AGP Executive Report

Climate Outlook: A strong 2026 El Niño could become the most powerful recorded since 1950. Kiribati is forecast to have wetter-than-normal conditions, while the wider Pacific faces risks from changing rainfall and increased cyclone activity. Traditional Welcome: Newly appointed Chinese Ambassador Yao Fei arrived in Tarawa and was greeted by local elders with a garland and coconut water, following Kiribati custom. Development: ADB’s five-year Pacific strategy includes Kiribati, with priorities spanning essential services, climate resilience, jobs and infrastructure designed for island communities. Online Safety: A regional study including Kiribati warns that children need better support to navigate risks such as cyberbullying and harmful online content as internet access expands. Nikumaroro Search: An expedition found the suspected Amelia Earhart plane wreckage was likely washed-up trees, not aircraft debris.

Diplomacy & Tradition: Kiribati’s new Chinese ambassador, Yao Fei, was welcomed in Tarawa with a garland and coconut water, a traditional gesture as he begins his post. Island Development: ADB’s new five-year Pacific strategy includes Kiribati and aims to improve essential services, infrastructure and climate resilience through more locally tailored projects. Children Online: A regional study including Kiribati warns that children need stronger online-safety education as internet access grows, with risks ranging from cyberbullying to harmful content. Nikumaroro Search: An expedition found the suspected Amelia Earhart wreckage was likely washed-up trees, not a plane fragment, bringing the latest search on Kiribati’s remote atoll to a close. Climate & Health: Former president Anote Tong urged urgent adaptation as rising seas threaten Kiribati; a separate Pacific health warning highlights the pressure climate change is putting on island health systems.

Pacific Development: ADB’s 2026–2030 strategy includes Kiribati, with a focus on climate resilience, essential services and projects better suited to dispersed island communities. Island Heritage: An expedition on Nikumaroro found the suspected Amelia Earhart wreckage was likely storm-washed trees, not a plane. Climate Action: Former President Anote Tong says rising seas threaten to overtop much of Kiribati and urges urgent adaptation and international support. Children Online: A regional study including Kiribati warns that children need stronger online safety education as internet access expands. Culture & Diplomacy: Newly appointed Chinese Ambassador Yao Fei was welcomed in Tarawa with traditional garlands and coconut water, following local etiquette. Community Livelihoods: Cooperatives in Kiribati are among regional examples showing how community-owned initiatives can build income and resilience.

Pacific Development: The Asian Development Bank’s 2026–2030 plan includes Kiribati among 12 island countries set to receive support for climate resilience, essential services and economic opportunities. The bank says it will tailor projects to the realities of dispersed island communities. Local Livelihoods: A regional poverty report points to cooperatives in Kiribati and other countries as community-led ways to create income and resilience. Nikumaroro Search: An expedition found the suspected Amelia Earhart wreckage was likely washed-up trees, not aircraft remains. The search brought renewed attention to Kiribati’s remote atoll and its history. Climate Urgency: Former president Anote Tong warned that a 50-centimetre sea-level rise could inundate much of Kiribati and called for urgent adaptation funding and engineering solutions. Children Online: A regional study including Kiribati found children face cyberbullying, harmful content and other online risks, and urged stronger safety education as internet access grows.

Pacific Development: The Asian Development Bank’s new 2026–2030 strategy includes Kiribati, promising tailored support for jobs, essential services and climate resilience across 12 Pacific island countries. Nikumaroro Search: An expedition has ruled out the latest theory that a lagoon object on the Kiribati atoll was Amelia Earhart’s plane; researchers say it was likely washed-up trees. Climate Urgency: Former President Anote Tong is urging radical action to protect Kiribati, warning that a 50-centimetre sea-level rise could overtop much of the archipelago. Children Online: A regional study including Kiribati calls for stronger online safety education as internet access grows, citing risks such as cyberbullying and harmful content. Health and Lifestyle: A Pacific heart specialist says poor diets and inactivity raise heart disease risks; 30 patients from across the region, including Kiribati, have received heart-valve treatment in Fiji.

