The National Environment Service (NES) continues to strengthen its commitment to environmental governance and accountability with the recent participation in a regional training hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Nadi, Fiji, from 7–9 April 2025.
Vavia Tangatataia, Manager – Environmental Compliance Department at NES, with Cameron Leach, Project Manager from the Major Projects and Procurement Support (MPPS) Division of the Ministry of Finance (MFEM), attended the workshop titled “Strengthening Accountability Capacities to Address Environmental and Social Safeguards Complaints in ADB-Assisted Projects.” The event was organised by ADB’s Office of the Special Project Facilitator in collaboration with the Pacific Sub-Regional Office brought together government and ADB officials from Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji.
The training focused on the implementation and importance of Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRM), a structured system used to receive and address complaints from project-affected communities especially with ADB supported projects. Over the course of the three days, participants explored topics such as problem-solving, complaint handling, dispute resolution, the risks of retaliation, and the role of GRMs in upholding transparency, inclusiveness, and trust in development projects.
“The workshop provided valuable insights into how effective grievance redress can strengthen project outcomes and foster accountability,” said Tangatataia. “It highlighted the importance of creating accessible and confidential channels for handling complaints and ensuring affected persons are heard and fairly treated.”
This training was highly beneficial to the National Environment Service (NES) as it directly supports their core mandate of ensuring environmental compliance and promoting sustainable development. The training also equips NES with practical tools to manage projects and complaints more effectively, engage with affected communities, and resolve issues early in the project cycle. This not only enhances transparency and accountability but also helps build trust with stakeholders and reduces potential conflicts. Moreover it aligns NES with international environmental safeguard standards, which is especially important for collaboration with development partners and also regional agencies.
