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Statement by Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) for the 3R International Scientific Conference on Material Cycles and Waste Management hosted from March 11, 15 – 19, 2021 online conference about 3R, waste, and circular economy. To learn more about the conference please visit: https://www.3rincs.org

A new report has found that more than 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste was dumped or burned globally last year, which is the equivalent of 350 cruise ships, and up more than 20 per cent in just five years. The UN's Global E-waste Monitor 2020 also ranked Oceania as the second highest region, per capita, of e-waste, with each person generating 16.1 kilograms on average, it said. Common e-waste items include old mobile phones, batteries, TVs, computers and tablets. But Australia and New Zealand are the leading producers of that e-waste, with people in Pacific countries like Samoa and Tonga estimated to produce 3.1 kilograms per person, and in Fiji and PNG, the figure was just 1.5 kilograms. It's a problematic issue across the globe but in the Pacific, where in many countries there isn't the space for all this dumped technology, problems are looming. The region's peak environment body, SPREP, is working on several projects to tackle the issue. Bradley Nolan, the Project Manager for PacWastePlus, which is funded by the European Union, told Pacific Beat "disposable societies and large incomes" in countries like Australia and New Zealand explain why residents in those countries produce such large quantities of e-waste. And he suggested that Australia and other donor partners may in fact contribute to some of the e-waste in Pacific nations, with equipment such as computers donated when they had reached their end-of-life there. "There have been some incidents where some of the metropolitan countries [ie Australia, New Zealand] when some of their products are at the end of their useful life, say in a government department, has gifted those to countries to help out. "But of course they have less life, so they become an instant e-waste problem when they hit the islands...so aid and the work that people are attempting to do, with great intentions, creates some significant problems at the other end," he said.

The purpose of the Greening of the Games Sustainability Report is to share the vision, strategy, key outcomes, best practices, and lessons learned before, during, and subsequent to the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games

The report provides a summary of discussion and provides details of the discussions and priorities identified by the countries present for the meeting

This report will focus on the Pacific regions capitalizing on current waste management systems and programs and seek to improve and enhance waste, these activities can continue to the capacity of governments, industry and communities to manage waste to reduce the impact on human health and the environment

A bi-monthly newsletter for the PacWastePlus project

This edition of The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets focuses on the complex and underexplored intersection between agricultural trade, climate change and food security. It is clear that we cannot tackle hunger without finding adaptation and mitigation solutions to climate change in agriculture and food systems. It is also clear that the uneven impact of climate change across regions and countries, and the corresponding changes in food availability and access will affect international trade patterns and trade routes. This report supports these discussions by providing an in-depth analysis of the Paris Agreement and the WTO agreements to enhance clarity and provide guidance on policy options that could strengthen the mutually supportive role of these accords in tackling climate change and hunger. Wide-ranging policy actions are necessary to ensure that trade will contribute to the efforts aimed at ensuring food security and promoting adaptation and mitigation to climate change. The uneven impact of climate change across the world and its implications for agricultural trade, especially for developing countries, underlines the need for a balanced approach to policies, which should enhance the adaptive role of trade, while supporting the most vulnerable.

Presentation on plastics in Europe who produces 25 million tonnes of plastic waste.

Presentation on the compilation of good practices

Presentation on the launching of the SWM guidebook