Samoa hosts high-level talks

By Sapeer Mayron 29 October 2018, 12:00AM

Delegations from Small Island States and their development partners are gathering in Apia this week to prepare for the S.I.D.S. Accelerated Modalities of Action (S.A.M.O.A.) Pathway report, due late 2019.

The S.A.M.O.A. Pathway addresses the priorities of small islands States across the Pacific, Caribbean and A.I.M.S region (Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea).

Thirty-seven U.N. member states and 20 non-U.N. members are meeting at the T.A.T.T.E. Building for presentations, discussions and panels on the issues affecting them the most – climate change, oceans, security and more. 

Steering Committee on S.I.D.S. Partnerships is currently chaired by Belize and Ireland, whose representatives highlighted that partnerships are the way of the future on tackling common issues.

Permanent Representative of Belize to the United Nations, Lois Young, said the criteria for partnerships and how they should work together will be clear and easy to use, and will focus on development in areas that ripple outward.

“Education, for example, will affect health, crime, violence, and more,” Ms. Young said at the opening yesterday.

Speaking via a prepared video statement, U.N. Special Envoy for the ocean, Peter Thompson said all the S.I.D.S. goals, and especially those relating to reversing climate change are ambitious and require immense teamwork.

“This plan is for all of us to implement and to defend the integrity of the plan,” he said.

“It is impossible without robust, durable partnerships.” 

Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti said development and adjusting to reforms takes time, and moving forward, Samoa is looking ahead to 2040 to assess where it should get to compared with where it is now. 

“What opportunities are there for us and what are we doing today that we should change?” he said.                     

By Sapeer Mayron 29 October 2018, 12:00AM
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