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As a Party, Kiribati is obliged to enact national regulations to bring the conventions into the national regulatory framework. It is these national laws and regulations that then provide the implementing mechanisms to manage asbestos and ensure compliance with the conventions.

Asbestos-containing materials are a major issue for many Pacific Island countries with a history of use of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in construction. All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans and inhalation of asbestos fibres that have become airborne can cause serious lung disease. Kiribati seeks to utilise PacWastePlus funds and assistance to meaningfully engage in the management of ACM on Banaba Island with the goal of ultimately removing from the island this risk to human health and the environment.

Waste management issues in Kiribati are governed under general environmental and public health legislation. There is no specific legislation for waste management. A specific law establishes a container deposit scheme (CDS), which is regarded as effective in separating out these containers from other waste streams and promoting their recovery. Some analysis of the national waste situation has been undertaken through the Draft National Solid Waste Strategy 2007, which also covered the period 2008-2011, with biennial reviews. This strategy identifies priorities for different waste streams and provides a basis for assigning tasks for this work to specific institutions.

Kiribati is a group of low-lying islands located in the Micronesia region of the Pacific. It comprises of 20 inhabited islands (33 islands in total) covering a land area of 811km2. Its exclusive economic zone covers an oceanic area of 3.5 million km2, one of the largest in the world, and spanning all four hemispheres. The capital and government centers are located in South Tarawa, home to almost half of its total population of 118,744 .

Waste management issues in Kiribati are governed under general environmental and public health legislation. There is no specific legislation for waste management. Another important law establishes a container deposit scheme (CDS) which is regarded as effective in separating out these containers from other waste streamers and promoting their recovery.

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC)

Th e Asian Development Bank (ADB) has piloted fragility assessments in selected urban settlements in the Pacifi c using a community-based approach and focusing on the impact of fragility on the delivery of basic services. Th e fragility assessment of South Tarawa in Kiribati explores patterns of fragility related to urban development including delivery of critical urban services with focus on water and sanitation services. Bairiki Village, an urban settlement in South Tarawa, was a case study for the assessment.

In a region sometimes called ‘Oceania’, the health of the ocean is fundamental to the health of all aspects of the entire Pacific islands region. Marine pollution is widely recognised as one of the three major threats to the world’s oceans, along with habitat destruction and over-exploitation of living marine resources. Spills of oil and other chemicals into the marine environment, both from ships and land-based sources, are a significant source of pollution.