51吃瓜

Excellencies, 
Colleagues, 
Ladies and gentlemen,

I join my colleagues in warmly welcoming you to our Global-Multi Stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue.

I thank our  Co-Chairs, Ambassadors Webson and Frazier for your strong support and keeping us all going!

COVID-19 has not just drastically changed circumstances, COVID-19 shows us every day how important partnerships are.

SIDS, more than ever need partnerships ! The progress made in priority areas for SIDS is under threat and we must be concerned about looming debt crises, human security, rebuilding economies and the need for ongoing climate action as COVID-19 did not stop climate change!

Our landscape now is one of new challenges intertwined with the old  ones.

It is NOW that we must move forward.

Already now, opportunities emerge to share lessons learned and best practices.

For example, how to reopen safely the major income earner that the tourism sector is.  How to ensure that private investment continues to flow to SIDS economies.

How  to build back sustainably. 

How can  SIDS and  partners effectively work together to pre-empt and resolve  respective shortages of medical equipment and expertise.

SIDS and their countries are at different stages of the pandemic and thus different stages of reopening their societies and economies.

Sharing your evolving experiences, knowledge and concerns is timely and crucial for SIDS. It is needed to move through and forward  from the current crisis.

SIDS must be  enabled to reach their priorities, as set out in the SAMOA Pathway and in line with the 2030 Agenda. 

This is a time to join forces to address common challenges.

SIDS can be proud of many successes and in particular your ambitions for impactful climate action.

From the OHRLLS perspective we can bring to the table our facilitation work. We facilitate partnerships across groups and South-South cooperation, including with Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs). We do this through joint meetings and events on key areas as requested by the member states.

OHRLLS is here to support the Steering Committee and the co-chairs in implementing the programme of work for this year.

This includes the activities through the SIDS Global Business Network, and strengthening the engagement with the private sector.

My Director,  Ms. Heidi Schr?derus-Fox , will describe the GBN more in detail shortly.

I hope today’s Dialogue and its follow-up activities, in particular the discussion on the Strategic Direction of the Partnership Framework, will bring about creative solutions. We must join forces for impactful partnerships to ensure we do not leave the peoples of the SIDS behind.

Thank you.