The Pacific Regional Security Hub (PRSH)
Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies University of Canterbury, New Zealand
PRSH is a Pacific-led initiative tackling complex regional security challenges through engagement, research, education, and collaboration.
The Pacific Regional Security Hub (PRSH) was established in recognition of a critical need to deepen conversations, research and networks between and across Pacific thinkers, scholars, governments, civil society and regional organizations in response to increased geopolitical attention being paid to the region. It also in response to new security threats associated with transnational crime, climate change, health, poverty, drug epidemic, cybercrime, and other forms of human security.
PRSH is part of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, at the University of Canterbury. It is led by UC Associate Professor of Practice Jose Sousa-Santos, a Timorese security expert. Initial funding come from the Government of the United Kingdom.
The PRSH seeks to encourage, promote and facilitate innovative interdisciplinary scholarly and applied policy research on security issues affecting the Pacific; strengthen and expand research and knowledge collaboration and partnerships internationally, regionally and nationally; and build a network of Pacific security thinkers and scholars who lead critical conversations across the region and internationally.
‘Oceania diplomacy’ as concept and practice
Pacific diplomacy: For sustainable peace and security
A group of Pacific experts have joined forces to produce a book on Pacific diplomacy focusing on state-based and culture-based approaches. The book will be jointly published by the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies Press and Pacific Regional Security Hub, at the University of Canterbury.
We showcase here brief abstracts of the book, which will no doubt be of benefit to scholars, policy makers, diplomats, governments, peace-builders, civil society organizations and others interested in the bigger issue of security in Oceania.
THE EXISTENTIAL THREAT: CLIMATE SECURITY IN THE PACIFIC
Climate change poses an existential security threat to the Pacific region and the certainly whole planet. Existential? Indeed, because it impacts on the very basis of our survival including our land, economy, culture, governance, wellbeing, infrastructure, health, environment and everything else in between.
Pacific islands are most at risk because of their physical size and being surrounded by the largest ocean on Planet Earth and are consistently subjected to extreme climate-related calamities including cyclones, coastal erosion, flooding, loss of biodiversity, coral bleaching, drought, fresh water salination and sea level rise, amongst others. They are disproportionately impacted by climate change, although their carbon emission is, by world standard, very small.