Representatives of CSI’s small-island activities, as well as persons from other initiatives in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions, met in Samoa in December 2000. The meeting was unique in that participants from diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds, working in government service, non-governmental organizations, academia or aid agencies, came together to advance a small-island agenda built on wise coastal practices. This publication details the presentations, discussions and outcomes of the meeting, high-lighting the need for (i) interlinking activities within and across small-island regions; and (ii) procedures for project assessment, in order to distil and implement ‘wise coastal practices for sustainable human development’.