13 June 2025, Apia, Samoa – The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) today opened its doors to officials from government, development partners and key stakeholders, during an Open Day held to celebrate 32 years since its establishment as the Pacific’s premier organisation for the protection of the environment.
Guided by the theme ‘Honouring the Past, Inspiring the Future’, the SPREP Open Day provided invited guests and staff of the Secretariat with the opportunity to reflect on their collective journey, celebrate and share their achievements, and be inspired by the positive impacts and outcomes of their collective actions and be reinvigorated in their continued efforts to ensure the protection and conservation of the Pacific environment.
Acting Director General, Ms. Easter Chu Shing, said, “As we celebrate 32 years of SPREP, we are reminded of the purposes of SPREP, which is to promote coordination in the Pacific region and to provide assistance for the protection and improvement of the environment, and ensure sustainable development for present and future generations,” Ms. Chu Shing added.
“The environment remains the cornerstone of sustainable development in the Pacific, which is enshrined in SPREP’s vision of ‘A resilient Pacific environment, sustaining our livelihoods and natural heritage in harmony with our cultures’.
Ms. Chu Shing remarked that environmental challenges have intensified and increased in scale over the years, with the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution requiring that we all continue to work together and commit to accelerate actions to address these challenges.
“SPREP alone cannot do this, hence the partnership we have with SPREP Member countries, with the support of development partners, and through close collaboration with local, regional, and international organisations, non-governmental organisations, technical, scientific and research organisations, as well as universities,” Ms. Chu Shing said.
The anniversary of the signing of the SPREP treaty, which established the Secretariat in Samoa, is celebrated each year on 16 June. It is customary for SPREP to open its doors to schools and students from around Samoa on this day, as a way to share and impart knowledge to help with the development of younger generations, and to inspire them to be responsible custodians for the environment.
Last year, the SPREP Open Day was held in Savaii, with staff traveling to the big island to engage with schools and students who do not usually have the opportunity to take part in the celebrations at SPREP’s Headquarters in Upolu.
“For this year’s Open Day, we wanted to do something different. Instead of inviting students, we decided to open our doors to officials from government ministries, SPREP partners in Samoa, and our key stakeholders,” Ms. Chu Shing said.
“It is an opportunity to not only be part of the SPREP Day celebrations, but also to learn more about our work, and to engage in meaningful discussions with our teams on issues of climate change, biodiversity conservation, waste management and pollution, and environmental governance. It is also an opportunity to learn more about the different services that SPREP offers through our technical programmes and our Governance and Operations teams.”
“We take this opportunity to also acknowledge the continued support of our Members, partners, and stakeholders,” she added.
Ms. Chu Shing acknowledged with appreciation the continued support of the Government of Samoa as SPREP’s host country for their continued support, remarking that SPREP would not be where it is today without Samoa’s unwavering commitment to not only host the region’s environment organisation but to work in close collaboration and support the work that it carries out.
“Let us continue our journey together as we navigate these challenging times,” she urged.