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This workshop for Papua New Guinea’s policymakers and researchers was attended by people from the national government agencies, private sector representatives, academic and research institutions and NGOs. The workshop was organized by the Department of Environment and Conservation, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/ United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Economy and Environment Program for South East Asia (EEPSEA). It was designed to improve the awareness and understanding of the role of economic tools and techniques in addressing key policy issues relating to the environment, natural resources and economic development in PNG.

The environmental needs of small island developing countries were given special attention at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 as was the need to determine "how the new global framework for sustainable development can be put into action in island countries" (Miles, 1993, p. 34). The environment is a vital resource for all island developing states. Its special significance for the South Pacific islands was recently underlined by Vila A. Fuavao, Director of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).