4 September 2025, Apia - A side event at the margins of the 32nd SPREP Meeting of Officials hosted the launch of the Pacific Chapter of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network in Apia, Samoa, on Thursday.
“I have the honour to announce the launch of the Pacific branch of the Global Youth Biodiversity network. Coordinated by Pacific youth, the network aims to promote the voice of young people aged 18-25 in decision-making processes related to biodiversity,” said the Honourable Minister of Environment and Climate Change of New Caledonia, Mr. Jérémie Katidjo Monnier.
SPREP Director General, Mr. Sefanaia Nawadra, hailed the launch as a milestone moment for the Pacific.
“Our young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but leaders today, championing new ideas, energising movements, and ensuring our commitments to nature and climate are carried forward with resilience and innovation,” Mr. Nawadra said.
He emphasised the importance of intergenerational collaboration, stressing that the wisdom of elders must go hand in hand with the energy and passion of youth to protect and restore Pacific ecosystems.
A very excited Ms Claire Oiire, Pacific Biodiversity Coordinator for the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation in the Young Professionals programme at SPREP, described the launch as ‘being wonderful to have everyone here for the start of something new and something so important!’.
The vision of the Chapter is ‘empowering Pacific youth to actively participate in biodiversity decision making processes and conservation efforts, ensuring resilient and sustainable futures for our Pacific people and ecosystems’ continued Miss Oiire.
The chapter is being supported by the Pacific BioScapes Programme, a European Union (EU) funded action, managed and implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The Pacific Bioscapes Programme aims to contributes to the sustainable development of Pacific Small Island Developing States through the implementation of regional activities and 30 national activities taking place across a diversity of ecosystems in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The Programme includes national-level marine spatial planning in the Cook Islands and Kiribati, ocean and ecosystem-based management in Fiji and the Solomon Islands, and support for the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation (PIRT), amongst many other diverse initiatives.
“Through the support of the EU and the BioScapes Programme we have been able to connect Pacific youth with the Global Youth Biodiversity Network for information, training, and opportunities that turn passion into action,” explained Ms Oiire.
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The new chapter will allow youth members better access to capacity building, internships and volunteer opportunities with PIRT member organisations. This will also include mentorship and training sessions aimed at building conservation knowledge and skills, as well as seminars and networking sessions with experts across the PIRT working group.
The network will also Involve youth in decision-making processes at regional and global events, such as the Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas and Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties.
“This is the just the beginning. We are hoping to build something that will transform the lives of young people in the Pacific so they can achieve some really positive outcomes for biodiversity that we cannot even imagine yet,” concluded Ms Oiire.
For more information please visit: www.pacificislandsroundtable.com
The Thirty second SPREP Meeting of Officials (SM32) and associated meetings are taking place at Sheraton Aggie Grey’s Hotel & Bungalows in Samoa, from 1-5 September.
Guided by the theme “Sustaining our Pacific Environment in Harmony with our Cultures”, the SM32 and associated meetings bring together SPREP Members to discuss strategic issues pertaining to the organisation, and to approve the 2026-2027 Work Programme and Budget.
The 21 Pacific Island Members 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, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna. The five Metropolitan members of SPREP are: Australia, France, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
In our efforts to fulfil our vision of ‘a resilient Pacific environment, sustaining our livelihoods and natural heritage in harmony with our cultures’, SPREP is extremely grateful to our valued Members, partners, donors, our CROP family, and stakeholders.
For more information on the 32SM, visit https://www.sprep.org/sprep-meeting/2025/32nd-meeting-of-officials or contact [email protected]