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Press Release: General

SPREP presents 2008 Annual Report

11/18/2009

The following is the Annual Report overview by Director David Sheppard when he presented the 2008 Annual report to SPREP Members on Day 1 of the 20th SPREP Meeting - Tuesday, 17 November, 2009.

Madam Chair,

It is with great pleasure that I present to members the 2008 annual report of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

I present this report on behalf of all who have worked on the activities outlined.

Our former Director Mr. Asterio Takesy was at the helm of operations in 2008. I acknowledge with appreciation his role as the Director of a team which has worked hard to protect and conserve the Pacific environment for present and future generations.

Some staff who worked with SPREP in 2008 have now moved on, and we also acknowledge their hard work with thanks.

Over years, the work of SPREP has remained constant, we strive to promote cooperation and provide assistance to improve the environment and ensure sustainable development.

The 2008 Annual Report shows many highlights to recognise and to celebrate.

This raises the general issue of celebrating success – there have been many examples of success in the Pacific region – the Micronesia Challenge, the Ocean Seascapes initiative in Kiribati, the development of innovative mechanisms such as the Green Fund in Palau. The list goes on – we should recognize and celebrate success wherever we can.

In 2008 SPREP was pleased to support efforts to address some of the major environmental challenges facing the Pacific region, such as climate change.

The Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project was approved by the GEF, for which SPREP is the implementing partner, with UNDP as the Implementing Agency.

13 of our Pacific islands countries and territories will benefit by being able to carry out adaptation projects targeted at three main sectors: food security, water and coastal management sectors. This is important as Climate Change is more than a threat to the environment, it is a threat to the development aims and aspirations of Pacific people.

At the end of 2008, countries around the World, the Pacific included – came together in Poland for the UNFCCC 14th Conference of the Parties. Our SPREP climate change team, including a strong communications component, provided support to the Pacific delegations to ensure that the voice of our region was heard – and heard loudly - at this crucial meeting. This work has continued will accelerate in 2009 as we move towards the Copenhagen in December of this year.

SPREP ensured that a strong and effective voice for Pacific countries was heard in many other international fora in 2008, including the COPs for the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention.

A key principle of involvement in Conventions and other Multilateral Agreements is that there must be direct and tangible benefit for our Member Countries. We are pleased to see direct support from the GEF to support a number of Pacific countries implement the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas, as one tangible example of this.

It is important that SPREP’s work at the policy level, such as in supporting the work of Pacific countries with international Conventions, is linked with on going support for practical field projects in Pacific Countries. Policy must be grounded in practical field based reality – policy divorced from reality will not help Pacific countries.

SPREP supported many practical field projects in 2008, such as the development of invasive species management plans in Kiribati and FSM, the implementation of turtle tagging activities in Fiji, and the development of solid waste management strategies in many countries.

The on-ground implementation of the Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy Project (PIGGAREP) commenced in 2008.

THE GEF-PAS (Pacific Alliance for Sustainability) amounting to US $98.8 million was approved by the GEF Council. This will provide direct GEF financial support to many pacific countries. The GEF replenishment in 2010 represents a major opportunity for Pacific countries and this will be discussed later in this meeting.

These are ‘on the ground’ practical projects that will help our Pacific communities address the challenges of environmental management and climate change.

Many more examples are detailed in the 2008 Annual Report and will be elaborated later in this meeting. We feel these will make a positive contribution to helping Pacific Countries better manage their environments and thus support sustainable development.

Better communication of environmental issues is critical to all levels of society from political leaders to the local village level.

Our Pacific reefs were commemorated in 2008, as we embraced with our Members the Pacific Year of the Reef campaign. Strong Reefs, Strong Islands was the focus of this successful campaign which encouraged action to conserve coral reefs at regional, national and community levels.


Engaging with our youth and with schools must continue to be a key element of all future communication programmes. 10 schools from throughout the region took part in the Challenge Coral Reef competition in 2008. They shared with us their plans to save a reef – these plans were very impressive - and were then provided with funds to implement these plans.

