- Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General SPREP
This World Earth Day, we applaud the theme OUR POWER, OUR PLANET, encouraging all to take action educate, advocate, and pledge an Earth Action for transformational change in response to the triple planetary crisis.
We know our environment is under threat and to address, we at SPREP work hand in hand with our Pacific Islands governments and communities supported by our myriad of partners.
On Earth Day 2025, and in line with the theme of advocating and taking action for transformational change, I shine a little more light on our Pacific waste challenges, the impacts and our Pacific leadership in addressing it.
To do this, let’s have a look a couple of statistics because they tell quite a story.
Although our Pacific Islands make up 0.1% of the world’s population, we are called small Island Developing States but we see ourselves as large Ocean Island States responsible for stewarding more than 10% of the Earth’s Ocean. That is a mammoth responsibility and for years our people and our communities have been doing the best they can to look after our Ocean on behalf of the global community.
Everything we do on land impacts our ocean. While the Pacific contributes less than 1.3% of global plastic pollution, our ocean is inundated with the bulk of the world’s transboundary washed-away plastics, which has serious negative environmental, health, cultural and socio-economic consequences for our people.
But we do what we can to stop this, every action counts from developing legislation and policy, teaching and raising awareness to changing behaviour, to collecting waste and to bringing to task those who pollute.
Across our region we have worked to clean our coasts.
Between 2019 and 2024, SPREP, supported 73 beach marine litter surveys and waste audits across 43 locations in Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna.
A total of 76,869 items were collected, weighing 4,492 kg. Plastics accounted for 58% of the collected waste (44,653 items).
And we have helped our communities address all types of waste challenges they face through real, practical solutions. Through the European-Union funded PacWastePlus Programme we introduced composting programme in 25 villages across nine provinces in Fiji to process organic waste and generate compost to support local agricultural activities. Many of the solution-based activities undertaken have resulted in other benefits. Through the SPREP managed AFD-funded Sustainable Waste Actions in the Pacific (SWAP) Project, established a Scrap Metal Recovery Facility in Wallis and Futuna which includes a dedicated room for smelting aluminium cans collected through the Eco-tax.
This initiative aims to create local job opportunities; and manufacture new products for sale on the local market, such as pig troughs, kitchen utensils, fishing weights, and other items upon request.
Everything we do is undertaken strategically through the Cleaner Pacific 2025: Pacific Regional Waste and Pollution Management Strategy 2016–2025 is a comprehensive, long-term strategy outlining goals and strategic actions to address priority waste and pollution issues, with SPREP and Pacific island countries and territories being responsible for strategy delivery. And now we’re taking it one step further. This World Earth Day, our Pacific Islands are now on the journey to amplify and showcase their waste challenges and solutions through the inaugural Circularity, Innovation, Recovery, Culture, Learning, and Environment (CIRCLE) EXPO 2025. The week-long event to be held at the Taumeasina Island Resort from 26-30 May 2025 will launch a biennial event held alternately with the Clean Pacific Roundtable (CPRT), ensuring there is an annual opportunity for countries, industry, civil society, and tertiary institutions; to come together, discuss and explore issues of waste and pollution management in the Pacific. Through this we can all learn more about the many actions our Pacific Islands are undertaking, shining the spotlight on our Pacific Islands leadership in addressing waste challenges. Issues to be discussed include recyclable materials, organic materials, asbestos management, healthcare waste management, e-waste management, used oil management, bulky waste, and Disaster Waste and much more. I am particularly excited and looking forward to the Women of Waste forum, which will be a first for the Pacific region, as well as the world premiere of the “Voices of the Pacific” documentary showcasing the very real impact of plastic pollution on the lives and environment of our Pacific communities. There will be so much more. I encourage you to visit https://www.sprep.org/circle[1]expo-2025 and register if you have not already done so.
Now what does the CIRCLE EXPO have to do with World Earth Day? It’s quite simple really.
To facilitate transformative change, we need the collective effort of Governments, partners, donors, the private sector, and individuals like yourself where a tangible difference can be made. It is through such durable partnerships where the bold, creative, and innovative solutions we sorely need to address the triple planetary crises can be found. It is about the opportunity to come together to talanoa, build our vaka together, providing opportunities for countries and partners to showcase their actions and engage with peers to share knowledge and gain ideas for implementation.
Today as we commemorate World Earth Day 2025, we know our world needs transformational change. This requires action at all levels.
At SPREP, we will continue to encourage all actions to protect the Pacific environment. We look forward to work with our all our Member countries, partners, donors and individuals to ensure that our environment, our Ocean and its resources are protected and better managed for present and future generations.
Happy Earth Day 2025, Vinaka!
*Mr Sefanaia Nawadra is the Director General of SPREP. He is from the village of Naivuruvuru, district
of Verata in the province of Tailevu, with maternal links to the village of Vuna on the island of
Taveuni, in Fiji.
Source: SPREP Statement
