17 October 2012: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme has announced it has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat.

The MOU between SPREP and UNEP covers cooperation between the two organizations over the next five years. Planned cooperation includes the exchange of environmental information, and capacity building for Pacific island countries (PICs) to access and manage environmental and climate change resources.

The MOU between SPREP and the CBD identifies priorities areas for cooperation to support PICs in addressing biodiversity loss. Specific areas of cooperation between the two organizations include the convening of the 9th Pacific Island Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas, scheduled to convened in Fiji, in November 2013.

The MOUs were signed on the sidelines to the 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the CBD, in Hyderabad, India. [SPREP Press Release on the MOU with the CBD] [SPREP Press Release on the MOU with UNEP]