SPREP

On 25 August, 2016 at SPREP's Apia headquarters, representatives from both agencies formally signed the Meeting Minutes related to the formulation of the second phase of the Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries, known as J-PRISM II.

Fiji has been a valued SPREP member since its formation as an independent regional organization.

This office hosts the Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change (PEBACC) project which focusses on strengthening and protecting the role of natural ecosystem services to enhance resilience with activities in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The campaign coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with Pacific islands and partners aims to promote the conservation of whales through a range of initiatives and awareness raising activities.

Over two million great whales were killed by industrial whaling fleets in the Twentieth Century, most of them in the Southern Hemisphere, on their summer feeding grounds in the Antarctic Ocean.

This will be submitted to Members for adoption at the annual SPREP meeting in September this year and is expected to come into force in 2017.

The current SPREP Strategic Plan 2011-2015 will continue until the end of this year.

The new Strategic Plan will act as the guiding document for the organisation that provides support to its 21 Pacific island member countries through a range of different activities and partnerships.

Nine of the 13 Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Members that are Parties to the Waigani Convention were present at the meeting. SPREP is the Secretariat of the Waigani Convention that entered into force in 2001.

The Meeting brings together the governing council of SPREP to discuss SPREP strategic issues and approve the 2016 work plan for the organisation.

A number of different issues will be discussed by the 14 Pacific island and 5 metropolitan member countries and partners of SPREP.  Over the three day meeting these include an update on the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC), Climate Finance, discussion on a new regional strategy on waste management and the development of the next SPREP Strategic Plan.

A survey has found that some South Pacific countries are awash with the hazardous building material which can lead to lung diseases or cancer.

The Pacific environment agency SPREP says that until now there's only been anecdotal evidence about the quantity and condition of asbestos in the region.

SPREP's Pacwaste project manager, Stewart Williams, says the survey, done with European Union assistance, found that the once-common building material is widespread, including in public buildings such as schools and hospitals.

The Global Environment Facility-Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (GEF-PAS) Pilot Project on Composting and Recyclable Waste Separation is being implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETCom).

POETCom is housed in the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and is engaging in building resilient farming capacity in Niue through funding support from the International Fund for Agriculture Development. Composting is a resilient farming technique.

Periodic SOE reports serve as a "health check-up" for the environment and environmental services upon which the people of the Marshall Islands depend. The results from these reports feed directly into strategic environmental planning, which seeks to protect the healthy parts of RMI's environmental systems and improve other parts that are in decline.

A two day State of the Environment Report write-shop and National Environmental Management Strategy consultation was held in the Marshall Islands this month.

A three day workshop coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) led to the formation of the Tuvalu Invasive Species Committee which will be coordinated by the Environment Department.

"A key outcome in forming this Committee is that stakeholders and various agencies have agreed to collaborate which can bring about positive outcomes," said Dr Posa Skelton, Coordinator of the Pacific Invasives Learning Network at SPREP.