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Press Release
20 September 2023
UNSG: MESSAGE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
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Press Release
20 September 2023
Responding to cascading global crises, SDG Summit launches new phase of accelerated action on the Sustainable Development Goals
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Press Release
19 September 2023
UNFPA supports Pacific countries to prepare for the 7th Asian Pacific Population Conference in November
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Latest
The Sustainable Development Goals in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth's environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in the Pacific.
Press Release
30 March 2023
Pacific Resilience Partnership spearheads anticipatory action in the region
“The United Nations is committed to supporting Pacific Island countries in strengthening these combined efforts accordingly and accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said the acting UN Resident Coordinator to Fiji, Solomon Islands Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, Alpha Bah, in his opening remarks.
The workshop will enable shared understanding on anticipatory action and its key building blocks. It will also identify key players regionally and at country-level and establish a coordination mechanism for anticipatory action in the Pacific.
“Governments play a critical role in setting policies, allocating resources, and creating legal frameworks that enable effective disaster risk reduction,” added Mr Bah. Effective coordination and partnerships will therefore be crucial to identify gaps and opportunities in existing early warning and disaster risk management mechanisms and to integrate anticipatory action approaches into policy frameworks.
“To manage the growing impacts of disasters more effectively, we need to increase collective understanding of the entire system of actors and activities that make up anticipatory action. By connecting with the experiences of communities and ensuring these are hard-wired into our policies and processes, we can enhance risk-informed action, and ensure communities build longer-term, more sustainable, stable and secure resilience. As a result, we can minimize the human and economic losses that can set back development progress, " said Katie Greenwood, Head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Pacific Delegation.
"The best way to prepare for disasters is to work and deliver strategically and smartly, working with our resilient communities to strengthen solutions and deliver innovation - events like this provide the opportunities for a cohesive Pacific response to disaster risk management, and the Forum is pleased to be part of these forward-facing, life-saving initiatives,” said Dr. Filimon Manoni, Acting Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).
The workshop provides a critical opportunity for regional and national partners to share their experiences, best practices and challenges related to anticipatory action with a view to enhance preparedness among communities, improve response times and strengthen resilience to multi-hazard shocks and stressors.
Note:
The Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP) is the umbrella implementation mechanism for the Framework for Resilience Development in the Pacific (FRDP) and was established in 2017. The FDRP provides high-level strategic guidance to different stakeholder groups on how to enhance resilience to climate change and disaster in ways that contribute to and are embedded in sustainable development. The 3 strategic goals of the PRP are, strengthened integration adaptation and risk reduction, low carbon development, and strengthened disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
# # #
The United Nations brings governments, partners, and communities together to reduce disaster risk and losses to ensure a safer, more sustainable future.
The Pacific Community supports sustainable development by applying a people-centred approach to science, research, and technology across all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by interweaving and harnessing the nexus of climate, ocean, land, culture, rights, and good governance; through trusted partnerships; investing in Pacific people; and understanding Pacific contexts.
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIFS) is the region’s premier political and economic policy organisation. Founded in 1971, it comprises 18 members: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is the regional organisation established by the Governments and Administrations of the Pacific charged with protecting and managing the environment and natural resources of the Pacific.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network. The IFRC secretariat supports local Red Cross and Red Crescent action in more than 192 countries, bringing together almost 15 million volunteers for the good of humanity.
For more information please contact:
Jorge Diaz, WFP/ Suva, jorge.diaz@wfp.org
Lisa Williams-Lahari, PIFS/ Suva, lisaw@forumsec.org
Soneel Ram, IFRCS/ Suva, Soneel.Ram@ifrc.org
Evlyn Mani, SPC/ Suva, evlynm@spc.int
Sione Fulivai, SPREP/ Samoa, sionef@sprep.org
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Press Release
09 March 2023
UN deploys staff to Vanuatu to support coordination and humanitarian efforts following consecutive Cat-4 cyclones
This deployment follows an official letter from the Vanuatu Prime Minister, Hon. Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, welcoming support and assistance from the Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT), the regional humanitarian coordination body of the international community, composed of humanitarian UN agencies, INGOs and the Red Cross Movement.
“UN teams on the ground and here in Fiji will continue to follow the lead of the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office (Vanuatu NDMO) and the Vanuatu Government to ensure our support is aligned to their recovery priorities. Vanuatu has shown exceptional leadership under these difficult circumstances and the UN is right behind you,” said acting UN Resident Coordinator to Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu, Alpha Bah.
According to the Vanuatu NDMO, over 250,000 people have been affected by the disasters – almost 80 per cent of the country’s population. Needs assessments are currently being carried out.
The most affected areas were Shefa and Tafea, Penama and Malampa, Northern Penama Province and Western part of Malampa Province, and Sanma and Torba Provinces.
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07 March 2023
IWD 2023: Working Together as a Region to Bridge the Digital Divide
Happy International Women’s Day (IWD) from the United Nations teams across the Pacific!
IWD puts a spotlight on the achievements of women and girls everywhere. It is the day of recognition and celebration of the strides which have been made to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.
It also provides an opportunity for self-reflection on our actions (or lack thereof) as leaders, institutions, and governments, to enhance the lives of women through opportunity, inclusion and equality.
