REGIONAL PROCESS SESSION DESCRIPTION FORM 2.
10TH WORLD WATER FORUM
Regional Session Code and Title:

RP9 – Water Security and Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Regional Session Coordinators (Name, Position, Organization, email, mobile number):

1. Dave Hebblethwaite, Water Security and Governance Coordinator, Secretariat of the PacificCommunity (SPC). Email:daveh@spc.int, Mobile: +679 9983059. 2. Mary Alalo, Water Security
Engagement Lead, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). Email: marya@spc.int. Mobile:+679 2350385.
Regional Session Description including objectives and expected outcomes (500 words maximum):Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Oceania Sub-Region continue to endure some of thelowest levels of access to safe water and sanitation of any region in the world and remain
disproportionately impacted by the water-related impacts of disasters and climate change including floods and drought that continue to impact the sub-region in the months leading up to
this Forum. Latest data gathered by Pacific Island Countries and Territories indicate thatapproximately half of the Pacific population lives without access to basic drinking waterfacilities, and more than two thirds live without access to basic sanitation. These whole-ofPacific numbers remain relatively stagnant compared to other global regions that have seen
significant improvements in access over the past decade.
While every Pacific Island Country and Territory remains active in improving the water security of
their vulnerable communities, in many cases these efforts are not keeping pace with thepressures of population growth and movement, disaster setbacks and the accelerating impacts ofclimate change. If current trajectories persist, millions of Pacific islanders will continue toendure water insecurity for generations to come, with profound implications for public health,socio-economic development, food and energy security, the environment, and human rights. Thescale of the challenge for the region as a whole requires a fundamental recalibration ofgovernment priorities and investments, along with a meaningful shift in the scale and type ofsupport provided by development partners.
The objectives of the session are to: provide a space for Pacific Island Country and Territory
representatives to convey stories of Pacific resilience, including local water security solutions
that harness traditional knowledge and governance systems; and highlight the importance ofaccelerated support to empower Pacific communities to establish, operate, and maintain safeand resilient water and sanitation systems throughout all conditions.
Expected outcomes include: an improved understanding of the water security issues of Small
Island Developing States and the role of innovative and climate-resilient solutions; andstrengthened collaboration and partnerships between Pacific SIDS and development partners onwater security actions.

Day: Tuesday 21st May 2025 (16:20 – 18:10pm
Venue: Kintamani 3.
Detailed Regional Session Plan:
Chair: Dr Chris Vehe, Permanent Secretary of the Solomon Islands Ministry of Mines, Energy, Rural Electrification, Water Resources Management and Geohazards.

ESTIMATED ITEM DESCRIPTION / ROLE
TIMING
10 mins
Introduction of session
objectives and keynotespeakers.

SPEAKERS
Dr. Chris Vehe
Permanent Secretary,Solomon Islands Ministry ofMines, Energy, RuralElectrification, Water
Resources Managementand Geohazards.

Key Points
 Pacific Island countries andterritories have extreme
vulnerabilities to climate changerisks and related disasters.
 Small low-lying islands thus have
limited fresh groundwater
resources and surface water thatare prone to increasing
salination due to saltwater
intrusion, loss of freshwater
sources, pollution, and theincreasing impacts of droughts
and flooding on low-lying andvolcanic small island states.
 The critical importance ofaccelerating access to climate
finance, innovative andsustainable financing, andtechnical support to empower
Pacific communities to establish,
operate, and maintain safe andresilient water and sanitation

SPEAKERS STATUS (OKOR TBC)
Ok

systems throughout allconditions.
 Importance of strengthening
engagement in water security as
a key element of resilience Critical importance of including
water security as a key strategic
outcome pillar in international,regional, and national level
documents
10 mins

Water security and Pacificresilience

Dave Hebblethwaite,
Water Security
Coordinator and
Governance Lead, PacificCommunity (SPC)

 High Exposure of Pacific Island
countries and territories (PICTS)
to the recurring risks of climaterelated disasters and geohazards
 PICTS lagging behind otherregions in SDG 6 targets.
 Progress made but not keeping
pace with increasing populations
and the ongoing impacts ofrecurring disasters on water
resources, systems, and services.
 Importance of multi-sectoral
partnerships such as the PacificIslands Atoll Partnership and thePacific Water Security TechnicalWorking Group Water Security Action in PICTS
requires strengtheningOKengagement in water security asa key determinant of resilience.
 Water Action is climate Action
10 mins

Progress on Access toHousehold access toWater, Sanitation, andHygiene services in thePacific Island Countries
and territories – Joint
Monitoring Program Report
2000 -2022.

