Samoa to host deep sea mineral policy & legislation training

Samoa to host deep sea minerals policy and legislation training

15 May 2015

Apia, Samoa – Regional training on the complex topic of deep sea minerals, focused on policy formulation and legislative drafting, will be hosted by the Government of Samoa next week, organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

Funded by the European Union, the workshop (18 to 22 May) will bring together legislative and policy drafters from 15 Pacific countries to address common issues and challenges related to the management of deep sea mineral activities.

As interest in deep sea minerals increases worldwide, especially in the Pacific Islands region, it is recognised that effective policy and legal development are vital to ensure that the marine environment is protected and that any deep sea mineral activities are conducted and managed in compliance with international standards and best environmental practices.

More than 40 government representatives will attend the intensive workshop to increase their understanding and knowledge of the international legal regime for deep sea minerals activities and improve their policy formulation and legislative drafting skills.

“The Samoa Government is privileged to host this first Pacific regional training workshop on deep sea minerals’ policy formulation and legislative drafting, which will no doubt raise the profile of this topic in Samoa. We’ll definitely explore ways to engage in this new industry,” the Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ausetalia Titimaea, said.

SPC and the European Union implement the Deep Sea Minerals Project which includes these 15 countries: the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

ENDS

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