Join SPC, SPREP and USP Event to Celebrate Samoa’s 60th Independence 5.10pm Thursday, 20 April 2023
Pacific Climate Change Centre, SPREP
Rev. Nu’uausala Siaosi Siutaia,
Honourable Members of Cabinet,
Director General of SPREP,
Director General of SPC,
Deputy Vice Chancellor of USP,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As many of you will know, the year-long celebration of our country’s 60th anniversary of self-government started last June 2022. It is an occasion that every Samoan and resident in Samoa should be immensely proud of including being the first Pacific island country gain independence in 1962. It was a period of significant development and change in the South Pacific, at the time, where modern communications, trade and tourism were bringing novel influences to beat on largely traditional lifestyles.
Samoa was the first island country to become a full member of SPC in 1965, with other island nations following suit as they in turn became independent or largely self-governing. The USP was established in 1968 and is owned by Samoa and 11 Pacific island countries. We joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970 and became a member of the United Nations in 1976. The list goes on. My point it, commemorating our independence for the achievements we have made is good, but importantly, it should also serve as a reminder of the sacrifices made by our forefathers to assure our sovereignty, our freedom and confidence to achieve our people’s full potential. Too often, and in this day and age we forget this.
It is therefore an honour, and on behalf of the Government and people of Samoa, to provide this keynote address for this special event – a joint initiative by the Pacific Community (SPC), the Secretariat of the Regional Pacific Environment Programme Independence anniversary under the theme of “Folau ma le Fa’atuatua – CROP (SPC, SPREP,USP) Journey with Samoa”
Before I go further, I want to underscore the value of the work of all CROP agencies in supporting our respective and collective efforts toward achieving the common goal of sustainable development in our Blue Pacific region. This is irrefutable, notwithstanding the many challenges faced by CROP agencies.
Today, however, I will focus my remarks on Samoa’s relationship with the SPC, SPREP, and USP. It is a relationship, respectively and collectively, of enduring partnership, trust and commitment. It is also a relationship that has stood the test of time despite changes and challenges. These triggered, by necessity, a fundamental rearrangement of everyday life as we knew it. We learnt to exist under a new ‘normal’ and strengthened our policies, and response and recovery mechanisms in parallel with similar adjustments made by the SPC, SPREP and USP.
Expectation for more improve levels of cooperation and cohesion in our regional organisations’ work was high, particularly in the delivery of technical and scientific policy, knowledge and technical advice at a time of dealing with unknowns. I wish to acknowledge at this juncture the vital support and assistance of our development partners and friends particularly during this time for which we are very grateful.
Allow me a few minutes to speak very briefly about the work of these three organisation:
[SPC]
Addressing some of Samoa’s and our region’s most complex development challenges, including climate change impacts, natural disasters, non-communicable diseases, and food and water security require effective and innovative application of science and technology. I am pleased with the collaboration that our Government has established with the SPC in the implementation of both national and regional work in the areas of economic, social, gender, health, education, infrastructure, environment and agricultural forestry and fisheries.
We continue to benefit from SPC’s technical and scientific advice, guided by an understanding to our development needs and priorities and close collaboration.
The establishment of the SPC’s Polynesian Regional Office in Tonga should serve to strengthen and support the further engagement of Polynesian members with the SPC Secretariat. We welcome the opportunities that this platform will provide for SPC to better facilitate the planning and delivery of its programmes and services to the sub-region and we continue to advocate for our national systems and processes to the extent possible. I welcome to opportunity for Samoa to co-Chair with Papua New Guinea the work of the new CRGA Subcommittee that will help guide the implementation of the SPC’s new Strategic Plan 2022-2031, as well as the commitment by the SPC to align this Strategy to align this Strategy with the 2050 Strategy.
[USP]
With a vision to develop and shape Pacific futures, the University of the South Pacific continues to play a catalytic role through higher education, innovation, research and vocational training across multiple disciplines in the Pacific region since its establishment 55 years ago.
I think it is safe to say that USP was instrumental in the formative years of nation building for Samoa, as with other Pacific countries, with many of Samoa’s early leaders trained and taught at USP. Teachers, political scientists, artists and literati, philosophers and historians and Pacific authors became Directors, CEO’s Parliamentarians, and Cabinet Ministers, as well as community leaders, shaping and influencing policies and discourse for sustainable economic development. I look forward to the further prospects that the Samoa Campus can provide for our students to build a stronger future for the Blue Pacific.
As a regional organisation, the multi-member USP has delivered societal benefits across the region that few countries – Samoa included, could provide themselves. I commend USP for continuing to adapt and develop to meet the needs of a modernising Blue Pacific region and in aligning its objectives with SDGs. USP has contributed towards the shaping for the SAMOA Pathway, the Framework for Pacific Regionalism and the 2050 Strategy, and is one of the few examples of success in Pacific regionalism.
[SPREP]
To our hosts – SPREP – the humble beginnings of this organisation can be traced back to a joint initiative of the SPC, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (then known as SPEC) ESCAP and UNEP in the 1970s. Over time, threats to the environment of our Pacific islands countries prompted our Pacific Leaders to establish a specialised environmental organisation, culminating with the signing of the Agreement Establishing SPREP here in Apia on 16 June 1993
SPREP’s vision to protect and improve our environment to ensure sustainable development for present and future generations remains true today at it did three decades ago. This is particularly relevant as we work under exceptional times and circumstances, including a climate Emergency that threatens the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of our Pacific people and ecosystem. The environmental threats that compelled Pacific Leaders to establish SPREP continue from part of its key focus areas of work – climate change, land based and coastal pollution, increasing waste generation, and threats to and of our regional initiative albeit recognising that environmental considerations remain vital ensures the continued safety and well-being of our people and contributes to and makes connections to a number of on-going regional dialogues.
Samoa supports the implementation of the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter and will continue to be involved in the negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. As a region, we contribute as little as 1.3% of global plastic pollution but we are grossly and disproportionately affected by the impact of growing plastic pollution in all areas of everyday life, especially when it comes to the ocean.
It has been almost four (4) years since we launched the Pacific Climate Change Centre. I am pleased with the reports of its work to date, giving effect to a common goal of our Leaders and governments. The Centre’s work has focused on building the capacity of our people through knowledge, training, networking and research to ensure Pacific-tailored solutions to address our own adaptation needs and mitigation priorities.
We have acknowledge the important relationship between climate change and oceans and so we must continue to advocate for the science-policy interface and innovative solutions to inform a more resilient Blue Pacific. Allow me at this juncture to again acknowledge the important support of the Governments of Japan and New Zealand with this Centre.
My government is privileged to have partnered with the SPC, SPREP and USP on the many programmes and projects undertaken in support of Samoa and we look forward to continuing this work. We can be jointly proud of our achievements and successes to date but work continues, and we must not waiver in our joint endeavours.
Finally, I wish to congratulate all USP graduands in advance of the USP Graduation ceremony tomorrow (21 April) and to warmly congratulate the Director-General and all SPREP staff and member countries on SPREP’s 30th Anniversary celebrations this year.
Soifua
