Pacific Islands Environment Outlook - UNEP

28
POLICY RESPONSES
Coordinating Committee (SPOCC) to develop a
Regional Development Strategy and sustainable
development framework that incorporates the key
linkages between the various development sectors.
Sustainable management of these sectors, including
agriculture, health and marine resources, is being
actively promoted through the SPOCC working groups.
In 1996 the South Pacific Forum adopted an
Economic Action Plan to stimulate investment and job
creation. Economic and public sector reform measures
being adopted include: implementing trade and
investment policies that encourage the diversification
of export markets and sources of investment;
reviewing exchange rate management; improving
management of capital assets; improving the business
climate; achieving free and open trade and investment;
addressing multilateral trade issues; and promoting
sustainable tourism development.
Economic reform in the region comes at a time
when countries are also concerned about their
vulnerability to a wide range of economic and
environmental factors, such as climate change. They
are also concerned about the impacts of development
on community cohesion and the natural resources
upon which both cash and subsistence economies
depend. The Forum Leaders and Economic Ministers
are therefore fully aware of the need to implement
economic policies that fully respect the differing
natural resources and environmental endowments of
the region, and that take into account the social and
cultural impacts. Pacific leaders have recognized the
important links between environment and development
and have stated clearly that development must be both
economically and ecologically sound (Forum
Secretariat 1993). This was endorsed by Environment
Ministers in 1996 and is now being implemented at
the national level and at the regional level through the
Forum process. As an example, the Forum Economic
Ministers in July 1999 agreed to adopt an integrated
policy framework for promoting the sustainable
development of tourism.
It is only relatively recently that policies have
taken account of the environmental dimensions of
development and specific resource exploitation. The
extent to which this has had an impact is difficult to
determine. At recent meetings of the Apia and SPREP
Conventions, in October 1995, it was apparent that
governments were finding reporting requirements a
strain on limited human and financial resources.
MEAs and non-binding instruments
This section reviews some of the multilateral
environmental agreements (MEAs) that have been
implemented in the Pacific islands region. The global,
regional and soft law agreements under review are
discussed separately, focusing on the implementation,
impact, compliance and effectiveness levels of the
MEAs, taking into account the linkages between the
three areas. The overall barriers to the implementation
of MEAs in the region are identified, and items for
policy action reviewed.
Global MEAs
IMPLEMENTATION AND COMPLIANCE
Table 2.1 sets out a list of some of the major global
environmental MEAs in existence in the Pacific region
and the PICs that have implemented MEAs by either
signing, acceding to and/or ratifying those instruments.
The status with respect to the implementation of the
conventions by territories of metropolitan powers
depends on the treaty-making arrangement the territory
has with the respective power in relation to an MEA.
Exactly which conventions have been implemented in the
territories as a result of the implementation of a
convention by a metropolitan power is not easy to
determine and is an item for policy action below.
Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs),
provide the main link with global policy, and there is a
growing awareness of the need to participate
effectively in the development of such global
agreements. This trend started with the active
involvement of the Pacific island states in the UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the
agreement on Conservation and Management of
Straddling Fish Stocks (CMS) and the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
negotiations. In recent times it has continued with the
region’s interest in the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) – particularly Article 15 on access to
genetic resources – and the Convention on Combating
Desertification (CCD) .
United Nations Framework on Climate Change
The UNFCCC has been ratified by 12 PICs, and both
PICs and Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
countries have played a pivotal role in the climate
change negotiations. PIC influence has ensured that
their special and vulnerable status is recognized in
Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, as echoed in the preambular