Press Releases | Niue Earth Watch

PSIDS Chair notes INC progress, looks to next steps of plastics treaty negotiations

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · December 8, 2023

Q and A with H.E Ambassador Ilana Seid, Permanent Representative of Palau to the UN and Chair of Pacific Small Island Developing States and Ms. Gwendalyn Kingtaro Sisior, of Palau: 25 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya – Pacific negotiators joined more...

‘Is that the world we want to bequeath our grandchildren?’ UN Ocean Envoy laments plastic crisis impact on Ocean

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 2, 2023

01 June 2023, Paris France - As the negotiations pick up speed at the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee charged with producing an international legally binding instrument to control plastic pollution, including in the...

Pacific Nations Champion Stronger Mercury Controls at Minamata Convention's Fifth Assembly

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · November 14, 2023

02 November 2023, Geneva – As the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-5) to the Minamata Convention continues in Geneva, there is a palpable air of anticipation and commitment from Pacific nations. The gathering is particularly...

New Zealand advocates ‘design of plastic waste out of system’ at treaty negotiations

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 2, 2023

02 June 2023, Paris France - An ambitious, robust and legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution including that within our marine environment must target the top of the waste hierarchy, reduce plastic waste, or avoid generating it in the...

SPREP calls for more robust regime to address the full life cycle of Ghost Gear

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · November 18, 2023

18 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Abandoned, Lost, Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG), also known as Ghost Gear, is one of the most harmful forms of marine debris devastating our Ocean. Studies have found that 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear,...

Tuvalu negotiator optimistic about ongoing plastic treaty negotiations

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 2, 2023

02 June 2023, Paris France - Slow progress is better than no progress at all. That’s the view of the Director of Tuvalu’s Department of Waste Management, Mr Epu Falega, as negotiations at the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating...

Sub-regional training kicks off to build Pacific capacity in the use of the Impacts Methodology

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 15, 2023

12 June 2023, Apia Samoa. Climate change practitioners from Fiji, Kiribati, and Samoa will benefit from a training organised by the EU funded Global Climate Change Alliance Plus Scaling Up Pacific Adaptation (GCCA+ SUPA) Project in partnership...

Paris delivers mandate for zero draft as momentum builds towards plastic treaty

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 15, 2023

12 June 2023, Paris France – The global community is one step closer towards a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, with the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) in...

Tonga Chairs 3rd SPREP Executive Board Meeting, encourages active engagement from members

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · January 21, 2023

08 September 2022, Apia, Samoa - Tonga has been appointed to Chair the 3rd Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s (SPREP) Executive Board meeting taking place on 08 September – 09 September 2022. The Chief Executive Officer of...

Australia reaffirms support for Pacific countries, commits to ambitious plastics treaty

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 1, 2023

31 May 2023, Paris France –Australia has reiterated its commitment to negotiating an ambitious and legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution by 2040. The commitment during the opening plenary of INC-2 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris...

We have no time to lose, AOSIS implores plastics treaty negotiations

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 1, 2023

31 May 2023, Paris France – The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has lent its support to calls for urgent attention to the formulation of a treaty to address plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. With French President His...

Samoa, as AOSIS Chair, calls for solidarity in plastics treaty negotiations on the eve of INC-2 in Paris

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · May 29, 2023

28 May 2023, Paris France - On the eve of the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC2) in Paris France,...

Pacific Women Negotiators take the lead

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 2, 2023

Ms Anama Solofa, Lead Negotiator on Ocean Issues, Alliance of Small Island States 1 June 2023, Paris France - More than 190 governments are now negotiating a new global treaty to end plastic pollution through an Intergovernmental Negotiation...

Pacific Women heard at global negotiations for a plastic treaty

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · May 30, 2023

30 May 2023, Paris France - Of just over 50 Pacific Islands delegates attending the global negotiations for a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution, half are women negotiators with one Pacific Island delegation consisting solely of women....

After procedural delays, Pacific delegates dive into nitty gritty of plastics treaty negotiations

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 2, 2023

01 June 2023, Paris France - Representatives from 12 Pacific island countries are in France this week with a common goal, to advance the discussions on the formulation of a treaty to end plastic pollution. It is the latest step in a journey dating...

Pacific voice loud and clear at plastic treaty negotiations in Paris

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · June 6, 2023

Q and A with H.E Ambassador Ilana Seid, Permanent Representative of Palau to the UN and Chair of Pacific Small Island Developing States 2 June 2023, Paris France – Nearly 200 countries are meeting in Paris this week to negotiate one of the most...

Gender and social inclusion critical to manage invasive species in the Pacific

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · May 23, 2023

04 May 2023, Apia Samoa - The values of gender and social inclusion in managing invasive species are crucial to achieving better outcomes for the environment in the Pacific. This point was emphasised during a Talanoa at the Battler Lounge on...

The Pacific Voice heard as the world builds a new Plastics Treaty.

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · May 30, 2023

Q and A with Mr Anthony Talouli of SPREP. 29 May 2023, Paris France - According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), our global community faces a plastic pollution crisis. We produce more than 430 million tonnes of plastic each...

Every minute of today counts, Cook Islands appeals over INC-2 procedural impasse

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) · May 30, 2023

30 May 2023, Paris France - For Pacific island communities at the forefront of the impacts of the plastic pollution crisis, every minute of the day counts in the global effort to negotiate a legally binding instrument to address the problem. The...

FFA celebrates 45 years of regional cooperation

Solomon Islands Government · August 8, 2024

FFA celebrates 45 years of regional cooperation Honiara, 9 August 2024 – The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) marks its 45th anniversary today, celebrating decades of successful regional cooperation dedicated to the sustainable...