Considerable effort was expended in 2008 and in 2009 on the Independent Corporate Review and the Regional Institutional Framework process. These have been challenging for staff and members alike. They have raised many fundamental, and sometimes painful, issues regarding the way in which SPREP carries out its business.

We are grateful for the support and guidance of SPREP Members as we have moved forward on addressing issues raised through the ICR and the RIF.

We see these processes as having laid a strong framework for future action. They provide many opportunities for SPREP to move forward as a stronger and more effective organization. We welcome and embrace change and look forward to the future with positive anticipation.

It is important for SPREP to learn from past experience.

Some of the lessons from 2008 include the importance of focusing on areas where SPREP has a comparative advantage in supporting its Members. The development of SPREP as a hub for the Pacific in relation to Multilateral Agreements – as outlined in the Annual Report – provides a practical example. This MEA Project had a major planning meeting in this venue last week. It was a real pleasure to see representatives of Finance, Planning and Environment Ministries from all Pacific countries working together to address capacity development for meeting environmental and development challenges.

Another important lesson is the need to aim for excellence in all that we do, and at all levels – from the delivery of technical products for Pacific countries to the development of the best systems for the management of SPREP’s financial and human resources. We need to develop systems for providing quality advice to guide the development and implementation of our Programmes. In my view the scientific and technical advisory group of SOPAC – STAR – provides a good model for application by SPREP.

There are many challenges as we move into the future.

Climate Change is the major threat and challenge to island countries. The increasing level of political interest and financial support also provides an opportunity to benefit the Pacific. It is important to ensure that the various inputs, including financial support from donors, are effectively coordinated and are effectively addressing country needs. The recent Pacific Roundtable suggested the development of a Pacific Funding Mechanism for Climate Change may be an option for the future.

SPREP is committed to better engaging with Pacific Member States and territories to more effectively address environmental threats and issues.

We must develop better ways of engaging together but we also must ensure that realistic expectations are set - on all sides. As we know – setting unrealistic expectations in any relationship is a guarantee of long term failure.

SPREP is moving quickly to address the findings of the Independent Corporate Review, and the recommendations of the RIF, as will be presented later to the meeting. It is important to prioritize and focus our efforts and we have appreciated the assistance from the ICR Task Force and guidance from members on these issues. Now is the time to consolidate and move on towards what will be a bright future for SPREP.

These are among some of the many challenges we face. I note that all of the issues raised in this report will be the subject of more detailed review under later agenda items of this SPREP Meeting. As always we welcome advice and guidance from SPREP Members as to how we can do this more effectively.

We acknowledge with deep appreciation the strong support from our Member Countries and Territories. I would particularly like to thank the Chair of the 19th SPREP Meeting, Mr Andrew Yatilman of the Federated States of Micronesia for his leadership and guidance at a challenging time with the many RIF and ICR related activities underway during his tenure.

The positive and many outcomes from the 2008 Annual Report reflect the input and commitment from SPREP Members to strengthening SPREP over many years.

We also acknowledge the valuable support from many donors, as outlined in page 42 of the annual report. We appreciated the trust of the donor community and we will work hard to consolidate and build this trust over the years ahead. We hope the donor community will clearly see that any funds invested in SPREP will make a real and tangible contribution to the environment and peoples of the pacific.

I would like to acknowledge once again the hard work of Kosi Latu, our Deputy Director and the SPREP staff, over 2008 and over this year. It has been a challenging year for all staff but I think that SPREP Members should feel proud to have such a staff working in support of your efforts. I certainly feel proud to be able to work with such an outstanding team.

Chair, I am honoured to present you with the report of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme for 2008.


Electronic copies of the 2008 SPREP Annual Report are available at:
English: http://www.sprep.org/publication/pub_detail.asp?id=740
French: http://www.sprep.org/publication/pub_detail.asp?id=741

Related Link:  English version of 2008 SPREP Annual Report

Contact Name	Nanette Woonton
e-mail	nanettew@sprep.org
Phone	(685) 21929
Fax	(685) 20231

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