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These goals are a big challenge to small Pacific Islands Countries with their small land masses, remote locations and small but rapidly growing populations making them vulnerable. Vanuatu shares these and other challenges to sustainable development. In Vanuatu real GDP per capita is still lower than in the 1980s, infrastructure is poorly developed, the population is rapidly growing at 2.6% per year, water resources are declining and in many places contaminated, and household water supplies are inadequate or absent. The country's capital and human resources are stretched and a better forward is needed.

The Solomon Islands is characterised by scattered islands that vary considerably in size, physical and hydrologic characteristics. The types of islands range from high volcanic to tiny low coral atolls. The higher islands have river systems whilst the low coral atolls have no natural surface water systems and are completely dependent upon rainwater catchments and groundwater.

The structure of this diagnostic report follows the outline of the Pacific Regional Action Plan on sustainable Water Management (Pacific RAP) arranged over six thematic areas of water resources management, island vulnerability, awareness, technology, institutional arrangements and financing, preceded by a general chapter on relevant background information on Tonga.

The economic and social wellbeing of Pacific Island Countries are dependent upon the quality and quantity of their freshwater. Constrained by their relative small size, natural vulnerability, and limited human and financial resource base, Pacific Small Island Developing States face specific challenges to effectively manage their water resources.

Small Pacific Island countries (PIC) rely heavily on the freshwater resources. However, due to the small land masses of many PICs, most of the freshwater sources are under pressure from overuse and/or pollution leading to deteriorating water quality due to urbanisation, economic development, and population growth. The pollution of freshwater resources also lend a hand to the pollution of marine ecosystems, which many Pacific Islanders rely on heavily for sustenance. Urbanisation and population increases weigh heavily on wastewater disposal, which impact both fresh and marine water resources.

This report identifies the present status of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Fiji Islands and barriers to the more effective implementation of IWRM. Because water performs so many important functions for society, the responsibility for water is always spread among different organisations, public and private, and is located among several government ministries. IWRM is both a set of mechanisms and a process.

The purpose of this thesis is to develop an analytical framework that can be used to better understand the impacts of tourism on small island developing states (SIDS). In particular, the framework will address tourism in light of sustainability goals (environmental, economic, social, and political). Because tourism is both a major economic driver for many SIDS, as well as a primary cause of environmental degradation within these states, a framework is needed that allows for systemic, value tradeoff evaluation. Currently there are multiple frameworks and plans for sustainability and development in SIDS; but few frameworks take into account how tourism can further stress resources within these nations. With the framework developed herein, analysts will have a tool for evaluating policies and programs aimed at integrating tourism within a sustainability context.

UNESCO's ethical and intellectual mandate and its role in standard setting and policy advocacy - combined with on-the- ground action projects and capacity-building initiatives of various kinds - provide it with special responsibilities as well as opportunities in respect to the alleviation of poverty. And more particularly in contributing to the first of the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), that of eradicating poverty, especially the halving of extreme poverty by 2015.

The natural environment of Pacific Island countries has supported, maintained and improved the social and economic wellbeing of its people and cultures since the arrival of the first inhabitants. The importance of the region’s biodiversity cannot be understated; it is present in every facet of the island way of life. Natural resources provide food, shelter, medicine and are used extensively in traditions. In the past, utilization of these resources was allowed under traditional and community management. It is believed that utilization was undertaken in a balance with nature so that biodiversity was used in a sustainable manner.