Kencho Namgyal – ChiefKey Words:
WASH Officer, UNICEF
Pacific & Co-chair of the Water security
Pacific Resilience Basic and safely managed
Partnership Water Security
drinking waterTechnical Working Group Basic and safely managed
sanitation services
 Basic Hygiene services
Key Focus
 SDG6- Clean water andsanitation
 Progress on access to Household
WASH UN-Water Integrated Monitoring
Initiative for SDG 6
 WASH in households in oddyears.
 WASH in schools and healthfacilities in even years.
 National data sources used for
the JMP 2023 report.
 Safely managed drinking waterservices
 Safely managed sanitation
services Basic Hygiene Services
 Data on the Pacific Island
countries shows that by 2030 atOk

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current rates of progress,
universal access to basic drinking
water, sanitation, and hygiene
will not be achieved.
At current trends, 67% of the
sub-regional population isestimated to have access tobasic WASH services by 2030.
Coverage with basic sanitation is
low and declining.
In 2022, 38% of the regional
population had access to basichygiene services at home.
In 2022, two out of five people
in the Pacific lack access tobasic drinking water facilities.
Since 2010 the population ofpeople without access to basic
sanitation increased by 2.2
million
The Pacific's access to basic
drinking water services has
slightly declined over the past
decade.
Seven years after the formationof the SDGs, half of the PacificIsland countries still lacknationally representative
estimates for access to safely
managed drinking water andservices, and safely managed
sanitation and services.
Pacific island countries did notincrease the proportion of thepopulation with access to basic

sanitation services of the pastdecade.
 Excluding PNG almost half of thePacific population have access tosafely managed sanitation.
 Significant fecal contaminationof drinking water Recurring climate-related
disaster impacts (droughts, El
Nino, cyclones, floods, sea levelrise, earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, and tsunamis) on
WASH infrastructures andservices lead to disease
outbreaks, water pollution andcontamination, displaced
populations, and loss of dignity.
Key Points going forward.
1. Significant acceleration isrequired across the Pacific tomeet the SDG target of basic
drinking water services by 2030.
2. Achieving global SDG targets by
2030 will require a 10x increasein current rates of progress andcommitment and increased
financing is critical.
3. Huge disparities between andwithin countries (Urban/Rural
areas- main Island and outerIsland) exist, and more efforts

are needed to close theinequities and enhance water
security.
4. Pacific Water Utilities plays amajor role in the contribution to
the achievement of SDGs
extension of climate and disaster
resilient services and monitoring
10 mins

Water Security from a
Pacific water utilityperspective.

Ms Misileti Masoe Satuala,
Project Development
Coordinator, Pacific Waterand Wastewater
Association (PWWA)

Key Words:
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Water Utilities
Benchmarking
Capacity Building
Young Water Professionals
Ministerial Meeting
Gender Inclusion

Key Points
Bench Marking : Shaping a high-performing andsustainable Pacific water andwastewater utilities sector.
 Performance assessment andbenchmarking as à key
instrument in the development
and sustainment of water andsanitation services in the PacificIsland states and territories.

