II. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
[ II-A | II-B | II-C
| II-D | II-E | II-F
| II-G | II-H ]
G. Overall adequacy of institutional arrangements
The present institutional arrangements are not adequate for ensuring sustainable development in Fiji. Despite the upgrading of EMU to the status of Department of the Environment few achievements have been made in tackling existing environmental problems and abuse. The environmental responsibilities are left to the appropriate sectoral ministries which are preoccupied with production, revenue and costs, rather than the sustainability of the resources for which they are responsible.
In order to improve the current institutional arrangements, there is a clear need for an effective central government body to coordinate national environment policies and initiatives. Such a body would need to be determined and strong enough to ensure that sustainability dominates national development goals over short-term sectoral objectives.
The establishment of NCSD under the proposed Sustainable Development Act, with high-level public and appropriate private sector representation, many be the answer to the current flaws in Fiji’s environmental institutional structure. In addition to NCSD, several other institutional arrangements have been integrated into the Sustainable Development Bill.
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