At the 2025 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), held from 14 to 24 July under the theme “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda”, with a in-depth review of the following five Sustainable Development Goals; SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 14: Life below water and SDG 17:Partnerships for the Goals

Tuvalu, as Chair of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) group, was represented by our Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade Mrs. Petesa Lilia Latai Finikaso.

During the General Debate, Mrs. Finikaso’s statement on behalf of the PSIDS group emphasized the urgent need for science-based, decisive global action. She warned that climate change is undermining all development efforts in the Pacific, making each challenge more urgent and complex. With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) off track, the 1.5°C threshold at risk, and multilateral cooperation weakening, she declared that the world is facing a global climate and development emergency. Her message reinforced the HLPF's theme, stressing that the window for meaningful action is closing fast, and that vulnerable regions like the Pacific SIDS cannot afford inaction or delay.

Mrs Finikaso further added, “As big ocean states, the ocean defines our identity and economy, yet environmental degradation threatens fisheries and tourism, and sea level rise threatens to engulf our lands and livelihoods. The Ocean Conference made commitments, but we must accelerate their implementation, including by boosting investment in ocean science, technology transfer, and marine research infrastructure.”

The statement serves as a strong call to the global community to uphold the integrity of the 2030 Agenda through inclusive, science-driven solutions and to ensure no one is left behind.
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