The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (S.P.R.E.P) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (E.S.C.A.P) signed an agreement on Friday underscoring their commitment to sustainable development. 

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.) took place virtually between Executive Secretary of E.S.C.A.P, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana in Bangkok, and Director General of S.P.R.E.P, Leota Kosi Latu in Apia.

According to a statement issued by the Vailima-based S.P.R.E.P., the undertaking reaffirmed their partnership with the focus on producing and disseminating analytical work, implementing capacity building initiatives, organising conferences and policy dialogues at regional, sub-regional and national levels.

The M.O.U will accelerate the implementation and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Samoa Pathway.

Leota said in a statement that the M.O.U signals an important milestone in collaboration between the two organisations.

He is of the view that the M.O.U will go further in strengthening and reaffirm their partnership in the long run.

“It’s taken time for us to get to this point. A lot of work has gone into it by both E.S.C.A.P and S.P.R.E.P officials,” Leota said.

“I would like to acknowledge the work of [...] Iosefa Maiava, Head of the E.S.C.A.P Subregional office for the Pacific, for staying the course and enabling us to get to this point where we can realise our aspirations.”

Leota is also of the view that M.O.U will reinforce the joint efforts and collaborations in the key priority areas and despite the pandemic, E.S.C.A.P and S.P.R.E.P can maximise these opportunities and complement each other’s strengths.

“Being a UN agency, E.S.C.A.P brings a lot of leverage in terms of sustainable development, in particular our focus on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and for us in the Pacific, the SAMOA Pathway and Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Development,” he said in a statement.

In a statement, the Executive Secretary of E.S.C.A.P Armida Salsiah stated that E.S.C.A.P and S.P.R.E.P have a long history of productive collaboration on knowledge and capacity building in the Pacific region, especially to work with Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S) and least developed countries.

“By working together on these areas of focus, we will continue to maximise our comparative strengths and advantages that complement each other’s strategic work, especially in the areas of climate change, environmental governance, sustainable energy and transport, sustainable oceans, and data and statistics,” she said in a statement.