The achievements of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) during the year 2020 were highlighted during the first day of the 30th SPREP Meeting of Officials, as Director General Kosi Latu presented the newly released Annual Report to its Members.
The Annual Report provides a comprehensive overview of the work of the Secretariat during 2020, which was identified as an unprecedented and challenging year not only for the organisation, but the whole world.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a disruption in the normal work of the Secretariat, forcing Director General Latu and his team to find new innovative ways in which the programmes and projects could carry out their activities within Pacific island countries and territories despite the border closures brought on by the pandemic.
“COVID-19 impacted the way we work as a Secretariat and how we engage with our Members, partners and each other,” Mr Latu said.
“It greatly impacted our budget with delivery of projects and programme delivery, and also had a devastating impact on all our Members, partners and communities.”
The pandemic provided the opportunity for the organisation to recognise the importance of enhanced communications and the use of technology for virtual delivery, and forced it to look at innovative ways of engaging with Member countries. This enabled over 1,000 online participants to remain engaged and connected with SPREP through various virtual meetings, trainings and conversations over the course of 2020.
Some of the key virtual conferences and events that took place in 2020 included the 2nd SPREP Executive Board Meeting, which is held in lieu of the full SPREP Meeting of Officials every other year, as well as the 10th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas, a bilingual event hosted as a partnership between the Government of New Caledonia, the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation and SPREP.
The pandemic also provided an opportunity for SPREP’s four programme areas, Climate Change Resilience, Environmental Monitoring and Governance, Islands and Ocean Ecosystems and Waste Management and Pollution Control, to carry out webinars as part of SPREP’s ‘Transitioning to a Post-Pandemic Pacific´ webinar series.
Another milestone achievement by the Secretariat in 2020 was the approval and endorsement of State of Enviornment (SOE) reports for five Pacific island countries – Cook Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Tonga. This is a new record set by the Secretariat and its Members.
The SOE is a baseline report intended to help decision and policy makers understand the trends and current environmental state in order to identify priority areas and improve national efforts for attaining sustainable development.
The Director General congratulated the countries for their ongoing commitment to ensure decision and policy makers are informed, and that the environment is safeguarded through positive conservation actions.
The meeting Chair thanked the Director General for his comprehensive report on the activities and achievements of the Secretariat for the year 2020, and invited the meeting to note the Director General’s report.
The 2020 SPREP Annual Report can be accessed at this link.
The 30th SPREP Meeting of Officials is being held virtually for participants from around the Pacific and face-to-face for participants in Samoa.
The Meeting brings together SPREP's 21 Pacific Island Member countries and 5 Metropolitan Members to discuss strategic issues pertaining to the organisation, and to approve the 2022-2023 work plan. The Environment Ministers' High-Level Talanoa will be held on Friday 10 September 2021.
The 21 Pacific Island Member countries and territories of SPREP are: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna.
The five Metropolitan members of SPREP are: Australia, France, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The 30th SPREP Meeting of Officials follows on from the Second Executive Board Meeting which was held in 2020.