- In the Pacific, 2 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, mostly by an intimate partner, more than the global average of 1 in 3
- Globally less than 40% of survivors of gender-based violence seek any help and it is likely that the number is greater in the Pacific due to stigma, difficulty accessing services and fear of retaliation
- We can't achieve all the sustainable development goals (SDGs) if we don't end violence against women and girls
- The Pacific region retains the world’s lowest levels of women in parliament
- In most Pacific Island countries and territories, women usually perform a greater share of unpaid care and domestic work, and are overrepresented in the informal economy
The digital revolution brings immense potential to improve social and economic outcomes in and for our societies. The power of the digital transformation at all levels can be harnessed for good to create social change, but not unless all are engaged and empowered to participate, and there are laws and regulations put in place to prevent and respond to online and technology facilitated violence against women and girls.
Digital technologies provide new means to advocate for, defend, and exercise human rights and affect all women’s rights - civil and political, as well as cultural, economic and social rights.
Recently, the UN launched a first-of-its-kind “Digital Economy Report: Pacific Edition 2022”. The findings revealed that “Digital technologies can reduce gender gaps in labour force participation by making work arrangements more flexible, connecting women to work, and generating new opportunities in online work, e-commerce and the sharing economy.”
The call to action born of this is clear - we must act quickly to ensure the digital divide does not deepen, and we must work together to close it entirely.
SDG 5 – Gender Equality is regressing, but there is hope
Ensuring the inclusion of women and others at risk of discrimination into the technology fold results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality. And what we know, through monitoring the implementation of SDG5 is that gender equality has not only stalled in our region, but it has regressed.
While we see hope, there is a need for all stakeholders, including the UN, governments, and development partners to expedite joint efforts.
Excluding women incurs massive costs: the UN’s Gender Snapshot 2022 Report shows women’s exclusion from the digital world has shaved US$1 trillion from the GDP of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade—a loss that will grow to US$1.5 trillion by 2025 without action.
In Papua New Guinea, inclusive, equal participation of women in the political and economic arena is a major challenge. Gender-based violence remains at endemic levels and sorcery accusation-related violence killings continue.
Women in PNG are 10% less likely than men to own a mobile phone and 23% less likely to use mobile internet, limiting their participation in the digital economy, access to information and services, and exercising of human rights.
More proactive policies are needed to ensure laws, regulations and employment mechanisms are in place and being practiced. Awareness programmes are also needed to combat deep-seated attitudes which discriminate against women of all ages.
In Micronesia, leaders of Palau, FSM, RMI, Nauru, and Kiribati, during the 25th Micronesian Islands Forum, agreed to develop the first Micronesian Gender Equality Framework by 2025. The Framework will ensure equal and cross-sectoral representation of diverse needs and priorities to address inequalities and barriers to empowering women and girls in Micronesia and with impacts across the Pacific.
The UN has been supporting governments in Micronesia with gender-mainstreaming policies and actions to address gender-based violence, and discrimination through initiatives such as safe spaces, support for menstrual health management, reproductive health, and policy reforms.
In Fiji, the Pacific Conference of Churches endorsed the Gender Status Card for Churches in the Pacific: Building safe, dignified, and empowered communities in the Pacific.
A first of its kind globally, it was presented to the World Council of Churches Summit in September 2022 as a model for increasing advocacy and accountability for churches to prevent and respond to violence. Five churches from Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu have begun their assessments.
We have the solutions - it is now a matter of better implementation which is supported by regular monitoring and where needed, recalibration.
Ending violence against women and girls
To quote Samoa’s first female Prime Minister, Hon. Fiame Mata’afa, “A world without violence is possible, and this moment demands unparalleled courage and joint action to make this vision a reality”.
Ending all forms of violence against women and girls is fundamental to the empowerment of women.
In Samoa, our campaigns to end violence against women and girls - either jointly with governments or through existing projects - have taken national ownership. Traditional leaders and women in church and village communities are leading dialogues and actions to create violence-free homes and villages.
Policies for improved responsive services to domestic violence cases are integrated into the Law and Justice Sector 2023 – 2027, the Education Sector is developing policies to manage triggers of violence in schools and homes, and the Health Sector has received better facilities and medical services for victims of violence.
A first of its kind Talanoa Toolkit for village-based advocates against family violence was launched in Samoa in August 2022 by the Office of the Ombudsman/National Human Rights Institutions. Written in both Samoan and English, the Talanoa Toolkit is an essential resource for advocates against family violence in communities and is being adapted and used in community awareness on family violence prevention in districts, villages, churches, schools and families.
Samoan civil society and government ministries are strategising on how to utilise digital mobile and web applications in order to collect and analyze gender-based violence (GBV) administrative data to monitor effective and quality referrals for survivors.
Our collective responsibility to current and future generations is to limit the harms that digital technologies can bring, and to harness their enormous potential for good – with dignity, safety and the firm protection of human rights.
When it comes bridging the digital gender divide, we must also consider online and technology facilitated violence experienced by women and girls. Online violence against women and girls occurs as part of a continuum that is connected to offline violence and can take many forms. These include sexual harassment, stalking, zoom bombing, intimate image abuse, and misogynistic hate speech, among many others. The impact of this type of violence to women and girls is wide, including health, wellbeing, safety, political, societal, and economic. Key global promising practices to prevent and respond to online and technology facilitated violence against women and girls include development and implementation of national laws and regulations, prevention strategies and response services, and data collection.
