The 2008 International Year of Sanitation marks a period of increased support for, and intervention in the region’s water and sanitation sector. This unprecedented growth has been guided largely by a number of strategies developed by the region over the last eight years, through a broad series of coordinated and comprehensive consultations. This includes the Pacific Wastewater Policy and Wastewater Framework for Action (2001); the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management (2002) and the Pacific Framework for Action on Drinking Water Quality and Health (2005).

The above key strategies, along with the Pacific Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Water Management, ensured a more coordinated and strategic approach to water and sanitation activities in the region. The Partnership enables countries and development agencies to: identify successful previous activities and therefore improve the sustainability of subsequent interventions; reduce and prevent duplication of activities; link country requirements to development programmes (and vice versa); and augment existing and proposed activities nationally and regionally.

The Science, Technology and Research network (STAR) Water Working Group meeting in November 2008 in Tuvalu in association with SOPAC’s 37th Annual Session, provides further opportunity for inputs to the draft Pacific Paper. The draft paper will be placed on the Partnership’s website www.pacificwater.org and circulated through the Pacific Partnership Initiative for further comment.

The 3rd Progress Report and draft Position Paper covers: the basic characteristics and main challenges of the Pacific region; the developed regional strategies; the status of implementation of regional and national actions; the MDG targets on Water and Sanitation and IWRM; the Partnership Coordination Unit; Pacific IWRM Resource Centre; Pacific Water Focal Groups; Advocacy and Political Will, Monitoring and Evaluation of Pacific RAP implementation including an overview of country indicators on water resources, water supply and sanitation; and a reference to key documents.

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