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In the promotion of environmentally sound and sustainable development, it is indispensable to establish the necessary legal and institutional arrangements such that environmental factors are considered at the early stages of project planning. Environmental assessment is an important technique for ensuring that the likely impacts on the environment of proposed developments are fully understood and taken into account before such developments is allowed to proceed.

The National Capacity Self Assessment for Global Environment Management (NCSA) is a tool to help the government of Tonga to assess its current level of capacity to meet its obligations under the UNCBD, UNFCCC and UNCCD. Implicit in this is the notion that, with a little guidance and the right tools, the agencies and organizations with direct responsibilities for implementing Tonga’s obligations under the conventions will be capable of self reflecting and identifying their own strengths and weaknesses to meet these obligations. This then becomes the starting point for intentional organizational improvement initiatives which should, in turn, allow adequate planning for future growth and development that capitalizes on current strengths while addressing current limitations. The National Capacity Self-Assessment Project is a Global Environment Facility (GEF) initiative supported by the UNDP Country Office in Fiji and implemented by the Department of Environment. The project document was prepared and endorsed by the Government of Tonga in November 2004. The NCSA was initiated in September 2005 with the recruitment of the NCSA project management unit staff.

It is our intention to design a strategy that will move Fiji from an over-reliance on dumping wastes and littering to a position where it will be a model for sustainable waste management. Waste cannot be reduced without a system that manages waste from the point of generation through to disposal. Up till now, waste policies provided an end of pipe solution by focusing mainly on disposal rather than prevention. There is a need to develop a new vision for minimizing waste and managing it better.