to discuss methods for countering foreign malign influence, opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence, and increasing research partnerships and collaboration in AUKUS-related cutting-edge fields. The Under Secretary will join Australia’s National Indigenous Culinary Institute, highlighting their modern approach to a time-honored way of learning about other cultures and forming new relationships. Under Secretary Allen will also visit The Guardian Australia to meet with staff working on their Pacific Project, which reports extensively across the Pacific Islands while training and mentoring up-and-coming journalists from those countries.The Under Secretary will conclude her trip with a visit to Chile for engagements with government officials, civil society leaders, and exchange participants to mark the 200th anniversary of bilateral relations and the 20th anniversary of the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement. During sports and other cultural diplomacy events, she will promote social inclusion through exchange and highlight the value of English language learning. The Under Secretary will also visit an indigenous cultural center to discuss the value of economic inclusion, entrepreneurism, and climate activism, as well as reaffirm our appreciation for cultural heritage. During meetings with senior government officials and civil society leaders, the Under Secretary will underscore shared democratic values, the importance of countering foreign malign influence, and our commitment to economic cooperation, as well as announce new grants with strategic partners to advance shared goals.
- Digital Press Briefing with Daniel J. Kritenbrink, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper, Special Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Assistant SecretaryBureau of East Asian and Pacific AffairsDr. Mira Rapp-Hooper, Special Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for East Asia and OceaniaMODERATOR:  Greetings from the U.S. Department of State’s Asia Pacific Media Hub.  I would like to welcome journalists today to the on-the-record briefing with Daniel J. Kritenbrink, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper, Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania.  The speakers will provide a readout on the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit.With that, let’s get started.  Dr. Rapp-Hooper, I’ll turn it over to you for your opening remarks.DR RAPP-HOOPER:  Thanks so much, and thanks to you all for being here this evening, this morning.  We’re glad to have the opportunity to read you out the President’s really consequential summit of Pacific Islands Forum leaders here in Washington just a few days ago, and thrilled to be joining my friend and colleague Dan Kritenbrink to do so.As you know, this week, leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum were all in Washington for the second-ever U.S.-Pacific Island Leaders Summit.  By all accounts, this was an extremely successful and productive visit for the PIF leaders and for the President.  I’ll start with a brief recap of the leaders’ engagements over the past few days, and then I’ll discuss in brief some of the key deliverables that were announced over the course of the summit before handing the floor over to Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink.In advance of the formal meetings that took place in Washington, we got our summit started early on Sunday when Pacific Island Forum leaders took a trip from New York on a special Amtrak train down to Baltimore.  In Baltimore, the leaders attended a Baltimore Ravens game, where they were recognized for their role as American friends in the Indo-Pacific.  They even made it onto the field, where they were recognized before the game began.After the game, they toured a Coast Guard cutter ship in the Baltimore Harbor, the USS Forward, and had a meeting and opportunity to exchange views with Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan on key issues to Pacific Island leaders, including combating illegal fishing and effectively managing maritime domains.Following the Pacific Island Forum leaders’ trip to Baltimore, the leaders came to Washington, where they were hosted by President Biden at the White House on Monday for the second-ever U.S.-Pacific Summit.  They also attended a climate roundtable hosted by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry as well as a dinner hosted by Secretary Blinken and Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield about which Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink will say more in just a moment.On Tuesday, the leaders also met with members of the philanthropic community, U.S. businesses, and members of Congress.  We closed out the summit with a reception hosted by our friends at the Australian embassy, emphasizing the depths of our people-to-people ties.  And I look forward to Dan speaking to those engagements in a bit more detail very soon.At the summit with PIF leaders on Monday, President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to shared regional priorities and to deepening our cooperation, including to tackling the climate crisis, advancing economic growth, promoting sustainable development, countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and expanding our people-to-people ties.Before getting into the deliverables that we unveiled on Monday, I’d first like to take a step back and recognize the milestones of engagement with PIF countries that we have passed over the course of the last couple of years.Just in the last year, we have opened new embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga in record time, thanks in no small part to the extraordinary work of our colleagues at the State Department.  We opened a USAID regional mission in Fiji and are returning the Peace Corps to the region after years of relative absence.  We are enhancing our engagement with the Pacific Islands Forum as the region’s leading institution, and we continue to expand U.S. cooperation and assistance programs throughout the region.At this year’s summit, we announced expanded ties with our recognition, our diplomatic recognition, of the Cook Islands and Niue, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with both of these Pacific Island nations.Since last year’s summit, this May, Secretary Blinken met with the Pacific Island Forum leaders in Papua New Guinea, and at this week’s summit, the Biden-Harris administration has continued to show that we are delivering on our promises.  All told, we have now announced a commitment to work with Congress towards over $8 billion in new funding and programs for the Pacific Island region.  And again, this is just in the last year.On Monday, President Biden announced a new slate of activities, including plans to work with Congress to request and provide nearly $200 million in new funding.  These programs seek to address the priority issues we hear about from Pacific Island leaders, including the climate crisis – which is existential for many of our Pacific Island friends – and we always stand shoulder to shoulder with them as they work to meet the challenge to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.The President on Monday also reaffirmed his commitment to the security of the Blue Pacific Continent, and to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, the United States has announced that it will provide over $11 million to bring cutting-edge maritime domain awareness technology to the Pacific through the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness to help improve the maritime picture and law enforcement information analysis and provision amongst our Pacific Island friends.We’re also delivering on our promise to invest in the prosperity of the region.  As the President has announced, we will invest an additional $40 million working with Congress to expand our Pacific Islands Infrastructure Initiative.  Through this initiative, we’re bringing technical assistance and project preparation work needed to identify commercially viable projects through partners in the U.S. Government, including the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.These are just a few of the key initiatives announced as part of our summit.  One more that I’d flag that we’re happy to go into during our question-and-answer period involves a new microfinance facility that will offer small and micro loans to Pacific Island businesses so that entrepreneurs there have the chance to thrive.  And these deliverables we are working towards illustrate the depths of our collaboration with the Pacific Islands and the promise of expanding our partnership for many years to come.As President Biden has said, the United States is and will long remain a proud Pacific nation.  And as a Pacific nation, the United States is here for the long haul and will continue to deliver on our promises to our partners in the region.I’ll hand the floor over to Dan to talk more about Secretary Blinken’s consequential engagements with the PIF leaders throughout the summit.  Dan, over to you.ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Mira, thanks so much, and good evening, everyone.  I think, as my esteemed colleague Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper has outlined, this was a tremendously successful summit that I think demonstrates further the breadth and depth of America’s commitment to the Pacific.  And Mira, I thought that was really a tremendous rundown of a momentous series of events related to the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit.I thought that I would focus my remarks a bit more narrowly on some of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s significant engagements with the Pacific Island leaders here in Washington, and then also mention briefly the engagement involving the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry’s meetings during the summit as well.As Secretary Blinken put it, our engagements were designed to show that we’re seizing on the possibilities of this moment to build a more secure, resilient, inclusive, and prosperous Pacific region.As Secretary Blinken also said on Monday night, the fundamental fact is this:  Our fates are tied together.  We’ve long been committed development partners to the Pacific Islands, and we’re excited to bring new energy and resources to the Pacific, working with partners in the Pacific Islands on our shared goal of meeting Pacific priorities and supporting Pacific institutions.We saw this last week, last Friday at the UN – at the end of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, when Secretary Blinken hosted a Partners in the Blue Pacific ministerial in New York.  And at that meeting on Friday, we aimed to highlight the tremendous work we’ve done to advance more effective and efficient cooperation and engagement with our Pacific partners, designed to strengthen Pacific regionalism and to facilitate and encourage other partners and institutions to engage and consult with the Pacific.  And of course those efforts flowed nicely into the Pacific Islands Forum Summit itself, which began, as Mira indicated, on Monday.I think a clear sign of our commitment to the Pacific region came through the establishment of diplomatic relations with both Niue and the Cook Islands.  Following an announcement from President Biden earlier on Monday, Secretary Blinken hosted Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown for two separate signing ceremonies here in the State Department Treaty Room to make these momentous occasions.  These historic announcements reaffirmed our joint commitments to deepen our cooperation as equal and sovereign partners, guided by respect, genuine engagement, and partnership.  We fully anticipate working even closer with Niue and the Cook Islands on our shared priorities, which include the climate crisis, renewable energy, Pacific regionalism, and good governance, among many others.Secretary Blinken then had the pleasure of joining the millennium compact corporation CEO Alice Albright and iKiribati President Taneti Maamau for a signing ceremony for an MCC-Kiribati threshold program grant agreement that will provide up to $29.1 million to promote safe, accessible, decent, and inclusive employment opportunities for Kiribati workers, both in Kiribati and across the region.  This will be the United States’ largest direct grant investment in Kiribati to date, and it is an agreement that we believe will deliver clear results and benefits to people in the Pacific Islands and solve real challenges to shape our future.I wanted to mention, also on Monday evening, Secretary Blinken hosted really a spectacular dinner here at the State Department in the newly renovated Benjamin Franklin Room, which was an opportunity for the Secretary and other leaders across the U.S. Government to meet with all of the Pacific Island leaders and to discuss in more detail ways that we can expand our cooperation in the future.  The Secretary was delighted to host the banquet with his co-host, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield – of course, America’s Permanent Representative to the UN – and at the dinner, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced that she will be America’s representative to the next Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Summit in November of this year.I think the final event of the summit, the two-day summit, for Secretary Blinken was his meeting with representatives from the Freely Associated States.  Namely, he met with Marshall Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ading, he met with Federated States of Micronesia President Simina, and with Palau President Whipps.  That was on Tuesday, late Tuesday afternoon.During the meeting, the Secretary took the opportunity to underscore the strong people-to-people ties and shared history underpinned by the Compacts of Free Association between the U.S. and these three Freely Associated States.  The Secretary commended the dignitaries for the progress in the negotiations on the compact-related agreements, which we believe signals a new era in our partnerships that will help advance a secure, free, and open Pacific.  And we look forward to further progress on these Compacts of Free Association agreements in the months to come.Finally, of course, climate change, as Mira indicated, was a major topic of discussions since it is such an existential challenge, and we recognize it, as our partners do, as the single greatest threat facing the Blue Pacific.Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry met with Pacific leaders on Monday to discuss the climate crisis and ocean resilience.  Secretary Kerry reiterated the United States’ new policy on sea-level rise and statehood that President Biden had earlier announced as well as new investments in strengthening early warning systems and sustainable development.So in the interest of time, why don’t I stop there.  I know that Mira and I will be delighted to take your questions.  Thanks.MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Thank you, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink.  We’ll now turn it over to the question-and-answer portion of today’s briefing.  The first question will go to Ralph Jennings from the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, who sent his question in advance:  “How does the recent U.S. engagement with the South Pacific help offset China’s economic influence in the region?”ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Mira, do you want to take that one first or you want me to dive in?DR RAPP-HOOPER:  I’m happy to take that one, Dan.ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Please.DR RAPP-HOOPER:  And I’ll turn to you in just a moment to add your thoughts.  Thanks for the question.  I would say just as a topline matter, when we’re working with our Pacific Island friends, we’re really not focused principally on China.  We’re focused on what the United States can offer as a likeminded partner to this group of countries.  And we are very focused on delivering positive, attractive alternatives to these countries that can help them and their people thrive.  But it’s really about what we stand for together alongside our Pacific Island partners, not about who or what we’re against.But with that in mind, I will note that, as the President announced, our $200 million in new programs for Pacific Island Forum nations do include some really consequential new programs that we believe are going to help our friends in the Pacific to generate the economic dynamism that they’re looking for to offset and combat climate change and to continue their recovery from the pandemic, where they were especially hard-hit.Just as a few examples, we’re stepping up our infrastructure efforts.  