JICA Project “J-PRISM3” Collaborates with Counterparts and Stakeholders in Vanuatu

The Expert Team of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project “Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries Phase 3” (J-PRISM3) implemented since July 2023 carried out ongoing activities in Vanuatu on 4-27 March 2025.

J-PRISM3 activities in Vanuatu aim to achieve the following outputs:
Output 1: Strengthening response actions in the Municipal and disaster waste management strategy and plan
Output 2: Improvement of Bouffa Landfill and Luganville final disposal site towards being sanitary landfills
Output 3: Ensuring the separate collection of recyclable material(s)
Output 4 (Regional): The knowledge and experiences in the region are shared

On 21 March 2025, J-PRISM3 held its second Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) meeting in Port Vila to discuss the progress made so far and future plans. Ms. Grace Naparau, Director of Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC), Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology and Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and National Disaster Management and its officer, Mr. David Hopa, Town Clerk of Port Vila City Council (PVCC) and its officers, an officer of Shefa Provincial Government Council, H.E. Mr. OKUDA Naohisa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Vanuatu, officials of Embassy of Japan in Vanuatu, JICA Headquarters and JICA Vanuatu Office, JICA volunteers at PVCC and Shefa Provincial Government Council, and some of J-PRISM3 Expert Team attended on site and others attended online.

The progress and achievements of the project so far include:
・Review of the existing National Waste Management and Pollution Control Strategy,
Disaster Waste Management Plan, and Municipal Solid Waste Management Plans for
Port Vila and Luganville
・Pilot recording of number of hauling vehicle, the plate number, size, waste types, loading
status, photos of each vehicle using an online data collection tool at Bouffa Landfill
・Gathering and analysis of the information and activities related to waste segregation in Vanuatu and other countries
・Regional Workshop on “Sustainable Landfill System” was held on 10-14 February 2025 in Samoa. Three counterparts from Vanuatu participated and learned together with other participants from nine pacific countries. The group actively participated by visiting two landfills, sharing the information, knowledge and experiences of their countries, discussing the common issues to tackle and formulating new networks.

In addition, in response to the earthquake that hit Port Vila on 17 December 2024, a preliminary survey for earthquake disaster waste was conducted on 13-17 January 2025 to identify key issues and challenges, mitigation measures and necessary support.

During the meeting, the participants discussed and agreed that some activities J-PRISM3 can support for the construction and demolition waste caused by the earthquake will be included in the project. Furthermore, all the attendees reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening relationships, collaborating to enhance waste management in Vanuatu, and sharing experiences and lessons learned with other countries in the Pacific region.

Apart from JCC meeting, J-PRISM3 Expert Team also visited Luganville final disposal site, Bouffa Landfill, CBD area affected by the earthquake, one of the local recyclers, and an organization that is promoting recycling-related activity, and had meetings with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), the Disaster Recovery Coordination Unit, and the Public Works Department during their stay in Vanuatu this time.