Vanuatu’s Ambassador to the United Nations His Excellency Mr Odo Tevi delivered a statement on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum states with Permanent Missions to the United Nations. The occasion was the general debate of the 2018 ECOSOC Operational Activities for Development Segment held on the 1 March 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters.

Ambassador Tevi referred to Tropical Cyclone Gita that recently struck Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand as well as the earthquake eruptions in Papua New Guinea to underscore how the occurrence of these events are becoming more frequent and their impacts more pronounced especially on the infrastructure and economic developments of the countries affected.

Linking these natural events to the United Nations reform, Ambassador Tevi emphasized the need for the reform to be able to deliver both a United Nations Resident Coordinator and Multi Country Office arrangements that are adequately resourced to allow them to be able to respond effectively to the diverse needs of the Pacific region.  He called also for the empowerment of the Resident Coordinator as the leader of a new generation country team and the need for stable, predictable and sustainable funding if the system is to succeed.

The statement welcomed the United Nations Pacific Strategy 2018–2020 and the sub-regional UNDAF which will assist the 14 Pacific island countries and territories implement the 2030 Agenda.