BARBADOS PROGRAMME OF ACTION +10 REVIEW

1. BARBADOS PROGRAMME OF ACTION +10 REVIEW PACIFIC SUB-REGIONAL MEETING STATUS OF NATIONAL ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR FIJI APIA SAMOA 4-8 AUGUST 2003

2. NE DC PRESENTATION OUTLINE • Status of NAR & BPOA + Questionnaire; • Awareness and Ownership; • Priorities for SD; • Modalities for Incorporating SD principles into National Plans; and • Influence of BPOA at National Level

3. NE DC STATUS OF NAR & BPOA QUESTIONNAIRE • NAR submitted to SPREP August 2002; • Some national priorities picked up in the 2003 Budget; • BPOA Questionnaire – initial draft available- consultation required to refine and consolidate priorities; and • Commonwealth Secretariat Funding available to finalise NAR – for consultation and updating the NAR

4. NE DC AWARENESS AND OWNERSHIP • Working Group on Sustainable Dev established in early 2002 to discuss issues and identify priorities; • WG comprised members from govt and non- government sectors; • A National Steering Committee on SD coordinates SD issues now;

5. NE DC AWARENESS AND OWNERSHIP CONT. • Awareness created through stakeholder consultations – WG and NSCSD; • Ownership created through integration of NAR into the National Strategic Dev Plan; • Previous Govts have also integrated sustainable dev issues, including the BPOA in their respective plans • After WSSD JPOI integrated into SDP 2003-2005; • Stakeholder consultations continue after the preparation of the SDP;

6. NE DC AWARENESS AND OWNERSHIP CONT. • Parliamentary Level six sector standing committees; • Cabinet Sub –Committees; • National Economic Development Council and Summit Working Groups; and • Consultations by Ministries and Departments

7. NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES • Maintaining macroeconomic stability; • Raising investment levels for jobs and growth; • Reforming the public sector to reduce the cost of doing business; • Rural and Outer Island Development; • Structural Reforms to promote competition and efficiency; • Alleviating Poverty; • Strengthening good governance and law and order; and • Promoting national reconciliation and unity.

8. NE DC CROSS SECTORAL PRIORITIES CLIMATE CHANGE & SEA LEVEL RISE • UNFCC ratified in 1992 and Kyoto Protocol 1998: • National Projects – Green House Gas Inventory (1997);Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment (2000 only for Viti Levu) • National Priorities – Sustainable Agro-forestry programme (some past support from SPC/GTZ)

9. NE DC CROSS SECTORAL PRIORITIES NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS • National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) established 1991; • Emphasise shift from reactive to proactive; • National Projects- NDMPlan 1995; National Disaster Management Act 1998, etc • National Priorities –Increasing capacity to address issues on risk management in major urban centres

10. COASTAL AND MARINE RESOURCES • CBD ratified 1992; Biosafety Protocol 2001; • National Projects: Vulnerability Assessment for Viti Levu (SOPAC 1996); • Shoreline Changes in Fiji: Ovalau and Motoriki Is Survey Dep Env 1996. • Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2003 (being reviewed with USP and other NGOs)_ • Enacted CITES legislation to protect endangered species (regulation to be enacted this year) • Marine Protected Areas established in various parts of Fiji (Community based – USP and NGO won Millenium Prize in Jburg)

11. NE DC COASTAL AND MARINE RESOURCES National Priorities: • Legislation for Marine Protected Areas ; • Develop structure for community based marine resource companies.

12. LAND RESOURCES INCLUDING TERRESTRIAL BIODIVERSITY • Ratified Convention to combat desertification 1998; • National Projects – reported on the implementation of Convention, Watershed management for flood control, Farming Assistance and land Resettlement,etc • National Priorities: Develop participatory land use plan; Preparation of Watershed Management Master Plans.

13. ENERGY • Continued focus on the development of renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, hydro, wave, biomass and geothermal • Energy conservation emphasised through energy assessment and program implementation • Rural Electrification Policy currently being updated • National Priorities- Funding capital cost of renewable energy, Rural Energy Service Companies (RESCOS) Bill currently under discussion.

14. MANAGEMENT OF WASTES • 60,000 tonnes of waste dumped annually in Lami (site covering Suva, Nasinu and Lami) • An EU funded sanitary landfill project is currently at the preparatory stages for implementation

15. WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT • 70% of the population have access to piped water National Priorities • There is a need for the development of an integrated Water Resource Management Strategy and overall legislation; • Master plan for 100% provision of piped water to rural areas; • Addressing the increasing demand for water in the face of increased pressure to adopt user pay.

16. POVERTY ALLEVIATION • Preliminary findings of an ADB study ( in progress) indicate that income poverty has increased compared to the last estimate 1997) National Priorities: • Increasing employment opportunities; • Increasing concessional funds for poverty alleviation; • Improving timeliness of information and statistics;etc

17. EDUCATION • Resources for pre school education (50 % of eligible students enrol in preschools now); • Improving special education; • Addressing human resource drain (a important issue for the health sector as well)

18. URBAN DEVELOPMENT • Urbanization is putting is putting increasing pressure on urban services of infrastructure, education, heath, housing, etc. • National Priorities: providing affordable, decent housing to low income earners, achieving a decent teacher pupil-ratio, providing income earning opportunities for the urban poor.

19. PLANNED MODALITIES FOR INCORPORATING SD IN NATIONAL PLANNING • SD principles incorporated into the SDP 2003-2005; • The Implementation of the Plan is being monitored by NEDC and SWGs; • This mechanism also considers new development challenges and policies and strategies that need further refining; • Mid-Term Review of the Plan scheduled for mid 2004

20. GENERAL REFLECTIONS ON BPOA • The SDP 2003-2005 has incorporated BPOA issues; • The existence of consultative mechanisms (NEDC) and National Steering Committee on Sustainable (NSCSD) are the vehicles for translating SD issues into national plans and ensuring their implementation; • Govt’s partnership with private sector, unions, civil society and other NGOs ensures widest possible engagement of stakeholders.

21. NE DC Thank You