Islands and Small States Institute - University of Malta

📣 Roundtable with Dr Siaosi Carter, Director of the Pacific Institute of The Australian National University

4 June - 09:00 to 10:30 - at the Library Boardroom at the University of Malta.

During this roundtable, we will discuss the role that small island nations, including their research institutions, can play to steer climate actions, hearing from an expert from the Pacific region, and explore opportunities for deeper engagement with Pacific institutes.

Australia 🇦🇺 is committed to working with Türkiye 🇹🇷 and in partnership with the Pacific, to strengthen global climate action through the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) Turkiyecop31. A member of the Pacific Islands Forum, Australia is working to raise Pacific voices as COP31 President of Negotiations. Pre- COP31 events hosted in Fiji 🇫🇯 and Tuvalu 🇹🇻 will bring the world to the Pacific to experience climate impacts and solutions firsthand.

This event is being organised in collaboration with the Australian High Commission, Malta et Ambassade d'Australie en Tunisie.

Stefano Moncada

📚 Book review of "The soft power of non-Western small states: The cases of Bhutan and Qatar."

Its key strength is its critical engagement with Nye’s concept of soft power and its deep reconceptualisation.

A must-read for diplomats and policymakers interested in alternative approaches to global influence.

👉 um.edu.mt/l/JZoD6

Stefano Moncada | Godfrey Baldacchino | Lino Briguglio

📣 "Postcolonial Paradise? Governing Island Futures in Mauritius”
by Dr Elisabeth Sommerlad (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany)

📆 THU 4 June 2026
⏰ 15:00 CEST
📍The event will be held at the University of Malta, Room CHBO-416.
🔗 Virtual attendance is also possible - registration via this link: https://lnkd.in/dAuZsq5j

This research lecture examines how contemporary island futures are shaped through imaginaries of paradise, tourism, and transformation, focusing on the case of Mauritius. Drawing on perspectives from media and urban geography, as well as critical tourism research, the lecture explores how historical imaginaries continue to inform contemporary representations and ongoing transformation processes on the island. Particular attention is paid to processes of contemporary postcolonial landscape transformations.

Educational intercultural approaches in a creole island society.

Tomorrow 26 MAY 2026 - 15:00 CEST.
Online participation requires registration - https://bit.ly/creole-education

In collaboration with the Alliance Française de Malte Mediterranée, Thierry Malbert will link culture, carrying values, meaning and identities, to international cooperation, development, and human rights.

How has 21st-century globalisation triggered a resurgence of cultural identities, shifting cultural diversity from an anthropological study to a pressing political challenge?

Rather than viewing cultural differences through a lens of inevitable conflict, the presentation explores practical frameworks for intercultural dialogue, coexisting and managing diversity. Ultimately, it provides avenues for reflection on how to live and work together in diversity within a Creole context, specifically focusing on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. This topic is an essential resource for educational and social bodies navigating intercultural logic, particularly within small island territories.

Thierry Malbert is a University Professor in Anthropology at the Department of Social Sciences, University of Réunion, and Chairman of the Indian Ocean Parenting Observatory.

Stefano Moncada | Pedro M. Sobral Pombo

This article analyses how decisions made in one referendum by a demos bounded in one way have bearings on how other demoi are bounded in later referendums, and why this matters to the resulting action spaces for the people’s self-determination being (re-)shaped.

It charts the consecution of referendums – actual and imagined – with a bearing on the (proto-)constitutional expansion and action space of the Greenlandic demos to tease out the empirical dynamics linking referendums at different scales of polity over time.

👉 um.edu.mt/l/TdJp8

Stefano Moncada | Godfrey Baldacchino | Lino Briguglio

🚀 Come join us for the Platform Launch and Research Demonstration of COMPLY!

COMPLY is a digital platform supporting businesses with S.L. 549.161 (Construction & Demolition Waste Framework). The platform translates regulatory requirements into guided workflows with AI chatbot assistance, automated calculations, and professional documentation - freely available as University of Malta research carried out by Luca Nguyen.

The event includes a platform demonstration, a panel discussion with industry and regulatory experts, and an exploration of how digital tools can address environmental compliance challenges in small island states.

📆 Wednesday, 3 June 2026, 08:30-11:30
📍 Phoenicia Hotel, Valletta
🖋️ Register here by 2 June: complymalta.com/launch

Developed through University-Industry collaboration (Islands and Small States Institute - University of Malta & Adi Associates Environmental Consultants Ltd) with research funded through the Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme (Edukazzjoni, University of Malta, The Malta Chamber.

📚 Book Review of "Race, class and nationalism in the 21st Century Caribbean."

The book addresses the themes of ethnicised politics, migration and globalisation, speaking directly to ongoing debates in governance, development and identity.

A must-read for those seeking to unravel the intricate threads of race, class, and nationalism, and their implications, in a rapidly changing world.

👉 um.edu.mt/l/UIVR3

Stefano Moncada | Godfrey Baldacchino | Lino Briguglio

The elusive nature of a successful ‘Yes’ vote.

Pro-change campaigns succeed or fail not only due to institutional constraints but also through their capacity to sustain emotionally resonant stories of transformation in the face of risk.

For and territories considering sovereignty referendums, the lesson is clear: achieving a successful ‘Yes’ vote requires more than a compelling policy case.

👉 um.edu.mt/l/mtLRx

Stefano Moncada | Godfrey Baldacchino | Lino Briguglio

The Ministry for Health and Active Ageing of the Government of Malta (Saħħa), in collaboration with WHO Regional Office for Europe, is organising this special at this year’s World Health Assembly side event on 19 May on the theme:

🏥 Can small countries advance complex care in the digital era?

are expected to deliver quality health care for complex conditions, often with fewer specialists and limited resources.

It’s not easy, but with the right decisions, policies and digital tools, it is possible.

The aim is to continue supporting small countries as they continue to deliver high-quality cancer care - through digital innovation, stronger health workforce, and quality standards that fit their reality.

📌 Please note: this is an in-person event only. RSVP only if you’re already planning to be physically in Geneva.

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4un0bqW

📚 Book review of "Janet Jagan: Freedom fighter of Guyana"

Locating Janet within a feminist movement in leadership positions regionally and globally at that time, this leader of one of the smallest states in South America had certainly shattered the proverbial glass ceiling throughout her extraordinary life.

This book will be of interest to researchers of Cold War politics in small states, as well as cross-disciplinary students in Caribbean history, political science, gender and ethnic studies.



👉 um.edu.mt/l/33ozy

Stefano Moncada | Godfrey Baldacchino | Lino Briguglio