Ministerial Conference on
Environment and Development
in Asia and the Pacific 2000
Kitakyushu, Japan 31 August - 5 September 2000
|
|
|
Action Plans for sustainable development in the Pacific Islands Barbados | SPREP | SAP | Global | Regional Action Plan | Population | Agricultural Action Plan | Priorities | SPREP 1999 | Emerging Concerns | There have been a great many action plans for resolving environmental issues and establishing sustainable development in the Pacific islands. The first of these were the early action plans established by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in 1986. Then, during the lead-up to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, UNESCAP and SPREP encouraged 15 Pacific island nations to produce National Environment Management Strategies (NEMS)
SPREP consolidated the NEMS and National State of the Environment reports into an action plan with 120 activities that was presented at the UNCED as The Pacific Way. These were consolidated again, and merged with action plans from other small island developing states for inclusion in the Barbados Programme of Action in 1994. Some of the countries, such as the Solomon Islands and the Marshall Islands, use the NEMs as a basis of action for National Environment Units, but by and large the NEMs have not been reviewed or updated in most countries and are seldom mentioned in official documents. Eleven PICs are currently preparing Biodiversity Stratgegy and Action Plans (BSAPs) to update the NEMS. The Barbados Programme of Action closely reflects the issues detailed in SPREP's analysis of the NEMS and identifies 9 priority environmental issues, and six cross-sectoral management issues: I. CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEALEVEL RISE II. NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS III. MANAGEMENT OF WASTES IV. COASTAL AND MARINE RESOURCES V. FRESHWATER RESOURCES VI. LAND RESOURCES VII. ENERGY RESOURCES VIII. TOURISM RESOURCES IX. BIODIVERSITY RESOURCES X. NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY XI. REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION XII. TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION XIII. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY XIV. HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT XV. IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND REVIEW The plan segregates actions for each of these issues into National, Regional and International responses. At the 1999 review of the BPoA by the UN General Assembly, six of the 14 issues were prioritised as needing urgent attention over the next five years:
SPREP designed its own Action Plans in concert with its member governments. These have included:
The SPREP Action Plan (1997-2000) distils the multitude of activities into five priority programmes:
These were then formulated as departments within the SPREP organization and various sub-action plans were created to meet the needs of these five priority areas. Their greatest successes have come in the Biodiversity and Environmental Education areas. The programmes in the Plan cover a wide range of detailed environmental issues. Some of the activities that are currently being implemented are: (1) State of the Environment Databases The Pacific Environment and Natural Resource Information Centre (PENRIC) based in SPREP is part of a global network organised by UNEP which aims to strengthen systems for State of the Environment reporting. It provides SPREP with Geographical Information System (GIS ) capacities for environmental assessment. These databases are a direct response to Agenda 21, which highlighted the importance of accurate and accessible environmental information for effective decision making. Environmental databases have been set up in most PIC’s (2) Strategic Action Plan for International Waters “Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP) of the Pacific Small Island Developing States,” proposed by 14 independent Pacific Island Countries, funded by the Global Environment Facility, and administered by SPREP. Priority Concerns:
Solutions:
ICWM Activity Areas:
OFM Activity Areas:
Target Actions:
The original objectives of SPREP dating back to the 1980’s were to steer the countries toward, (i) integration of environmental considerations into economic development; (ii) improve environmental awareness and education; (iii) manage and protect natural resources; (iv) improve waste management and pollution control. It is instructive that, a decade later, the three year, GEF funded SAP proposal preparation – after examining the critical concerns and the root causes in their, “legal, institutional, socio-economic and environmental context” discovered the root cause to be “deficiencies in management” with the root root cause as the failure to (i) integrate environmental considerations into economic development and decision making; and (ii) a need for improved environmental awareness through education and participation. At least the objectives are consistent, if still somewhat vague. The important point is that SPREP has added “decision making” and “participation” to their strategic plan and this may make a difference for on-the-ground action. (3) Global Action Plan for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities Global Action Plan for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities (GPA) was signed in 1995 and implementation is expected to commence in the region in 1998. The GPA is being coordinated by UNEP with the involvement of many other organisations and SPREP will be involved in its implementation in the South Pacific Region. The GPA recognises that the majority of marine pollution is derived from the land and targets many land based pollutants including sewage, sedimentation, non-degradable solid wastes and persistent organic pollutants. It promises to be of great benefit in combating pollution of the South Pacific Ocean. The Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development Regional Action Programme for Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development 1996 – 2000. The 1995 Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development adopted a Regional Action Programme (RAP) 1996-2000 that incorporates all of the Barbados Programme of Action activities and adds others. The RAP improves upon the BPoA by including expected tangible outcomes, thus providing a means of measuring progress. The Regional Action Programme for Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development 1996-2000 has 24 Programme Areas:
Population issues are incorporated within the Programme of Action (PoA) of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) of 1994. The plan of action on Agriculture Third Special Ministerial Conference on Agriculture in Small Island Developing States (Rome, 12 March 1999): The Plan of Action on Agriculture in Small Island Developing States complements the Barbados Programme of Action by focusing on five commitments related to the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors, namely:
As stated in the Declaration, the Special
Ministerial Conference acknowledged the central place of the 1994 Barbados Plan
of Action and recognized that the results of the Ministerial Conference would
make an important contribution to the international effort and work of the
United Nations in addressing the special needs and problems of small island
