Remarks
by
Honourable Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi
Prime Minister of Samoa
at
Reception to thank SIDS and their partners and UN community for their valuable support to Samoa in hosting the SIDS Conference.
26 September 2014, 6.30p.m. New York.
Heads of State and Government,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentleman,
The time for statements is over.
Tonight’s’ reception is our long overdue “fa’afetai tele lava” and “sincerest thank you” to all the partners and friends of Small Island Developing States and Samoa.
Thank you for your vote of confidence and faith when Samoa was honoured to host the conference and thank you for being with us throughout our preparations right up to when we hosted the conference. Thank you also for accepting with grace what we were able to provide during your brief stay with us.
On occasions like tonights, it is tempting to single out the major and obvious partners that contributed generously. But then you run the risk of overlooking one or two, whose contributions would have been quite as essential if not critical to the overall success of the conference. And let’s not forget that some gave through the goodness of their hearts and never wanted to be acknowledged either publicly or formally.
The SIDS Conference is over. The “SAMOA Pathway” has already become part of the UN vocabulary as we heard repeatedly mentioned by speakers over the last few days.
But the real work and all the hard lifting begins now. As a leader of SIDS, I am consoled in the knowledge that with the circle of friends and partners that we have nurtured and cultivated over the years and during the Samoa conference, the prospects of a positive future for SIDS looks better.
Let me conclude by saying that Samoa was honoured and privileged to be your host for the SIDS Conference. We continue to treasure the memories of your presence in our part of the globe, and it is my sincerest wish that your memories of your brief sojourn in my country were as pleasant as ours.
God Bless and Soifua.
