Co chairs, Hon Prime Minister Modi, Hon Prime Minister Marape, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
- Thank you for the opportunity to revitalize the FIPIC process after some years of dormancy, albeit the partnerships initiatives have continued at different levels. We acknowledge also that the hiatus in the regularity of the FIPIC has been due to the disruptions of the COVID pandemic;
- We congratulate India for its rise in the global market due to heavy reliance on agriculture and Agri-based industry; and has contributed to India becoming the fifth largest economy in the world and is now the most populous country;
- We note with interest India’s commitment to substantial engagement with South East and East Asia and possible extension to the Pacific region; the aspirations espoused at the Jaipur summit of the Indo-Pacific region becoming the centre of gravity of opportunities and challenges is fast evolving;
- We acknowledge India’s support delivered through the India-UN development fund but wish to suggest that the processes can be made more inclusive of the partner beneficiary countries to promote more active and more meaningful engagement.
- The Pacific like India has been supportive of the reforms of the United Nations particularly of the UN Security council to ensure more relevance and effectiveness.
- Noting India’s support of the Pacific’s framework for regionalism, the opportunity is there for India to refine its engagement strategy with PIF to ensure alignment with regional priorities identified through the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its Implementation Plan as well as existing regional frameworks and mechanisms.
- As India is a valuable Forum Dialogue Partner, Samoa places emphasis on the dialogue and cooperation to recognise and work through our existing regional mechanisms, based on Forum Leaders’ Blue Pacific Principles for Dialogue and Engagement. It is important that we fully understand your intentions of engagement, including as a Quad partner as there have been very limited opportunities for our Pacific region to sit at the table with all partners concerned and be part of the conversations that are about our Blue Pacific region.
- We have benefited significantly from south-south cooperation efforts provided by India however we would welcome harmonisation with other partners in the region. Furthermore we would like to advocate for India’s harmonisation of its ‘Pacific initiatives’ with existing multi-country and regional programmes, to leverage greater benefits for countries for example, in the areas of tele-medicine and tele-education initiatives that require certain pre-conditions in ICT infrastructure.
- In the same vein, we would encourage India to collaborate with relevant CROP agencies in the delivery of support, particularly with regard to information technology and disaster risk management to ensure strengthening of our regional institutions and organisations;
- Monitoring is a key aspect of any agreed future partnership programme. In this regard we wish to propose that India could work with the Forum Secretariat to provide guidance in this regard.
- Bilaterally, Samoa acknowledges with appreciation the support provided under India’s Grant in Aid program with emphasis on the health sector through equipment supplies for our Dialysis Unit, emergency assistance during the measles epidemic and COVID 19 pandemic and giving needed support to the upscaling of assistance for people with disability, in particular our children and youth;
- Likewise, we value the emphasis on capacity building particularly in the areas that India has the highest comparative advantage as in ICT development, including the establishment of the Centre of Excellence in IT within our National University, the training programs through ITEC which have resumed post COVID and scholarship programs.
- Samoa in the performance of its international role as the current Chair of the Alliance of Small Islands States over the next 2 years, welcomes the advocacy support of India during its tenure as the G20 presidency. Likewise we would invite and welcome any support from India as a key Commonwealth member in the hosting of the first Pacific CHOGM in 2024 by Samoa;
- In closing I wish to invite India’s consideration of our proposal for investment in the development of health services that are not available nationally through a partnership arrangement that would be mutually beneficial. Like other Pacific countries the costs of Overseas medical treatment schemes are unsustainable, our capacities and opportunities for development are limited, health policies have shifted to a focus on primary health care but the need remains and growing.
- I thank you for your attention.
