1. I have the honour to make this statement on behalf of the 14 members of the Pacific Islands Forum with presence at the United Nations. 

2. We would like to thank the Secretary-General for the ‘Our Common Agenda’ report.  Today more than ever, we find ourselves facing a series of challenges, from climate change to COVID-19 and geopolitical instability, which together may threaten our collective aspirations under the 2030 Agenda and indeed, our very survival as a species.

3. Our Forum members in New York reiterate our deep alarm at the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and repeat our call for an immediate ceasefire, safe humanitarian access to affected areas and the urgent withdrawal of Russian military forces in accordance with internationally recognised borders.

4. Our discussion today focuses on thematic cluster four of the OCA report, which includes questions of climate change, climate finance, mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity in addition to Covid-19 recovery and pandemic preparedness. 

5. These issues run close to the heart of our regional development objectives and are of fundamental importance to our region as we work towards the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

 

 

Climate

6. Climate change represents the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Blue Pacific. We gravely reflect on the messages from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment WGI and WGII reports. Greater action this decade is urgently required. We endorse the call made at COP26 for countries to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets contained in their NDCs, as necessary to align with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. We welcome the Secretary-General’s proposal to convene leaders ahead of the first Global Stocktake of collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the Paris Agreement and its long-term goals, to conclude in 2023.  

7. Furthermore, we strongly support the engagement of diverse stakeholders, including local communities and indigenous peoples, civil society, the private sector and young people, in this process.

8. Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is critical to our region and the world. The science is clear – every increment of temperature rise leads to greater adaptive burden, the depletion of adaptive capacity, and greater risk of loss and damage. We support comprehensive and practical climate action, including the implementation of ambitious mitigation targets.  We call on states to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems and to make net zero achievable for all countries.

9. On climate finance, we believe that the transition to a low-emissions, climate-resilient global economy will require greater action by all countries and financial entities, both public and private to mobilise and align finance flows. 

 

Adaptation and territorial threats of Climate Change

10. We face complex and interconnected systemic challenges, grappling with the health, economic and social shocks of COVID-19, on top of climate change and conflict-related disruptions.  To effectively manage the risks of disasters, greater investment is needed in risk reduction and risk-informed development.

11. As long-standing supporters of the Sendai Framework – the global blueprint for disaster risk reduction – the PIF supports the Secretary-General’s call for increased adaptation support for developing countries.

12. The PIF also strongly endorses the report’s suggestion that the General Assembly consider measures to address the territorial threats of climate change for SIDS and other nations. PIF leaders addressed this very issue last year in our Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the face of Climate Change-related Sea-level rise.

 

Biodiversity

13. We are strongly committed to working towards the successful delivery of an ambitious yet focused Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15 Part 2 in Kunming later this year.  This framework, along with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, will provide further momentum to holistically safeguard our rich biodiversity.  We acknowledge the important role that nature-based solutions can play in addressing climate change adaptation, mitigation and biodiversity challenges while supporting livelihoods.  We look forward to the upcoming Stockholm+50 meeting.

 

Oceans

14. We recall that SDG 14 commits to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development and would welcome a stronger focus on these issues in taking forward the proposals in Our Common Agenda.

15. A healthy ocean underpins a sustainable ocean economy and is critical for sustainable development of our region.

16. Oceans are under pressure from a range of challenges, including overfishing, plastic and other pollution, coastal development and the impacts of climate change.

17. We are committed to a secure, prosperous and sustainable Blue Pacific – through secure and sustainable fisheries management, action to reduce ocean plastics, and protection of coral reefs and biodiversity.

 

Global Vaccination Plan

18. The PIF supports the Secretary-General’s call for a global vaccination plan as no country is truly safe until all others are.  In public health terms, our island nations have fared relatively better than other regions, however this has come at great economic and social costs.  Only through a wide and equitable distribution of vaccines will our region be able to truly reconnect with the international community. International programs like COVAX are vital to ensuring the delivery and distribution of vaccines into and within our region.

 

Pandemic Preparedness

19. To mitigate the loss of lives and livelihoods from the next pandemic, the report places a strong emphasis on strengthening our global health security and preparedness. The PIF endorses the recommendations of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparation and Response, including the proposals for national responses to international institutional engagement with emerging threats.

20. We welcome agreement by the World Health Assembly Special Session to draft a new international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response which will strengthen the global health architecture.

21. The Pacific Islands Forum remains steadfast in our support for the Secretary-General’s efforts to galvanise UN member states around the 2030 Agenda.  It’s crucial that our efforts fully reflect the spirit and intent of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs while elevating awareness of critical gaps in implementation.  

22. We will work alongside all member states of goodwill on our common agenda and towards a common future of peace and prosperity for all.

 

ENDS