Specifically, as I mentioned, the President announced $40 million to new infrastructure projects in the Pacific Islands.  He also announced that the United States will be undertaking new submarine cable projects in the Pacific Islands to build secure, reliable connectivity amongst Pacific Island nations and to ensure that our friends there have the basic digital infrastructure that they need, like reliable, speedy internet on which so many businesses and individuals rely.  And of course, that submarine cable work builds on work we have been doing in recent years, including with the East Micronesia Cable, where we’ve already begun work to improve high-quality and more reliable secure communications for over 100,000 people in the Pacific Islands.  So infrastructure is a big part of our work.We are also delivering a new Millennium Challenge Corporation project with the Government of Kiribati, which is intended to advance economic growth in Kiribati in partnership with the International Labor Organization and American Councils of International Education to bolster and promote safe, accessible, and inclusive employment opportunities for Kiribati workers.Through the Quad, we are partnering with the Government of Palau to implement the deployment of a new ORAN network that is a next-generation, secure mobile network to help Palau get the secure connectivity that it needs.  And as we mentioned at the top of the call, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency is working throughout the Pacific Islands to identify through its technical work opportunities for more viable projects in the months and years to come.So this is just a sampling of the work that we’re doing to try to bring the economic tools we have to bear to help Pacific economies thrive, but I’ll hand it back to Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink to see what he might like to add.ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Mira, that’s a brilliant answer.  I – all I could really do is foot-stomp what Mira has already said.  We approach the region from the perspective of advancing our affirmative agenda – the shared interests and values that we hold in common with our Pacific partners.That’s our focus, not any notion of focusing on a third party.  And as we often say, we have a regional strategy.  We’re focused on our affirmative agenda.  And I think if we continue to deliver benefits to our partners in the Indo-Pacific, I’m very confident and optimistic about our future together.In particular, as Dr. Rapp-Hooper has indicated, our entire approach to the Pacific is predicated on meeting our Pacific Island friends where they live.  In other words, in conversation with our Pacific partners, we have understood clearly what their needs and concerns and interests are, as outlined very clearly in the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.  And by design, our work and the work of our other partners through the Partners in the Blue Pacific is specifically designed to address the needs that they themselves have outlined in their strategy.Again, that is the focus of our efforts, not any third parties.  Thank you.MODERATOR:  Okay.  The next question is going to go to Rurika Imahashi, who submitted the question on the chat, the Q&amp;A box here on Zoom.  “Our understanding is that the Marshall Islands parliament will soon certify the compact deal with the U.S.  What is the U.S. understanding on the development of the agreement?”  So we’ll answer that part.ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Mira, why don’t I take an initial stab at this one and we’ll ask you, obviously, to add anything else that you would like.DR RAPP-HOOPER:  Sounds good.ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  I guess what I would say to any friends with questions about the compacts, I would just simply underscore that the compacts remain of vital importance to the United States.  I think they recognize our deep and historic ties to the three Freely Associated States.  I think they embody the strong ties between the peoples and the governments of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau.  And we remain very optimistic about the progress that we’ve made in the compact-related negotiations.I know when Secretary Blinken sat down with the leaders of the three Freely Associated States, he really commended them for the progress that we’ve made.  I think as everyone is tracking, we signed COFA-related agreements with Palau in May and with the Federated States of Micronesia in May, and we’ve made tremendous progress with our friends in the Marshall Islands.  We’re confident that we will conclude all of these agreements very soon and we will continue to build out these incredibly significant relationships that are central to everything we hope to achieve in the Pacific.And I think, as friends are tracking, that these compacts really are extraordinary agreements that are 20-year agreements in duration, and again, we’re confident that we will conclude them and implement them very soon.But, Mira, would you like to add anything to that?DR RAPP-HOOPER:  Not much that I could add, Dan, except just to foot-stomp the point that we believe we are well on our way; we’ll soon be at a successful conclusion and very much look forward to being able to mark that milestone after months of really terrific cooperation with all of the Freely Associated States.  That’s all for me.ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Yeah, and maybe just one final comment.  I think Mira’s comments reminded me that I do want to recognize that obviously this work is all being done at the direction of President Biden and Secretary Blinken, but our Special Presidential Envoy for Compact Negotiations Joe Yun and his team have also done a brilliant job and I really commend them.  And as Mira indicated, we’re very close and look forward to implementing them very soon.MODERATOR:  The next question will go to Stephen Wright from Radio Free Asia’s BenarNews Service.  Stephen, I also see that your hand is up.  If you’d like to unmute and ask your question, please go ahead.  Yeah, please go ahead and unmute.QUESTION:  Yeah, thanks.  Prime Minister Sogavare didn’t attend the recent summit and subsequently he said the U.S. should show respect to Pacific Island leaders and not lecture them at summits.  What do you think that shows about the progress of U.S. and Solomon Islands relations?  And are there any plans to have an ambassador at the new but smaller embassy in the Solomon Islands?DR RAPP-HOOPER:  Thanks very much.  This is Mira; I’m happy to take a first crack at this, and Dan, perhaps I’ll pass to you just on the embassy piece.We were disappointed that Prime Minister Sogavare was unable to attend the summit in Washington.  We did reach out, including at the very highest levels, to encourage him to join us for this terrific conversation that we’ve been laying out for you here, this opportunity to engage amongst friends, and we’re disappointed that he declined to do so.I don’t have much to say about the specific comments except to note, I think as we have been throughout this call tonight, that the conversation with the President, with the Secretary of State, with every cabinet official and member of Congress at the Pacific Island Forum leaders met with was collaborative, constructive, forward-looking, and I think most importantly involved an incredible amount of listening by U.S. Government officials to continue to refine their understanding of what our Pacific Island Forum friends are most looking for from us.So that’s the approach that we’re going to continue to take.  We continue to believe that it’s the right approach.  We feel that our three really dynamic days of programming show that we’re on the right track, and we look forward to continuing that work on the road ahead.Dan, over to you.ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Thank you, Mira.  Maybe specifically on the question regarding our presence in the Solomon Islands, I’ll just note that we were excited and honored to open our new U.S. embassy in Honiara in January of this year, which was less than one year after Secretary Blinken announced our intent to do so.  Really excited about the work that our embassy colleagues there, led by Chargé Russ Comeau – excited about the work that they’re doing, again, to build our friendship and our ties with the people of the Solmon Islands and ensure that we work to deliver tangible benefits to our partners there.Of course, any new first step in opening an embassy involves staffing it, and of course our chargé d’affaires currently leading our embassy efforts there, and we recognized him for his really stellar work there.I would simply say at this point we have taken a number of steps internally to identify the U.S. ambassador, the next U.S. ambassador to the Solomon Islands, and I don’t have anything to announce to you this evening.  But I hope we’ll have something to announce in the near future, but we are certainly working towards that end.  Thank you.DR RAPP-HOOPER:  Dan, if I may just jump in really quickly to add one additional detail.  I did want to note, as Dan noted, the – our wonderful Chargé Russ Comeau in the Solmon Islands was given a really important inaugural award at the dinner so graciously hosted by Secretary Blinken during the Pacific Island Forum Summit.  That inaugural award commemorates intrepid diplomacy in the Pacific Islands, and Chargé Comeau really embodies that to a T.  He has been just absolutely indefatigable in working to build U.S.-Solomons ties.I underscore that because I do want to make clear that the purpose of an award like this is to continue to draw attention to and raise up Americans who are doing their utmost on the ground to build ties with the Pacific Islands.  And I think the fact that we’ve established this award this year, that it was given by the Secretary of State, is just yet another demonstration that we are continuing to create incentives, recognize achievements so that Americans continue to step up and deliver on our promises throughout the Pacific.MODERATOR:  Okay.  I realize that we’re running a little bit over.  We started a few minutes late, so we’ll take a couple more questions.  We have one from Daniel Hurst from The Guardian.  “To what extent is the United States concerned about the newly announced comprehensive strategic partnership between Timor-Leste and China?  Why or why not?”ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Perhaps I can take an initial crack at that one and then ask Mira to chime in.  Look, I think as we indicated earlier, our message to partners in the region is that we’re not asking countries to choose.  We’re in the business of trying to ensure that countries have the ability to make their own sovereign decisions and their own choices free from coercion.My second point would be, as indicated earlier, we’re focused on our affirmative agenda in the region, including with friends in Timor-Leste, and we’ll continue to do that.  We’ll focus on how we can further build out our friendship and partnership with counterparts in the region, including Timor-Leste, and focus on the great work that we can do together.But again, we’re not in the business of asking countries to choose, and I don’t really think it’s beneficial to try to get into some kind of a comparison game or comment on engagement of other partners with the PRC.But, Mira, what would you like to add to that?DR RAPP-HOOPER:  Nothing to add, Dan.  I’m in violent agreement.MODERATOR:  Great.  We are – let’s see.  If the speakers are okay, can we take one more question?ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Absolutely.  Please.MODERATOR:  Great.  Great.  And this one is from Mar-Vic Cagurangan from the Pacific Island Times, based in Tamuning, Guam, who sent it in advance:  “How will a federal shutdown affect the Compact of Free Association, COFA?  Will the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and Palau continue to receive funds throughout the shutdown?  Do you think this affect – this will affect the U.S. credibility with the Freely Associated States?”ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Mira, perhaps I could provide an initial answer on this one as well and then be happy to turn to you.  Yeah, I really do appreciate the question, and I’ll just underscore what I mentioned earlier.  We’re really excited about the progress we’ve made in the compact negotiations and we’re confident that all of these agreements will be concluded soon.The issue that you raised here was discussed in some detail in the meeting between Secretary Blinken and the three leaders from the Freely Associated States, and I can assure you that we are in very close and constant communication with our friends both in the Freely Associated States and with leaders on Capitol Hill to make sure that we have a plan going forward under all circumstances that will allow us to meet our obligations under the compacts.I think, as friends may be tracking, that the draft Compact of Free Association agreements, the draft legislation on the Hill includes authority to continue programs and services at the same levels provided under current agreements until the new agreements are in place so as to avoid a lapse in services.  And we’re also working very closely with our friends so that if there were to be any kind of a lapse in appropriations that we can take the appropriate mitigating steps wherever possible to minimize any possible impacts on our friends in the Freely Associated States.But I think that I can assure you we’re in close and frequent contact with our friends in the Freely Associated States and I’m confident we have a plan to work through any contingency.Mira, what would you like to add?DR RAPP-HOOPER:  Nothing to add, Dan.  Thanks so much.MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And for our closing remarks, I’d like to turn it back to Dr. Rapp-Hooper.DR RAPP-HOOPER:  Thanks so much, folks, for joining us this evening.  I think from this conversation you’ve gotten a pretty good lay of the land of the incredibly substantive set of conversations that took place in Washington this week.  The point I want to emphasize before we let you go is that for us, this project, this promise to renew our ties, renew our commitment to the Pacific Islands, is really about much more than a three-day summit.  It’s about delivery on the promises that we’ve made in the last two years, which I think we showed in spades this week, but on delivery on those new conversations and those new commitments that have been made just this week.We have clear instructions from the President, the Secretary of State, the National Security Advisor, and many others to move out expeditiously on everything that we announced alongside our Pacific Island friends earlier this week, and we intend to literally put our money where our mouth is and deliver on everything that we seek to do together in the Pacific, whether that is providing finance so that friends in the Pacific can more quickly and readily adapt to climate change or providing micro and small loans to entrepreneurs and small businesses so that women leaders in particular can get the financing they need to allow them to contribute to increasingly dynamic Pacific economies.So we’re really just still in the opening chapter of the new Pacific story that we’re writing here under the Biden administration, but we feel like we have made tremendous progress in just the last two years, and we are emerging from this week’s summit energized and ready to hit the ground running with this new set of programs and new set of promises, and we look forward to being back in touch to share more about how this exciting work is all going.MODERATOR:  And Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink, I’ll turn it over to you for any closing remarks.ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  I can’t say it any better than that.  Beautifully summarized by Mira.  Really grateful to all of our friends in the media for joining us here tonight.  And as Mira indicated, we’re committed to now implementing all of the agreements and the objectives that we’ve set out flowing from this latest summit, and very optimistic, again, about our future ahead with friends in the Pacific.  Thanks again for joining us tonight.MODERATOR:  That brings us to the end of our time today.  Thank you for your questions and thank you to Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink and Dr. Rapp-Hooper for joining us.  We will provide a transcript of this briefing to participating journalists as soon as it is available.  We’d also love to hear your feedback, and you can contact us at any time at AsiaPacMedia@state.gov.  Thank you again for your participation and we hope you can join us for another briefing soon.