Climate Talks: Governments again failed to agree on a timeline or budget for the IPCC’s next major reports, risking delays to climate guidance ahead of the 2028 global stocktake. Pacific Tourism: Ministers from 15 island countries are meeting in Honiara to set regional tourism priorities, including sustainable development and protection of the environment. Nikumaroro Search: An expedition in Kiribati found the Taraia Object was likely washed-up trees, not conclusive evidence of Amelia Earhart’s plane. Kiribati at Risk: Former President Anote Tong is urging radical adaptation, warning that a 50-centimetre rise in sea level could overtop much of the country’s land. Children Online: A regional study including Kiribati calls for stronger online safety education as internet access expands, citing risks such as cyberbullying, hacking and harmful content.

Nikumaroro Search: An expedition in Kiribati found no conclusive sign of Amelia Earhart’s plane. The suspected wreckage was likely trees washed onto a sandspit, with only a small fragment left to examine. Climate Action: Former President Anote Tong says Kiribati needs urgent, radical adaptation as rising seas threaten to overtop much of the archipelago; he called for engineering solutions and funding. Children Online: A regional study including Kiribati warns that children face cyberbullying, harmful content and other online risks as internet access expands, and urges stronger safety education and protection. Ocean Protection: More than US$25 million in grants will support conservation efforts across the Pacific, including work to identify and protect important ocean habitats in Kiribati. Health and Lifestyle: A Pacific heart specialist warns that poor diets and inactivity raise risks of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, urging prevention alongside access to treatment.

Climate at the Brink: Former Kiribati president Anote Tong is urging radical adaptation, warning that a 50-centimetre sea-level rise could overtop most of the islands. He says funding and engineering solutions are urgently needed. Nikumaroro Search: An expedition found no conclusive sign of Amelia Earhart’s plane. The suspected wreckage was likely trees washed onto the atoll’s sandspit. Children Online: A regional study including Kiribati calls for stronger online-safety education as internet access expands, citing risks such as cyberbullying, hacking and harmful content. Healthy Living: A Pacific heart surgeon warns that processed foods, sugary drinks and inactivity can raise the risk of heart disease, and urges prevention alongside access to treatment.

Children Online: A regional study involving Kiribati warns that children face cyberbullying, hacking and harmful content as internet access grows, and calls for stronger safety education from families, schools and government. Nikumaroro Search: Researchers say the Taraia Object is likely washed-up trees, not Amelia Earhart’s plane. The expedition has ruled out its latest hypothesis, though the wider search continues. Health: Pacific doctors warn that sugary drinks, processed food and inactivity raise heart disease risks; a Fiji hospital has treated 30 patients from Kiribati and other island nations. Journalism Grants: Pacific reporters, including those in Kiribati, can apply for one of six US$2,500 grants to investigate corruption and accountability.

Earhart Search: Rough seas have kept researchers from shore work at Nikumaroro for a third straight day. The team needs at least two more days of fieldwork before it can identify the lagoon object that may be Amelia Earhart’s plane. Health & Lifestyle: A Pacific heart specialist warns that diets high in salt, sugar and processed food, along with inactivity, raise heart-disease risks. Kiribati patients are among those receiving specialist heart treatment in Fiji. Journalism: Pacific reporters, including those in Kiribati, can apply for one of six US$2,500 grants to investigate corruption and governance. Ocean Conservation: The Bezos Earth Fund is providing more than US$25 million for Pacific marine protection, including work to identify and safeguard important habitats in Kiribati.

Health & Lifestyle: A Pacific heart specialist warns that fatty and processed foods, sugary drinks, excess salt and inactivity raise the risk of heart disease. Kiribati patients are among those treated at a Fiji hospital for serious heart conditions, but prevention through healthier habits matters too. Nikumaroro Expedition: Rough seas have halted shore work for a third straight day as researchers investigate a lagoon object that may be Amelia Earhart’s plane. The team needs at least two more days of fieldwork before it can identify the object, then return to Tarawa. Journalism: Pacific reporters, including those in Kiribati, can apply for one of six US$2,500 grants to investigate corruption and accountability. Ocean Protection: The Bezos Earth Fund is contributing more than US$25 million to Pacific conservation, including support to identify and protect important ocean habitats in Kiribati.