Capitalizing on the digitalization wave
It is not enough to ensure that standards are technologically sound and economically viable - that lens is not effective enough to deliver a normative framework that fully respects and enhances fundamental human rights.
The involvement of women and girls, in particular, is critical. First and foremost, they must have access to digital skills and to advanced education to master technology and use it for public good. They must also be designed with an end goal of improving lives, communities, and societies, through the rights and freedoms binding them together.
For many groups of women and girls who live in isolated nations or islands, digital platforms create the opportunity to access local, regional, and international markets and knowledge networks.
We congratulate Pacific governments on the revitalization of the ‘Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration 2012’ and stand with Pacific leaders to support its implementation and to accelerate the achievement of gender equality commitments.
This digital revolution can vastly change the lives of the Pacific peoples, especially its women and girls, and we must get ahead of the wave before it’s too late.
ENDS
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Press Release
02 March 2023
UN ramps up support to Solomon Islands development efforts, announces US$4m towards Peacebuilding
This was discussed last week between Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Hon. Manasseh Sogavare MP, and UN Resident Coordinator to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, Sanaka Samarasinha, in Honiara.
As part of this increased support, Mr Samarasinha announced that through the UN Peacebuilding Fund, Solomon Islands will receive US$4m over the next four years aimed at supporting the country’s national capacity to address peacebuilding challenges.
Additionally, the UN has offered support to the country’s democratic elections process, which will be scheduled after the Pacific Games.
“The UN will also lead the first high-level development coordination mission to Solomon Islands in May, with the theme of Building Resilience for the Solomon Islands, by bringing together key actors in the region. We will ramp up our coordination efforts in Solomon Islands and support it to graduate from status of ‘LDC’ following the country’s request to extend LDC graduation to 2027,” said Mr Samarasinha.
There is currently a UN team on the ground in Honiara finalising Country Implementation Plans (CIPs) with national representatives – these CIPs will be the basis for UN assistance in the country for the next two years, incorporating government priorities and aligning with the national development plan.
This CIP will be presented to Cabinet by Prime Minister Sogavare, who will urge support and alignment through the four key pillars - peace, people, planet and prosperity.
A special request has been made by Solomon Islands Government to the UN to have a dedicated UN Resident Coordinator working solely on Solomon Islands to ensure an effective UN presence.
Additionally, it was announced that Solomon Islands is exploring a venue for the UN House - the first ever UN House to be established in the country to house all UN agencies on the ground.
Mr Samarasinha reaffirmed the UN’s support to Solomon Islands and will continue to return regularly to the country and engage closely with Government, national stakeholders, and civil society.
ENDS
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Press Release
01 February 2023
Kingdom of Tonga and UN sign Five-Year Sustainable Development Framework
This Framework was formally signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Hon. Fekitamoeloa Katoa Útoikamanu of Tonga, and Sanaka Samarasinha,he UN Resident Coordinator to Tonga, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
This Framework lays the blueprint of the work of the UN in Tonga over the next five years, representing the first ever implementation planning that articulates the UN actions and deliverables to support realization of the key national development priorities of the Country.
It ensures that all interventions are aligned with Tonga’s national development priorities, including UN and Tonga’s shared priorities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an integrated manner, with a commitment to leave no one behind.
“This framework is important because it has been developed to ensure that UN development activities in Tonga are aligned to our national priorities. It provides a clear guideline for implementing and planning the UN’s work at national level in support of our implementation of the 2030 Agenda,” said Minister Útoikamanu.
In the Pacific, the UN system, together with 14 PICTs, resolved to develop this overarching Framework in line with regional strategies, particularly the most recent 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
“With multiple crises affecting Tonga and the the region, it is vital we ensure an integrated approach to humanitarian and development support from the UN: one that empowers people and builds resilience to ensure a peaceful, prosperous, and peaceful Pacific,”Mr Samarasinha added.
This Framework was developed in close consultation with the key stakeholders including governments, civil society organisations, and development partners across these 14 PICTs.
Tonga successfully conducted a participatory technical consultation last week with participation of the Government of Tonga,the UN Country Team and other key stakeholders to begin the process of developing the first ever Country Implementation Plan aiming at enhancing realization and achieving the CF outcomes and sub-outcomes, which is anticipated to be finalized and approved by the Government by February 2023.
ENDS
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11 July 2023
UNFPA: Why fertility policies must focus on individuals, not numbers
On World Population Day, UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Director, Bjorn Andersson, stresses on why it is important for governments to ensure population and development policies are centered on gender equality and human rights, thereby enabling and empowering women to make independent decisions about their reproductive health.
Does the world have too many or too few people? The answer is that there is no perfect population number, and that policies that focus on fertility rates, undermine the reproductive rights and choices of women and girls. This message was reinforced in UNFPA’s recently published State of World Population Report, which shed light on the diverse perspectives across the globe around population dynamics and the potential impact it can have on society.
With more than half of the world’s 8 billion people living in Asia and the Pacific, of whom over 50 per cent are women and girls, the discourse on population dynamics is a major opportunity to change how governments and societies think and talk about demographic trends, including fertility rates.
In the past, many countries strove to attain what they considered a perfect population number. Today, countries have come to realize through difficult experiences that setting population targets do not provide solutions to issues such as struggling economies and the climate crisis. In fact, it frequently results in the infringement of human rights and individual freedoms, especially when women face pressures to procreate or encounter barriers preventing them from doing so. In instances where population growth is slowing down, this can lead to the implementation of severe measures like imposing restrictions on contraception. Similarly, countries grappling with increasing birth rates implemented policies that limited the number of children a couple could have and in darker times, sought oppressive and irreversible practices such as involuntary sterilization.
