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The Republic of Kiribati is located at the center of the Pacific Ocean. The Phoenix Islands are in the center of the Republic of Kiribati between the Line Islands to the east and the Gilbert Islands to the west. The Phoenix Islands are composed of eight islands. These include: Abariringa, Birnie, Enderbury, Manra, McKean, Nikumaroro, Orona, and Rawaki. The Phoenix Islands have been known by a variety of names over the years.

The Minister responsible for environment acting in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet may, subject to the provisions of this Act, levy Deposits in respect of prescribed materials for waste material recovery. Deposits levied under subsection (1) of this section shall be laid before the Maneaba ni Maungatabu within forty-eight hours of the day on which the next meeting of the Maneaba commences and shall come into operation on publication unless the Maneaba by resolution amends it or rejects it as the case may be.

The Government Policy Statement delivered to Parliament during the second session of the 9 Parliament on 10m December of 2007, remains the guiding principle for the Kiribati Development Plan. The thrust of Government's policy statement is Kiribati main assets, - its people - and how their lives can be improved through further development of the economy and their capabilities. This will ultimately lead to creation of employment opportunities and a skilled workforce that can access not only the national but the international labour market as well.

The initiative supports environment and health actors working together to address issues of common concern. Traditionally, health and environment sectors have acted independently of one another, each in defined domains. While much can and has been achieved, HELI aims to add a further dimension by focusing specifically on the large and important range of decisions which cannot be taken by one sector alone – and require a coordinated approach.

This report reflects the achievements and constraints that have emerged in the course of implementing the Rio agreements, also popularly known as Agenda 21. The major part of the document represents the views of the National Multi Stakeholder Consultation Workshop attended by wide cross section of the community from different cultural, social, economic, religious, and educational backgrounds. Additionally, it depicts an awareness of problems that prevailed. The recommendations for a more effective environmental management framework were those suggested by the participants.

There is no shortage of provisions relating to waste management issues in the current laws of Kiribati. While it may be useful to consider the opportunities for recognising the role of the community in waste management under the laws of Kiribati, there would appear to be only limited scope for effective legislative action in this regard. The role of Local Government Councils is clear and this is effectively provided for the in the Local Government Act 1984. If the problem is one of planning, capacity or prioritisation, or any combination of these, then amendment to the laws of Kiribati is unlikely to provide an effective outcome.

Kibarti is a small country in the central Pacific comprised of 33 low-lying atolls barely 2-3 meters high above sea level. The population of 84,494 (2000 Census) is mainly young that lives on a total land area of 810sq. km a vast ocean area of 3.5 million sq.km. The country has limited physical resources and relies heavily on fish and copra as the mainstay of the economy. Economic growth is thereby only 2-3 percent (real GDP) per annum on average driven mainly from the copra sector, construction, wholesale/retail, and government administration. Gratefully, growth is underpinned by foreign earnings and ODA from government and international financial institutions. The former comprises net factor income from abroad thaqt includes returns from the reserve fund and other foreign reserves, remittances, and fishing license fees. Government is the major provider of cash employment (2 out of every 3 employees) that contributes significantly to a relatively high level of its current budget each year. Fiscal policy is therby the major policy instrument of government as the use of the Australian currency precludes monetary policy and likewise the lack of export and other economic and geographical disadvantages prevent trade and other related policies. Given such economic and physical disadvantages and also the volatilities/vulnerabilities of some economic strengths already mentioned, Kiribati definitely cannot live and develop o its own but truly needs to be party to development at a regional and international levels.

Small island states are the countries likely to be most vulnerable to climate variability and long-term climate change, particularly extreme weather and climate events (such as cyclones, floods and droughts) and sea-level rise. Many small island states share characteristics that increase their vulnerability, these include their small sizes, isolation,limited fresh water and other natural resources, fragile economies, often dense populations,poorly developed infrastructures and limited financial and human resources. To understand better the potential health impacts of climate variability and change in small island states and to build capacity to cope with climate change through adaptation planning, a series of workshops and a conference were organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)(WHO 2000; Aron et al. 2003; WHO 2003). This report synthesizes the information presented and identifies key recommendations for improving the health sector’s capacity to anticipate and prepare for climate variability and change. There is ample evidence that many small island states currently are vulnerable to climate variability. Climate change projections increase the level of concern because models suggest that small island states will experience not only warmer temperatures, but also increased climate variability. The consequences of increased climate variability are likely to be related to changes in rainfall, soil moisture budgets, prevailing winds (speed and direction), regional and local sea levels and patterns of wave action. El Niño events are likely to strengthen the short-term and inter annual variations. In addition, global mean sea level is projected to increase by0.09 m to 0.88 m by 2100. To understand better the potential human health consequences o fthese projected changes, the following questions were addressed