To prepare Member States for effective participation and coordinate our approach on the environment dimension the Secretariat is convening two workshops. The first is a Scoping Workshop on 4 May 2022 to discuss our approach for the conference and identify what Member States will need to engage effectively in the environment dimension of the Conference. We will also discuss potential side events and communication and advocacy needs.
SPREP is pleased to introduce its new Director General, Mr. Sefanaia Nawadra who officially started office on Monday, 4th April 2022.
Recalling the Noumea Convention COP16 Meeting where the development of a Regional Framework for the Prevention of Pollution by Marine Litter and Microplastics was agreed the Secretariat is pleased to confirm that a virtual consultation workshop will be held for SPREP Member States.
All our knowledge resources are freely available and can be accessed on the NEW SPREP Virtual Library https://library.sprep.org
This Regional Disaster Waste Management (DWM) Guideline aims to contribute to resilience building of Pacific islands to disasters by providing specific information for the management of disaster waste, improvement of existing waste management facilities to improve readiness, and the integration of disaster waste into national disaster management plans for efficient coordination of preparedness, response and recovery operations.
6 April 2022 – Virtual (via Zoom) - 2.00 pm – 4.15 pm Samoa Standard Time
SPREP, through the AFD-Funded SWAP (Committing to Sustainable Waste Actions in the Pacific) Project is pleased to invite you to attend a two-hour virtual workshop “Tackling marine litter: From coastal clean-up to decision making” to be held on Wednesday 6 April 2022 at 2pm Samoa Standard time.
Applications are invited for the following positions that are being advertised within SPREP Apia, Samoa:
1. Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist – Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP)
2. Senior Project Officer – (POLP)
3. Communications and Stakeholders Engagement Officer – (POLP)
We wish to inform all national focal points that after internal discussions and with appropriate consideration of the current COVID lockdowns in multiple countries, the scheduled Pacific-European Union Waste Management Programme – PacWastePlus, annual steering committee meeting will be postponed from 7 April 2022 until 12 May 2022.
Secretariat wishes to advise Members of the postponement of the first workshop towards a Pacific regional framework for the prevention of pollution by marine litter and microplastics to Wednesday 20 April 2022.
It gives me great pleasure to invite you and your representatives to the Pacific Islands Climate Change Forum (PICCF) that will be held from the 27-29 April 2022 at 10:00 AM – 14:00 PM, Samoa date and time (WST) or starting 26 April 2022 at 21:00, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
The recent IPCC 6th Assessment Report (AR6) Working Group II highlights the ‘rise in weather and climate extremes has led to some irreversible impacts as natural and human systems are pushed beyond their ability to adapt”. As vulnerable nations to climate change and natural hazards like tropical cyclones, droughts and floods the demand therefore for reliable, accessible, and tailored scientific information for decision making continues to increase.
The Secretariat is pleased to advise that the first workshop towards a Pacific Regional Framework for the prevention of Pollution by marine litter and microplastics has been scheduled for Wednesday 30 March 2022.
The Pacific I2I (project identification form) PIF was approved in June 2021 and a Project Preparation Grant (PPG) was unlocked to support the project formulation which is coordinated through Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The Secretariat is the Executing Agency with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) as the Implementing Agencies. The project formulation phase normally takes 12 months, with a submission for the GEF CEO for endorsement scheduled on 18 June 2022.
The Secretariat is pleased to inform you that nominations are being accepted for the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) ninth regional training on “Enhancing Climate Resilience and Safe Water Access in Rural Areas in the Pacific”. This training is a core activity of the PCCC Project for Capacity Building on Climate Resilience in the Pacific (CBCRP-PCCC). The training will be held from 2-27 May 2022 through the PCCC e-learning platform. Kindly note that this training will be delivered in both English and French.
Further to Circulars 21/108 and 21/149 on matters regarding the 3rd Independent Corporate Review of SPREP and Mid-Term Review of the SPREP Strategic Plan 2017-2026, the Secretariat wishes to propose for due consideration, the first meeting of the Working Group convene on Tuesday 16 March 2022 at 1.00pm to 2.00pm Samoa date and time.