In 1994, the historic International Conference on Population and Development brought countries together in agreement that the reproductive rights and choices of women and girls must be placed at the heart of population and development policies. Almost thirty years on, while much progress has been made, thousands of women and girls across Asia and the Pacific still have limited or no access to quality sexual and reproductive health services and information, and those from marginalized communities continue to live in poverty, excluded from education and employment.
Why are women not able to make independent decisions to build the life, family, and career that they desire? Gender inequality is at the root of the issue. For instance, a woman may have to choose between having a baby or choosing her career because of the lack of sharing of responsibilities at home or the lack of flexible working arrangements in her workplace. She may also grow up unaware of her reproductive choices and the power she holds in shaping her own future. Even if she were aware, she may not be able to access contraceptives because of policies hindering family planning or simply, due to lack of quality services.
Widespread injustice and inequalities hamper the access of women and girls to education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and leadership roles. It curtails their autonomy and capacity to make informed choices concerning their own sexuality, and reproductive health, and amplifies their susceptibility to avoidable maternal mortality, gender-based violence, and harmful social norms.
When women are empowered, they can shape societies and countries at large.
For example, let’s look at the life of Rasini. Today, she is a 35-year-old mother of a newborn baby girl, and is a senior manager of a leading telecommunications company. As a young girl, she had access to sexuality education, and as a young adult she completed a degree and pursued a demanding career, deciding when she would be ready to build a family of her own.
While Rasini had an enabling home environment with her parents and her husband supporting her decisions, she also had access to enabling systems and services. Family friendly policies, social protection schemes and employment practices that encourage work-life balance and alleviate the care burden are crucial in providing women the independence to make an informed decision about their reproductive choices. Policies that support women who choose to delay or not have children are equally important, increasing access to family planning services, including contraception, allowing for pregnancies to be planned. Such policies that are rooted in gender equality enable and empower women to exercise their reproductive rights, and in turn helps to build individuals, families, communities, and nations that are based on the principles of human rights.
While Rasini’s story is the perfect example, it is not the everyday story.
As fertility rates increase or decline, women must not be pressured by governments or society to have children - or not have children. Ensuring gender equality means ensuring investments are made in every stage of a woman’s life - from childbirth to adolescence to adulthood. Every girl should have access to comprehensive sexuality education, so that she can navigate her adolescent years and make informed choices about life-changing matters. Every woman should have access to quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and services, including maternal healthcare for safe birth, as well as contraception, if she wants to avoid pregnancy. And every woman should be able to make her career and life choices so that she can plan for her elder years and age with dignity.
It is with this holistic approach, embedded in human rights that focuses on every stage of a woman’s life that resilient societies, communities, and countries can thrive, whatever their fertility rate may be. It is only when population and development policies focus on the rights of an individual that we can create infinite possibilities for all.
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20 February 2023
Pacific UN Communicators Participate in Disability Inclusive Training
In the Pacific, the UNCTs across the region are supported by the Pacific UNCG, and it is imperative that Pacific UNCG communicators know how to respectfully, and correctly communicate with persons with disabilities when sharing their stories.
To this end, yesterday, Pacific UNCG members participated in an engaging half-day workshop on disability inclusive communications and best practices for communicating with persons with disabilities.
Hosted by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) in Fiji, the workshop was run by UNRCO partners, Pacific Disability Forum (PDF), and saw about 30 members of the Pacific UNCG participate physically and online.
As part of the workshop, physical participants toured the Fiji National Council for Persons with Disabilities to learn what a fully inclusive building and workspace should look like.
The tour was also an opportunity to speak with officials who run the Council, many of whom are persons with disabilities themselves, about the work they do, the challenges they face, and what they want people to know about persons with disabilities.
One official, Freddie Fatiaki, from the Fiji Paralympic’s Committee, said too much focus is placed on a person's disability and nothing else.
“My message to people is that they need to focus on the ability, not on the physical or other disability,” Mr Fatiaki said.
Some key outcomes from the workshop included commitments to:
Create inclusive and accessible content – ensuring there are captions, alternative text, and enlarged font.
Rechecking stories with persons with disabilities before publishing
A provision of reasonable accommodation, for example, allowing additional time, the use of portable ramps in infrastructure, etc
Ensure the ability of persons with disabilities to participate in workshops
Consent for photos.
Highlight stories of persons with disabilities regularly e.g. monthly and ensuring this deliverable is added in UN Communications Strategies.
Hiring of accessible venues when hosting workshops
Ensure that visibility items are accessible, e.g. braille business cards
Edit and review all communication UN agencies produce to ensure it does not use discriminatory words (such as 'handicapped' and 'special needs')
More training for all office staff on a regular basis.
Refresher workshops will be hosted annually for members of the Pacific UNCG and some agencies have already hosted separate workshops on disability inclusion following this one.
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01 February 2023
Op-Ed: Reclaiming a Lost Decade
As we surface from an unexpected global pandemic which left us with immeasurable loss of life and brought the worst recession in 90 years,1 we find ourselves amidst another period of political turmoil and economic unpredictability.
For us in the Pacific, the climate emergency adds another layer of increasing urgency.
