Report of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries for the SPREP (Noumea) Convention, 12 September 2005, Apia, Samoa. - Apia, Samoa : SPREP, 2005

In his opening address, the Minister welcomed representatives of the Contracting Parties and other participants. The Minister referred to the importance of the Protocols and reiterated the words of the Prime Minister of Samoa at another similar opening, where he had highlighted the major environmental issues confronting us today: poor management of waste and pollution control were amongst the most serious, which require immediate attention. There were several other international legal instruments that address marine and coastal environments but the Noumea Convention and related Protocols focus specifically on the Pacific region's needs and requirements. He pointed to the various recommendations and encouraged all Parties to act with the region's interest at heart.