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This guide has been produced to assist Pacific Island Countries (PICs) to prepare Disaster Risk Management (DRM) National Action Plans (NAP). The NAP development process is supported by the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Partnership Network (PPN) and is considered a key instrument in facilitating DRM mainstreaming. Disaster Risk Management (DRM) is a crosscutting or cross-sectoral development issue, meaning that it is necessary for a broad range of stakeholders to cooperate and coordinate their activities in order to effectively reduce disaster risks to national sustainable development. The National Action Plan (NAP) facilitates this as it seeks to include all relevant DRM sectors, institutions and stakeholders in developing the NAP through a consultative and participatory process. While government typically drives the process of plan development, it is important to note that this is not a government plan. Rather it is a whole-of-country plan representing all sectors of society: government, civil society, private sector and communities.

Small island countries are no different from other countries in that freshwater is essential to human existence and a major requirement in agricultural and other commercial production systems. However, the ability of the island countries to effectively man-age the water sector differs in Small Island Devel-oping States (SIDS), as they are constrained by their small size, isolation, fragility, natural vulnerability, and a limited human, financial and natural resource base.

Active participation from people is key to the success of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The purpose of these guidelines is to support government departments and organisations in mobilising people towards IWRM.

He stressed that this session was an opportunity to ensure that all delegates were up-to-date with the Project and its background. To set the scene for the workshop he reported on the Project development history. In summary, he drew attention to the signing of the grant and financing agreements on the 13 March 2002. He also noted that the SOPAC Project has been at least 3 to 4 years in development.

This report serves as to create an overview of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) progress and activities in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). The overview is to form part of a submission by the GWP (Global Water Partnership) Secretariat at the forthcoming; "(i) donor meeting to mobilise and seek support for IWRM in February, 2004, and the (ii) CSD conference in New York, March, 2004".

This report summarizes some of the main concerns and issues identified in a detailed assessment of the Pacific Islands GIWA subregion. The GIWA methodology used in this assessment is reported elsewhere in this issue of Ambio. The region contains a baffling diversity of island types and corresponding terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems covering some 30 million km2 of ocean space. There is also great geographic, demographic and developmental diversity. Differences in climate, geological resources, topographical features, soil types, mineral and water availability, extent of coral reefs and diversity of terrestrial, freshwater and marine flora and fauna, are also features of the region.

Provides applied ocean, island and coastal geoscience services to support countries to govern and develop their natural resources, increase their resilience to hazards and facilitates data-based approaches to adaptation

Samoa, a volcanic archipelago, consists of two large islands (Upolu and Savaii) and several small ones with a total land area of approximately 2 935 sq km. It lies in the southwest Pacific in an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 120 000 sq km, the smallest in the Pacific area. The country has a total population of 168 000, estimated in 1999 . More than half of the population lives on Upolu, where the capital Apia is located. Samoa has a tropical climate with a rainy season from October to April and a dry season from May to September. Rainfall varies from 5 000 mm to 7 000 mm on the windward side and 2 500 mm to 3 000 mm on the leeward side.

SOPAC water, sanitation and hygiene for Pacific Island countries