51吃瓜

Dear Colleagues,  

Good morning. Bula!

I thank you for joining us for the UN Inter-Agency Working Group on the 2050 Strategy. 

This has been a landmark year for the Small Island Developing States.   

In May we had the 4th SIDS Conference which adopted the ABAS.  And for the Pacific SIDS, we had the UNSG’s visit to the region.  He attended the PIF leader’s meeting – after a gap of 13 years, since any SG attended a PIF Summit. 

Following my visit to Fiji in April, I emphasized to the Secretary-General the critical importance of a visit to the Pacific this year.

In August, I had the privilege to accompany him on a successful mission to Samoa, New Zealand, Tonga and Timor Leste.  

The Secretary-General witnessed firsthand the challenges confronting Pacific Island nations, and engaged with Pacific Leaders, during the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Tonga, to gain deeper insights into their concerns and priorities.

One key outcome of the SG’s visit was his commitment to advancing the capitalization of the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF). 

He reaffirmed this commitment through his message at the PRF side event, and during his annual meeting with PIF leaders at the UNGA in September.

I commend the Pacific Islands Forum for its continued leadership on this issue, including through the highly successful PRF side event at COP29. 

And I look forward to getting an update on the PRF today. 

Colleagues,

This meeting comes at a pivotal moment, right after the conclusion of COP-29, aptly referred to as the Finance COP.

The outcomes of COP29 will significantly shape efforts to operationalize the PRF, and to implement the 2050 Strategy.

The New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG) agreed at COP29 fell short of our expectations, particularly in addressing the financing needs to keep the 1.5-degree goal within reach.

This will undoubtedly make our work, including mobilizing the necessary finances to implement the 2050 Strategy, much more challenging. 

There are, however, some positive developments at COP29. 
 
The launch of the Annual High-Level Dialogue on Complementarity and Coherence, co-convened by the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage and the UN Secretary-General, is an important step forward to address loss and damage. 
 
Additionally, the pledges from Australia and New Zealand at COP29 demonstrate growing commitment to the Loss and Damage Fund.  

Next week, my Office will host a dialogue with AOSIS and Climate Analytics to reflect on the outcomes from Baku, and to chart a way forward to ensure more targeted climate finance for SIDS, especially under the loss and damage agenda.

Colleagues,

Earlier this year, the adoption of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS – ABAS - at the Fourth International Conference on SIDS provided an ambitious roadmap for the next decade. 

The ABAS aligns closely with the seven pillars of the 2050 Strategy, offering opportunities for synergy and coordinated implementation.

SIDS4 saw active participation from the Pacific region, including seven Pacific Heads of State and Government, who issued urgent calls for enhanced international support.

The Conference also saw robust engagement from Pacific Islands civil society, private sector representatives, and journalists, with sponsorship from my Office, ensuring strong and diverse voices from the Pacific at the Conference.  

The establishment of the SIDS Centre of Excellence, hosted by Antigua and Barbuda, is among the key deliverables of the ABAS. 

The Centre will anchor initiatives such as a SIDS Global Data Hub, an Island Investment Forum, a Technology and Innovation Mechanism, and the Debt Sustainability Support Service. 

Another milestone this year was the adoption of the Multi-Dimensional Vulnerability Index - MVI - by the General Assembly in July. 

The MVI’s significance was highlighted in the PIF Leaders’ Communique in Tonga, and as Interim Secretariat alongside UNDESA, we are preparing recommendations for its integration into the UN system, and wider use by international financial institutions.  

Also in July, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu were among the thirty-six nations that presented Voluntary National Reviews at the High-Level Political Forum. 

I thank and commend the Pacific UN Country Team and ESCAP for their support and assistance to Member States in this process.

In October, OHRLLS convened the 5th in-person meeting of SIDS National Focal Points (NFPs) in Vanuatu. 

The meeting greatly benefitted from the participation of the PIF Secretariat, and its insights on the implementation of the 2050 Strategy. 

ESCAP and the RCOs, among others, also contributed to the success of the meeting. 

The NFPs will be critical in localizing the ABAS into national development plans.

Looking ahead, allow me to share some reflections about priorities for the Working Group.

First – The Working Group can play a key role in supporting efforts by the Pacific Islands Forum to fully capitalize the PRF. 

Upcoming opportunities for advocacy among key partners include: 

?   The World Economic Forum, in January next year (Davos)
?   The World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in April (25-27, Washington D.C.)
?   The UN Ocean Conference in June (9-13, Nice)
?   The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in June/July (June 30 - July 3, Seville)
?   The High-Level Political Forum in July (New York), and
?   COP 30 in November (Brazil)

Broadening the resource base through engagement with major philanthropies, such as the Ford Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, will also be critical.  

Second - as the ABAS Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework is currently being developed, it is important to ensure synergies with the 2050 Strategy implementation plan that is already in place. 

This will avoid duplications and reduce the reporting burden on SIDS. 

I am pleased to note that many of you in this group are also members of the task force developing the ABAS M&E framework.

[And lastly] - I urge each of you to explore how your respective entities can help champion these efforts, particularly the capitalization of the Pacific Resilience Facility.

Early next year, I will reach out to the principals of your organizations to seek their active support for the PRF.

We will also convene a meeting of the Working Group in January to strategize and plan for the year ahead.

Let me rest here.  

I look forward to your views and ideas to advance these priorities. 

Thank you.