by Georgina Maka’a
The 9th Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers Forum and the 16th Pacific Water and Wastewater Conference and Expo opened today in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
The week-long regional event brings together water and wastewater utility professionals, policymakers, researchers, young professionals, and development partners from across the Pacific and beyond to address critical challenges facing island communities.
Opening the conference, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele described the gathering as “a group of leaders, innovators, and champions united by one purpose: to secure safe water and wastewater services for every Pacific island now and into the future.”
He said the forum’s theme, “Water and Wastewater Services for All: Connecting People, Policies, Communities for a Shared Sustainable Future,” was a timely reminder that water and wastewater services are central to life and development.
“Water is not just a utility issue,” Prime Minister Manele stressed, outlining challenges across the Blue Pacific, including rising seas contaminating groundwater, prolonged droughts straining communities, extreme weather damaging infrastructure, and the rising costs of maintaining aging systems.
“But with every challenge comes opportunity — to work smarter, to work together, and to ensure that no Pacific child grows up without safe water and sanitation,” he said, adding that regional solidarity and partnerships were key to lasting solutions.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Dr. Chris Vehe, urged participants to view the event not just as a conference, but as “a platform to strengthen our collective voice, share innovation, and chart strategic pathways that safeguard our future.”
“In doing so, we are not only securing water; we are securing the health, stability, and prosperity of our Pacific people for generations to come,” Dr. Vehe said.
Pacific Water and Wastewater Association (PWWA) Board Chairman Fuimaono Dominic Schwalger said the meeting’s outcomes could help raise water security on the regional agenda and translate commitments into action.
“This week we will discuss leakage control, digital tools, asset management, policy frameworks, tariffs, and governance,” Schwalger said. He emphasized the importance of partnerships — as highlighted in Sustainable Development Goal 17 — in fostering cooperation, building capacity, promoting investment, and adopting environmentally sound technologies.
The conference concludes on Thursday.