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Planning and Urban Management (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2007

A Bill intituled an act to make provision for the protection and proper management of the environment in Samoa and the promotion of sustainable development, and to facilitate compliance with Samoa's international environment related obligations, and for related purposes.

This Flood Management Action Plan (FMAP) was developed in response to the Government of Samoa’s request for flood management assistance on particularly in the urban areas surrounding the capital of Apia. The need for flood management was first identified in Samoa’s work plan for the EDF 8 project in WS 3.4 and 3.5 pertaining to hazard assessment and risk reduction. The Plan has been developed as part of the regional EDF 8 Project Reducing Vulnerabilities in the Pacific ACP States, executed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC). The implementation of the Plan should also consider the following documents, which had been developed in conjunction:| Samoa Floodplain Management: A Guideline for Planning and Development Assessment 2007| Samoa - Capacity Building in Flood Risk Management – Technical report SOPAC/EDF8 Project No : ER0069a

As a small island developing state, Samoa is particularly vulnerable to the threat of climat change, which significantly hampers its economic development and progress towards the millennium development goals (MDGs). In response to this threat, Samoa has prepared a National adaption programme of action (NAPA), which identifies the most urgent and immediate needs for adapting to the adverse efffects of climate change in the country. The preparation of the NAPA was done as part of samoa's commitment to implementing the united nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) which samoa, as a lease developed country (LDC) ratified the convention on 16 march 1993

Samoa's National Environmental Capacity Strategy (NECS) is drawn on the assessment and analysis of priority thematic and cross-cutting capacity needs. These needs have identified priority actions for capacity development and opportunities to promote synergies across the 3 Conventions which are highlighted as project profiles in the NECS. Strategies to implement these project profiles including means of monitoring and evaluation of outcomes are also highlighted in the NECS.

In the past two decades Samoa has made sound progress in terms of economic and social development. In the early 1990s, two cyclones caused major devastation to the economy and in 1994 the Taro Leaf Blight destroyed Samoa’s major export earning commodity, taro. However, infrastructure has been restored, and macroeconomic stability has been achieved as a result of the bold reforms measures taken by government in the public sector, financial sector and to the tax and tariff systems. The economy is now benefiting from strong economic growth. Social indicators have improved and a host of activities are presently directed to improving health and education.