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Governance over waste issues in Palau is shared between the national government and state governments. State governments have the primary responsibility for waste management. The national government administers the general environmental protection law relating to pollution control and has responsibility for infrastructure planning and public awareness relating to the issue of solid waste.

Solid waste management was regulated by the Environment and Conservation Act and the Public Health Act. Water pollution and management was regulated by the Water Resources Management Act and Public Health Act. This older legislation still deals with waste in some ways, particularly in terms of conducting Environmental Impact Assessments, potential wastewater issues and public health matter rising from waste management.

Waste management issue in Niue are governed under general environmental and public health legislation. There is no specific legislation for waste management, given the lac of natural water sources on the island, another important piece of legislation relevant to preventing water pollution in the Water Act 2012

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.

Biosafety issues are becoming very contentious today given the uncertainty of the impact of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on the environment, biodiversity and the people. There are those that view GMOs as an answer to alleviating world hunger and mitigating global health problems through the introduction of new and technologically advanced GMO for food, feed, food processing and pharmaceuticals. Then there is the other group that argue that GMOs pose a risk to the environment, biological diversity and the safety and health of the people.

The National Capacity Self-Assessments (NCSA) projects assist developing countries and economies in transition to assess capacity to meet requirements under the United Nations Convention for Biological Diversity (UNCBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). UNDP is supporting 116 countries to prepare a NCSA. This Resource Kit is the core of UNDP's technical backstopping to those countries. Its purpose is to guide Project Teams through every step of project implementation, from project signature until project cb- sure.

Biological diversity is the variety and variability of all species of plants, animals and microorganisms, as well as the ecosystems they compose. It serves and sustains our lives in countless ways by providing food, fuel, shelter, and medicines. Conserving biodiversity is in our self-interest.