developing States. As part of the preparatory process for the Barbados Conference, a regional technical meeting for the Indian and Pacific Oceans, coordinated by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), was held from 31 May - 4 June 1993 in Vanuatu. The report of this meeting is contained in document A/CONF.167/PC/7. The meeting recommended that the PrepCom consider the following priority areas as the basis for developing an action programme for small island developing States (SIDS): (I) climate change and sea-level rise; (ii) natural and environmental disaster preparedness; (iii) environmentally sound management of wastes and toxic substances; (iv) coastal and marine resources; (v) freshwater resources; (vi) land resources; (vii) management of energy resources; (viii) management of tourism development; (ix) conservation of biological diversity; (x) national institutions and administrative capacity; (xi) regional institutions and technical cooperation; (xii) transport and communication; (xiii) management of science and technology; (xiv) human resources (population, education, urban development and health); and (xv) environmental legislation. By 1998, these priorities changed. The new priorities, were compiled from consultation and information exchange between United Nations agencies and interested regional organizations, and from the Roundtable of Pacific Island Ministers on Sustainable Development (17 November 1998). The new priorities do not include climate change and sea-level rise, natural and environmental disaster preparedness, land resources, regional institutions and technical co-operation, transport and communication, and environmental legislation. The new priorities focus on development issues with strong linkages between them: Sectoral issues · Improving management of Inshore and offshore marine resources · Minimizing land- and sea-based pollution · Promoting sustainable tourism · Freshwater resources: Provision of adequate supplies of non-polluted freshwater · Conservation of terrestrial and marine biological resources · Developing environmentally and economically sustainable energy resources Cross Sectoral Issues · Improving UN coordination · Building new partnerships and promoting participation · Implementing multilateral agreements · Building capacity through education, training and awareness raising · Strengthening links between environment and integrated development · Developing benchmarks and information for sustainable development · Integrating health, population and development · Vulnerability index · Financial Resources The SPREP Action Plan, approved by the 22 member nations of SPREP, contains two of the priority sectoral elements, conservation of terrestrial and marine biological resources, and minimizing land and sea based pollution. The remaining key priorities are the responsibility of other regional agencies. Energy and Freshwater resource development, for example, is the responsibility of SOPAC. Although a new regional Renewable Energy programme funded by Australia and France (PREFACE) is being set up at the SPC in Noumea. Tourism development is the responsibility of the South Pacific Tourism Organization. Management of inshore and offshore fisheries is the regional responsibility of the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) in association with the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC). The cross sectoral issues are goals for all government sectors and all regional agencies. A key withdrawal from the SPREP plan of action is the Pacific island response to climate change and sea level rise. This is seen as a political issue and the view of the Pacific Island countries is quite clear. The required response is for the developed countries to stop wasting time and start reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the industrial nations must comply with agreements set forth in Agenda 21 and the Barbados Programme of Action to supply funding and technological assistance to the Small Island Developing States to mitigate the impact of climate change, and acquire renewable power technologies. Environmental legislation, which experts in the SPREP secretariat see as an essential step for integrated and holistic sustainable development, is not listed as a priority for the Pacific island country governments. SPREP 1999 South pacific environment outlook. SPREP Apia, Samoa. The priority environmental problems that are placing pressure on the natural resources, lifestyles and economic development of this region have been identified progressively over the last eight years. These priorities have been drawn from national state of the environment reports prepared between 1991 and 1994 for National Environmental Management Strategies, regional reviews of state of the environment reporting and the SPREP Action Plan (1997-2000), and international agreements reached concerning the sustainable development of islands i.e. the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and related preparatory meetings . These priorities include:
While there are encouraging signs that population growth in the Pacific islands is slowing down, the current trends are expected to produce an increase from 7 million inhabitants to ten million in about 15 years time, with the fastest growth occurring in towns and cities. Given the social, economic and political implications of this, population and development are an urgent area of public policy reform for Pacific island governments. Emerging Environmental Challenges Agencies in the region have given a great deal of attention in recent years to the potential future threats related to global climate change and sea-level rise. Threats include the possible impacts on land stability, again with special emphasis on the coastal zone (SPREP 1993-98; SOPAC 1997). The effect of extreme events, such as cyclones and storm surges, can be devastating, and many activities (such as beach mining) increase this threat. This will be an issue in all countries even without sea level rise; the probability of this happening compounds the risk of serious damage and consequent economic penalties. A further factor which could make the land degradation situation more serious at the end of the century is the possibility of more frequent droughts in some PICs. Papua New Guinea, FSM, Marshall Islands and Fiji in particular, suffered from the intensity of the 1997-98 El Niño event. Prolonged drought led to severe depletion of crop yields and, in some cases, famine. A recurrence of such events would bring the additional threat of serious erosion and loss of cultivable land. Recently established land-use patterns, including the production of crops such as sugar on an industrial scale, will have to be reviewed so that the impacts of recurrent drought can be mitigated. The influence of economic reform and development initiatives, specifically trade liberalisation, is also expected influence the type of land use. As women are significant users of land and coastal resources and tend to take major responsibility for family health their input should be sought specifically on land degradation issues and should be equally involved in decision making and training (as trainers and recipients) on waste management and land use. The resolution of sustainable land management must deal with communal tenure systems, traditional land use practices and cultural values and the integration of environmental and development decision making. The importance of local knowledge and management systems has been strongly stated by PIDCs and research which focuses on indigenous knowledge and natural resource management practices is received with growing enthusiasm in the Pacific. A summary of emerging issues prepared by the GEO2 preparation team is:
Other issues are the development of skills in forming partnerships and links between all levels of society, and the willing duplication of effort to merge human behaviour with the needs of the ecosystems that support life on earth. UN/DESA/DSD 1999. Review of progress in the
implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of
Small Island Developing States. Report of the Secretary-General to be Submitted
to the CSD7. SPREP Action Plan 1997-2000. SPREP, Apia Samoa. http://www.sprep.org.ws
|
|
|