Earhart Search: Rough seas have halted shore work at Nikumaroro for a third day, delaying the team’s investigation of a lagoon object that may be Amelia Earhart’s plane. An identification update is expected after crews can safely finish fieldwork. Health & Lifestyle: A Pacific heart surgeon warns that fatty and processed foods, sugary drinks and inactivity raise heart-disease risks. Kiribatians are among patients from across the region who have received specialist heart-valve treatment in Fiji. Ocean Conservation: A Bezos Earth Fund grant of more than US$25 million will support conservation across five Pacific nations, including efforts to identify and protect important marine habitats in Kiribati. Journalism: Kiribati reporters can apply for one of six US$2,500 grants supporting investigations into corruption, governance and transparency; applications from women and underrepresented journalists are encouraged.

Health & Lifestyle: Pacific surgeon Dr Sanjeev Khulbey warns that diets high in fatty and processed foods, sugary drinks and salt, combined with inactivity, raise heart disease risk. Kiribati is among the countries whose patients have received specialist heart-valve surgery in Fiji. Kiribati Expedition: Rough seas have kept researchers from shore work at Nikumaroro for a third straight day as they investigate an underwater object that may be Amelia Earhart’s plane. The team expects to need at least two more days of fieldwork before identifying it. Ocean Conservation: The Bezos Earth Fund is putting more than US$25 million toward Pacific marine conservation, including work to identify and protect important ocean habitats in Kiribati. Culture & Heritage: A report on Tuvalu’s changing future asks how communities can preserve cultural places as rising seas and migration reshape island life, a question shared across the Pacific. Media Opportunity: Pacific journalists, including those in Kiribati, can apply for one of six US$2,500 grants to investigate corruption and accountability.

Earhart Search: Rough seas have halted shore work at Nikumaroro for a third straight day. Researchers need at least two more days of fieldwork before identifying the lagoon object that may be Amelia Earhart’s plane; the team plans to return to Tarawa. Heart Health: A Pacific surgeon warns that sugary drinks, fatty and processed foods, and inactivity raise heart-disease risks. Kiribati residents are among patients who have received specialist heart-valve treatment in Fiji. Journalism Grants: Six US$2,500 reporting grants are open to Pacific journalists, including those in Kiribati, to investigate corruption, accountability and other public-interest issues. Ocean Protection: More than US$25 million in Bezos Earth Fund grants will support conservation across five Pacific nations, including work to identify and protect important marine habitats in Kiribati.

Journalism Opportunity: Kiribati journalists can apply for one of six US$2,500 Pacific grants to investigate corruption and accountability; applications from women and early-career reporters are encouraged. Earhart Search: Rough seas halted shore work at Nikumaroro, where a team is surveying a lagoon object that may be linked to Amelia Earhart’s missing plane. The expedition travelled from Tarawa aboard a Kiribati National Shipping Line vessel, and an update is expected soon. Climate Action: The Pacific Community secured US$129.9 million in new climate funding, including support for tuna-dependent communities and climate resilience. Health: A regional heart surgeon warns that poor diets and inactivity raise heart-disease risks; patients from Kiribati and other Pacific nations have received treatment in Fiji. Culture and Heritage: On Marakei, king tides are flooding gardens, damaging roads and exposing ancestral graves, threatening food traditions, family heritage and community ties. Ocean Protection: More than US$25 million in new conservation grants will help Kiribati identify and protect important marine habitats.

Earhart Search: Rough seas stopped the Taraia Object team from going ashore at Nikumaroro on Thursday. Its underwater survey is underway, with an update on the suspected aircraft wreckage expected within 48 hours. Culture Under Threat: On Marakei, king tides are flooding food gardens, eroding roads and exposing ancestral graves. Kiribati’s women’s affairs minister says climate funding must also recognize the loss of culture, identity and connection to ancestral land. Ocean Protection: More than US$25 million in Bezos Earth Fund grants will support conservation across five Pacific nations, including work to identify and protect important ocean habitats in Kiribati. Health and Wellbeing: A Pacific surgeon warns that poor diets and inactivity raise heart-disease risks; patients from Kiribati and other island nations have received specialist heart care in Fiji. Clean Water: UNICEF Aotearoa’s Pacific ‘Fits Day fundraiser is backing clean-water, sanitation and hygiene projects in Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.