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Tuvalu developed this Policy as a response to recent water crises, and to ensure together we stand ready for future challenges.

The Cook Islands comprises 15 islands with a total land area of 237 sq km and a maximum height above sea-level of 652 m. The islands are scattered over an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.8 million sq km; one of the largest EEZ’s in the South Pacific.

In January 2009, heavy rain resulting from a tropical depression caused severe flooding in the North, Central and Western divisions of Fiji. Floods in Nadi led to death, severe damage and major disruption to services. This report documents a socioeconomic assessment of gross losses sustained by the local community in Nadi as a result of those floods. The Government of Fiji agreed for SOPAC to organise the assessment, which estimated losses for families and retail businesses, eateries, manufacturers/exporters and service businesses. (Hotels on Denarau Island were not included in the estimates of business losses.)

This guide has been produced to assist Pacific Island Countries (PICs) to prepare Disaster Risk Management (DRM) National Action Plans (NAP). The NAP development process is supported by the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Partnership Network (PPN) and is considered a key instrument in facilitating DRM mainstreaming. Disaster Risk Management (DRM) is a crosscutting or cross-sectoral development issue, meaning that it is necessary for a broad range of stakeholders to cooperate and coordinate their activities in order to effectively reduce disaster risks to national sustainable development. The National Action Plan (NAP) facilitates this as it seeks to include all relevant DRM sectors, institutions and stakeholders in developing the NAP through a consultative and participatory process. While government typically drives the process of plan development, it is important to note that this is not a government plan. Rather it is a whole-of-country plan representing all sectors of society: government, civil society, private sector and communities.

Small island countries are no different from other countries in that freshwater is essential to human existence and a major requirement in agricultural and other commercial production systems. However, the ability of the island countries to effectively man-age the water sector differs in Small Island Devel-oping States (SIDS), as they are constrained by their small size, isolation, fragility, natural vulnerability, and a limited human, financial and natural resource base.

The policy document provides a framework to guide sustainable management and development of Niue's coast.

A training course on “Improving Sanitation and Wastewater Management for Tonga” is scheduled for 25 – 29 August 2008 in Tonga. Its implementation is a collaborative effort by the Tonga Community Development Trust, Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Coordination Office for the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation – Institute for Water Education (UNESCO- IHE). The donors EU Water Facility, UNDP and GEF are sincerely acknowledged.   This report acts as a background paper on the current status of wastewater and sanitation in Tonga. It was based on an independent review of available literature and stakeholder consultations conducted from 4 – 8 August (refer to annex 1 for agencies/representatives consulted). Tonga does not have a central reticulated wastewater system and thus relies on household-based management. This presents a number of problems when individual households are left to deal with wastewater (from bathrooms, kitchens and toilets).

Flooding imposes significant costs on households and businesses located in the lower Vaisigano catchment area. SOPAC, under the European Development Fund (EDF) project Reducing Vulnerability of Pacific ACP States, has worked with the Government of Samoa to develop the Samoa Flood Management and Action Plan, which identifies actions for government agencies, the private sector, NGOs and communities responsible for flood and floodplain management that can assist in reducing flood risks in Samoa, particularly in the lower Vaisigano catchment area located in Apia, which is subject to frequent flooding.