- Republic of Vanuatu National Day Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateOn behalf of the people and Government of the United States of America, I extend my greetings and warm congratulations to you and the ni-Vanuatu in celebration of your National Day on July 30.For many decades, our shared stories in the Pacific have been connected through past challenges and future hopes. Since the reopening last year of borders which the pandemic had closed, we have worked diligently to reconnect our two countries, and I am excited for the significant steps forward we can take in our bilateral relationship in the coming year. In partnership with fellow Pacific countries, with respect for sovereignty and local concerns, and with optimism for the shared goals, common values, and earnest efforts we can accomplish, I look forward to collaborating on a range of issues, particularly the fight against the climate crisis.Our commitment to our Pacific friends remains strong, and I send my best wishes to you on this 43rd celebration of your independence.
- Vanuatu HomeReportsOffice to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons2023 Trafficking in Persons Report&#8230;Vanuatu				hide	document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {	if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}});																							2023 Trafficking in Persons Report: Vanuatu																																					Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons																																																																																																				 In this section										/																							VANUATU (Tier 2 Watch List)																																													VANUATU (Tier 2 Watch List)																															PRIORITIZED RECOMMENDATIONS:																																																																																		PROSECUTION																																																																																		PROTECTION																																																																																		PREVENTION																																																																																		TRAFFICKING PROFILE:																																																																																																								VANUATU (Tier 2 Watch List)				The Government of Vanuatu does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.  These efforts included sentencing four traffickers to adequate prison terms, following their conviction in the previous reporting period.  However, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, even considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity.  For the fourth consecutive year, authorities did not identify any trafficking victims and did not provide any protection services to trafficking victims, including among victims who remained in the country at the close of the previous reporting period.  For the third consecutive year, the government did not investigate any trafficking crimes.  The government also did not conduct public awareness campaigns or administer systematic anti-trafficking training for its law enforcement officials.  Therefore Vanuatu was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List.																																					PRIORITIZED RECOMMENDATIONS:						    																																															Amend anti-trafficking legislation to remove sentencing provisions that allow fines in lieu of imprisonment for sex trafficking crimes. Increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers under anti-trafficking laws and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms. In coordination with civil society, develop and implement comprehensive SOPs for victim identification and referral, including by screening for trafficking indicators among vulnerable populations, such as individuals in commercial sex, LGBTQI+ persons, migrant workers, and persons displaced by natural disasters. Provide systematic training for all relevant officials on the trafficking law, victim identification, and referral mechanisms. Allocate resources for and implement victim protection benefits, including permission to work for foreign victims who wish to participate in prosecutions against alleged traffickers. Refer all identified victims to services. Cease compelling foreign victims to remain in Vanuatu for the length of prosecutions against alleged traffickers. Institute a campaign to raise public awareness of trafficking, including among remote and vulnerable communities. Improve anti-trafficking coordination with international partners, including by increasing information sharing with sending countries and instituting standard repatriation procedures. Accede to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.																																												PROSECUTION						    																																															The government maintained inadequate law enforcement efforts.  Vanuatu law criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking.  Article 34 of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime (CTTOC) Act criminalized trafficking in persons offenses involving adult victims and prescribed penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 50 million Vanuatu vatu (VT) ($417,010), or both.  Article 35 criminalized trafficking in persons offenses involving child victims and prescribed penalties of up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 75 million VT ($625,520), or both.  These penalties were sufficiently stringent; however, with respect to sex trafficking, by allowing fines in lieu of imprisonment, these penalties were not commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.The government did not report any trafficking investigations, prosecutions, or convictions.  In November 2021, courts convicted four Bangladeshi nationals on trafficking and related charges under the CCTOC and other crimes under the penal code.  The government first arrested the traffickers in March 2019 for exploiting 101 Bangladeshi victims in labor trafficking and in November 2020 initiated their prosecution – the first trafficking prosecution in the country’s history.  In June 2022, courts sentenced the four convicted traffickers to imprisonment between six and 14 years and ordered them to pay 190.8 million VT ($1.59 million) in restitution to the 101 victims.  Courts ordered two of the traffickers, collectively, to pay an additional 80,000 VT ($667) in fines.  In December 2022, authorities released three of the convicted traffickers on parole and deported them to their country of origin after serving half of their sentences due to pretrial detention time served.The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in human trafficking crimes.  The Vanuatu Police Force’s National Intelligence Unit (NIU) was the lead agency for trafficking investigations; however, the lack of dedicated funding and training in the country’s anti-trafficking policy infrastructure reportedly continued to constrain authorities’ ability to investigate trafficking cases.  For the second consecutive year, the government did not report any anti-trafficking training activities for law enforcement or other government officials.  Observers reported the government redirected resources, including those related to anti-trafficking efforts, among government agencies as a result of several cyclones, a cyberattack on government information technology services, and the pandemic, which may have adversely affected the government’s ability to detect and address trafficking.																																												PROTECTION						    																																															The government did not report any efforts to identify or assist victims.  For the fourth consecutive year, the government did not report identifying any trafficking victims.  The government continued to lack comprehensive, government-wide victim identification and referral SOPs.  The government did not have adequate screening procedures for arriving passengers at border control points.  In the past, officials expressed concern that the procedures may have adversely affected the government’s efforts to identify trafficking cases; the government did not report updating the screening procedures to address these gaps.  Observers noted police allowed violence and discrimination against LGBTQI+ persons; therefore, criminal acts and trafficking indicators may have gone unreported and resulted in unidentified trafficking victims.  Due to a lack of formal identification procedures, authorities likely punished or deported some unidentified trafficking victims.The government did not report assisting any victims.  The government did not report an update on three Bangladeshi labor trafficking victims identified in 2018 who remained in country at the end of the previous reporting period.  Unlike the previous reporting period, the government did not report granting temporary visas for victims to remain and work in Vanuatu.  The government did not report providing funding or assisting in repatriation efforts for the three labor trafficking victims.  When available, protection services were time-limited, and authorities conditioned some services on victims’ participation in court proceedings against the alleged traffickers.  In previous years, the government required victims to remain in Vanuatu to serve as witnesses in the prosecution and tied their repatriation to a final court ruling; an international organization reported this requirement may have re-traumatized several victims in prior reporting periods.  The government did not report having a process in place to change victims’ immigration status to grant them permission to work until the court reached a verdict, which could compound some victims’ indebtedness.  In 2020, one of the Bangladeshi labor trafficking victims sought restitution; the government did not provide an update to this restitution case.  In prior years, the government provided temporary visas to victims who participated in court proceedings; however, the government did not provide victims who did not participate the option to obtain a visa.  Observers reported the government redirected resources, including those related to anti-trafficking efforts, among government agencies as a result of several cyclones, a cyberattack on government information technology services, and the pandemic, which may have adversely affected the government’s ability to identify and assist trafficking victims.																																												PREVENTION						    																																															The government decreased efforts to prevent trafficking.  The National Steering Committee on Migrant Protection (NSC) was the national anti-trafficking coordinating body; the NSC did not report meeting.  The NSC was an interagency committee composed of senior government officials from multiple agencies, including Vanuatu Immigration Services, Transnational Crime Unit (TCU), Department of Labor, and National Security Council.  During the previous reporting period, the NSC, in partnership with an international organization, performed an assessment of existing anti-trafficking policies and legislation; the NSC did not provide an update to the assessment and it was not made publicly available.  The TCU had an action plan, which included anti-trafficking action items; however, it did not address all forms of trafficking and the TCU did not report implementing it.Observers reported the government redirected resources, including those related to anti-trafficking efforts, among government agencies as a result of several cyclones, a cyberattack on government information technology services, and the pandemic, which may have adversely affected the government’s ability to prevent trafficking.  For the fourth consecutive year, the government did not report conducting systematic anti-trafficking awareness campaigns.  The government did not report having a trafficking hotline or taking any steps to research and assess the scope of its trafficking problem.  The labor department licensed and monitored agencies that could recruit workers from Vanuatu for overseas work.  The government prohibited recruitment fees for seasonal work outside of Vanuatu and issued a notice of “non-compliance” to agents who charged migrant workers recruitment fees; the government did not report issuing any notices.  During a prior reporting period, the government proposed policy and legislative action to abolish seasonal worker recruitment agents and create a centralized government-managed process to connect workers with employment; however, the government did not report an update to the proposed actions.  The government, in partnership with an international organization, continued to implement a program to digitize and streamline citizen access to voter cards, citizenship documents, and national identification cards.  The government did not report providing anti-trafficking training to its diplomatic personnel.  The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts.  Vanuatu was not a party to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.																																												TRAFFICKING PROFILE:						    																																															Human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Vanuatu, and traffickers exploit victims from Vanuatu abroad.  Labor traffickers exploit individuals from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Thailand, Bangladesh, and the Philippines in Vanuatu.  Individuals from the PRC may have been forced to work in Vanuatu at projects run by PRC-based companies.  Traffickers target migrant women in the hospitality and tourism sectors and low-skilled foreign workers in high-risk sectors, such as agriculture, mining, fishing, logging, construction, and domestic service.  PRC national and South Asian migrant women are particularly at risk for labor trafficking in bars, beauty salons, and massage parlors.  Bangladeshi criminal groups have reportedly lured Bangladeshi individuals with false promises of high-paying job opportunities in Australia, transported them through Fiji, India, and Singapore, and then exploited them in forced labor in the construction industry in Vanuatu.  Some of the victims take out substantial loans to pay relevant travel expenses, which traffickers exploit through debt-based coercion.  Foreign fishermen working on Vanuatu-flagged, Taiwan-owned vessels have experienced indicators of forced labor, including deceptive recruitment practices, abuse of vulnerability, excessive overtime, withholding of wages, physical and sexual violence, and abusive living and working conditions on board.Natural disasters and climate-induced displacement significantly increases ni-Vanuatu vulnerability to trafficking, particularly as a majority of the population relies on small-scale and subsistence agriculture.  Thousands of ni-Vanuatu, who permanently or temporarily evacuated from the islands of Ambae and Ambrym due to volcanic activity, are at higher risk of trafficking due to the economic hardships ensuing from their ongoing displacement.  Women and girls may also be at risk of debt-based coercion in sex trafficking and domestic servitude via the customary practice of “bride-price payments,” where a man’s family gives a woman’s male relatives money or other valuables in order for the man and woman to become married.  The man’s family may at times force the woman to “pay back” the money through commercial sex acts or forced domestic service.  The incidence of bride-price payments is linked to broader economic hardship and vulnerability, particularly in the context of the country’s frequent natural disasters; increased reports of child marriage, where children may be exploited in domestic servitude or sex trafficking, occurred immediately after a cyclone in April 2020.  Traffickers exploit children through “child swapping” &#8211; brokered as an inter-familial cultural practice or as a method to pay off debts.  Women in commercial sex face physical and sexual violence and are reportedly coerced into forced pregnancy and forced marriage; reports acknowledge a correlation between the lack of economic opportunities and an increase in commercial sex.  The limited ability for women and girls in commercial sex to seek justice increases their vulnerability to trafficking.  Reports show taxi drivers may facilitate the exploitation of children in commercial sex.   Forced labor and child sex trafficking occur on fishing vessels in Vanuatu.  Foreign tourists aboard boats reportedly approach remote ni-Vanuatu communities and offer money in exchange for marriage with underage girls as a ploy for short-term sexual exploitation.  