The new Director General of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme will be Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, the SPREP Secretariat announced on 9 September, in Apia, Samoa.

Mr Nawadra a Fijian national,  is currently the Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Pacific Office based at the SPREP Campus in Vailima, Samoa. He will take over from Mr Kosi Latu on 4 April 2022.

Mr Latu who has served as Director General of SPREP since 2016, had extended his working contract to 3 April 2022.

SPREP is a regional coordinating organisation, that was established in 1992, for the protection and sustainable development of the Pacific Islands environment.

The 21 Pacific Island Member countries and territories of SPREP are: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, ‘Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.

The five Metropolitan members of SPREP are: Australia, France, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America.