Vanuatu is a lush archipelago of more than 80 scattered volcanic islands. Its 246,000 people, the Ni-Vanuatu, have been spared the civil and political unrest that has affected neighboring Melanesian nations but its economy is failing to meet the needs of an increasing and young population.

The Solomon Islands faces some of the most difficult challenges in the Pacific. Ethnic violence, fragile state institutions, corruption and increasing crime have affected the country’s development.