The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) continues to promote the application of environmental planning and assessment tools, to support its member countries and territories, in their quest for sustainable development.
Samoa, through the Planning and Urban Management Agency (PUMA), has become the latest SPREP member country to benefit from capacity building, mentorship, and support on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and sustainable planning tools, facilitated by SPREP’s Environmental Monitoring and Governance (EMG) Programme.
The training and mentorship programme, which began with only three staff members, has attracted significant interest from PUMA staff and now includes several key staff from the Agency, which sits under the Ministry of Works, Transport, and Infrastructure (MWTI). The weekly sessions were led by SPREP’s Director for the EMG, Mr Jope Davetanivalu, and the Pacific Network for Environmental Assessment (PNEA) Technical Support Officer, Mr Ivan Diarra.