The International Waters Project (IWP) aims to strengthen the management and conservation
of marine, coastal and freshwater resources in the Pacific Islands region. It is financed through
the International Waters Programme of the Global Environment Facility, implemented by the
United Nations Development Programme, and executed by the Secretariat of the Pacific
Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in conjunction with the governments of the 14
participating independent Pacific Island countries.
IWP is intended to address the root causes of degradation in Pacific Island waters. IWP has a
coastal component that focuses on integrated coastal watershed management. In Kiribati (Fig.
1), IWP’s coastal component is aimed at national and low-cost community-level actions to
address priority environmental concerns relating to marine and freshwater quality. In Kiribati
IWP has supported the establishment of a pilot project intended to address the root causes of
degradation affecting marine and freshwater resources through a programme of waste
reduction. IWP Kiribati’s pilot project in particular promotes “low tech”, low cost, communitybased
solutions, while national-level activities may involve activities that have a broader or
more strategic focus.