Fourteen Pacific Island countries (Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu) are being supported thorough the Pacific IWRM programme to implement applicable and effective Integrated Water Resource Management and Water Use Efficiency (WUE) plans based on best practices and demonstrations.
With a total estimated budget of over USD 80 million (from a range of co-financers on the regional and national level) the programme will support the implementation of the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management that aims to improve the assessment and monitoring of water resources, reduce water pollution, improve access to technologies, strengthen institutional agreements, and leverage additional financial resources in supporting IWRM.
The programme has been developed by Pacific island countries and SOPAC through the Pacific Water Partnership and consists of two main projects:
- The “Pacific IWRM National Planning Programme” is funded for three years (2008-2010) by the European Union, and focuses on strengthening governance structures (coordinating national water committees) and frameworks (policy, legislation, action plans) to mainstream IWRM and WUE in to national planning processes; and
- The “Sustainable Integrated Water Resources and Wastewater Management Project in Pacific Island Countries” (Pacific IWRM Project for short) is funded for five years (2008-2013) by the Global Environment Facility and implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Environment and Development Programmes (UNEP and UNDP). It focuses on practically demonstrating and developing IWRM best practice to address national priority water issues.
The two projects have been designed together over a period of four years and provide complimentary and mutually beneficial support to each other. As part of the design process countries have undertaken situational or needs analyses (National Diagnostic Analyses), to provide the basis for policy development, strategy choice, the development of National IWRM Plans, and on-the ground demonstrations to test and evaluate the effectiveness of integrated approaches to:
- Balance conflicting uses of scarce freshwater resources
- Improve public and environmental health by ensuring consistent water availability and quality
- Reduce effects of soil erosion, inadequate sanitation and other harmful activities on the quality of fresh and coastal waters
- Reduce vulnerability to droughts, floods, landslides and pollution
