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Internal communication objectives relate to how Secretariat staff communicate, co-ordinate and streamline their collective efforts to deliver and communicate their services externally. A clear consultation process between SPREP's communications staff and management should provide guidance on how communications staff can support SPREP's Action Plan and Strategic Programmes; determine communications priorities; and bring these to effect in an integrated way.

One of the major concerns for Kosrae State’s development now and into the future is the risk of climate change. The Fourth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change states that the warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level1. Resilience and sustainability needs to be systematically built into Kosrae’s key economic and climate sensitive sectors in order to withstand current and future changes in climate. The vulnerability of Kosrae and other FSM states is clearly documented in FSM’s Initial Communications to the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Other key documents of importance on the issue are the State and National Sustainable Development Strategies and other key regional documents such as the climate and disaster frameworks.

The “Rules of Procedure of the SPREP Meeting”, provides that where the Meeting is hosted by the Secretariat, the Chair shall rotate alphabetically, and where the Meeting is not hosted by the Secretariat, the Chair shall be provided by the host country.

The recently enacted Environmental Management Act (EMA) calls for the development of a National Liquid Waste Management Strategy (the National Solid Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan was developed in 2005). The proposed Liquid Waste Strategy will set the direction for sustainable liquid waste management in Fiji, and was developed through a process of wide consultation with all stakeholders involved in the production and the management of liquid waste. The government will take the lead in implementing the strategy, working in close partnership with local government and other key stakeholders.

The IWP project team developed a written survey questionnaire in November 2004. Primrose Malosu (IWP Project Assistant) and Russell Nari (Deputy Director, Environment Unit) introduced the survey to volunteer facilitators who had earlier participated in preparation for and conduct of a Participatory Situation Analysis (Table 1). The survey team took the survey forms to their villages and conducted interviews during the first weeks of December 2004. The survey was conducted simultaneously with the mangrove and reef fish survey.

Our story begins on a lovely afternoon in Samoa. Lady Vini, a beautiful hawksbill turtle, had laid her eggs on the beach and was now looking for food in the coral reef. She had just found a tasty looking sea sponge when, all of a sudden, she felt herself being pulled backwards in the water.

Participants of the Third SPREP Meeting of Regional Meteorological Service Directors endorsed the recommendations of the Second SPREP Meeting of Regional Meteorological Service Directors, noted with appreciation the progress which has been made in implementing these recommendations, and the benefits which have resulted.

An assessment of the site was conducted on 6 December 2004 by Joe Aitaro and Ann and Clarence Kitalong of The Environment. Inc. (TEI). The TEI team conducted a qualitative and quantitative assessment within the waste disposal site and along the forest and river surrounding the site.The team identified and recorded flora and fauna found within and immediately adjacent to the site. At selected points the TEI team described the habitat, flora and fauna. The red dots on indicate reference points from this assessment. The team did not do any subsurface sampling during the terrestrial or coastal survey. The team also met a community representative of the Ebiil Society at the Ollei dock.

The International Waters Programme (IWP) on Nine planned and carried out island-wide village consultations and a participatory simation analysis from September to December 2002 to assist selection of a IWP pilot project. This initial community participation programme identified priority environmental concerns (PEC) of local residents and possible pilot project activities. Village information was also collected that will contribute to selection of a site for the pilot project.

The third Conference of the Parties to the Convention to Ban the Importation into Forum Island Countries of Hazardous and Radioactive Wastes and to Control the Transboundary Movement and the Management of Hazardous Wastes within the South Pacific Region (Waigani Convention) was held on 8 September 2006 in Noumea, New Caledonia.