Locals onshore, acting as recruiters, also reportedly take underage girls aboard vessels and subject them to commercial sexual exploitation by foreign workers, often for weeks at a time.  The local recruiters, and in some instances the families, receive payment for recruiting and transporting the girls to the boats.  LGBTQI+ individuals are vulnerable to trafficking.  Children may also experience conditions indicative of forced labor in the illegal logging industry and in newspaper sales.																																				    							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- U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Dialogue in Papua New Guinea Office of the SpokespersonSecretary Blinken’s visit to Papua New Guinea for the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Dialogue is a testament to renewed U.S. commitment to our Pacific Island neighbors and partners.  At the historic first-ever U.S.-Pacific Island Summit held in Washington in September 2022, President Biden announced a slate of ambitious initiatives that, working with Congress, will provide over $810 million in additional expanded programs to meet Pacific priorities.  The Biden-Harris Administration is following through on these commitments, including through opening new U.S. embassies in the region in record time and expanding our diplomatic and development engagement to unprecedented levels.  The United States is also working together with likeminded partners through the Partners in the Blue Pacific to collectively support Pacific priorities as outlined in the Pacific Islands Forum 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.Today, Secretary Blinken highlighted our commitment to working with Congress for over $7.2 billion in new funding and programs for the Pacific Islands region.  This includes over $45 million in new programming for Papua New Guinea, as well as additional Pacific Islands programming.  The President’s FY 2024 Budget also requests $7.1 billion over 20 years to extend assistance under the Compacts of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau.With these new announcements, the Biden-Harris Administration has committed to working with Congress on providing over $8 billion to the Pacific Islands region since the historic first Summit in Washington, demonstrating U.S. commitment to the region.  These announcements include the following lines of effort:I. Delivering on the U.S.-Pacific Islands PartnershipAt the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Dialogue, Secretary Blinken and Pacific Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Declaration on U.S.-Pacific Partnership issued in September 2022.  The Declaration laid out an affirmative vision of cooperation and partnership to address shared challenges, bolster Pacific regionalism, advance economic growth and sustainable development, maintain peace and security in the Blue Pacific continent, and expand opportunities for our peoples.  The United States has been delivering on our commitments from the historic first Summit, the Declaration on U.S.-Pacific Partnership, and the first ever U.S. national strategy on the Pacific Islands, the Pacific Partnership Strategy.  This includes our request to Congress for $7.1 billion in funding over 20 years under the Compacts of Free Association for the Freely Associated States and signing agreements to extend Compact-related assistance with the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau to extend Compact-related assistance.Signing Agreements related to the Compacts of Free Association with Palau and Federated States of Micronesia (FSM): Extending COFA-related assistance is a critical component of the Administration’s Indo-Pacific, Pacific Partnership, and National Security Strategies, necessary to enhancing our relationships with the Freely Associated States and to maintaining our status as a committed preferred partner in the Pacific.  In Papua New Guinea, Special Presidential Envoy for Compact Negotiations Joseph Yun signed the Palau 2023 Compact Review Agreement with Minister of Finance Kaleb Udui.  The United States and FSM will sign Compact related agreements on May 23 in the FSM.New Embassy Openings: S. Embassy Honiara in Solomon Islands opened on January 27, 2023.  U.S. Embassy Nuku&#8217;alofa in Tonga opened on May 9, and a public event is expected in the coming months.  We are in active discussions regarding our interest in opening an embassy in Kiribati and have announced our intent to open an embassy in Vanuatu, subject to host government approval and completion of Congressional notification procedures.Returning Peace Corps to the Region: In September 2022, we announced that the Peace Corps would be returning to the Pacific region.  Peace Corps Volunteers are now on the ground in Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, and will return to Vanuatu later this year.  The Peace Corps is also assessing the reestablishment of operations, budget permitting, in Solomon Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. II. Expanding People-to-People ConnectionsThe United States is following through on commitments to strengthen people-to-people ties with our Pacific Islands neighbors.  We are also leveraging connections with academia, sports, and the private sector to build connections between our peoples.Expanding American Spaces in the Pacific: The United States intends to enhance and expand access to our American Spaces across the Pacific with a focus on inclusivity and accessibility and promoting people-to-people connections to build mutual understanding and partnerships.  In modern environments equipped with advanced technologies, visitors to American Spaces can explore and share a wide range of topics and ideas, access reliable information, develop practical professional skills, and participate in programs that foster economic strength, hone critical thinking, and build capacity.  Through a new Regional Public Engagement Specialist (REPS) position in Suva, Fiji, the United States will support the operations of American Spaces throughout the Pacific Islands.  In addition to the recently opened American Center in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, the United States intends to work with the Carnegie Library in Suva to open an American Corner and develop American Spaces for Solomon Islands, Tonga, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.Building Relationships through Sports in the Pacific: S. sports diplomacy programs in the Pacific are fostering resilience, health, economic development, and gender equity as well as building people-to-people ties.  In the last six months alone, U.S. athletes and coaches in surfing, running, rugby, and football have visited Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, and Kiribati, as well as with Indigenous Australians and New Zealanders.  American female surfers traveled to Papua New Guinea to teach youth surfing skills while advocating for greater gender equity policies in sports.  On May 19, eight Tongan and 10 Fijian female athletes and coaches traveled to the United States to participate in the State Department-funded International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI) to build leadership skills and discuss the role that sports can play in preventing gender-based violence.Expanding the Special Professional Fellows Program for Young Economic Empowerment Leaders: For the first time, fellows from Cook Islands, New Caledonia, and Niue will join a group of 10 Fellows from other Pacific Islands on a four-week, U.S.-based exchange to collaborate with U.S. professionals on post-pandemic equitable and sustainable economic recovery  The program features individually tailored Fellowships at private and public sector organizations across the United States which are designed to enhance the Fellows’ leadership and professional skills.  The Professional Fellows Program has supported programming in the Pacific Islands since 2018.Launching the U.S.-Pacific Institute for Rising Leaders: The Department of State is working with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies on the newly created U.S.-Pacific Institute for Rising Leaders, announced last September.  Beginning in the fall of 2023, this multi-year program will bring exceptional rising leaders from the private sector, government, media, and non-profit organizations across the Pacific to Washington, D.C. for several weeks of professional and leadership development.Announcing the Indo-Pacific Museum Exchange Partnership: In summer 2023, the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs&#8217; Cultural Heritage Center will launch a new, two-year exchange program for cultural heritage specialists from Indo-Pacific countries.  The Indo-Pacific Museum Exchange Partnership will build capacity to preserve and promote national identity and create a network of museum professionals across the region.  Participants from Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu will join participants from across the region to develop and share knowledge about collections management, conservation, and public engagement for the cultural objects in the national museums of these countries, many of which are important to Indigenous Peoples and the national identities of these countries.13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture 2024: The United States is pleased to support the Governor of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Community (SPC) in hosting the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC) June 6-16, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.  We look forward to providing a warm welcome filled with the Aloha Spirit to FestPAC delegations of royal families and Ministers to Indigenous practitioners and student performers next year.III.  Climate Action, Clean Energy, and Sustainable InfrastructureThe United States is committed to keeping 1.5 degrees Celsius limit on global warming within reach, including through outreach to major emitters to raise ambition and to take action in this critical decade.  We are committed to helping Pacific Islands manage both sudden-onset impacts of climate change, such as major storms, and slow-onset impacts such as sea-level rise.  To date, USAID has helped Pacific Islands countries unlock more than $500 million from international organizations such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund, and the Global Environment Facility.  The Administration will also work to scale the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) in the region to deliver quality, sustainable energy, physical, digital, health, and climate-resilient infrastructure.Technical Assistance Support for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Pacific Resilience Facility: The United States intends to provide $2 million, subject to Congressional notification and the completion of domestic procedures, to support the PIF to design and stand up the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF).  This program is envisioned to support investments into enhancing adaptation and resilience at the local level in the Pacific Islands.  The United States is proud to be among the founding development partners for this important new initiative promoting better access to climate finance in the Pacific.Reaffirming New Sea-level Rise Policy: The United States reaffirms our sea-level rise policy announced at the September 2022 Summit, which says that climate change-driven sea-level rise “should not diminish” maritime economic zones of coastal states and calls on all countries to commit to supporting this policy by COP 28.Transportation Partnership with the Pacific Islands (TPPI): The Department of Transportation (DOT) and U.S. Trade &amp; Development Agency (USTDA) conducted a joint scoping trip to Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga in February 2023 on transportation priorities and challenges to inform the basis for bilateral and regional technical assistance and capacity building activities.  Initial near-term DOT cooperation will focus on aviation safety with the Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO) and bilaterally through Federal Aviation Administration engagement.  In the medium-term, DOT is exploring other areas of cooperation, including maritime development, decarbonization, transportation safety, sustainability, planning, and inclusivity. USTDA is also currently evaluating transportation opportunities in airport and port upgrades, aviation safety, drone delivery, EVs, and climate-smart transportation.Pacific Islands Port Leaders Visit: USTDA will host a Pacific Islands Port Leaders Visit Reverse Trade Mission that will bring a delegation of 15 port sector leaders from the Pacific Islands to the United States to familiarize them with U.S. technologies, services, and best practices that can improve port operations, security, and sustainability in the region.  The visit advances the goals of the Transportation Partnership with the Pacific Islands, launched last September, by promoting sustainable transportation infrastructure in the region.Pacific Islands Strategic Infrastructure Initiative: USTDA launched a call for proposals to develop quality infrastructure for the Pacific Islands and conducted a six-country scoping mission to the Pacific Islands.  The Call for Proposals closed in April 2023, and USTDA is currently evaluating over 80 proposals from 11 Pacific Islands countries that have the potential to develop high-quality infrastructure projects and help unlock financing.  This work builds on USTDA’s current activities in the Pacific Islands aimed at unlocking over $450 million in financing for clean energy, connectivity, and digital infrastructure solutions.IV. Economic Partnership and RecoveryThe United States is committed to partnering with the Pacific Islands and allies and partners to drive economic growth and prosperity, including through increasing trade and investment; providing assistance to strengthen enabling environments, infrastructure, and macroeconomic stability; and continued support for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusion of Negotiations on Economic Assistance Agreement Related to the Tuna Treaty: The United States is following through on its pledge to request from Congress $600 million over ten years in connection with a new Economic Assistance Agreement associated with the South Pacific Tuna Treaty.  We and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency have concluded negotiations on a new 10-year agreement, and the President has included $60 million for the first year of the agreement in the FY 2024 budget request to Congress.  The United States is working on completion of its domestic procedures to conclude the agreement.Supporting Economic Growth by Promoting High Quality Business Opportunities in Pacific Islands Countries: The Department of Commerce will lead a U.S. business delegation to Pacific Islands countries in the coming year, complemented by virtual trade promotion events.  The trade mission delegation will seek to bring U.S. company representatives together with host nation officials, business associations, and potential private sector partners, distributors, and licensees to learn about business opportunities in Pacific Islands countries.  Target market sectors will include high-impact government procurements, particularly in seaports, airports, energy, healthcare, and telecommunications sectors.Increasing Competitiveness and Economic Inclusion by Bolstering Commercial Cooperation with Pacific Islands Countries: The Department of Commerce has begun the process of engaging interested Pacific Islands countries in discussions on bilateral Memoranda of Commercial Cooperation, aimed at supporting partners in expanding trade and investment with the United States, while improving business climates in the Pacific Islands.Technical Assistance for Aviation Security to Support Reopening Borders in the Pacific: Since 2022, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) has conducted aviation security oversight visits to Fiji, Samoa, and French Polynesia in support of Pacific border reopening and to ensure the security integrity of the civil aviation sector.  TSA plans to visit Cook Islands and Kiribati in the second half of 2023.  Civil aviation authority representatives from Fiji and Samoa have been nominated to attend the Idaho National Lab Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training in June 2023.  