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Recent years have witnessed a broadening of development thinking and greater emphasis on integrated work methods and sustainable development planning. Global conventions and agreements have altered the way development is viewed, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, 2000), the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD, 2002), the 3rd World Water Forum (2003), and the upcoming review of the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States (BPOA+10, 2004).

In preparation and response to this broadening development focus, the Pacific island nations and states were called to prepare a series of national review reports assessing in a holistic manner, for the first time, a broad perspective of issues, problems and priorities.

Prior to the WSSD, each Pacific Island Country was called upon to create a National Assessment Report, with the aim of summarising in one document all the critical Sustainable Development issues faced by each country. While these documents remain incomplete for some countries, they represent an important audit of current and emerging issues, and provide an invaluable overview for organisations such as SOPAC in planning work implementation and in consultations with countries.

Nauru’s National Assessment Report is currently unavailable. Nauru’s National Environmental Management Strategies (NEMS) provides an alternative source of information identifying the major environmental and sustainable development issues in Nauru in the early 1990s. These issues can be subdivided along the three ‘pillars’ of Sustainable Development: environmental, social and economic concerns. Those issues particularly related to the technical assistance and capacity that SOPAC offers are summarised below:

Environmental Concerns:

• Coral reef and marine resource degradation and overexploitation
• Loss of biodiversity
• Land degradation
• Erosion and loss of soil
• Inadequate data on marine resources
• Need to further baseline studies.
• Under-exploitation of pelagic and deep-sea fisheries resources
• Pollution and waste management
• Water pollution and sewage treatment
• Climate change, global warming and sea level rise
• Radioactivity and nuclear pollution
• International traffic in toxic and hazardous waste
• Sustainable use of marine resources
• Water supply and quality
• Climate change
• Pest and disease infestations

Social Concerns:

• Breakdown of traditional marine tenure systems, resource-use systems and aquacultural system.
• Inadequate environmental infrastructure
• Inadequate environmental infrastructure and legislation
• Loss of traditional environmental knowledge and awareness
• Inadequate environmental education, public awareness and training

Economic Concerns:

• Land fragmentation and the need for land tenure reform
• Inadequate environmental and science education and training
• Population growth
• Urbanisation
• Economic vulnerability and instability
• Inadequate development infrastructure and services (roads, electricity, water supply)