Strengthening national and regional coordination in addressing plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, was a central focus at a Pacific Regional Coordination Workshop held today in Auckland, New Zealand.
The workshop was jointly organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to accelerate implementation of the global project “Capacity Development to Catalyze Actions and Commitments at the National and Global Levels to Reduce Plastic Pollution” (CDA-PP), with funding from the United States of America Department of State.
The initiative is supporting eight Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS)—Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu—to strengthen strategic planning and legislative frameworks.
The goal is to enhance capacity to compile national source inventories and develop and implement evidence-based national action strategies or plans to effectively address plastic pollution. The project leverages the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML) to share knowledge and coordinate action across partners and projects.
The GPML is the largest global multi-stakeholder partnership gathering governments, NGOs, academia, private sector, civil society, development partners, and individuals, to prevent and reduce plastic pollution.
“Now more than ever it is important that we unite to tackle one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time,” said Ms. Natalie Harms, Programme Officer for Plastics at UNEP. “This is why we are collaborating with SPREP, as the coordinating agency for plastic work in the region, to align our efforts and collectively work towards a Pacific free from plastic pollution.”
As a GPML regional node, SPREP's role includes serving as the regional hub for marine litter work and an information clearinghouse for regional studies and ongoing projects.
“We have just finished a series of waste-related meetings in the Cook Islands last week, and I think it is clear from our members the demand this kind of work has on their time and resources,” said Mr. Anthony Talouli, Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control Programme at SPREP. “So, it is pleasing to see all our partners coming together to address this issue in an integrated and holistic way.”
Ms. Katenia Rasch, Assistant Chief Executive Officer for Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, emphasised the unique challenges faced by Pacific Island countries in managing plastic waste, and highlighted the appetite for developing legislation that is targeted, implementable and impactful.
“In many of our countries, including Samoa, government ministries are not only responsible for developing and implementing policies but also for delivering waste-related services with very limited resources,” she said. “Our teams are small, yet the scale of the challenge is immense. We must balance multiple projects while responding to evolving environmental and regulatory demands.”
She stressed that stronger regional collaboration and enhanced capacity-building initiatives will be essential for Pacific Island countries to implement long-term, sustainable solutions to plastic pollution.
The Global Plastics Hub of the GPML is the global digital platform that provides open access to resources, data, and partners on plastic pollution.
New country dashboards allow PSIDS to visualize data from global datasets and to verify and integrate national data, to inform and track action. The country workflow under the Hub provides step-by-step guidance for engaging stakeholders, mapping legislative and policy gaps, collecting data along the lifecycle, and developing robust national plans in line with regional priorities and global goals.
Mr. Epu Falenga, Director of Tuvalu’s Department of Waste Management, highlighted the importance of leveraging data and technology to support decision-making.
“Platforms like the GPML Global Plastics Hub serve as a valuable tool for Pacific Island countries by providing access to critical data and knowledge management tools,” he said. “By utilising this platform, we can better analyse the sources and impacts of plastic pollution, develop targeted solutions, and engage a broad range of stakeholders—from policymakers to community leaders—in a coordinated way.”
The CDA-PP workshop has brought together representatives from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu, participating both in person and virtually. New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade hosted the meeting at its Auckland office.
The workshop is also being held back-to-back with the Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP) Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme Workshop, ensuring alignment and integration of efforts across different initiatives. The POLP project, which is funded by the Australian Government and implemented by SPREP, focuses on reducing the volume of single-use plastics ending up as marine litter in Pacific coastal environments.