UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY SECOND COMMITTEE: PACIFIC ISLAND FORUM EXPLANATION OF POSITION ON AGENDA ITEM 18
17 November 2023
Statement delivered by H.E. Ms. Jeanette Vea, First Secretary and Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Tonga to the United Nations
Chair,
I have the honour to deliver this explanation of position on behalf of the members of the Pacific Islands Forum with presence at the United Nations.
At the outset, we would like to thank Mr Vladimir Budhu of Trinidad and Tobago for his hard work as facilitator during these negotiations. We welcome adoption of this resolution by consensus. It comes at a critical time for Small Island Developing States, as we reflect on three programmes of Action for SIDS and embark upon the development of a fourth.
We are pleased that this resolution set us on a strong path towards the SIDS Conference to be held in Antigua and Barbuda next year. We see these documents as complimentary to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Chair,
For many years, we have known implicitly that SIDS are among the most vulnerable countries in the world due to exposure to natural hazards – primarily climate change, remoteness and smallness.
However, we did not have any agreed definition of what vulnerability means. The report of the high-level panel to develop a multidimensional vulnerability index is a critical first step. We take this opportunity to thank our fellow Member States for taking forward the report of the High-level Panel.
Such complex task as measuring multidimensional vulnerability could not possibly be completed in a single year, and there is much work now to be done to understand how the MVI can be continuously refined and applied.
The panel’s report made some clear recommendations for the UN system, inter alia
- Mainstreaming vulnerability and resilience more systemically in UN programs;
- Addressing data challenges; and
- Development of a debt indicator.
We look forward to working constructively through the intergovernmental process and with UN entities, including the interim secretariat, to take recommendations forward.
And we hope that these processes will pick up where the Panel left off on key development questions, such as:
- How to measure the contribution of gender equality to vulnerability or resilience
- How to measure vulnerability to future climate impacts, which we know are likely to increase
- And how to facilitate interaction between the MVI – which focused on structural vulnerability – with other measures of vulnerability such as fragility and inequality – which are no less valid but not covered by this particular exercise. This would allow for a truly holistic understanding of each country and group’s development challenges.
With regard to gender equality, I note that PIF leaders have now endorsed our revitalised Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration, and we would be pleased to share our learnings and experiences to this end.