ACTNOW's blog

The Astrolabe Bay Declaration 2016

On July 20 and 21, seventy Local Level Government, Ward and Youth Representatives from the six districts of the Madang Province met to discuss and promote a wider understanding of the difference between economic growth and community development. 

Their meeting was arranged by ACT NOW! and was hosted by the Tropical Gem community network under the theme  "Rise Up! Return to Your Roots".

Seabed Mining: An Invisible Land Grab

By Sylvia Earle, National Geographic 

Thousands of meters beneath the azure ocean waters in places like the South Pacific, down through a water column saturated with life and to the ocean floor carpeted in undiscovered ecosystems, machines the size of small buildings are poised to begin a campaign of wholesale destruction. I wish this assessment was hyperbole, but it is the reality we find ourselves in today.

Community leaders meet on lack of development and plan for 2017

Around 70 community leaders are meeting in Madang this week to discuss the lack of development taking place in the Provinces and to begin organising ahead of the 2017 National Election.

The meeting has been arranged by ACT NOW! and is being hosted by the Tropical Gem community network. The theme for the meeting is "Rise Up! Return to Your Roots".

Three years but still no action to cancel SABL leases

For three years Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has failed to cancel unlawful SABL leases affecting over 5 million hectares of land and has failed to deliver on his promises to return the land to its customary owners.

Today, June 24, is the three-year anniversary of the Commission of Inquiry reports that exposed the whole scam and confirmed the leases are unlawful.

Vanuatu community advocates arrive for exposure visit

Four young community advocates from Vanuatu have arrived in Papua New Guinea to learn more about the development issues facing the country and how they are being tackled.

They are being hosted by ACT NOW! who says the visit is aimed at raising regional awareness and building solidarity with other Melanesian countries.