Please find attached the draft Environmental Monitoring and Management Plan (EMMP) for your review and input. The draft EMMP accompanies the draft Guidance Note on Good Practice in Environmental Impact Assessment and Management for Coastal Engineering Projects which was circulated via the SPREP Circular 22/09.
The development of the draft EMMP is made possible through funding support from the European Union initiated capacity building project titled "Capacity Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements in African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries” (ACPMEAs phase 3), implemented by the Secretariat.
SPREP is pleased to invite you to attend the webinar on the “Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report: An overview of Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” for the Pacific, 10 March 2022. The webinar will be hosted by the Pacific Climate Change Centre in partnership with the Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions at the Australian National University. The webinar will discuss the main findings of the report and its implications for the Pacific.
To ensure the Secretariat has the most current and accurate information pertaining our members and partners respective government and organisation, we kindly seek advice by return email regarding any changes to the names, titles, addresses, telephone, facsimile numbers, and email addresses of respective national focal points to ensure these are accurately reflected.
The Secretariat would like to inform you of a revised schedule for training programs in 2022 under the Project for Capacity Building on Climate Resilience in the Pacific” (CBCRP-PCCC) in partnership with the Government of Samoa and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Due to the increase of Covid-19 cases and related restrictions in the Pacific, the training schedule has been revised to enhance participation in the training programs.
The online Turtle Research and monitoring Database System (TREDS), contains a wealth of information and turtle data from SPREP’s Members and is a valuable platform for entering, storing, and analyzing turtle data.
This circular is to notify you of this opportunity and seek your support and agreement for the use of the database as per the terms of the existing TREDS Data Sharing Policy.
This meeting is critical in setting the collective PSIDS priorities in the lead up to the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies sessions in June and COP27 in November 2022.
It will be an opportunity to reflect on lessons learnt from the engagement of the PSIDS Political Climate Change Champions and negotiators at COP26 and will further inform how we plan for 2022.
This final workshop aims to:
• Present the changes to the draft Pacific NAP Guidelines based on the comments from the first workshop and comments received via email from PSIDS and partner organisations;
• Discuss a way forward including application and use of the Pacific NAP Guideline to guide national adaptation planning.
Applications are invited for the following positions advertised within the Secretariat.
Island and Ocean Ecosystems Programme;
1. Programme Manager (PM) - Pacific BioScapes Programme
2. Communications and Outreach Specialist (COS) - Pacific BioScapes Programme
3. Senior Finance and Administration Officer (SFAO) - Pacific BioScapes Programme
4. Solomon Islands Country Coordinator (SICC) - Pacific BioScapes Programme
5. Coastal and Marine Specialist (CMS) - Pacific BioScapes Programme
Information Technology
6. IT Network & Systems Engineer (ITNSE)
The closing date for applications is Monday, 28 February 2022.
People around the world are coming together to demand change in the way we make and use plastics. Millions of dollars are being invested in cleaning up our oceans, rivers and beaches in an effort to turn the tide on plastic pollution. These efforts are vital but will be insufficient if ever more plastic continues to be allowed to escape into our environment.
It is with great pleasure that we wish to inform you of the development of a guidance note for coastal engineering good practice in Impact Assessment (in the Pacific).
The Secretariat is pleased to provide an analysis of the resolutions and decisions in the following five clusters:
Cluster 1: Marine and Plastic Pollution;
Cluster 2: Nature-based Solutions and biodiversity;
Cluster 3: Chemicals and minerals;
Cluster 4: Green recovery and circular economy;
Cluster 5: Organisational and administrative matters.
SPREP is very pleased to be working with the Asia-Pacific Marine Turtle Genetic Working Group (APMTGWG) to enhance in-country capacity for marine turtle genetic studies in the region.
The Secretariat is pleased to confirm that the Third Executive Board Meeting will be held on the 8 & 9 of September 2022.
The Secretariat is pleased to confirm that a virtual consultation workshop will be held for SPREP Member States as noted in earlier Circular’s 21/155 and 21/158 regarding the resumed session of UNEA5 (UNEA5.2) that will take place in Nairobi, Kenya and online, on 28 February to 2 March 2022.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in partnership with the IMPACT Project would like to invite you to the Pacific NAP Guidelines consultative workshop which will be held on the 1 February 2022.