Against this bleak backdrop, however, we now have a more profound knowledge of our vulnerabilities and strengths, a deeper penetration of digital technologies - particularly in rural areas - a renewed appreciation for nature, and an opportunity to take back the last two years as we reorient towards greener, more inclusive economies and societies.
This week, we marked UN Day - the 77th anniversary of the UN, and the day we collectively decided that working together was our greatest asset against the world’s most pressing issues.
The UN was created in the aftermath of great turmoil – so not only do we represent hope, but we also have the unique ability to convene to create hope and bring about real change.
What remains now is a bold decision by each of you, for our action or inaction in the next eight years will decide between a decade lost and a decade reclaimed.
The Sustainable Development Goals
Now more than ever, we need to harness and capitalize on the spirit of ‘accomplishment through unity’ to get back on track to achieving the SDGs by 2030 – indeed this is a bold agenda, but it requires nothing short of transformative actions and accelerated commitments from everyone.
Last year, we began the important journey of creating our UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 - the blueprint of our work in the Pacific over the next five years.
Consulting with governments, civil society, development partners, the private sector, and CROP agencies, we have created a Pacific-wide framework which, for the first time, tangibly connects global goals to national development priorities and is aligned to the new 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent launched by Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) this year.
In this five-year window, we have a shot to strengthen our joint work, recalibrate together, and refocus our efforts, so that come 2030, we are well on our way to ticking all 17 SDGs off our collective ‘to-do’ list.
The Climate Crisis and Economic Diversification
As a forward-looking country with development aspirations firmly rooted in peace and prosperity for all its people, Tuvalu has many transformational opportunities in sight.
The atoll nation of Tuvalu is probably the country most at-risk in the world of sea-level rise, to the point that it has envisaged in all seriousness alternatives to living on its own soil, including buying land elsewhere in the region.
Tuvalu has experienced solid growth over the two last decades, prior to COVID-19.
It has responded to the pandemic with efficacy and promptitude, avoiding any spread on its islands and supporting those hurt by the crisis.
It has attained universal literacy, universal access to electricity and to improved water services, good internet and mobile telephony penetration, and declining neonatal and under-five mortality rates.
Public expenditure on health and education is high by any measure of comparison.
There are many possibilities to accelerate Tuvalu’s development pathways.
Turning its structural characteristics into strengths and advantages, the country has the possibility to design a future of wellbeing and sustainable human development for its relatively small number of citizens, simply by investing in some of its assets and continuing the transformation process that it has begun.
Moving forward, diversifying the economy is a crucial protection against shocks.
Relying on fishing licenses and ODA as sources of income risks the volatility of both revenues if other nations decide to reduce their support, their activity or valued fish species migrate.
Developing a quality ‘adventure tourism’ offer, based on attractions that Tuvalu can develop; intensifying small-scale agriculture to reduce overreliance on imported food; and inserting itself in the global economy through digitalisation and fintech bear transformative potential for Tuvalu.
Additionally, the design of a new, diversified, Blue Economy could attract foreign direct investment, generate growth by a newly developed private sector, and create the jobs the Tuvaluan youth and women need to participate meaningfully in society.
And finally, strengthened social cohesion and human security, and the operation of a strong risk-informed disaster risk recovery plan and the upgrade of existing infrastructure could support national resilience-building.
Investing in Gender Equality
In the Pacific, as gender inequalities persist, and recent shocks, including the pandemic and economic crises, have aggravated the current scenario for women in Tuvalu, we need to strengthen and expand social protection systems to cover women which can work as insurance, increasing their bargaining power at the household level, promoting financial inclusion, supporting long-term income generation and building agency.
Investing in gender-sensitive responses to shocks, especially initiatives that build partnerships between governments and civil society, will help women better cope with uncertainty.
Women’s and social movements have an important role to play in advancing better legal rights to participate in economic life, greater representation in politics, better support for paid and unpaid domestic care work, better protection from sexual harassment, better access to land tenure, financial inclusion, overcoming stigma and raising awareness around violence against women and girls.
Social movements can advance human rights and change cultural norms and narratives to expand agency and freedoms for all.
Our monetary support to Tuvalu is over US$17m for 2022, and as long-standing development partners, the UN will continue to work in the Tuvalu on areas such as climate action, strategic restructuring of economic sectors, health and education, social protection, gender equality, childhood protection, and digital and blue economy development.
Other areas the UN will continue to work on include food security, humanitarian aid and recovery, infrastructure, macroeconomic management, and relocation of communities at risk.
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31 January 2023
Creating climate financing opportunities for Pacific SIDS through the Joint SDG Fund
It consists of a.) a lack of access to climate financing opportunities, and b.) a non-existent pipeline of good bankable projects, the UN Resident Coordinator to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu has highlighted.
Through the Secretary General’s Joint SDG Fund, the Resident Coordinator has supported the design and oversight of many catalytic joint programmes, including, in particular, the ‘Coral Reefs Project’. This project is hands-on and cutting edge, featuring strong partnerships with the private sector. The Project is looking at investments and business models on reef-first businesses such as eco-tourism, visitor centers, sustainable fisheries, and blue carbon credits.
The Project also includes a Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) for blue economy SMEs to bring additional projects and businesses to an ‘investment-ready’ stage. In total, with the combined investment of US$9.9m from the Joint SDG Fund and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, the Resident Coordinator aims to leverage around US$50m worth of capital into the coral reefs and blue economy in Fiji.
