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Environmental monitoring and reporting at the national level was highlighted by the Rio Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 21) and has since been supported at the global level through the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) report series that started in 1997. The GEO project itself was also initiated in response to the environmental reporting requirements of the UN Agenda 21 and to a UNEP Governing Council decision of May 1995 which requested the production of a new comprehensive global state of the environment report. As a global report, GEO combines top-down integrated assessment with bottom-up environmental reporting. This approach, which depends on regional assessments from designated regional centres including SPREP, provides the framework for national level inputs into the rolling up of regional impacts and trends. GEO regional reporting preparation also contributed to strengthening national level capacity for the preparation of national SOE.

Reducing the climate change vulnerability of coastal communities in Samoa.

The Office of the Attorney General of Samoa in conjunction with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa initiated a project under the name of the "Legislative Drafting Handbook Project". This project was implemented with assistance from the Public Sector Improvement Facility and utilises funds provided to the PSIF by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand.

Mangroves are trees that live halfway between land and sea. This is what makes them special; as for most plants salt water is deadly. Mangroves are among the few trees that can grow in seawater and in places where the seawater mixes with the fresh water from the land. In Samoa, most of the mangroves grow in areas protected by coral reefs. They are found in coastal areas, especially in river estuaries - the wide lower part of a river's lower end where it meets the sea.

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to Samoa’s natural heritage. In fact the impacts of invasive species are immense, costly and usually irreversible and are being increasingly felt in Samoa. Impacts can range from adversely affecting the productivity and subsequent economic output of primary industry, such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries, to impeding cultural practices and traditions, household food security and sustainable livelihoods, and threatening the integrity and biodiversity of natural ecosystems, including vital ecosystem processes.

In line with the requirements of the Public Finance Management Act 2001, it is a great pleasure for me to present the Strategy for the Development of Samoa (SDS), 2008–2012: Ensuring Sustainable Economic and Social Progress. SDS presents Samoa’s development vision, its medium-term national development goals, and the strategies that will be implemented during the four financial years 2008/09–2011/12 to achieve these goals. In comparison with previous SDS documents, the planning period has been extended by one year and aligned with the financial year to facilitate the improvement of linkages between SDS, the corporate plans of government agencies and the annual budgetary process.

The review of the institutional arrangements that govern water resources management in Samoa provides a snapshot of the current challenges faced and recommendations and action points to address these challenges. To carry out the review, a five stage approach was adopted that consisted of (1) Literature Review, (2) Institutional Inventory and Key Stakeholder consultations, (3) Gap Analysis, (4) Recommendations and Action Points, (5) Workshop on Findings.

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.