Our Scans · Tonga · Weekly Summary

• New seawalls protect low-lying atolls in Tuvalu, and more will appear in Kiribati, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Fiji and other island nations, many with funding from the Australian government and international development organizations. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• A boulder weighing almost 1,200 tons in Tonga is one of the largest known wave-transported rocks in the world, providing new insights into the Pacific region's history and risk of tsunamis. ScienceDaily Newsletter
• New Zealand and Tonga are exploring opportunities to strengthen their bilateral relationship and enhance diplomatic and development cooperation. Matangi Tonga
• Highest Prevalence: The United Arab Emirates, the Cook Islands, Nauru, and Tonga are expected to have the highest obesity prevalence rates. archyde
• The United Arab Emirates, Cook Islands, Nauru and Tonga are forecast to have the highest prevalence while China, Egypt, India and the United States will have the greatest number of children and adolescents with obesity by 2050. goeasternoregon
• In 2025, we can expect national elections in Australia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Tonga and Vanuatu. The Strategist
• The nations with the highest obesity rates tend to cluster in the South Pacific, with Kiribati and Tonga leading the world in projected 2035 obesity rates at 67%, followed by Samoa at 66%, French Polynesia at 65%, and Micronesia at 64%. Time
• Tens of billions of dollars must be found to assist the populations of small Pacific island countries such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, Tonga and Samoa, which are most at risk from rising seas and destructive storms. World Socialist Web Site
• For 2024 and 2025, PCRIC offers parametric insurance for tropical cyclones, heavy rain, earthquake, and tsunami risk to six Pacific governments, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu. Artemis.bm - The Catastrophe Bond, Insurance Linked Sec
• The South Pacific region is noted for its high obesity rates, with Kiribati and Tonga projected to have the highest rates globally by 2035, reaching 67%, followed closely by Samoa at 66%, French Polynesia at 65%, and Micronesia at 64%. LSHTM
• Proposals are encouraged to demonstrate a regional distribution approach, or the potential to support regional organizations which are working in multiple countries, with the primary focus of Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea. GOV.UK
• South Pacific defence ministers - from Australia, New Zealand, Chile, France, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga - have for years identified climate change as the single greatest threat to their security. United States Institute of Peace
• Eligible countries could include Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. TATOLI Agencia Noticiosa de Timor-Leste
• Four PICTs (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu) rank in the top ten globally for disaster risk, where very strong exposure to natural hazards combined with poor economic and social circumstances, makes them particularly vulnerable. SpringerLink
• Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Kiribati are all among the top 15 countries for disaster risk globally. UNDP
• Fiber-optic cables have been, or will soon be, connected in Fiji, Samoa, Palau, Tonga and Tuvalu; one of the World Bank's most significant infrastructure investments in the Pacific Islands over the past decade. World Bank
• The Kingdom of Tonga has made significant national, regional and international commitments to gender equality including gender mainstreaming, addressing unequal access to economic opportunities, political representation, and participation in decision making. United Nations Economic and Social Council
• There are small Pacific island states such as Kiribati, Cook Islands, Tonga, and Nauru that view it as too lucrative a business opportunity to reject. World Socialism
• Tonga was ranked as the third most at-risk country for natural hazards in the 2021 World Risk Report, but like much of the Pacific, less than 10% of families have insurance. Insurance Business
• Tonga was ranked as the third most at-risk country for climate impacts like cyclones, floods and sea level rise in the 2021 World Risk Report. The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative
• Other countries that are expected to pay over 2% of their GNI to China include Lao PDR, Zambia, Republic of Congo, Maldives, Djibouti, Samoa and Tonga. Panda Paw Dragon Claw
• Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Fiji are among the world's 15 most at-risk countries from extreme natural disasters, including vulnerability to the climate crisis. Fish Focus
• New embassies in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Tonga, among other potential locations, are welcome developments that will provide the sustained presence necessary to engage governments and push back against Beijing's influence, as well as help identify ways to use foreign aid to compete. Atlantic Council

Last updated: 13 June 2025