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The importance of coastal and marine environments to every aspect of the lives of Pacific Islanders cannot be overstated. Pacific Island Countries (PICs) maintain resource rights and management responsibilities for over 30million square kilometres of ocean, equivalent to the total land area of Canada, China and the USA. The total population of coastal pacific islanders is only 2.6 million. There are 11 square kilometres of ocean for each Pacific Islander. Jurisdictionally, the ocean is 200 times more significant to the average Pacific Islander than it is to the average global citizen.  

Port Vila is the capital of Vanuatu. The Port Vila Urban Area (PVUA), defined as the Port Vila Municipality (PVM) and adjoining peri-urban areas, has a population of about 70,000. About 49,300 of these people live in PVM. Per capita gross national income in Vanuatu was approximately 279,402 vatu (Vt) (around $3,073) in 2011.

Trade in endangered species draft bill for 2013

Environmental monitoring and reporting at the national level was highlighted by the Rio Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 21) and has since been supported at the global level through the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) report series that started in 1997. The GEO project itself was also initiated in response to the environmental reporting requirements of the UN Agenda 21 and to a UNEP Governing Council decision of May 1995 which requested the production of a new comprehensive global state of the environment report. As a global report, GEO combines top-down integrated assessment with bottom-up environmental reporting. This approach, which depends on regional assessments from designated regional centres including SPREP, provides the framework for national level inputs into the rolling up of regional impacts and trends. GEO regional reporting preparation also contributed to strengthening national level capacity for the preparation of national SOE.

The energy sector is important to Samoa's economic, social, infrastructure and environmental composition. This plan has therefore been developed using extensive consultation with many groups. The purpose of the Energy Sector Plan is to provide a comprehensive plan for the energy sector to deliver outcomes consistent with the overarching Strategy for the Development of Samoa (SDS) 2012-2016, with due regard for cross-cutting issues including emphasising the importance of raising living standards, increasing resilience and boosting productivity for sustainable development. It provides a resourcing framework to support implementation of the plan.

The overall objective of the project is to assist the Government of Samoa in its effort to support the relocation and rehabilitation of communities living in the Island of Upolu affected by the tsunami of September 29, 2009 through the provision of improved infrastructure access to relocation sites enhanced transport infrastructure and assistance to local communities to address future natural disasters.