TSA, along with the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the International Civil Aviation Organization, will host a Joint Covert Testing workshop in July 2023, where countries including Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will learn to utilize joint covert testing programs to strengthen global aviation security effectiveness.Supporting Health through COVID-19 Vaccines:  The United States has provided over 1.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Pacific Islands countries.  Through our partnership with COVAX, the United States has donated over 860,000 life-saving doses of the Pfizer vaccine across the Pacific Islands countries.  Recent deliveries include the first U.S.-donated pediatric Pfizer doses (19,200) to Kiribati and the first U.S.-donated Tris Pfizer vaccines (70,200) to Solomon Islands.  Through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we have also provided an additional 476,270 doses to the Freely Associated States of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of the Marshall Islands.  USAID and HHS, through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), are working with partners to ensure these vaccines reach people who need it most and are administered efficiently and safely.Deployment of NOAA Ship Rainier to support Pacific Hydrographic Survey Requests: The United States deployed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Rainier April 30-May 1, 2023, to conduct a hydrographic survey of Kanton Island and its port area per a request from the Kiribati Ministry of Information, Communication, and Transport (MICT). This is the first-ever, high-resolution multibeam mapping mission conducted of Kanton Island, and the data will be used to improve maritime safety and support new infrastructure projects.  NOAA is working with MICT to develop Kiribati’s first integrated geospatial information framework with additional projects forthcoming. V. Bolstering Security Cooperation and Maritime Domain AwarenessThe United States is committed to ensuring the Blue Pacific Continent remains a place of peace and prosperity.  We are strengthening our cooperation with Pacific Islands countries on improving maritime domain awareness, combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and countering transnational criminal activity.Expanding United States Coast Guard (USCG) Security Cooperation in the Pacific: The U.S. Coast Guard conducts cooperative training with Pacific Islands country partners to expand their maritime security capabilities through technical resident training at U.S. Coast Guard schools and focused subject matter expert exchanges.  Under the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement-funded Pacific Australia Maritime Partnership (AMP) program, the USCG continues to provide maritime law enforcement trainings through in-region mobile training team (MTT) engagements with recipients of Australia’s Guardian Class patrol boats.  In 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard will conduct 15 MTT visits to Pacific Islands countries.Improving Security Sector Governance: At the 2022 Summit we committed to improving security sector governance and institutional capacity of U.S. partners through advisory support efforts.  As part of the Global Defense Reform Program, we are implementing projects in Palau through an embedded senior advisor focused on maritime security governance; in the Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of the Marshall Islands through intermittent capacity building engagements by the U.S. Coast Guard; and in Vanuatu through an embedded senior advisor focused on maritime security and safety.
- Vanuatu HomeReportsOffice of International Religious Freedom2022 Report on International Religious Freedom&#8230;Vanuatu				hide	document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {	if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}});																							2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Vanuatu																																					Office of International Religious Freedom																																																																																							Download Report																																																																																	 In this section										/																							Executive Summary																																													Executive Summary																															Section I. Religious Demography																																																																																		Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom																																																									Legal Framework																																																																											Government Practices																																																																																	Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom																																																																																		Section IV. U.S. Government Policy and Engagement																																																																																																								Executive Summary				The constitution provides for individual freedom of “religious or traditional beliefs,” with the preamble to the constitution referring to “traditional Melanesian values, faith in God, and Christian principles.” There is no official state religion. The law makes discrimination a crime, including on the basis of religion. On penalty of a fine, the law requires religious groups to register. The penal code criminalizes defamation that exposes another individual to “public hatred, contempt, or ridicule” on any public platform, including the internet.The interdenominational Vanuatu Christian Council (VCC), an umbrella religious organization representing the largest religious groups in the country, continued to organize prayer sessions in almost all government ministries. In September, the government announced the second of two grants to the VCC of 25 million vatu ($209,000), with half disbursed during the year in furtherance of the “Government Church Partnership Program” initiated in prior years. Religious minorities continued to criticize the government for not including non-Christian faith groups in celebrations of national events.According to the VCC, religious minorities were respected within society, and any tension between groups was mostly due to tribal and ethnic issues. Some members of minority faith groups, however, stated members of dominant religious denominations ridiculed their beliefs. In most rural areas, in accordance with traditional customs, the establishment of a new religious group generally required agreement by the chief along with community consensus. In June, the Ecclesiastical District of Australia East opened three new local worship spaces in the country to cater to the growing number of Church of Christ members. In December, the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu held a worship service dedicated to a VCC-led campaign against gender-based violence.There is no permanent U.S. diplomatic presence in the country, but officials from the U.S. embassy in Papua, New Guinea, were dual-accredited to Vanuatu. Representatives from the embassy discussed with government officials the importance of interfaith dialogue and the inclusion of religious minorities in national events and programs. Embassy representatives discussed religious freedom issues with leaders of the VCC, religious minority groups, and civil society organizations.																														Section I.													 Religious Demography												    																																															The U.S. government estimates the total population at 308,043 (midyear 2022).  According to Boston University’s 2020 World Religion Database, approximately 93 percent of the population are Christian.  Among these, an estimated 32 percent are Presbyterian, 13 percent Anglican, 13 percent Roman Catholic, and 12 percent Seventh-day Adventist.  Other Christian groups, cumulatively comprising 14 percent of the population, include the Church of Christ, Apostolic Church, Assemblies of God, other Protestant denominations, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Jehovah’s Witnesses.  The John Frum Movement, an indigenous religious group with its own political party, is centered on the island of Tanna and includes approximately 5 percent of the population.  There are also small numbers of Baha’is and Muslims.																																					Section II.													 Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom												    																																																Legal Framework										The preamble of the constitution refers to a commitment to “traditional Melanesian values, faith in God, and Christian principles,” but there is no state religion. The constitution provides for individual freedom of “religious or traditional beliefs,” including the freedoms of conscience and worship, subject “to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and to the legitimate public interest in defense, safety, public order, welfare, and health.” Any individual who believes these rights have been violated may apply “independently of any other possible legal remedy...to the Supreme Court to enforce that right.” The Supreme Court may issue orders it considers appropriate to enforce these rights if it finds they have been violated and may order financial compensation.The penal code provides a penalty of up to two years in prison for discrimination, including on the basis of religion. Defamation is also a criminal offense, carrying a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment for false representations that expose another individual to “public hatred, contempt, or ridicule” on any public platform, including internet and social networking sites.The law requires every religious group to apply to the government for a certificate of registration, pay 1,000 vatu ($8), and obtain final approval of the Minister for Internal Affairs to operate. Registration allows the religious group to maintain a bank account. The penalty for not registering is a fine not exceeding 50,000 vatu ($417).The Department of Education prohibits religious discrimination. By law, children may not be refused admission to government or nongovernment schools or be treated unfavorably because of their religion. The government provides grants to schools operated by religious groups and pays the salaries of teachers at church-operated schools in existence since independence in 1980. Government schools schedule time each week for religious education conducted by VCC representatives using their own materials. The standard curriculum requires that students in grades seven through 12 receive at least one hour of religious instruction per week, but there is no uniform standard amount of time dedicated to religious instruction across all schools. Parents may request that students be excused from religious education classes in both private and public schools.The country is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.																																				Government Practices										The VCC reported it continued to conduct prayer sessions, instituted in 2021, in almost all government ministries. As of year’s end, the government had not implemented a plan, which then Prime Minister Bob Loughman suggested in 2020, to appoint a chaplain to work with the VCC to facilitate the prayer sessions and give new Bibles to all members of parliament.The government reported it continued to interact with religious groups primarily through the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the VCC, the latter composed of the Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Presbyterian Church, Church of Christ, and Apostolic Church, with Seventh-day Adventists and the Assemblies of God having observer status. Government officials said they respected smaller religious minorities but preferred to work with a coordinated body such as the VCC, which represented churches with the largest number of followers, noting that religious minorities had different expectations and protocols.The Daily Post reported that in September, the government announced the second of two 25 million vatu ($209,000) grants to the VCC, with half disbursed during the year in furtherance of the “Government Church Partnership Program” initiated in prior years. According to the Daily Post, Pastor Collin Keleb, VCC Chair and Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu, said, “On behalf of the VCC, I want to thank the Vanuatu government for recognizing and for choosing to be a part of the support towards the ‘two important pillars’ that will stand with the government to further walk and develop this nation.” Keleb also said the initiative showed the government “believes in God.”Officials customarily took government oaths of office with a hand on the Bible.The VCC organized ceremonial prayers at national events, such as Father Walter Lini Day in February and Vanuatu Independence Day in July. Religious minorities, including officials representing the Muslim and Baha’i communities, continued to criticize the government for not including non-Christian faith groups in celebrations of national events.																																					Section III.													 Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom												    																																															According to the main leader of the VCC, religious minorities were respected, and if there was tension between groups, it was mostly due to tribal and ethnic issues.  According to a leader in the Muslim community, Islam and the mainline Christian churches were equally respected.  Some members of minority faith groups, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, and Baha’is, however, stated that members of dominant religious groups ridiculed their beliefs.In most rural areas, traditional Melanesian communal decision making predominated.  In general, whenever a community member proposed a significant change within the community, such as the establishment of a new religious group, the action required agreement by the chief along with community consensus.  Sources stated the number of new religious groups being established at the village level increased during the year.The Church of Christ reported that in June, its Ecclesiastical District of Australia East opened three new group worship spaces in Seaside, Rentapao, and Radio Station villages to cater to the increasing number of Church of Christ members.  A congregant from the Rentapao location said, “I’m very happy that we now have a place of worship in our own place.”On December 4, the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu posted a video on Facebook of a worship service dedicated to a VCC-led campaign against gender-based violence entitled, “Break the Silence:  16 Days of Activism.”																																					Section IV.													 U.S. Government Policy and Engagement												    																																															There is no permanent U.S. diplomatic presence in the country.  The U.S. Ambassador and officials at the U.S. Embassy in Papua, New Guinea, were accredited to the government.  Embassy representatives exchanged ideas with government agencies, Christian leaders of various denominations, and civil society organizations on the importance of interfaith dialogue regardless of religious affiliation. Embassy representatives discussed with religious minorities, including Catholics, Baha’is, Muslims, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, their perceptions of religious freedom and tolerance in the country.																																				    							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Religious Demography																																																	Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom																																							Legal Framework																																																						Government Practices																																																			Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom																																																	Section IV. U.S. Government Policy and Engagement																																																							Tags																					Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs																								Office of International Religious Freedom																																Religious Freedom																															Vanuatu
