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APIA (SOP) – Solid waste management has become one of the major concerns for small island States in the Pacific region.
In particular, improper waste management can have significant negative impacts on public health, water and food supplies, ecosystems, tourism and trade, resource availability and climate change, threatening sustainable development in the Pacific region.
Japan’s cooperation on waste management in the Pacific region began in 2000. The initial phase of cooperation included bilateral support from the Japanese government for the upgrading of the M-Dock landfill in Palau and the Bouffa landfill in Vanuatu. Through its regional assistance, Japan has sent various technical experts and consultants to assist in regional waste management programs.
Since 2011, Pacific Island countries have been working with the Japan Technical Cooperation Project on Regional Initiative for Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries (J-PRISM) to improve waste management processes at the national level.
Samoa has taken a number of initiatives, including promoting recycling through a “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” community awareness programme, improving the Tafaigata landfill and developing a training programme for landfill operations.
The current Pacific Regional Solid Waste Management Strategy 2016-2025, or Clean Pacific 2025, was developed under the J-PRISM collaboration and continues to guide national waste management activities in the Pacific.
This was highlighted at the first J-PRISM 3 Steering Committee meeting held on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at the Pacific Climate Change Centre hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
Chairperson of the J-PRISM 3 Steering Committee meeting, Fuimaono Katenia Rasch, who is also Assistant Chief Executive Officer for the Waste Management and Pollution Control Program at the Samoa Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), acknowledged Japan’s contribution to the Pacific region.
“We acknowledge the significant contribution that the Japan Technical Cooperation Organization has made to Pacific waste management through the J-PRISM project since its inception in 2011,” Rasch said.
“The program has made a significant contribution to enhancing the capacity of governments and stakeholders, providing a platform for our regional peers to collaborate on effective waste management initiatives.”
The J-PRISM 3 project builds on the J-PRISM I and II projects and is the result of 25 years of collaboration between the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It aims to strengthen independent solid waste management in the Pacific region and address waste issues by improving human resources, institutional and financial capacity for solid waste management and establishing monitoring systems in target Pacific island countries.
In his opening remarks, Anthony Taluri, Director of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s Waste Management and Pollution Control Project, stressed the commitment of project countries to effectively address waste issues.
“Your presence today demonstrates the region’s awareness of the triple global crises facing humanity – climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It also highlights the importance of J-PRISM’s work and the urgent need for solid waste and resource management in the Pacific.”
He further highlighted the successful collaboration between SPREP and JICA, “J-PRISM is a strong testament to the long-term commitment of the Government of Japan to the Pacific. It is unique in that it is a political commitment made by the Government of Japan at the Second Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM 2) and has lasted for nearly 25 years, almost as long as SPREP itself.”
The meeting was held in a hybrid format and was attended by the implementing agencies, JICA and SPREP, as well as representatives from the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The meeting also provided an opportunity for the project’s national counterparts to report on activities, successes and challenges in the early stages of the project and to chart the way forward for activities in the third phase…PACNEWS
For more information about the J-PRISM 3 project, please contact Project Chie
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