This project is working on four key topics:
Effective management of 30 Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) in Fiji through private sector investment in a US $10 million blended finance facility. Beqa Adventure Divers, co-manager of the Shark Reef Marine Reserve, one of the 10 LMMAs to have gotten a concessional loan from the UN.
A Sanitary Landfill Project in the Western Division (to replace Vanato Dump in Lautoka and municipal dumpsites from Sigatoka to Tavua) through a US$14 million blended finance facility. The aim is for the public-private partnership approach to be replicated across the country.
An eco-fertilizer factory received a US $0.75 million investment from the UN and, again, the aim is that such factories can be replicated at other sites in Fiji.
A Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) for blue economy SMEs and financial instruments will be established and operationalized. This will pool investments and reduce risk, work with government to improve the regulatory framework and fundraise.
The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) leads the Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme (PICAP), which has developed the first ever market-based climate disaster risk insurance, unlocking the potential of the private sector to deploy appropriate and affordable solutions.
1388 households in Fiji were covered during 2021 with the parametric microinsurance against cyclonic storms and scaling is underway with the aim of covering 4000 households in Fiji before 2022-2023 cyclone season.
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21 September 2022
Beneficiaries share experiences with UN Resident Coordinator through talanoa session
This has become a useful tool for the UN, especially when seeking frank feedback from beneficiaries relating to the implementation of, and effectiveness of projects.
Recently, UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Pacific facilitated a talanoa session between the UN Resident Coordinator to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, Sanaka Samarasinha, and over 30 farmers, social welfare beneficiaries, and persons living with disabilities.
Hosted in Suva, the discussions were an important opportunity for Mr Samarasinha to hear their experiences during extreme weather events, as well as their views about climate insurance and the role it has played in helping them get back on their feet in the immediate aftermath.
One of the beneficiaries, Salaseini Koroi, said natural disasters often left them with nothing, including a lack of cash.
“Our crops have been destroyed and we have to run around [to find cash]; there’s financial problems in the family,” she shared.
“We just thought this parametric insurance should have been started a long time ago because we really need financial assistance.”
It is in direct response to the testimonies of people like Mrs Koroi and others, that the UN, through UNCDF Pacific, introduced two new parametric micro-insurance products to the Fiji market last month through its Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme (PICAP).
These new products cover heavy wind and rainfall risks and require an affordable premium of F$100 a year for a return payout of F$1,000 in the case of an extreme weather event, to be processed within two weeks of the event.
This ensures those who are most vulnerable among beneficiaries can access cash almost immediately after a disaster – something they have never been able to fall back on before.
Speaking at the talanoa session, Mr Samarasinha said inclusion is central to the work of the UN, and the honest feedback of beneficiaries results in the creation of better, more tailored products and programs which meet their needs.
“As we scale this and we think about those who are most vulnerable, most disadvantaged and most likely to be left behind because of the frequent disasters that we face in Fiji and the rest of the Pacific; disasters that you did not help to create, we need to ensure that when we say we will leave no one behind, we truly don't leave anyone behind,” he said.
“We are aware of the potential for natural disasters to push people into poverty, especially those that must wait weeks or even months for financial assistance to arrive. So, this is the message we’re sharing with farmers, fishers and other target groups: You never know when the next big disaster will strike. These products offer you a solution that gives you a sense of financial security and peace of mind knowing funds will be available should disaster hit,” he concluded.
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Press Release
20 September 2023
UNSG: MESSAGE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
As we mark this International Day of Peace, people and our planet are in crisis.
Conflicts driving record numbers of people from their homes.
Deadly fires, raging floods and soaring temperatures.
Poverty, inequalities and injustices.
Mistrust, division and prejudice.
This year’s theme reminds us that peace is not automatic.
Peace is the result of action.
Action to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure that no one is left behind.
Action to end the war on our planet and its natural gifts.
Action to uphold and protect the human rights and dignity of every person — especially as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Action to use the timeless tools of diplomacy, dialogue and collaboration to defuse tensions and end conflict.
And action for those millions of people living through the horrors of war.
Peace is not only a noble vision for humanity.
Peace is a call to action.
Let us commit to build, drive and sustain peace for all.
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Press Release
20 September 2023
Responding to cascading global crises, SDG Summit launches new phase of accelerated action on the Sustainable Development Goals
New York, 18 September – Gathering at the SDG Summit on 18 to 19 September, world leaders agreed today to urgently step up their efforts to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our global roadmap out of crises, by 2030.
World leaders made an historic global promise to secure the rights and well-being of everyone on a healthy, thriving planet when they agreed to the 2030 Agenda and the 17 SDGs in 2015. However, at midpoint of SDG implementation, the SDGs are in peril. Tens of millions have fallen into poverty since 2020. Over 110 million people are forcibly displaced. Inequalities have worsened, strikingly so for women and girls. Many governments are forced to choose between debt payments and investing in healthcare and education. The climate emergency is wreaking havoc on lives and livelihoods. Developing countries and the world’s most vulnerable people continue to bear the brunt of these crises.
“The SDGs aren’t just a list of goals. They carry the hopes, dreams, rights and expectations of people everywhere,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “Yet today, only 15 per cent of the targets are on track. Many are going in reverse. Instead of leaving no one behind, we risk leaving the SDGs behind.”
