Pacific Meeting to Discuss Regional Waste Project

Pacific Meeting to Discuss Outcomes of Regional Waste Project

Pacific waste representatives have come together for a two day regional meeting in Samoa to focus on the outcomes of the four year regional waste project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Ending in May this year, the outcomes from solid waste management project and the evaluation report, are the focus of discussions for the gathering, along with a stock take of needs for the next possible regional waste project.

At the 20th Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Annual Meeting held in Apia last year, a clear message from SPREP members indicated that solid waste management is an important priority for Pacific countries and that this priority area within SPREP should increase.

“We would urge you to be as clear and specific as possible in outlining your needs and priorities when you give your national reports,” said SPREP Director, David Sheppard during his address to the Pacific representatives at the opening of the two day meeting today.

“Your guidance over the next few days will play a critical role in the shaping of follow up to this project and – in particular – how this project will be designed and implemented.”

The regional solid waste management project has four main elements; the environmental monitoring of the semi aerobic landfill in Samoa, the development of national solid waste management strategies within Pacific islands Forum countries, the development of a waste information network and the fourth element relates to the examination of the bulky waste issue within our region.

The project also saw the development of the Solid Waste Management Strategy for the Pacific Islands Region for 2010-2015 (RS2010). It was developed in 2009 in consultation with SPREP member countries and endorsed at the 20th SPREP meeting.

“We’d like to discuss about the future project of the solid waste management improvement in this region, this is an important field to improve among all Pacific islands countries,” said Mr. Kazuya Suzuki, a Director of JICA’s Global Environment Department which covers the Pacific region.

The workshop ends on Thursday, 18 February and has country participants from the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

ENDS

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