On 15 June 2023, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) opened its doors to more than a hundred students from across Samoa for its 2023 Open Day marking the 30th anniversary of the signing of the SPREP Treaty.
The Open Day was an opportunity for students and teachers to learn about the important role and work of SPREP in managing and protecting our Pacific environment. The day comprised of a full day of learning through stations set up across the SPREP campus, where students engage in dynamic activities and interact with SPREP staff. Each station represented the four SPREP programmes, Waste Management and Pollution Control (WMPC), Island and Ocean Ecosystems (IOE), Environmental Monitoring and Governance (EMG) and Climate Change Resilience (CCR), as well as the Finance and Administration Department, Human Resources Department, Legal, Internal Audit, Communications and Outreach, Strategic Planning and Project Coordination, and Information Services.
In SPREP’s efforts for wider participation and engagement of young people across the Pacific, a special virtual station was set up for students from Tonga High School and the University of the South Pacific (USP) Tuvalu. The station allowed students to virtually visit all the Open Day stations and ask staff questions on the station activities. A central location was set up in the Pacific Climate Change Centre, where the students tuning in virtually had focused discussions with members of the Senior Leadership Team and staff on the work of SPREP.
The virtual station is developed and led by the SPREP Information Technology team. This is the second year the virtual station has been part of the Open Day programme, with the first time being in 2021 during COVID-19. SPREP Web Applications Developer Specialist, Mr Billy Chan Ting highlighted the importance of virtual engagement. He says, “COVID-19 proved that virtual engagement is very much possible and allows for wider participation in SPREP events and activities across the Pacific, and we should not be limited to face-to-face engagement”. He further notes the added value of the virtual station to the SPREP Open Day, “students participated in activities and asked questions as if they were on the SPREP campus. It allowed us to bring SPREP to these young people and not waiting to travel to Samoa to learn about our work and meet our staff and their peers here in Samoa”. The virtual station has proved popular and looks to become a permanent station for the SPREP Open Day.
The virtual station activities on the Open Day included the launch of the “Our History” page on the SPREP website as well the SPREP virtual library. The webpage includes a chronological timeline of the SPREP history, from its origins in the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) (as it was known then) to the Treaty officiating the organisation as an autonomous body in 1993. As well as small snippets of important events over the years.
In commemoration of 30 years since the signing of the SPREP Treaty, the launch of the page provides an insight to the progress the organisation has made since its establishment. It is also a resource for students in learning about the regional organisation responsible for the management and protection of our Pacific environment, as well as the Pacific pioneers who have paved the road for an environmentally resilient Pacific.
Learn more about our SPREP History at,