Waste Management and Pollution Control
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the University of the South Pacific (USP) have launched a new programme to improve the management of harmful chemicals across 14 countries in the Pacific.
The improper management of chemicals can cause great damage to the environment, and to human health. A worst-case scenario can result in explosions or contamination and can have a devastating impact on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. At a more insidious level, the improper disposal of some chemicals can result in the release of Persistent Organic Pollutants - known as POPs - which, over time, have a negative impact on both human health and ecosystem functioning.
The countries and territories of the Pacific are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effect of poor chemical management due to poorly maintained storage facilities and limited resource capacity. These factors are exacerbated by the region's exposure to storm surges and tropical cyclones.
SPREP is working with the Institute of Applied Sciences (IAS) at USP to deliver comprehensive chemical management training across 14 Pacific island countries. This body of work is one component of the Pacific POPs Release Reduction Project, which is funded through the Global Environment Facility - Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (GEF-PAS).
Ms Lusiana Ralogaivau, SPREP's GEF Project Coordinator, explains that poor chemical management has been identified as an issue that prevents countries from fulfilling their obligations under the Stockholm Convention.
"The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty, adopted in 2001, that is designed to protect human health and the environment from POPs. This integrated chemical management training programme which commenced last week, will help Pacific island countries to fulfill their obligations to this important Multilateral Environment Agreement."
The first phase of the work, which runs from July - December 2015, will focus on the development of resource materials to support the training of government agency staff, laboratory staff, education sector representatives and customs personnel involved in the use, management and regulation of chemicals.
Following the development of training materials, in-country training of relevant personnel will take place in Cook Island, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Dr Bruce Graham, who will be working with USP on the delivery of the training, explains:
"The final outcomes will see the development of a regional best-practice guide that will feed into, and inform, draft national guidelines and action plans on chemical management. This will be the first time that Pacific island countries have action plans that are specifically focused on the management of all chemicals."
The Pacific POPs Release Reduction project is co-funded through the Global Environment Facility - Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (GEF-PAS) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD). It is executed by SPREP, in close cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
For more information, please contact Lusiana Ralogaivau on [email protected]
The improper management of chemicals can cause great damage to the environment, and to human health. A worst-case scenario can result in explosions or contamination and can have a devastating impact on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. At a more insidious level, the improper disposal of some chemicals can result in the release of Persistent Organic Pollutants - known as POPs - which, over time, have a negative impact on both human health and ecosystem functioning.
The countries and territories of the Pacific are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effect of poor chemical management due to poorly maintained storage facilities and limited resource capacity. These factors are exacerbated by the region's exposure to storm surges and tropical cyclones.
SPREP is working with the Institute of Applied Sciences (IAS) at USP to deliver comprehensive chemical management training across 14 Pacific island countries. This body of work is one component of the Pacific POPs Release Reduction Project, which is funded through the Global Environment Facility - Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (GEF-PAS).
The improper management of chemicals can cause great damage to the environment, and to human health. Photo: Amol Lal
Ms Lusiana Ralogaivau, SPREP's GEF Project Coordinator, explains that poor chemical management has been identified as an issue that prevents countries from fulfilling their obligations under the Stockholm Convention.
"The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty, adopted in 2001, that is designed to protect human health and the environment from POPs. This integrated chemical management training programme which commenced last week, will help Pacific island countries to fulfill their obligations to this important Multilateral Environment Agreement."
The first phase of the work, which runs from July - December 2015, will focus on the development of resource materials to support the training of government agency staff, laboratory staff, education sector representatives and customs personnel involved in the use, management and regulation of chemicals.
Following the development of training materials, in-country training of relevant personnel will take place in Cook Island, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Dr Bruce Graham, who will be working with USP on the delivery of the training, explains:
"The final outcomes will see the development of a regional best-practice guide that will feed into, and inform, draft national guidelines and action plans on chemical management. This will be the first time that Pacific island countries have action plans that are specifically focused on the management of all chemicals."
Professor Bill Aalbersberg from USP, SPREP's Lusiana Ralogaivau and Dr Bruce Graham at the inception meeting of the new integrated chemical management training programme in Suva. Photo: A.Carvan/SPREP
The Pacific POPs Release Reduction project is co-funded through the Global Environment Facility - Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (GEF-PAS) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD). It is executed by SPREP, in close cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
For more information, please contact Lusiana Ralogaivau on [email protected]