The Political Declaration
Leaders adopted a decisive, action-oriented political declaration at the Summit, highlighting their collective commitment to build a sustainable, inclusive and prosperous world by 2030.
With a strong focus on the means of implementation, and in particular, on financing for development, the declaration acknowledges that without a quantum leap in investments to enable just and equitable energy, food, digital transitions, and a transformation in education and robust social protection in developing countries, the goals simply will not be met.
Additionally, the Declaration urges immediate action to deliver an SDG Stimulus proposed by the UN Secretary-General, which calls for a massive increase in financing for the achievement of the SDGs to the tune of $500 billion each year. It also conveys strong support from all countries for a much-needed reform of the international financial architecture to better reflect today’s global economy.
“I am deeply encouraged by the detailed and wide-ranging draft political declaration under consideration here today — especially its commitment to improving developing countries’ access to the fuel required for SDG progress: finance. This can be a game-changer in accelerating SDG progress,” stated the Secretary-General.
Global and National Commitments
Over 100 Countries will present national commitments to SDG Transformation that include priority transitions and areas for investment, setting national benchmarks for reducing poverty and inequalities by 2027 and strengthening institutional frameworks to support SDG progress. In addition to these national commitments, developed countries and other countries who have the capacity, are expected to make individual global commitments drawing on the Secretary-General’s proposal for an SDG Stimulus and broader means of implementation, such as fulfilling ODA commitments, suspending debt payments and agreeing on innovative finance mechanisms.
SDG Action Weekend
The SDGs cannot be delivered by governments alone. The SDG Action Weekend on 16 to 17 September gave an opportunity for over 3000 people from all sectors of society to outline their commitments to accelerate progress on the SDGs. The SDG Mobilization Day on Saturday 16 September saw business, civil society, science, local authorities and young people making meaningful contributions to SDG implementation.
The SDG Acceleration Day on 17 September highlighted UN High-Impact Initiatives that show that transformation is possible and will help to drive momentum for action on the ground in the coming years. The initiatives focus on six major transitions that will drive progress across the SDGs: i) Social Protection; ii) Energy; iii.) Education; iv) Food Systems; v) Digital Transformation; vi) Biodiversity and Nature, underpinned by greater financing and other supports, as well as action to advance gender equality.
About the Summit
The opening of the Summit featured statements by the President of the General Assembly Dennis Francis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the Economic and Social Council Paula Narvaéz.
The 2-day Summit will feature a short plenary segment to hear the actions and commitments delivered on behalf of groups of States. Six Leaders' Dialogues will allow Heads of State and Government to report on progress and set out concrete national commitments to SDG transformation.
SDG Media Zone, 18-22 September, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm
The SDG Media Zone is a key feature of the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week, bringing together world leaders, influencers, activists, experts, content creators and media partners to highlight actions and solutions in support of the SDGs. Organized by the UN Department of Global Communications, in collaboration with the PVBLIC Foundation, the Zone takes the conversation on advancing the 2030 Agenda into the public discourse through impactful in-depth interviews and conversations on global issues that matter to people everywhere. All sessions will livestream on UN WebTV.
SDG Pavilion, 15-22 September
The SDG Pavilion is a beacon for the Sustainable Development Goals. It was created to mark the halfway point of the Goals. To use a sporting analogy, we are down at halftime.
However, the good news is that any given match is won in the second half. Organized by the UN Office for Partnerships, in collaboration with Project Everyone, the SDG Pavilion will host a series of Halftime Talks and a high level gathering of women leaders to mobilize the world to keep the promise of the SDGs. Sessions will be livestreamed on UN WebTV.
Follow the SDG Summit
Please follow us on the SDG Summit, using the main hashtags: #GlobalGoals and #SDGs.
On Facebook: United Nations, Global GoalsUN, DESA, Sustainable Development
On Twitter: @UN, @GlobalGoalsUN, @UNDESA, @SustDev, @UN_Partnerships
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Press Release
19 September 2023
UNFPA supports Pacific countries to prepare for the 7th Asian Pacific Population Conference in November
NADI, Fiji - 36 delegates from 11 Pacific countries among UNESCAP Members and Associate Members gathered in Nadi, Fiji, and finished a two-day Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 7th Asian Pacific Population Conference (APPC7) approaching in November this year.
APPC7 scheduled on 15-17 November 2023 in Bangkok, is convened by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The outcomes of this regional conference will then feed into the global review of progress towards the Programme of Action (POA) of the 1994 International Conference of Population and Development (ICPD) at the 57th UN Commission on Population and Development to be held in April 2024 in New York, as the ICPD POA marks its 30th anniversary.
The Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for this APPC7 was organized by UNFPA Pacific Sub-Regional Office (PSRO) on 12-13 September, for ICPD focal point officials of Pacific governments, as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations working for women’s health, youth, and persons with disabilities. Other officials also joined this preparatory meeting virtually from their capitals. The meeting was opened with a speech by Hon. Professor Biman Prasad, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics of the host government of Fiji.
Experts from UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office (Bangkok) and Family Planning New Zealand (Wellington) and a former Fijian diplomat served as resource persons and facilitators for the sessions. Over the two days, the delegations reviewed their countries’ accomplishments and challenges in implementing the 2013 Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, which was adopted at the previous Sixth Asia Pacific Population Conference (APPC6).
