PRINT
Strategic Water Consultations & Milestones
Background on Water in Small Islands Countries

The global water community acknowledged the special vulnerability and particular needs of small islands by the inclusion of "Water in Small Islands Countries" as a special theme at the 3rd World Water Forum that was held in Kyoto, Japan from 16-23 March 2003. SOPAC and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) jointly led this Water in Small Island Countries session as well as its preparation through a regional consultation in the Pacific (Sigatoka, Fiji Islands, 2002).

A major outcome of the Pacific regional consultation was the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management (Pacific RAP), which details priority actions of the water sector in the region. This action plan, endorsed by 18 island countries, 14 at ministerial level, (and 16 countries at Head of State level including Australia and New Zealand) has been incorporated into the Type II Water Partnership Initiative and was submitted by the Pacific Island Countries to the UN Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) in Johannesburg during the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in August 2002.

The objective of this Partnership Initiative is to implement the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management, inclusive of its sister strategies, the Pacific Wastewater Policy Statement and the Pacific Wastewater Framework for Action, as effectively as possible.

Over 200 participants were involved in the regional consultation and the Water in Small Islands Countries session and they form the core of the Partnership. Now, over 750 individuals have joined this network. Hardcopies of the Regional Action Plan have been distributed to all attendees of Sigatoka and Kyoto. In addition you can obtain more information from the following website:
© 2024 SPC Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. All rights reserved.