4 September 2025, Apia - The Thirty second Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Meeting of Officials has closed.
For the past three days at Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel, SPREP member countries, partners, donors and stakeholders, have been engaged in deep discussions about strategic issues pertaining to SPREP and its work to ensure a resilient Pacific environment.
The Thirty second SPREP Meeting of Officials takes place at a critical juncture in the Pacific’s environmental journey.
Across the region, our communities are at the forefront of the triple planetary crisis, challenges that are urgent and interconnected such as sea level rise, shifting coastlines, changing weather patterns, waste and pollution and the loss of precious island biodiversity.
Against the backdrop of these challenges, the Chair of the Meeting and Director General of Vanuatu’s Ministry of Climate Change, Mr David Gibson, acknowledged the critical importance of SPREP’s role.
“On behalf of Nauru as Vice Chair, and Vanuatu as the Chair, we want to express our sincere thank you to all the delegates for their work during the past three days. We have covered a lot,” he said.
“We know why this work is important and we are leaving Samoa optimistic that even though our communities continue to be on the front line of the triple planetary crises, we will not rest in terms of the work our communities have entrusted upon us to carry out.”
The Thirty second SPREP Meeting of Officials was preceded by SPREP’s second Partnership Dialogue on Monday.
The programme featured a series of lunch time and evening side events, with one of the highlights being the launch of the Emma Luke Regional Earth Observation Centre (ELEOC) housed SPREP’s Vailima headquarters, on Wednesday night.
The ELEOC honours the memory of the late Ms Emma Luke, who championed the role of Pacific countries in leading earth observation conversations and interventions for the Pacific.
Guided by the theme “Sustaining our Pacific Environment in Harmony with our Cultures”, the meeting was declared opened by the Chief Executive Officer of Samoa’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ms Peseta Noumea Simi, on Monday night.
Ms Simi paid tribute to the foresight of Pacific Leaders who recognised that the Pacific needed a dedicated regional agency to protect and conserve the environment.
Established by Treaty in 1993, SPREP, with more than 160 staff members working in Samoa as the headquarters, and other SPREP offices in Fiji, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, serves the region to address the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution.
More than 31 years on, the Chair of the Thirty second SPREP Meeting of Officials, Mr Gibson, added: “I especially want to thank the SPREP staff who have worked exceptionally hard to provide the support we needed to make this meeting possible.
“The outcomes we have before us from this meeting will not only build resilience amongst our communities to address the challenges they face, but I also believe will lead to a more prosperous and secured future for our communities.”
The Director General of SPREP, Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, added his thanks to that of the Chair to all the members, partners and donors for their work this week.
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]