Samoa, 2025

I now give the floor to His Excellency Te Ulupe Mauiwe Te Le, Poumulikinuku Onesemo, Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa. Poumulikinuku Onesemo, Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa. President, World Leaders, Excellencies, I wish to congratulate Her Excellency Ms. Annalena Baerbock on her election as President of the 80th Session of the General Assembly. The theme you have chosen resonates deeply with Samoa, particularly as we celebrate 80 years of our United Nations. It is a timely call for our collective actions towards a more peaceful, sustainable and resilient future for our people and planet. You can be assured that Samoa is in full support throughout your mandate. Excellencies, we live in times of global turbulence and uncertainty. Profound and transformative change is not only necessary, but also inevitable. We must prepare ourselves to face the challenges ahead with resolve and use opportunity to herald in much-needed reforms for the benefit of all and leaving no one behind. At the core of our success lies our unwavering commitment to the principles upon which the United Nations was built – multilateralism and international law. Samoa reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the United Nations as a premier forum to address global challenges. Multilateralism for Samoa is a practical necessity and not just an abstract ideal. Only through genuine cooperation and mutual trust can we craft solutions that no single nation could achieve alone. We welcome the Secretary-General's UN80 Initiative. Any reform must strengthen delivery on the ground, especially for small island developing states, by eliminating duplications, improving coherence and accelerating impact. Critically, such reforms must not weaken the operations of the UN multi-country offices or the Resilient Coordinated System. Likewise, the reforms of the MCO level should clearly define the roles and the functions of the UN country teams, working in close coordination with various countries to avoid duplications, competition for resources, and proliferation of projects that small administrations cannot manage efficiently. At the regional level, the UN must deliver with the regions throughout the region and align with the principles agreed to by Pacific leaders, as articulated in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. The UN80 Initiative is the opportunity to jointly realize regional delivery of ongoing initiatives through regional mechanisms. Excellencies, land and the ocean are central to Samoan culture and are also the basis of our love of people, sense of belonging, and our heritage. Village boundaries were marked by age of opanyan trees on the mountain ridges and extend to the protruding reef. Such as the values that make us a distinct people, where our history, traditions, identity, livelihoods, and everyday lives are intimately connected to our precious island ecosystem, underpinned by our unique communal fa'asamoa culture and traditions. Our geographical isolation and insularity no longer shields or protect us from the increasingly complex and dynamic security challenges. Financial grinds, especially drug trafficking, nuclear proliferations, challenges to sovereignty, growing geopolitical tensions in our region, and humanitarian crisis. The rule-based international system is being bent out of shape. Gone were the days where we took only what we needed from our environment, when we were a lot more conscious of the importance of a continuity of our culture and values, unadulterated by the infringing, impinging will around us. Unfortunately, this important connection makes us particularly vulnerable to the adverse effect of climate change. Over the past decades, we have witnessed more frequent and intense storms and cyclones, such as we left a trail of destruction in the wake. Homes flattened, food crops destroyed, lives lost, constant threat of relocation. The reality of climate change and increasing severity of disasters mean many communities are at risk of losing traditional homelands as rising sea levels. King tides and storm surges wash away the shoreline, and inland communities experience landslides, leaving communities devoid of safer and more disaster-resilient land. Regrettably, continuous inaction means detrimental effect of all aspects of Samoan life. Climate change remains the greatest existential threat to Samoa and other Pacific states. Its impacts are more extensively felt by the states due to our special circumstances and the lack of capacity to respond quickly and effectively. We commend the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion, which rightly recognizes climate change not merely as an environmental concern but as an existential problem of planetary proportion. That requires urgent global action. Unless we invest now in climate mitigation adaptation and resilient economies, we risk compounding both environmental and financial crisis. We must do more to turn the tide, to honor our commitments and applications, and to take urgent and ambitious climate actions now. As we approach COP30 in Brazil, we urge that the new NDCs reflect maximum ambition, including 50% reduction in global emissions by 2030. The 35 countries responsible for 86% of global emissions must be part of the solution, not just the problem. One can continue to question whether climate change is real, but for Samoa and the Pacific, the impact of climate change confronts us on a daily basis. It is our lived reality. Samoa will be launching its third national determined contribution ahead of COP30. This updated plan, developed through inclusive consultation, captures both the realities and the aspirations of all Samoans. But we cannot do it alone. Excellencies, now is the time for the world to witness firsthand the consequences of climate change in our region. You can only truly appreciate our challenge if you visit us. There is no better place to discuss climate ambitions and solutions than in the Pacific, where climate change impact is a lived reality. This is why Samoa supports Australia's bid to host COP31 on behalf of the blue Pacific continent. We also strongly endorse the recent EOSIS Declaration on the Special Circumstances of Cities. And we can all state, international and organization, and treaty parties