OKCapacity Building of Utilities andGovernance:
 Developing expertise andcapacities, collaborating, andadvocating for the sustainable
management of water andwastewater services in thePacific region
 Coordinate with donors a
training program for utilities toaddress gaps that are identified
as part of the benchmarking
exercise and also its training
needs analysis.
Annual Conference and Expo: An annual event for the water
and wastewater sector in thePacific islands bringing together
like-minded professionals,
leaders in water and wastewaterin the public and private sectors,and leaders in the political arenafrom across the Pacific to shareexperiences and knowledge,
learn from each other, and build
new relationships.
 Provide an opportunity for theprivate sector and partners toexhibit their products and any
emerging technologies at theEXPO and network with

representatives of 30 utilities
from around the Pacific.
Young Water Professional Program:
 PWWA Flagship Program focuseson building leadership skills andmentoring experts from theregion.
 Sharing ideas on resolving
emerging issues
 Developing “together”
innovative solutions
 Promoting and strengthening
the roles of gender equality inthe sector.
Ministerial Forum:
 Annual Water ministerial
meeting bringing water leadersof the region in this criticalsector to elevate water andsanitation challenges faced by
the region into prominence at
the regional and international
level.
 Ministerial Communique with
Water Security Commitment
Outcomes
10 mins

Supporting the water
security of remote rural

Sheilla FunuboResearcher and Lecturer,

Key Words:

Okisland communities: The
Importance of Local andCultural Knowledge to
Support Planning for
Climate-Resilient Water in
Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands National
University (SINU)Dr Regina Souter,
International WaterCentre, Griffith University

 Potential impacts of climate
hazards
 Resilience of water systems
 Local and cultural knowledge Building bridges
Key Points:
 Solomon Islands - the majority ofthe population lives in small,remote communities. Only 35 40% of rural communities haveaccess to drinking water 58% of
the rural population practices
open defecation. One of many
Pacific Island countries thatfaces unique challenges inachieving water security for all.
 Local and cultural knowledge has
proven important in community
water management forunderstanding of potential
impacts of climate hazards,
traditional practices that could
be revived to improve theresilience of water systems,
building bridges between old andyoung people with an interest in
traditional knowledge andpractices, appreciating their own
cultures and customs and thatmany solutions are within them(especially for behavioralactions), inspiring and

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motivating action (that is linkedto reviving traditional customs)
Communities are responsible toplan and manage WASH throughthe community watercommittee.
Very limited support from thegovernment or other externalactors
Increasing Climate hazards &disasters affecting bothinfrastructure and water
resources due to more/stronger
cyclones, more flooding &landslides, changing rainfall
patterns (more floods;more/longer droughts)
increasing sea level rising &increasing storm surges andearthquakes
high failure rate of community
piped water systems due to nonfunctional Water Committees
and difficulty planning andmitigating future risks.
Community-based Water Security
Improvement Planning (CWSIP 1& 2)
Community facilitation andcapacity development approachbased on Water Safety Planningto improve risk-based planningand management of water
quality and quantity, bycommunity Water Committees Designed to build on strengths oflocal culture & knowledge.
 Planning for climate hazards –building on local and culturalhistories.
 Community-associated past
traditional practices with better‘past situations’ for water
access/management
 Working with the grain” –building on existing levels ofsocial cohesion
 Innovative planning processes,
facilitated by supporting actors,
should be designed to work withexisting cultural strengths, suchas levels of social cohesion (e.g.
zones) and local culturalknowledge.
20 mins

Interactive Session on Q &A

10 mins

Session Outcomes, Policy
Recommendations, andConclusions

Moderator – Mary Alalo,
Water Security
Engagement Lead, PacificCommunity
Dr. Chris Vehe, Permanent
Secretary, Solomon Islands
Ministry of Mines, Energy,
Rural Electrification,
Water Resources
Management andGeohazards.

1. Why are Pacific Water Security
issues different from otherregions?

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1. Increasing access to climate anddisaster financing for theestablishment of resilient waterand sanitation infrastructuresand capacities.
2. Strengthening the capacity ofWater Utilities as key actors inachieving SDG 6 targets.
3. The critical need to acceleratewater security action to address
the gaps in SDG 6 targets withOk

climate and sustainablefinancing for water security
investments.
4. The need for partners to support
PICTS strengthen WASH datacollection capacity for WASH
monitoring and reporting.
5. Strengthened collaboration andpartnerships between Pacific
SIDS and development partners
on water security actions.
6. Strengthening Community Water
Management capacities
combining technical knowledge,science, local knowledge, andcultural values and practices tobuild resilient water
infrastructures and systems.
7. Critical need for innovative andclimate-resilient solutions
8. Inclusion of GEDSI in Water
Security Programs.