Our Scans · Vanuatu · Weekly Summary

• The AFD has expanded its network in the South Pacific by opening offices in Vanuatu, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, and increasing its regional budget five-fold with a view to reaching €200 million in 2027. Groupe d'etudes geopolitiques
• The Australian government has issued updated travel advisories for Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, emphasising safety precautions due to ongoing security risks, natural disasters, and infrastructure challenges. Insurance Business
• Vanuatu, supported by 132 countries, has requested a legal opinion through a UN resolution due to the imminent threats posed by sea level rise to its nation, which consists of around 80 low-lying islands. Climate Adaptation Platform
• Vanuatu has urged the International Court of Justice to find polluting nations have acted unlawfully by contributing to climate change, in a landmark case that could change future climate talks. ABC News
• Vanuatu is one of the 14 Small Island Developing States in the Western Pacific, a region prone to disasters that faces a number of natural hazards including cyclones, drought and volcanic eruptions. Food and Agriculture Organisation
• Biosecurity threats include African swine fever moving from Indonesia into Papua New Guinea, coconut rhinoceros beetle incursions in Vanuatu and the spread of ant species through the Pacific region that can threaten exports. ACIAR
• At 4.62 mm of increase per year, rising sea levels are becoming an existential threat to small island nations such as Tuvalu and Vanuatu in the Pacific region. Education International
• Tourists from Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay will see fees rise from $50 to $100. Euronews.com
• Uruguay does not have a significant space program, but announced last year plans to establish a national space agency. SpaceNews
• Five countries in Latin America will be holding elections in 2024 - El Salvador, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Mexico. United States Institute of Peace
• At the start of 2024, the greatest risk of developing or intensifying drought appears in Central and South America (except southern Brazil and Uruguay), southern Africa and western Australia. The Conversation
• Observers from Argentina, Chile, southern Brazil, and Uruguay will see the lunar occultation of Saturn. Vito Technology, Inc.
• Year-over-year milk production from the Big 7 exporting regions - the US, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, the EU, Australia and New Zealand - is forecast to decrease through Q1 2024 before turning positive. Voxy
• Last November, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay warned Uruguay that they could take measures against it if it forged ahead with its plans to unilaterally negotiate an FTA with China. MarketScreener
• Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador will form an alliance, and in the south, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil will form an alliance. IOL
• A major test of openness will be whether the EU manages to seal a long-awaited trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc - which groups Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Politico
• Milk production from New Zealand, Australia, the European Union, the United States, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina is now anticipated to grow by 0.3% year on year in 2023 and is expected to climb by 0.4% in 2024. Farmers Weekly
• The Smart Week Sale in Latin America will offer up to 40% discounts on select products for users in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. SamMobile
• By the middle of 2023, Lula will try to finalize the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries-Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Foreign Affairs Magazine

Last updated: 19 June 2025