Press Releases

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...

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...

Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2024

Climate change poses a growing threat to people and their livelihoods in Asia and the Pacific. Record heat waves, catastrophic floods, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. Yet critical data gaps hinder our...

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...

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...

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...

SPREP partners with SPTO to develop single-use plastic standards and certification programme

30 October 2023, Papeete, Tahiti - In a significant move towards a more sustainable and resilient future for Pacific tourism, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has announced a strategic partnership with the...

‘They told us plastics would make life easy, now studies have found plastics in people’

31 May 2023, Paris France - When Mr Pawa Limu grew up in Papua New Guinea (PNG), life in his village was simple. He was raised in a close-knit community where people co-existed peacefully and in harmony with nature. Survival in terms of food,...

PACRES project helps Solomon Islands restore Honiara Botanic Gardens to former glory

19 June 2023, Honiara Solomon Islands - The Botanic Gardens in Honiara is an important space for Solomon Islands. Spread over an estimated 19 hectares, the gardens showcase a range of local and exotic plant species and provides a sanctuary for...

SPREP and Pacific Countries forge new partnerships at the EIANZ Conference 2023

Auckland, New Zealand – The voices and presence of Pacific Island Countries were highly visible and amplified at the recent 2023 Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) Conference, held 17 -19 October, in Auckland, New Zealand....

Vanuatu, a world leader in the fight against plastic, remains hopeful at the INC2

31 May 2023 Paris France - Global leadership in the battle against single-use plastic was shown by Vanuatu when the Pacific Island nation became the first in the world to ban plastic straws in 2018. Now five years on, Vanuatu has joined the call...

Highlighting the importance of Oceania gadfly petrels at CMS

Gadfly petrels or Pterodroma are a genus of about thirty-five species of petrels, part of the seabird order. They are aptly named for their speedy, weaving flight which is also reflected in its name Pterodroma, from Ancient Greek, where pteron,...

Fiji committed to global cooperation for an ambitious and robust plastics treaty

31 May 2023, Paris France - The voice of Fiji was heard during a meeting of 193 governments tasked with the responsibility of developing a legally binding agreement to address the plastic pollution crisis. The second Intergovernmental Negotiating...

TMC Applauds U.S. Congressional Mandate for 2025 Defense Department Feasibility Study on Nodule Refining

The FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) mandates a Defense Department feasibility study on refining polymetallic nodule-derived intermediates to high-purity nickel, copper, and cobalt products The study, to be led by the Industrial Base...

Visitor Industry Grows Again in April 2025

Posted on May 29, 2025 in News For Immediate Release: May 29, 2025 HONOLULU—According to preliminary statistics from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), total visitor arrivals and total visitor spending in April...

Solomon Islands Implements Landmark Ban on Single-Use Plastics

11 September 2023, Honiara - It’s the dawn of a new era in Solomon Islands as the country officially gazetted a regulation to ban certain types of single-use plastics. Starting from 1 September, the import, manufacture, distribution, supply and...

Unlocking waste as a resource through a Circular Economy

07 September 2023, Apia Samoa - The future of waste management is not about building recycling facilities and collecting litter from our oceans, the future of waste management is product design, designing out waste. The 31st Secretariat of the...