to recognize and reflect these unique vulnerabilities in the design, interpretation, and implementation of multilateral agreements. Excellencies, the Pacific Ocean is our greatest asset that must be sustainably managed for the benefit of our present and future generations. It unites our islands in common purposes. It is our home and our key to a future of infinite promises. Therefore, we continue to call for urgent global actions to implement SDG14. The third UN Ocean Conference in Nice marked in our global ocean journey, but much more needs to be done. The ocean crisis is a direct result of our choices. The pursuit of economic growth has come at a grave cost to our marine ecosystem. Coupled by the unchecked exploitation of deep-seated mineral resources, our oceans face a crisis of limitless proportions. We must take a careful approach that talents economic growth while ensuring environmental sustainability. Samoa hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in 2024, at which its leaders adopted the APIA Commonwealth Ocean Declaration. It reaffirms the Commonwealth family's commitment to SDG14 and calls for action on key ocean issues, including safeguarding our coastlines and homes against the unprecedented impact of sea-level rise. The APIA Commonwealth Ocean Declaration was acknowledged and recognized for action as part of the recently issued ICJ Advisory Opinion. We remain actively engaged in negotiations towards a global treaty on plastic pollution, particularly to protect our marine environment. For Samoa, plastic pollution is a daily battle impacting our livelihoods, food security and public health. We are pleased that we have reached the required 60 ratifications for the PB&J to enter into force. We are moving closer to the most important part, its effective implementation. At the national level, through the Samoan Ocean Strategy, we have completed and legally adopted a Marine Spaceship Plan, which helps implement our commitment to protect 30% and manage 100% of our oceans by 2030. We understand we must sustain that which sustains us now and into the future. Excellencies, climate finance is the bridge from ambitious to action. It must be scaled up, easily accessible, devoid of burdensome conditions and responsive to the needs of small island states. This way the climate funds end up in the villages and the communities that need it the most. Financing of Development Conference in Sevilla was, regrettably, a missed opportunity. Since the Rio Conference in 1992, we have made countless pledges and commitments to the development agenda. But too often, we simply rebrand and recycle old ideas while failing to deliver tangible progress. Meanwhile, multilateralism is under siege and international financial commitments are being eroded. Police development assistance is being cut significantly and the global financing gap for the SDGs stands at $4 trillion. Yet, when it comes to war, funding is never short supply. The Stock Cost Trust should give us pause. We must also address and confront the deep systemic inequities embedded in our global economic and financial architecture. Yesterday's solutions are no match for today's crisis. A modern, just, inclusive financial system must be created, one that recognizes small island states, understands them and works in the interest of citizens. Debt forgiveness must be linked to measurable progress on resilience building. Samoa supports the incorporation of state contingent clauses in the debt instrument, allowing for suspension during crisis. We look forward to the timely implementation of the Sevilla commitment. Excellencies, non-communicable diseases are now the dominant health burden in Samoa and in the Pacific region. We welcome the high-level meeting on NCDs and call for targeted, integrated actions for SIDS, especially in prevention, healthy food environments and sustainable financing. Samoa has also developed the region's first national action plan for health security, aligning public health systems with climate adaptation and strengthening surveillance and response capacity. Excellencies, energy is both a driver and an accelerator for Samoa's sustainable development ambition. The digital transformation, including AI and data analytics, offer real opportunities to drive an inclusive, just energy transition, particularly through off-grid solutions and smarter energy planning. However, Samoa's level of indebtedness, often worsened by natural disasters, remains a pressing challenge. As disasters increase in intensity and frequency due to climate change, tools such as risk-informed early action partnerships and multi-dimensional vulnerability indexes are critical. We urge swift appointments of members of the MVI Independent Expert Advisory Panel. Excellencies, Samoa remains a peaceful country, steadfast in our commitment to human rights and justice. We remain concerned by the ongoing wars, including Ukraine and Gaza, the terrible loss of civilian lives, displacement of people, as well as the destruction of infrastructure and the environment is something we do not condone. The continuous supply of weapons to fuel conflict must end. Due to consideration must be given to the long-overdue reform of the Security Council. Excellencies, the tools of bygone era can no longer ensure our collective future. At the regional level, our Blue Pacific has undertaken a review of its regional architect to ensure it is well aligned to the ambitions of its 2050 strategy. As we pursue UN 80 initiative, it is important to recognize the regional strategy and find alignment. This can help increase the relevance and effectiveness of the UN. 80 years on, we call on the UN and the global community to work with Samoa to ensure our true resilience, where we can confidently engage as a global citizen, but be able to rely on our own national and regional efforts to pave a peaceful and a prosperous future for Samoa and the Pacific. We must use courage over cautions, cooperation over indifferences, and delivery over delay. Guided by our charter and anchored in our pillars of peace and security, human rights and development for all, let us steer our global canoe with confidence, fueled by trust, cooperation, partnership, and our humanity. Thank you and God bless. I thank the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa.