Singh Re-Appointed Chair Of The Regional Scientific And Technical Advisory Committee

Fiji’s Director of Environment, Ms. Sandeep Singh has been re-appointed chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC-8) of the Convention to ban the importation of hazardous and radioactive wastes and to control the transboundary movement of these wastes within the region- for another two years.

With this re-appointment, the Ministry of Environment- Fiji now takes the lead role in the region on scientific and research expertise. Ms. Singh’s appointment further enhances the Ministry of Environment’s collaboration and focus on scientific studies and the need to rely on science based decision making.

The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee also appointed New Zealand as the Vice- Chair while Australia is the rapporteur for the next two years.

Established under the Waigani Convention, the primary objective of the Committee is to reduce and eliminate trans-boundary movements of hazardous and radioactive waste, to minimize the production of hazardous and toxic wastes and to ensure that disposal of wastes is completed in an environmentally sound manner in the region.

“Our work as the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee is to collaborate together as individual parties and collectively as a region to put in place mechanisms to ensure that the

vulnerable Pacific Island Countries (PIC’s) are not exposed to these hazardous and radioactive waste,” Ms. Singh said.

Ms. Singh also stressed the need for PIC’s to include hazardous waste/chemicals in their respective National Development Plans.

“Effective control and proper disposal of hazardous waste is of paramount importance for environmental and human health of any country. Given the gravity of the destructive impact these hazardous waste pose to our environment and lives, we should all immediately shift from remedial to preventive measures.”

Members of the STAC includes, Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and

Vanuatu.

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