Press Releases

Vanuatu as PSIDS Chair rallies Pacific nations in ongoing INC process for a Cleaner Pacific

13 February 2024, Auckland NZ - The Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) are small in numbers but it continues to punch well above its weight in its commitment and dedication to ending plastic pollution. The point was made by the...

Pacific preparations for INC-4 provides common understanding on key issues ahead of Ottawa

16 February 2024, Auckland NZ - Fourteen Pacific countries have taken a step closer to finalise their preparations, with a common understanding of key issues, for the next round of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an...

Pacific countries go back to the drawing board ahead of next round of plastics treaty negotiations

5 February 2024, Apia Samoa – Fourteen Pacific countries advocating for the priorities of their communities at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including...

Young negotiators laud experience shared at Pacific negotiations training

12 February 2024, Auckland NZ - As a young Pacific woman, Ms Darla Yatilman, of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has high aspirations to help her country address one of the most pressing issues of modern time, the plastic pollution crisis....

Magnifying Pacific issues in a global declaration on waste

16 May 2024 - Pacific voices were given the lens to magnify their concerns when it comes to waste management on the global stage. Over a two-day period, Pacific Islands have undergone consultations for their input into the Pre-Zero Draft...

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...

Nation-wide consultations continue as Solomon Islands moves closer to banning single-use plastics

Solomon Islands will soon become the latest Pacific Island country to enforce a ban on single-use plastics in its efforts to address the plastic pollution crisis. A series of national consultations have been ongoing to inform, engage and receive...

Small Islands, Big Dreams: Children and Youth for Small Islands Developing States Resilience

26 May 2024, Antigua and Barbuda - The echo of young people from across Small Islands Developing States will resonate at the Fourth International Conference to start in Antigua and Barbuda tomorrow. Approximately 60 Children and youth between the...

Cook Islands joins plastic treaty proposal for chemicals of concern

26 April 29024, Ottawa Canada - The Cook Islands, a large ocean island state is making her mighty voice heard at the Plastics Treaty negotiations now underway. The island nation, with Rwanda, has co-sponsored a proposal by Norway on how to address...

Week of intense plastic treaty negotiations in Nairobi ends with a way forward

20 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Pacific delegates who attended the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment...

Solomon Islands calls on the global community to address the gaps regarding chemicals of concern in the plastic treaty

Addressing the gap between the few chemicals in plastics that are regulated globally and the growing number of chemicals of concern that are known to be used in plastics but are not identified for listing either for elimination, avoidance and...

Republic of Palau: 2011 Staff Visit, Concluding Statement of the IMF Mission

The mission would like to thank the authorities for warm hospitality and constructive discussions. This statement summarizes the mission’s findings and recommendations. The economy is likely to have stabilized during FY2010, with a modest rebound...

SPREP signs memorandum with EIA and CIEL at INC-3

19 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Centre for International Environmental...

Fiji calls on the plastics treaty to comprehensively address the full lifecycle of ghost fishing gear

21 April 2024, Ottawa Canada -Fiji contributes a fraction of one per cent of the global macroplastic leakages from abandoned, lost, discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) but bears a disproportionate burden on its devastating impact on marine life and...

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...

PNG flags maritime zones and marine resources protection at plastics treaty talks

15 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - The leakage of plastics into the ecosystems, including in the marine environment, is a growing concern for Papua New Guinea (PNG). What’s even more alarming for the biggest Pacific island with an Exclusive...

At midway point of INC-3, Cook Islands continues to push for ambitious treaty

17 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - At the midway point of the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) on plastic pollution, including in the marine...

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

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...

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...

Samoa, as Chair of AOSIS, highlights human health risks at INC-3 in Nairobi

14 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - Samoa, as the Chair of the 39 Small Island Developing States of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), continues to amplify the One Pacific Voice calling for urgent attention and action to end the scourge of...