Press Releases

Farewell Op-Ed from UNDP Resident Representative in Samoa

The End of a Season by: UNDP Resident Representative, Jorn Sorensen Four years ago, I arrived in Samoa amidst an air of optimism and promise. It was my first time in the Pacific region, and I was excited to begin my journey as the United Nations...

Nauru highlights microplastics risks in Nairobi

16 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - The risks of micrcoplastics to marine, environment and human health should be a major consideration for negotiators in Nairobi Kenya as they sift through the Zero Draft text and the Synthesis Report of an...

Accessible and new finances key means of implementation, Pacific countries tell INC-3

15 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Financial assistance that is sustainable, adequate, easily accessible, new, stable, predictable and timely for countries worst impacted by the plastic crisis, like all Pacific countries, is a key means of...

Devastated by three cyclones in one year, Vanuatu laments impact of triple planetary crisis at plastics treaty talks

16 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Vanuatu, the first country in the world to ban plastic straws with the introduction of a single-use plastic regulation, has lent its voice to growing and urgent calls for a global treaty to end the scourge of...

Solomon Islands, newest member of High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, leaves mark in Nairobi

15 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Solomon Islands might be the newest member of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) to End Plastic Pollution but this has not stopped the Pacific nation from taking the global stage at the plastic treaty negotiations...

Palau, as PSIDS Chair, calls for a revolution to end plastic pollution

14 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Twenty three million tonnes of plastic are released to the environment every year and half of it ends up in the Pacific Ocean every time. This number is expected to double by 2030 under a business-as-usual...

Let’s just get on with it, Fiji urges plastics treaty negotiators in Nairobi

13 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - As negotiators from all over the world gather in Nairobi, Kenya, for the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution,...

Zero draft of plastics treaty under the microscope as INC-3 opens in Nairobi

13 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Pacific delegations from 14 Pacific countries have travelled far and wide to be in Nairobi, Kenya, the home of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this week. They are on a mission to amplify the One...

Media Release _ Marking 78 years of the United Nations

SAMOA, October 22 - Apia Samoa – The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Samoa is commemorating the United Nations Day on Tuesday, 24th of October at the One UN House located at Tuanaimato. The United Nations Day is an annual commemorative day,...

Marking One Year Since the Release of the Administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy

Following the release of the Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, the United States, in coordination with allies and partners, has taken historic strides to advance our common vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free and open, connected,...

Pacific youth capacity strengthened at inaugural Loss and Damage dialogue

Youth representatives from across the Pacific have had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the issue of loss and damage from experts and experienced climate change negotiators during the inaugural Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS)...

Pacific Tourism Organisation Attends China International Travel Mart (CITM) 2023

To enhance regional collaboration and tap into the booming Chinese tourism market, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) will lead and coordinate the Pacific’s presence at the 24th China International Travel Mart (CITM) in Kunming, Yunnan...

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

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...

Community engagement highlighted as rat removal operation on Late Island in Tonga moves forward

07 July 2023, Nukualofa Tonga - The Kingdom of Tonga is a step closer to implementing an operation to remove rats from the uninhabited Late Island following successful community and stakeholder consultations in Vavau last month. The first of the...

Curtain falls on the final PACRES Steering Committee and Lessons Learned Meeting

4 August 2023, Nadi, Fiji. Following a week of comprehensive and informative sessions and dialogue, partner countries and delivery partners brought the fourth and final Steering Committee meeting and Lessons Learned workshop for the European Union...

SPREP enhances partnerships for a resilient Blue Pacific

04 September 2023, Apia Samoa - The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) continues to strengthen partnerships for a resilient Blue Pacific through the first SPREP Partnership Dialogue taking place in Samoa, at the...

SPREP and World Bank build capacities for Environmental and Social Risk Management

07 September 2023, Apia Samoa – The pressing challenges faced by Pacific countries in managing environmental and social risks, especially in a time when climate change and other global issues are exacerbating these risks, have been spotlighted at...

Improving data collection and management for informed decision making in the Pacific through the Inform project

4 September 2023, Apia – The milestones and achievements of the recently completed Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded Inform project, as well as its role in the transition towards well-informed, data-based decision making, were highlighted...

Solomon Islands committed to deliver a ‘Safe and Green Pacific Games’

06 September 2023, Apia Samoa - The rich tapestry of cultures found within the Solomon Islands was on display during the opening day of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) officials meeting as Solomon Island...

Celebrating 30 years of SPREP in the Cook Islands

Reflecting upon our past to help build our future was a key message amplified at a special event commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in the Cook Islands. The celebration...