The Samoa Partnership Dialogue will take place on 29 October 2018 in Apia, Samoa, as part of the inter-regional preparatory meeting for the SAMOA Pathway mid-term review on 29 to 30 October 2018.

This marks the culmination of three regional SIDS partnership dialogues, held this year in Mauritius (AIMS), Tonga (Pacific), and Belize (Caribbean) in the margins of the preparatory meetings of the SAMOA Pathway mid-term review. Summary of outcomes can be found here. For info contact Ola Goransson, UN-DESA, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Okeanos Marianas voyages to Satawal, the island home of Papa Mau

On July 5th 2018, Vaka Motu Okeanos Marianas sailed from Saipan to the small Micronesian island of Satawal, home of Papa Mau Piailug, at the invitation of the Chief of Satawal Leo Rcheilug.

GLISPA Member the Centre of Excellence (COE) for the Sustainable Development for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) developed a practical guideline for islands to implement the global goals – the SIDSxSDGs Toolkit.

The toolkit is targeted at SIDS policymakers who want practical information about the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, the Centre of Excellence (COE) for the Sustainable Development of SIDS decided to collect practical information about SIDS implementing the SDGs. All this information can be found in this toolkit, and you can search by SIDS, Phase or SDG.

How can marine and coastal area-based management approaches contribute to SDGs and Targets?

UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has released a technical report on how area-based management approaches can support SDG achievement.

The report titled, ‘The Contributions of Marine and Coastal Area-Based Management Approaches to SDGs and Targets,’ analyzes a selection of area-based management approaches to support the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal resources using 25 case studies from around the world. The technical report can be found here: https://wcmc.io/oceansdgs_technicalreport

Exploring the World’s Marine Protected Areas

Over 70% of the surface of Earth is ocean, comprised of highly diverse ecosystems, and providing a wide range of marine ecosystem services that support human society, health and the economy.

UN Secretary General: Climate Change Needs Action Now – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for greater leadership and action on “the defining issue of our time” in an address at the UN Headquarters yesterday. He announced the UN 2019 Climate Summit intended to bring climate action to the top of international agenda, and demonstrate the ambition required to change course by 2020 and achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century. Summit leaders call the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals the foundations for international climate efforts; Hawai‘i is tracking local progress on global sustainability and climate priorities through the Aloha+ Dashboard.

On Saturday, September 01, 2018, William Kostka, Executive Director, Tamara Alefaio, Conservation Program Manager, of the Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT), and Ricky Carl, Director of External Affairs for The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Micronesia Program, met with the owners of the Yela Conservation Easement at Bulley’s restaurant in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia.

Solar Head of State (SHOS) has been confirmed as a member of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Lighthouse Initiative by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The SIDS Lighthouse Initiative brings together 36 SIDS and 21 development partners to accelerate the renewable energy transition in SIDS by facilitating coordinated support for islands to scale-up renewable energy through partnerships with public and private organisations.

European Commission and France launch the PACIFIC INITIATIVE ON BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE & RESILIENCE in the margins of the One Planet Summit 2.0 in New York in September 2018.

European Commissioner for International Cooperation & Development from the European Commission (GLISPA Supporter), Neven MIMICA launched together with partners from France, Australia, New Zealand and regional organizations from the Pacific region, the joint "Pacific Initiative on Biodiversity, Climate Change & Resilience" (EUR 20.1 million), in the margins of the "One Planet Summit 2.0", in New York in September 2018.

Tuesday, 14th August 2018 – The Government of New Caledonia (GLISPA Member) adopted three decrees for the protection Natural park of the Coral sea, a New Caledonian Maritime Space that was created by its government in 2014.

These enactments mark a new phase for the future of the park, as they enable:
· the classification of the Park’s most pristine reefs protecting 7,000km2 of wilderness areas and 21,000km2 of nature reserves,
· the regulation of tourism, and
· the implementation of the Entrecasteaux plan over five years.