Mr. Kosi Latu
Director-General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Mr. Kosi Latu was appointed the Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) at the 26th SPREP Meeting in September 2015, officially taking up the position in January 2016. With 26 Member nations on board, SPREP has the vital task of coordinating Members' activities at the regional level in order to manage and protect their environment within the context of sustainable development. Prior to his new position Mr. Latu was the Deputy Director General since 2008.
Before joining SPREP Mr. Latu was the Manager of the UNOPS Financial Compliance Programme based at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Latu also worked for the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, the United Kingdom for 11 years where he was the Deputy Director for the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division from 1995 to 2001, and Special Legal Adviser and Head of the Legal and Economic Division from 2001 until 2006.
Mr. Latu started his career as a state prosecutor with the Attorney General's Office for the Government of Samoa from 1990 until 1995. Mr. Latu's area of expertise and experience are in international environmental law, law of the sea and financial compliance. He is a graduate of Canterbury University in New Zealand.
SPREP is the Premier Pacific Regional Intergovernmental Organisation for the Environment established in 1991 and with 26 Member Governments, based in Samoa. Its key priority areas are: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management; Climate Change; Environmental Monitoring and Governance; and Waste Management and Pollution Control.
Before joining SPREP Mr. Latu was the Manager of the UNOPS Financial Compliance Programme based at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Latu also worked for the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, the United Kingdom for 11 years where he was the Deputy Director for the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division from 1995 to 2001, and Special Legal Adviser and Head of the Legal and Economic Division from 2001 until 2006.
Mr. Latu started his career as a state prosecutor with the Attorney General's Office for the Government of Samoa from 1990 until 1995. Mr. Latu's area of expertise and experience are in international environmental law, law of the sea and financial compliance. He is a graduate of Canterbury University in New Zealand.
SPREP is the Premier Pacific Regional Intergovernmental Organisation for the Environment established in 1991 and with 26 Member Governments, based in Samoa. Its key priority areas are: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management; Climate Change; Environmental Monitoring and Governance; and Waste Management and Pollution Control.