The 14 Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs) that UNFPA PSRO serves, have made notable progress in implementing the ICPD Programme of Action in the last decade since APPC6 in 2013, for advancing universal access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. Nevertheless, some countries have faced challenges, for instance, in ending unmet need for family planning and curtailing teenage pregnancy, partly due to the adverse impacts of emerging trends of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic that have offset the gains made.
While the populations of these 14 Pacific countries may appear to be small, estimated at a total of 2.63 million in 2023, the common youthful age structure and vastly scattered island setting with resource limitations, coupled with economic and climate-induced migration, make the Pacific region’s demographic dynamics quite complex, with some commonalities among the countries and variations as well. In this context, the Pacific countries’ delegates at the APPC7 Preparatory Meeting also discussed the intersectionality between population dynamics, sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, youth empowerment, and the climate-humanitarian-development nexus.
“Population and development considerations are of great importance to the Pacific countries, in achieving the global Agenda 2030 including the SDGs and the regional 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent,” said Iori Kato, UNFPA Pacific Director and Representative in Fiji. “UNFPA remains committed to continuing to support Pacific countries in achieving ICPD POA, especially to eradicate preventable maternal mortality, unwanted pregnancies, gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child marriage, in support particularly of women, adolescents, persons with disability and other vulnerable populations, both in normal settings and humanitarian emergencies,” added the UNFPA Pacific Director.
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Press Release
19 September 2023
Kiribati Health Ministry launched critical policy documents for women’s health, with UNFPA-Australia support
TARAWA, Kiribati - Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) has recently presented a series of reports, policies and guidelines that are essential for sexual and reproductive health (SRH), especially for women and youth, and for addressing gender-based violence. The launch of these essential policy documents, which were developed with assistance from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pacific, was timely, as they will feed into the next Health Sector Strategic Plan (2024-2027) that MHMS is currently formulating.
Kiribati has made progress in many of the SRH-related indicators in the past decades; however, the Kiribati 20-Year Vision “KV20” 2016-36 points to the high population growth due to the “overall high total fertility rate” as a “significant development concern”. The country’s current population of some 124,000 is expected to increase by 45% by 2050 reaching close to 182,000, according to the estimate by UNFPA and SPC. A stagnating adolescent birth rate is among the related challenges, and therefore the current Kiribati Development Plan (KDP) 2020-2023 highlights the improvement of reproductive maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) as one of the priorities, including the promotion of “modern family planning methods,” as well as focuses on “protecting and supporting the rights of women (i.e., addressing gender-based violence), children, people with disabilities.”
Against this backdrop, UNFPA led by its Kiribati Country Office and Pacific Sub-Regional Office in Fiji assisted MHMS in developing a number of reports, policies and guidelines, during UNFPA’s last five-year multi-country programme 2018-2022 for 14 Pacific countries including Kiribati. Out of these, eight essential policy documents were launched by MHMS on 7 September 2023, including (1) Obstetrics and Gynecology: Clinical Practice Guidelines; (2) Health Facility Readiness and Service Availability Assessment report; (3) RMNCAH Policy; (4) Post-Graduate Diploma Midwifery Curriculum; (5) Health Management Information System (HMIS) Data Availability for Monitoring Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs Review and Gap Analysis; (6) Family Planning and Pharmaceuticals Logistics Management System; (7) Youth-Friendly Health Services National Operational Guidelines; and (8) Standard Operation Procedures for Response, Mitigation and Prevention of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence including Clinical Management of Rape.
“Starting from the RMNCAH Policy, these new policy guidelines and protocols serve as a crucial guidepost and offer practical guidance to health officials for their day-to-day planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring, and data management of life-saving maternal and newborn care, family planning, adolescent health, cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, as well as the health sector response to sexual and gender-based violence,” said Dechen Chime, Head of UNFPA Kiribati Office.
The official launching event of these documents was held in South Tarawa, joined by dozens of health officials and representatives of development partners including UN agencies and NGOs. “We are happily gathered here for the launch of a number of important policies and guidelines. These are the outcome of many months of hard work by the MHMS team, and I thank UNFPA and partners for their support,” said Dr. Revite Kirition, the Director General of MHMS, in his opening remarks on behalf of the ministry.
UNFPA Pacific Director and Representative to Fiji, Iori Kato, who joined the launch with MHMS during his first country visit to Kiribati, said, “UNFPA looks forward to continuing and further deepening its partnership with Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services and all partners here, in the quality implementation of the RMNCAH and other policies for reproductive health and protection of women and adolescents and youth, in the years to come during the next Health Sector Strategic Plan, and beyond.” He also thanked the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for its continued funding support to UNFPA Pacific’s Transformative Agenda Programme, as the programme enabled UNFPA’s assistance to MHMS with the formulation of these critical policy instruments.
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Press Release
19 September 2023
Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Climate Change and Environment, Civil Service, Information and Public Enterprise of the Republic of Fiji
The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Climate Change and Environment, Civil Service, Information and Public Enterprise of the Republic of Fiji.
He thanked Fiji for its contribution to United Nations Peacekeeping and highlighted the cooperation between the Fiji government and the United Nations in advancing gender equality in Fiji. The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister exchanged views on global challenges, including action on climate change, financing for SDGs and the special circumstances of Small Island Developing States. The Secretary-General also welcomed Fiji’s role in fostering regional peace and unity and Pacific efforts to drive resilient sustainable development.
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18 August 2022
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