UNRC Opening Remarks at The Seventh Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development

At the mid-way point of the 2030 Agenda, the world is off track to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

Here in the Pacific, on the current trajectory, it is unlikely we will achieve even 20 per cent of the SDG targets by 2030.  

As the UN Secretary General has said, “unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been. 

The good news is that across the region, there are good examples of accelerated progress in SDG implementation, which we must now build on. 

When it comes to ending poverty and ensuring decent work and economic growth in the Pacific, the future is the blue economy.  

The Fiji Government, supported by UNDP, recently launched the first-ever Blue Bond worth $20 million. Over its four-year lifetime, its expected to leverage up to $50 million in additional investments for the blue economy including for locally managed marine protected areas, ecotourism, and fisheries and aquaculture.  

To achieve gender equality and good health and wellbeing, the Pacific must end violence against women and girls.  

In Vanuatu, the Spotlight Initiative has accelerated progress with its comprehensive approach supporting progress across education, health, justice, women’s economic empowerment and disaster response, empowering local civil society organisations, and reaching thousands of women, girls, and community members. This whole-of-society approach uses multiple, mutually reinforcing entry points to tackle the root causes of violence at every level – from the grassroots to the highest levels of government. 

Pacific Leaders have identified climate change as the single greatest threat to the Pacific region. Achieving the SDGs requires action on all fronts to mitigate, adapt and build resilience to climate change. 

In Tuvalu, the UNCDF LoCAL programme is partnering with the national and local governments to address climate change adaption and resilience measures, disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness including through planning, financing and infrastructure management.   

With the 2050 Agenda and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific, we have the blueprint for the region we want. 

We must all now get to work at speed and scale to accelerate action and make these blueprints a reality for all people in the Pacific.