 |
|||||||
| About UNEP | UNEP offices | News centre | Publications | Calendar | Awards | Milestones | UNEP Store |
|
|||||||
|
 |
|
|
|
||
| UNEP>DTIE>IETC | |
|
|
OUTCOMES INTRODUCTION The global water community acknowledged the special vulnerability and particular needs of Small Island Countries 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. The South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) jointly led this Water in Small Island Countries session. As you will be aware SOPAC and ADB organised the Pacific preparations through a planning meeting held from 31 January - 1 February 2002 in Port Vila, Vanuatu and a regional consultation meeting on sustainable water management held from 29 July - 3 August 2002 in Sigatoka, Fiji. A similar process was initiated in the Caribbean during the 11th Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association Conference and 1st Caribbean Environmental Forum & Exhibition held in St Lucia 7-11 October 2002. The Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) played a leading role in facilitating both meetings that provided a regional forum for presenting, discussing and planning for the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the input towards the World Water Forum, within a Caribbean context. ADB, SOPAC, CEHI, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the International Secretariat for the Dialogue on Water and Climate (DWC) worked together to establish the final programme for Water in Small Islands Countries with the aim to promote action within and between small island countries in the Pacific, Caribbean and other small island country regions, including Asia and the Indian Ocean. THE OPENING SESSION The World Water Forum commenced on 16 March 2003. Through the International Dialogue on Water and Climate, Small Islands successfully secured a high profile opening session immediately after the Opening Ceremonies, which included Kiribati and Fiji being featured in a video production on water management through climatic extremes, and keynote addresses from Caribbean and Pacific ministers. The Caribbean-Pacific Joint Programme for Action (JPfA) that resulted from the Dialogue on Water and Climate in both regions was officially launched during this session. The JPfA comprises 22 action elements, common to both the Pacific and Caribbean regional consultation outcomes, covering four collaborative areas: research, advocacy and awareness, capacity building and governance. Immediate priority actions were identified as: water resources assessment, water governance, integrated water resources management, water demand management and water quality. CEHI and SOPAC demonstrated their commitment to inter-regional South-South collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of the JPfA and collaboration towards the preparation of the UN Global Conference on Small Island Developing States to be held in Mauritius in 2004 (i.e. Barbados +10 Review). THE WATER IN SMALL ISLAND COUNTRIES SESSION
THE WRAP-UP SESSION In this session on 19 March 2003 a draft statement and a Portfolio of Actions on Water in Small Island Countries derived from the Pacific and Caribbean consultations and Dialogue on Water and Climate were presented. A Session Statement and a Portfolio of Water Actions were agreed upon, and the session was further used as a briefing for Ministerial Delegations that attended the Senior Officials Meeting and the Ministerial Conference that were held on 19-20 and 22-23 March, respectively. The Portfolio of Actions include six priority actions on: Hydrological Cycle Observation System (HYCOS); South-South collaboration; The Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management; Water Demand Management; Water Quality Monitoring; and Water Governance. DAY OF ASIA & PACIFIC Small Islands were represented in the opening plenary of the Day of Asia & Pacific. On behalf of the Pacific island countries, Mr. Latu Kupa General Manager of the Samoa Water Authority used the opportunity to present the Pacific Regional Action Plan for Sustainable Water Management. DOCUMENTS FROM KYOTO
FOLLOW-UP AFTER KYOTO SOPAC will ensure that all participants attending the Sigatoka regional consultation, and the Water in Small Island Countries session in Kyoto receive the above documents accompanied by the Pacific Regional Action Plan and a CD Rom with the Papers and Proceedings from Sigatoka. The Pacific Regional Action Plan has been incorporated in a partnership arrangement under the so-called Type II initiatives submitted by the Pacific Island Countries to the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) in Johannesburg during the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in August 2002. It is expected that the Type II mechanism will be used by donor, international and regional organisations alike to help implement actions in the Pacific region towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and the WSSD target to halve the proportion of people without access to safe and affordable drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. SOPAC as co-convener of this consultation will be initiating the first
steps to implement the framework built by Small Island countries and will
be in contact with its member countries and other small island countries
regions on Caribbean-Pacific collaboration and the developments on the Type
II partnership arrangement for the Pacific Regional Action Plan on COMMITMENTS Donor organisations have shown commitment towards the Type II mechanism and the implementation of the Regional Action Plan. We are extremely pleased to announce an offer of financial assistance from New Zealand, through NZAID, to implement one of the actions of the Regional Action Plan under the Type II partnership with WMO, UNESCO and NIWA to address hydrological training needs and the exchange of climate information as specified in Theme 1 and 2 of the Regional Action Plan. As part of the European Union WSSD Water Initiative, "Water for Life", a Programme for Water Governance is currently being developed for the Pacific Island Countries in collaboration with SOPAC, addressing the key messages identified under Theme 5 of the Regional Action Plan on Institutional Arrangements. The Asian Development Bank has expressed its intent to help in the implementation of the Regional Action Plan by continuing support to its Pacific Member States in improving sector policy frameworks; carrying out water resource assessments; developing water services and; supporting the activities of key sector institutions, such as SOPAC and the Pacific Water Association. Pacific Island Countries themselves have shown high-level commitment to
the Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management by the signing
of the Sigatoka Ministerial Declaration by 14 Pacific Island Country Ministers
and Last, but by no means least, the Pacific Ministers, jointly with the other Small Island Countries delegations from the Caribbean, Asian and African regions, ensured that Small Island Developing States were specifically recognised in the final 3rd World Water Forum Ministerial Declaration at Kyoto. FINALLY We would like to thank you for your very active contribution and participation towards the Pacific regional consultation in Sigatoka and the Water In Small Island Countries session in Kyoto. A strong Pacific voice has been heard at the 3rd World Water Forum and now we face a greater challenge. Jointly with our partner organisations and fellow small island countries in other regions, the challenge is to implement the Joint Programme for Action on Water and Climate and the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management. ADITIONAL INFORMATION
ATTACHMENT Portfolio of Water Action Small Island Countries.doc Caribbean Pacific Joint Programme for Action.doc Pacific Type II Partnership Initiative on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.doc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
