On the margins of the ACP MEAs Phase 3 end-of-project meeting currently held in Suva, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) officially launched the Mana Kit and the updated regional Environmental Indicators Guidebook 2025, marking an important milestone in strengthening environmental monitoring and reporting across Pacific island countries and territories.
The Mana Kit serves as a “one-stop shop” resource for information on multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) on biodiversity, waste and chemicals. It is designed to deepen understanding of MEAs in the region and make this knowledge and information consolidated in the Mana Kit accessible in users’ hands.
“MEAs are not mere agreements, they are the foundation of our region’s collective action for a sustainable Pacific. With the Mana Kit, we are equipping Pacific countries with a practical, accessible resource to understand, implement and benefit from these agreements,” said Ms. Anastacia Amoa-Stowers, ACP MEAs Phase 3 Project Coordinator.
The Director of SPREP’s Environmental Governance Programme, Mr Jope Davetanivalu in reflecting on the work by the ACP MEA 3 project, “The launch of this tool highlights the tangible impact of the ACP MEAs Programme, which has contributed to building national capacities and strengthening environmental governance in the Pacific.”
The Mana Kit offers downloadable factsheets and modules covering key treaties such as the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and others. It also includes the newly adopted MEA, Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction also known as the BBNJ Agreement.
The revised Regional Environmental Indicators Guidebook 2025 complements the Mana Kit by providing a harmonised framework of 34 regional indicators across six thematic areas. namely, atmosphere and climate, biodiversity, environmental governance, built environment, land, and coastal and marine for tracking environmental change in the Pacific.
While it serves only as a guide, it supports countries in interpreting and using data effectively, informs policy development, strengthens evidence-based decision-making and helps meet various reporting obligations under MEAs.
As an updated version of the 2021 edition, the guidebook offers a common reference point to enhance consistency in environmental reporting, facilitate regional comparisons, and ultimately contribute to better planning, resource management, and sustainable development outcomes across the Pacific.
Reflecting the collaborative effort behind these resources and their anticipated contribution to advancing regional environmental objectives, the Mana Kit and revised Guidebook offer a structured, harmonised approach to data collection, analysis and reporting. These tools are not just reference materials, they are strategic instruments that underpin regional environmental planning, strengthen compliance with MEAs, enhance resilience of ecosystems and communities and enable evidence-based interventions to safeguard the Pacific’s natural heritage for future generations.
The Mana Kit and Regional Environmental Indicator Guidebook 2025 are now available to all Pacific island countries and territories via the SPREP website.
The Mana Kit was made possible through funding from the ACP MEA Phase 3 project and is accessible here: https://www.sprep.org/pacific-mea-mana-kit
The Regional Environmental Indicator Guidebook was jointly funded by the European Union through the Pacific BioScapes Programme and ACP MEA Phase III as well as the technical support from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NZMFAT) SPREP Support funding, and is accessible here: https://library.sprep.org/content/regional-environmental-indicators-guidebook-pacific-island-countries-and-territories