- Intent to Open U.S. Embassy Port Vila, Republic of Vanuatu Office of the SpokespersonTo further strengthen the bilateral relationship, the U.S. Department of State has conveyed the U.S. intent to the Ni-Vanuatu Government to open an embassy in the Republic of Vanuatu, subject to Congressional notification.Consistent with the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, a permanent diplomatic presence in Vanuatu would allow the U.S. Government to deepen relationships with Ni-Vanuatu officials and society.  Establishing U.S. Embassy Port Vila would facilitate areas of potential bilateral cooperation and development assistance, including efforts to tackle the climate crisis.The United States currently maintains diplomatic relations with the Government of Vanuatu but does not have an embassy in Vanuatu.  The Charge d’Affaires, ad interim, in Port Moresby is accredited to Vanuatu and regularly travels to Vanuatu.
- Vanuatu HomeReportsBureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices&#8230;Vanuatu				hide	document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {	if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}});																							2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Vanuatu																																					Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor																																																																																							Download Report																																																							Translations																																																																 In this section										/																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																																													EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																															Section 1. Respect for the Integrity of the Person																																																									a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings																																																																											b. Disappearance																																																																											c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses																																																																			Prison and Detention Center Conditions																																																																																																																		d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention																																																																			Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees																																																																																																																		e. Denial of Fair Public Trial																																																																			Trial Procedures																																																								Political Prisoners and Detainees																																																								Civil Judicial Procedures and Remedies																																																																																																																		f. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence																																																																																	Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties																																																									a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media																																																																			Internet Freedom																																																																																																																		b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association																																																																											c. Freedom of Religion																																																																											d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country																																																																											e. Protection of Refugees																																																																																	Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process																																																																												Elections and Political Participation																																																																																	Section 4. Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government																																																																																		Section 5. Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights																																																																																		Section 6. Discrimination and Societal Abuses																																																									Women																																																																											Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination																																																																											Children																																																																											Antisemitism																																																																											Trafficking in Persons																																																																											Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics																																																																											Persons with Disabilities																																																																																	Section 7. Worker Rights																																																									a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining																																																																											b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor																																																																											c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment																																																																											d. Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation																																																																											e. Acceptable Conditions of Work																																																																																																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY				Vanuatu is a multiparty parliamentary democracy with a freely elected government. Observers considered the October 13 parliamentary election generally free and fair. Parliament elected Ishmael Kalsakau as prime minister. The president is head of state. On July 23, parliament elected Nikenike Vurobaravu president.The Vanuatu Police Force maintains internal security. The Vanuatu Mobile Force, a paramilitary police unit, is responsible for external security but is part of the police force and has a domestic law enforcement role. Both agencies report to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Civilian authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. Members of the security forces were not reported to have committed abuses.Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: enforcement of criminal libel laws to limit freedom of expression; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence, including child, early, and forced marriage; and minimal progress in reducing the worst forms of child labor.The government made efforts to prosecute and punish officials who committed human rights abuses or engaged in corruption. Impunity for human rights abuses was not a significant problem. There was sometimes impunity for corruption.																														Section 1.													 Respect for the Integrity of the Person												    																																																a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings										There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings.																																				b. Disappearance										There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities.																																				c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses										The constitution prohibits such practices, and there were no credible reports that government officials employed them.  Civilian authorities did not always have effective mechanisms to punish police abuse or corruption but exercised overall control of the force.  The law mandates the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate complaints of security force abuses.  Additionally, the police Professional Standards Unit investigates allegations of ethics violations and misuse of force and may also prosecute cases in court.Impunity was not a significant problem in the security forces.																Prison and Detention Center Conditions						Overcrowding and inadequate sanitary conditions in prisons created harsh conditions.Administration:  Authorities conducted investigations of credible allegations of mistreatment.Independent Monitoring:  The government permitted visits by media and independent human rights observers.  Scheduled visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Vanuatu Women’s Center visits women prisoners weekly and provides counseling and legal services.																										d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention										The constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention and provides for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of his or her arrest or detention in court, and the government generally observed these requirements.																Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees						A warrant issued by a court is required for an arrest.  On limited occasions, with justified exceptions, police arrested individuals without warrants.  Authorities generally observed the constitutional provision to inform suspects of the charges against them.The law outlines the process for remanding alleged offenders in custody.  To remand a person in custody requires a valid written warrant from a magistrate or a Supreme Court justice.  Warrants typically are valid for 14 days in the first instance, and the court may extend them in writing.  In general, the Correctional Services Department’s practice was not to accept any detainee into custody without a valid warrant.  The law requires a suspect be brought promptly before a judicial officer and charged with a crime, and those rights were respected.  A system of bail operated effectively, although some persons not granted bail spent lengthy periods in pretrial detention due to judicial inefficiency.  Authorities allow detainees prompt access to counsel and family members.  The Public Defender’s Office provides free legal counsel to indigent defendants, defined as those who earn less than 50,000 vatu ($450) per year.Pretrial Detention:  Pretrial detainees constituted approximately one-quarter of the prison population.  Judges, prosecutors, and police complained of large case backlogs due to a lack of resources and limited numbers of qualified judges and prosecutors.  The average length of time spent in remand before a case went to trial was approximately 12 weeks, although it could be longer in the outer islands.																										e. Denial of Fair Public Trial										The constitution provides for an independent judiciary, and the government generally respected judicial independence and impartiality.																Trial Procedures						The constitution provides for the right to a fair and public trial, and an independent judiciary generally enforced this right.						Political Prisoners and Detainees						There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees.						Civil Judicial Procedures and Remedies						There is an independent and impartial judiciary for civil matters, including for human rights violations.  The government, including police, generally complied with court decisions on human rights violations.  Reports continued that police sometimes did not promptly enforce court orders related to domestic violence (see section 6, Women).																										f. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence										The constitution prohibits such actions, and there were no reports that the government failed to respect these prohibitions.																																					Section 2.													 Respect for Civil Liberties												    																																																a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media										The constitution provides for freedom of expression, including for members of the press and other media, and the government generally respected this right.  An independent media and judiciary and a functioning democratic political system combined to promote freedom of expression, including for members of the media.Freedom of Expression:  The government arrested several individuals, including the moderator of a social media news site, for posting or failing to delete from platforms allegations that government officials caused a COVID-19 outbreak by breaching quarantine regulations.Libel/Slander Laws:  Libel and slander are criminal offenses; cyber slander and cyber libel are separate criminal offenses.  In May police arrested four individuals on charges of cyber stalking, cyber slander, and cyber libel after comments appeared on Facebook claiming that two politicians had breached COVID-19 protocols, and that one of them had helped trigger the March COVID outbreak in the country.Witnol Benkor Tor, moderator of news site Vanuatu Politics &amp; Home News, was charged after a pseudonymous user posted allegations on the news site’s Facebook page that member of parliament Anthony Iauko had breached COVID-19 quarantine rules.  Andrea Woi, a factory processor, was charged for making a similar Facebook post about Iauko.  The four individuals faced prison sentences of up to three years and fines of up to three million vatu ($26,000).  Opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu declared the government was using the laws for “political ends.”  Anne Pakoa, chief executive of the Vanuatu Human Rights Coalition, observed that local journalists were worried by cybercrime laws enacted in 2021, while international civil society organization Civicus termed the state of civic space “narrowed.”																Internet Freedom						The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content, and there were no credible reports that the government monitored private online communications without appropriate legal authority.  The penal code allows for prosecution on criminal charges for making false statements on the internet, including Facebook and other social media sites (see section 2.a., Libel/Slander Laws).																										b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association										The constitution provides for the freedoms of assembly and association, and the government generally respected these rights.																																				c. Freedom of Religion										See the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report at  https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/.																																				d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country										The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights.																																				e. Protection of Refugees										The government cooperated with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in providing protection and assistance to refugees, returning refugees, or asylum seekers, as well as other persons of concern.Access to Asylum: The law does not provide for the granting of asylum or refugee status, but the government developed an ad hoc system for providing protection to refugees and granted temporary refugee status and asylum to those seeking it while awaiting resettlement by UNHCR.																																					Section 3.													 Freedom to Participate in the Political Process												    																																															The constitution provides citizens the ability to choose their government in free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on universal and equal suffrage.																																				