The Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO) is an intergovernmental civil aviation authority that is responsible for aviation safety and security in ten states of Oceania. PASO is headquartered in Anchor House on Kumul Highway in Port Vila, Vanuatu. [1]
PASO was informally organised in 2002 by the aviation ministers of several states of the Pacific Islands Forum. The organisation was formally confirmed through the conclusion of the Pacific Islands Civil Aviation Safety and Security Treaty, which was signed on 9 August 2004 in Apia, Samoa. The treaty entered into force on 11 June 2005 and has been ratified by the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The Pacific Islands Forum states that have not ratified the treaty and joined PASO are Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and New Zealand.
Tonga withdrew from PASO on 7 April 2006, but joined again on 24 August 2006.
PASO works closely with the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji, and the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oceania or any other island located in the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation among countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum (SPF), and changed its name in 1999 to "Pacific Islands Forum", so as to be more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries, including Australia. It is a United Nations General Assembly observer.
The Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC) serves the Internet Society’s purposes by serving the interests of the global Internet community through its presence in the Pacific Islands. In addition to ISOC interests, PICISOC also focuses on local issues and developments and acts as an impartial advisor to governments and the public on matters of significant interest to Pacific Island people concerning the Internet and ICT technology in general.
The Pacific Games, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Oceania. The inaugural Games took place in 1963 in Suva, Fiji, and most recently in 2023 in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The Games were called the South Pacific Games from 1963 to 2007. The Pacific Games Council (PGC) organises the Games and oversees the host city's preparations. Athletes with a disability are included as full members of their national teams. In each sporting event, gold medals are awarded for first place, silver medals are awarded for second place, and bronze medals are awarded for third place.
In qualification for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, a number of positions were available to Oceania nations. Fiji and Samoa qualified, joining automatic qualifiers Australia and New Zealand, while Tonga progressed to the repechage, where they faced South Korea.
The Solomon Islands women's national football team represents Solomon Islands in international women's association football. The team is controlled by the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) and is affiliated to the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). Their current head coach is the former footballer Timothy Inifiri.
The Vanuatu women's national football team represents Vanuatu in international women's association football. The team is controlled by the Vanuatu Football Federation (VFF). Vanuatu's home field is the Port Vila Municipal Stadium, located in the country's capital, Port Vila. The team is managed by Job Alwin.
The 1995 Waigani Convention is a treaty that bans the exporting of hazardous or radioactive waste to Pacific Islands Forum countries, and prohibits Forum island countries from importing such waste. The convention has been ratified by Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. It entered into force in 2001.
A cricket tournament at the Pacific Games, previously the South Pacific Games, was introduced in 1979 and was played intermittently at games in the 1980s and 1990s, depending on the facilities of the host nation. It was played continuously from 2003 to 2019, but was not included for the 2023 Pacific Games in Solomon Islands. Detailed records of the tournaments prior to 2003 have not been kept and little is known with certainty of the first three tournaments, beyond knowing what teams won the gold and silver medals at each Games.
The 2008–09 OFC Champions League was the 8th edition of the Oceanian Club Championship, Oceania's premier club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 3rd season under the current OFC Champions League name. The competition consisted of a home and away group stage, followed by a knockout round. It took place from 2 November 2008 until 3 May 2009.
Relations between Vanuatu and Cuba began shortly after the former gained its independence from France and the United Kingdom in 1980, and began establishing its own foreign policy as a newly independent state. Vanuatu and Cuba established official diplomatic relations in 1983.
The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to Oceania.
Sport in Oceania varies from country to country. The most popular playing sport for men in Australia is Australian rules football, while for women is netball. Australian rules football is the most popular sport in terms of spectatorship and television ratings. Rugby union is the most popular sport among New Zealanders, while in Papua New Guinea rugby league is the most popular. Cricket is another popular sport throughout the Oceania region.
The Oceania Table Tennis Federation (OTTF) is a table tennis organization founded on 1 June 1977, recognized by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as its continental federation in Oceania. Discussions began at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships held in Melbourne, 1975. Seven foundation members were New Zealand, Australia, Guam, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia and Tahiti.
Athletics competitions at the 1993 South Pacific Mini Games were held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, between December 10–16, 1993.
The 2016 OFC U-20 Championship was the 21st edition of the OFC U-20 Championship, the biennial international youth football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) for players aged 19 and below. This year, the tournament was held in Vanuatu for the first time by itself.
The 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships, the sixteenth edition of the Oceania Athletics Championships, were held in Mackay, North Queensland from June 7–9, 2022.
The qualifying tournament for the 2024 OFC U-19 Men's Championship will be held from 9-15 April.
