Supporters of the UN treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons gathered this month in New York to call for wider ratification

Growing up in the Pacific nation of Kiribati, Oemwa Johnson heard her grandfather’s stories about nuclear explosions he witnessed in the 1950s. The blasts gave off ferocious heat and blinding light. He told her people were not consulted or given protective gear against bombs detonated by the US and UK at Kiritimati Island , now part of Kiribati, decades ago.

People in Kiribati suffered grave health consequences as a result of exposure to radiation from the tests in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a legacy they say continues to this day. Johnson says there’s a lack of accountability and awareness of how nuclear testing by foreign countries has harmed her people and homeland.

Analyst says while USAid supports hundreds of jobs, the most significant damage from Donald Trump’s cuts will be to US relations with the Pacific

The dismantling of USAid by president Donald Trump is having a ripple effect across the Pacific as people working on more than 100 projects and activities in the region grapple with an uncertain future.

While Pacific analysts say overall the region is resilient and will not be heavily affected by the withdrawal, hundreds of people working on USAid projects across the region say their lives and communities have already been upended.