Elections and Political Participation										Recent Elections: A general election was held on October 13; observers considered the election generally free and fair. Following the election, Ishmael Kalsakau became prime minister. A new system requiring use of a National Identification card to vote made the process more efficient, but problems with inactivated National Identification cards prevented some voters from casting their ballots. How many individuals were prevented from voting was not known at year’s end, but voter turnout in many constituencies was reportedly very low.Political Parties and Political Participation: Political parties operated without restriction but were institutionally weak, with frequent shifts in political coalitions and unstable parliamentary majorities. In October 47 political parties contested the election.Participation of Women and Members of Minority Groups: No law limits participation of women and members of historically marginalized or minority groups in the political process. Traditional attitudes regarding male dominance and customary familial roles, however, hampered women’s participation in political life. Women and independent candidates – whether men or women – faced significant hurdles to fundraising, which limited their electoral prospects, according to one report. In the October election, the first woman since 2008 won a seat in parliament. There was one woman judge on the Supreme Court.The law allows municipal governments to reserve council seats for women for each ward in each municipality, and Port Vila and Luganville have done so. Port Vila, the capital, has five reserved seats for women out of 14 seats in the municipal council. Luganville has four out of 13 seats reserved for women.A small number of ethnic minority persons (non-Melanesians) served in parliament.																																					Section 4.													 Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government												    																																															The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and the government made some efforts to implement the law.  Officials sometimes engaged in corrupt practices with impunity, and there were reports of government corruption.The Office of the Ombudsman and the Auditor General’s Office are the government agencies responsible for combating government corruption.Corruption:  The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and the government generally implemented the law.																																					Section 5.													 Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights												    																																															Several domestic and international human rights groups operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases.  Government officials often were cooperative and responsive to their views.Government Human Rights Bodies:  In consultation with other political leaders, the president appoints a government ombudsman to a five-year term.  Investigating alleged human rights abuses is among the Office of the Ombudsman’s responsibilities.  The office, however, does not have the power to prosecute, and the findings of its investigations are not admissible as evidence in court proceedings.  The ombudsman referred cases deemed valid to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for action, but there were few prosecutions.																																					Section 6.													 Discrimination and Societal Abuses												    																																																Women										Rape and Domestic Violence: Rape – regardless of the victim’s gender – is a crime with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The law does not specifically criminalize spousal rape, but it may be prosecuted under related statutes that cover assault and domestic violence. The law criminalizes domestic violence and seeks to protect the rights of women and children. Violators could face maximum prison terms of five years, a fine, or both. The law also calls for police to issue protection orders for as long as there is a threat of violence.The government did not effectively enforce rape and domestic violence laws. Police frequently were reluctant to intervene in what they considered domestic matters. In August police arrested a priest for allegedly raping a child.There is a “no drop,” evidence-based policy under which police are not supposed to drop reported domestic violence cases. The Police Academy and the New Zealand government provided training for police in responding to domestic violence and sexual assault cases.Gender-based violence, particularly domestic violence, was common. According to the most recent survey data available, 60 percent of women in an intimate partner relationship experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner. According to the 2020 Offender Census Report from Correctional Services, 50 percent of prison inmates were charged with sex-related offenses. Most cases, including rape, were not reported to authorities because women, particularly in rural areas, were unaware of their rights or feared further abuse.In 2021 the police force’s Family Protection Unit confirmed that the continuing increase in domestic violence and sexual abuse cases was linked to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. For every five reports received each week by the unit, up to two were related to domestic violence and sexual abuse.In 2021 the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Vanuatu Women’s Center reported that the number of domestic violence cases surged after the March 2020 border closure imposed by COVID-19 travel restrictions, with reports during the year doubling the average number for 2020. The center added that there was also violence within families between children and their parents, with more than 10 reported cases a day related to domestic violence, sexual assault, and rape. In May media reported an Australian academic study of 192 women attending antenatal care in Sanma Province that found 45 percent had experienced intimate partner violence during their current pregnancy. The women’s center provided face-to-face counseling and free legal services to provide for the safety of women and children, with support from the Australian government. It also ran a national toll-free help-line number for free counseling, referral, and support services to women and child survivors of domestic violence that can be accessed on the country’s two networks. The help line received 30-40 calls per day.The Department of Women’s Affairs played a role in implementing family protection. NGOs like the Vanuatu Women’s Center played an important role in educating the public regarding domestic violence and helping women access the formal justice system, but they lacked sufficient funding to implement their programs fully.Customary bride-price payments continued and contributed to the perception of men&#8217;s ownership of women.Sexual Harassment: The law does not prohibit sexual harassment and it was widespread in the workplace. A May survey of 62 girls and women in Port Vila and surrounding areas conducted by women’s rights organization Sista and supported by the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement and the European Development Fund found that 66 percent had experienced sexual harassment at their workplace; 79 percent of such cases were not reported due to “the normalization of sexual harassment” or “unclear strategies on how to report.” The survey found many workplaces did not have sexual harassment policies.Reproductive Rights: There were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities. Cultural and social barriers impeding access to care and contraception included low literacy levels among women; risk of gender-based violence and social stigma; the belief that younger women, unmarried women, women without domestic partners, and women who have not given birth to a child should not use contraceptives; lack of health-care worker training; and community gossip and discrimination. Access to menstrual health care was culturally constrained in most rural areas and was a financial challenge to girls living in urban areas. In most rural areas access to sanitary pads was rare and during menstruation, girls usually missed school. There was limited or no access for vulnerable populations in the rural areas to health-care services. Societal discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) individuals indirectly prevented them from freely accessing health-care services.The government provided access to sexual and reproductive health services for survivors of sexual violence. Emergency contraception was available through private clinics, following counseling services for survivors.Discrimination: The constitution provides women the same personal and religious rights as men. Laws regarding marriage, criminal procedures, and employment further enshrine women’s rights as equal to those of men.Although the law does not prohibit women from owning or inheriting property or land, tradition generally bars women from land ownership or property inheritance.Women were slowly emerging from a traditional culture characterized by male dominance, but women continued to experience discrimination in access to employment, credit, and pay equity for substantially similar work. The Department of Women’s Affairs worked with regional and international organizations to increase women’s access to the formal justice system and educate women regarding their rights under the law, holding multiple open workshops throughout the year that coincided with public holidays to encourage participation at the local community level. Women faced discrimination in employment and occupation (see section 7.d.).																																				Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination										The constitution provides that all persons are entitled to fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual without discrimination on the grounds of race, place of origin, religious or traditional beliefs, political opinions, language, or sex. The government did not effectively enforce constitutional or legal prohibitions of discrimination or violence against members of racial or ethnic minority groups.																																				Children										Birth Registration: Children born in country to one citizen parent, through either birth or naturalization, are entitled to citizenship. Parents usually registered the birth of a child immediately, unless the birth took place in a very remote village or island. Failure to register does not result in denial of public services.Education: The government stressed the importance of children’s rights and welfare, but significant problems existed with access to education. Although the government stated its commitment to free and universal education, school fees and difficult geography were barriers to school attendance for some children.School attendance is not compulsory. In general, boys received more education than girls. Although attendance rates were similar in early primary grades, proportionately fewer girls advanced to higher grades, possibly due in part to lack of menstrual healthcare options in rural areas (see section 6, Women, Reproductive Rights). An estimated 50 percent of the population was functionally illiterate.Child Abuse: The country does not have a legal definition of child abuse, but the law addresses sexual abuse of children and states that parents must protect children from violence within the family setting. The national child protection policy recognizes the government’s responsibility to protect all children from violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect and includes the need to introduce a child protection bill.NGOs and law enforcement agencies reported increased complaints of child abuse, incest, and rape of children in recent years. A 2017 UNICEF report stated that eight of 10 children from ages two to four experienced violent discipline at home. It also stated that one in three children experienced severe physical punishment at home and that sexual abuse before age 15 affected three of 10 children. The government did little to combat the problem.In 2021 the Family Protection Unit confirmed “children are becoming victims to sexual abuse by fathers or caretakers.”Child, Early, and Forced Marriage: The legal age for marriage is 21 years, although boys as young as 18 and girls as young as 16 may marry, with parental permission. In rural areas and outer islands, some children married at younger ages. In June UNICEF reported that approximately 21 percent of children married before age 18.Sexual Exploitation of Children: The law addresses statutory rape, providing for a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment if the child is older than age 13 but younger than 15, or 14 years’ imprisonment if the child is younger than 13. The law also prohibits commercial sexual exploitation of children, the sale of children, and child sex trafficking (the offering or use of a child for the purpose of commercial sex or pornography). There were no criminal cases dealing with pornography or child sexual exploitation during the year.The maximum penalty for publishing child pornography is five years’ imprisonment and two years’ imprisonment for possession.Authorities generally enforced laws against commercial sexual exploitation of children, child sex trafficking, and child pornography.By law the age of consensual sex is 16 regardless of sex or sexual orientation. Some children younger than 18 were used for commercial sexual exploitation.																																				Antisemitism										The country’s Jewish community consisted of a few foreign nationals, and there were no known reports of antisemitic acts.																																				Trafficking in Persons										See the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.																																				Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics										Criminalization: No law criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults.Violence against LGBTQI+ Persons: There were reports of discrimination and violence against LGBTQI+ persons. LGBTQI+ activist group VPride Foundation reported the perception within the LGBTQI+ community that police would tolerate violence and discrimination against LGBTQI+ persons; therefore, harassment, discrimination, and criminal acts go unreported.Discrimination: No law specifically prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics; nor does the law recognize LGBTQI+ individuals, couples, or their families. There are no hate crime laws or criminal justice mechanisms to aid in the prosecution of bias-motivated crimes against members of the LGBTQI+ community.Availability of Legal Gender Recognition: Legal gender recognition was not available.Involuntary or Coercive Medical or Psychological Practices Specifically Targeting LGBTQI+ Individuals: There were no reports of the involuntary or coercive medical or psychological practices of so-called conversion therapy targeting LGBTQI+ individuals during the year.Restrictions of Freedom of Expression, Association, or Peaceful Assembly: LGBTQI+ groups operated freely.																																				Persons with Disabilities										Persons with disabilities were unable to access education, health services, public buildings, or transportation on an equal basis with others. Government information and communication on disability concerns was not provided in accessible formats. No law specifically prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. Although the building code mandates access for persons with disabilities to existing and new facilities, most buildings did not facilitate such access.The government did not effectively implement national policy designed to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. Access to services through the Ministry of Health’s mental health policy was very limited. Schools were generally not accessible to children with disabilities.The government generally relied upon the traditional extended family and NGOs to provide services and support to persons with disabilities. The social stigma attached to disabilities contributed to the scarcity of jobs available to persons with disabilities amid a high rate of unemployment in the general population (see section 7.d.).																																					Section 7.													 Worker Rights												    																																																a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining										The law provides for the right of workers to form and join independent unions and strike. These rights are not extended to the police force or prison service. While the law does not require union recognition by the employer, it prohibits antiunion discrimination once a union is recognized. Unions are required to register with the government and to submit audited statements of revenue and expenditure to the registrar annually. Unions require government permission to affiliate with international labor federations; the government has not denied any union such permission. The government and employers respected freedom of association, but the right to collective bargaining was not explicitly laid out in the law.Unions are independent of the government. The law requires unions to give 30 days’ notice of intent to strike and to provide a list of the names of potential strikers. A union must also show it has attempted negotiation with the employer and reported the matter to the industrial registrar for possible mediation. The minister of labor may prohibit persons employed in essential services from striking. By law a court may find any person who fails to comply with such a prohibition guilty of an offense. Similarly, for strikes in nonessential services, courts may also find workers failing to comply with procedural requirements guilty of an offense. Convictions for such offenses may result in an obligation to perform compulsory labor in public prisons. The law prohibits retaliation for legal strikes but does not explicitly require reinstatement for workers fired for union activity. Complaints from private-sector workers regarding violations of freedom of association are referred to the Department of Labor for conciliation and arbitration. The Public Service Commission handles complaints of violations from public-sector workers. Complaints of antiunion discrimination must be referred to the Department of Labor. According to the commissioner for labor, the department has a dispute-resolution process to manage these grievances.The government effectively enforced applicable law although enforcement was often constrained or delayed due to lack of resources. Investigations were generally only carried out following complaints. Penalties for violating the law were commensurate with those under other laws involving denials of civil rights. Penalties were never applied against violators.																																				b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor										The constitution and law prohibit all forms of forced or compulsory labor, and the law prohibits slavery and human trafficking. The law excludes from the definition of forced labor any work or service that forms part of the national civic obligations of citizens, but the law does not define such work.The government generally enforced the law. No cases of forced labor were reported during the year.NGOs and trade unions reported on physical violence, debt bondage, withholding of wages, and abusive conditions on foreign-owned, Vanuatu-flagged fishing vessels during the year.Also see the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.																																				c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment										See the Department of Labor’s Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor at  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/findings .																																				d. Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation										The constitution prohibits employment discrimination with respect to race, religion, political opinion, traditional beliefs, place of origin or citizenship, language, or sex. The law does not explicitly prohibit employment discrimination based on ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, HIV or AIDS status, or refugee or stateless status. Penalties for violations were not commensurate with those under other laws related to civil rights. Penalties were sometimes applied against violators.The government did not effectively enforce prohibitions on employment discrimination against women, which was widespread. Discrimination against women was especially common in promotions to management positions. Women are legally prohibited from working night hours in the same way as men.Persons with disabilities also faced discrimination with respect to employment and occupations. The International Labor Organization (ILO) noted that legislation allowing for the removal of persons with disabilities from some senior positions appeared to reflect an assumption that persons with any form of disability are incapable of holding such a position.																																				e. Acceptable Conditions of Work										Wage and Hour Laws: The minimum wage is above the national poverty income level. The law provides for a 44-hour maximum workweek, and the total number of hours worked, including overtime, should not exceed 56 hours per week. Workers must receive more than three days paid annual holidays. The law provides for a premium of 50 to 75 percent more than the normal rate of pay for overtime work.Occupational Safety and Health: The law includes provisions for occupational health and safety (OSH) standards, which are up to date and appropriate for the main sectors. Legal provisions on working conditions and safety standards apply equally to foreign workers and citizens in the formal sector. Inspectors have the right to make unannounced inspections and initiate sanctions. OSH experts did not actively identify unsafe conditions, including lack of personal protective equipment against COVID-19 in addition to responding to workers’ OSH complaints. While workers have the legal right to remove themselves from dangerous situations, the government did not protect workers in this situation. Many companies in logging, agriculture, construction, and manufacturing did not provide personal safety equipment and standard scaffolding for workers.Wage, Hour, and OSH Enforcement: The government did not effectively enforce wage, overtime, or OSH laws, especially in the informal sector and among small businesses. Penalties for wage, hour, and OSH violations are not commensurate with those for similar crimes. Penalties were rarely applied against violators.The labor commissioner stated that most companies complied with the wage rate, and inspectors conducted routine inspections to determine that minimum wages were paid. The number of inspectors was not sufficient to deter violations. The government did not receive any formal complaints of violations regarding minimum wage, hours of work, or safety standards during the year.Informal Sector: According to a 2021 Rapid Assessment by the Vanuatu Council of Trades Unions funded by the ILO, of 84,859 employed persons in the country, 56,806 were in the informal sector (66.9 percent). Wage and safety standards apply to the informal sector but were not enforced. No government entity provided protection services to workers in the informal economy. According to the 2020 ILO-supported Vanuatu Workers Rapid Assessment on Impact of COVID-19, the incidence of informal employment was highest in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector (95.1 percent), followed by industry (62 percent), and the service sector (45.2 percent). The report also confirmed that informal employment was higher among women than among men, and the higher the level of educational attainment, the less likelihood of being informally employed.																																				    							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Respect for the Integrity of the Person																																							a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings																																																						b. Disappearance																																																						c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses																																																				Prison and Detention Center Conditions																																																																																				d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention																																																				Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees																																																																																				e. Denial of Fair Public Trial																																																				Trial Procedures																																												Political Prisoners and Detainees																																												Civil Judicial Procedures and Remedies																																																																																				f. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence																																																			Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties																																							a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media																																																				Internet Freedom																																																																																				b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association																																																						c. Freedom of Religion																																																						d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country																																																						e. Protection of Refugees																																																			Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process																																																				Elections and Political Participation																																																			Section 4. Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government																																																	Section 5. Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights																																																	Section 6. Discrimination and Societal Abuses																																							Women																																																						Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination																																																						Children																																																						Antisemitism																																																						Trafficking in Persons																																																						Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics																																																						Persons with Disabilities																																																			Section 7. Worker Rights																																							a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining																																																						b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor																																																						c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment																																																						d. Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation																																																						e. Acceptable Conditions of Work																																																									Tags																					Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor																								Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs																								Vanuatu
- Investing in the Future of the Pacific: U.S. Assistance Continues to Address WWII-era Explosive Hazards Bureau of Political-Military AffairsOffice of Weapons Removal and AbatementEthan RinksSeventy-seven years after the end of World War II, Pacific Island nations still face the daunting challenge of post-war impacts: unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned munitions littered throughout the vast expanse of the region.  At the height of WWII from 1941 to 1945, military forces from the United States, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand clashed in a series of battles across the Pacific Islands.  Large stocks of munitions predominantly from the United States and Japan were shipped to various islands to support ongoing military operations.  Unused and abandoned munitions as well as other explosive items that failed to detonate were left scattered across islands and atolls, buried in the sand, or submerged in surrounding lagoons.  At the conclusion of WWII, a large amount of UXO remained, posing a significant threat to local communities.  After more than seven decades, the presence of WWII ordnance continues to affect nine Pacific Island nations: Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The United States has been at the forefront of unexploded ordnance remediation efforts, alongside allies and partners like Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, through its conventional weapons destruction program.  Progress to date has been significant, but there is much more to do.  The United States is a Pacific nation—geographically, economically, historically, and culturally—and remains invested in supporting a prosperous Pacific.  Identifying and destroying explosive hazards is critical to sustaining that success by making land safe for our Pacific Island allies and partners to grow their economies through sustainable development. In countries where land is scarce, clearing unexploded ordnance can have an outsized impact.  WWII-era bombs being prepared for destruction by Palau Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams. (Photo Norwegian People’s Aid photo) In Palau, the United States supports UXO clearance through the National UXO Safety Office.  The United States has committed more than $5.4 million to create a national UXO survey plan, conduct clearance operations, and build the capacity of the Government of Palau to identify and destroy UXO.  Since 2020, the United States has funded the return of more than 80 acres of land back to local populations and destroyed 2,294 UXO with U.S. implementing partner Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA).  Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel lift a WWII-era bomb prior to destruction. (Golden West Humanitarian Foundation photo)In Solomon Islands, the United States has provided more than $6.8 million since 2009 to establish an explosive ordnance disposal  team with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force and build national capacity to identify and destroy Explosive Remnants of War.  This included training 13 engineers who have conducted over 1,200 EOD callouts and destroyed more than 29,746 items of UXO with implementing partner Golden West Humanitarian Foundation since 2009.  The United States is ramping up its efforts in Solomon Islands as Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman discussed with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare during her August visit to Honiara.    A U.S.-funded team in Marshall Islands utilizes a mobile bomb cutting system. This process cuts UXO to expose explosive filler for a safe burn out of the explosives, leaving the remaining materials explosive-free. (Golden West Humanitarian Foundation photo)The United States has invested more than $2 million in the Republic of Marshall Islands for UXO technical survey and explosive ordnance disposal operations on 12 islands spread across five atolls.  This includes critical cooperation through the Marshall Islands’ Historic Preservation Office to identify and catalogue U.S. and Japan-origin ordnance.  United States funding to the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation has helped find and destroy over 140 air-dropped bombs, mortars, sea mines, and other explosive hazards that threatened local communities.  The United States is working with Republic of Marshall Islands to expand cooperation and further advance UXO remediation throughout the island nation.  The United States has also supported short-term deployments by PM/WRA’s Quick Reaction Force to address UXO contamination throughout the Pacific. (Golden West Humanitarian Foundation photo)The United States’ Quick Reaction Force has also been critical to the safety and security of UXO threats in the Pacific.  It is a team of civilian explosive ordnance disposal technical experts that serve as first responders to unexpected UXO-related emergencies across the globe, including munitions depot explosions, ammunition depots at risk of imminent explosion, and Explosive Remnants of War that pose significant threats to civilians.  The Quick Reaction Force has addressed UXO requirements throughout the Pacific in the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. The United States’ work over the past decade with Pacific Island partners to remediate WWII-era explosive hazards is foundational for a prosperous Pacific, and the United States will continue building on these partnerships to enhance host nation capacities that address UXO, and support survey and clearance, so that Pacific partners may advance development priorities on land free from UXO. The United States, through its conventional weapons destruction program, has funded work in the Pacific since 2009.  Since 1993, it has provided more than $4.7 billion in assistance to over 100 countries – making the United States the world’s single largest financial supporter of conventional weapons destruction.  For more information, check out our annual report, To Walk the Earth in Safety, and follow us on Twitter @StateDeptPM. About the Author: Ethan Rinks is the Program Manager for the East Asia and Pacific portfolio in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement at the U.S. Department of State.