• The Vice-President of Kiribati, Honourable Dr. Teuea Toatu;
• The Honourable Cabinet Ministers;
• The Secretary General of the Forum Secretariat, Mr. Henry Puna; 
• The UNICEF Pacific Representative, Mr. Jonathan Veitch; 
• Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
• Permanent Secretaries and Representatives of the Ministry of Education, the M. inistry of Finance, Ministry of Health and Medical Services; and the Ministry of Women,  Children and Poverty Alleviation; 
• Representatives of Development Organisations and relative Institutions;
• Members of the Media;
• Ladies and Gentlemen; Girls and Boys.

 
Bula Vinaka and Good Afternoon! On behalf of the Government of Fiji, it is my honour and great pleasure to deliver the closing remarks for the 2023 Pacific Early Childhood Development Forum.  
 
As the host country of this important forum, I hope that we have been able to extend to each one of you, especially visitors to our nation, the customary Fijian warmth and hospitality during your stay here. Allow me to acknowledge and pay my respects to the traditional stewards of this land we stand on, Na Momo Levu na Tui Nadi and the Vanua o Nadi.
 
Your Excellencies, Honourable Ministers, Ladies and gentlemen, Early Childhood Development (ECD) is a crucial period for cognitive, social, emotional and physical development that begins before the birth of the child and transcends into early childhood, which some scientific sources proclaim to be until the age of eight years old. 
 
Early Childhood Development (ECD) is of personal interest to me as a father and grandfather. I am personally involved in my grandchildren’s education and participate in their extra-curricular activities when my schedule permits and I take great pride in watching my grandchildren grow and become individuals who can think for themselves as well as articulate their thoughts through conversation and artistic expression. 
 
At this juncture I wish to congratulate the inter-governmental, regional and international partners for organising such an event. Special congratulations to the Pacific Regional Council for ECD and UNICEF as its Secretariat for the success of this 3-day forum, with the support of the Government of New Zealand and other regional partners.  
 
To the 15 Pacific government Heads and representatives present here today, I congratulate you for the important agreements and resolutions you have made in service for the holistic development of the children of our Blue Pacific. I am pleased to learn that this forum recognises that early childhood development is a pivotal cornerstone of resilience-building for our region, specifically linking programmes and services for young children and families that influence relief and response to climate change and emergencies.  
 
The 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy emphasises commitment and working collaboratively, focussed on advancing Pacific regionalism. The People-centered development that ECD encourages is at the core of the Blue Pacific narrative and is an important principle of Fiji’s development agenda.  Children across the region have shared what they love about their Pacific island homes and the onus is on us their leaders, to value their sentiments and wield power gracefully to ensure that they continue to be nurtured, grow and experience their respective homes without fear. 
 
Our young children are vital to climate change mitigation and adaptation as they are the future. The educational and operational programmes we set in place become prerequisite for instilling the values and habits of environmental stewardship. To develop children and parents’ capacities to be agents of change are to increase the adaptive capacity of children and their communities.
 
The ECD Forum is a necessary platform as it engages multi-sectoral collaboration focussed on the implementation of legislation, policies and programmes that is invested in a climate resilient future. I fully support the call to sustain this regional multi-sectoral gathering and to embed it more firmly in the regional architecture.  
 
Your Excellencies, Honourable Ministers, Ladies and gentlemen, Congratulations to the newly elected Chairs of the Council, who will help steer the council to new heights in support of its 15 member countries.  I recognise the role of the Pacific Regional Council for ECD in making this all happen – a valuable example of political commitment and regional leadership for young children.  There are frequent meetings for national health, education, foreign affairs, and economic matters – we need to do the same for the youngest of our children to elevate this cause as a core pathway in achieving the 2050 Blue Pacific vision. 
 
Your Excellencies, Honourable Ministers, Ladies and gentlemen, I applaud you for your respective presence at the ECD Forum and the implementation of action plans that have resulted from your participation at this 3 day meet. The success of this forum ultimately rests on the intentional steps you take in creating and upgrading services for young children and ensuring that every child has the full scope of support to achieve their full potential.  All our children need our actions – not our words. 
 
As we navigate the post COVID 19 period where public resources are constrained, reprioritisation of deliverables is the order of the day, among other limiting factors that affect us as we build back better under the new normal, we need to be mindful of the resounding agreement that ECD investments are smart investments. We will be guided by getting things right the first time is easier and more effective than trying to fix them later. 
 
I look forward to the support of UNICEF and other development partners to continue to build the momentum of the Pacific’s plans for ECD. 
 
To conclude, as we close in on the deadline of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, while supporting the achievement of the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy, and accelerating our own national development plans, I urge that we collaborate, support, and hold each other accountable to the agreements we have made at this forum.  
 
Your Excellencies, Honourable Ministers, Ladies and gentlemen, I offer my best wishes to each of your governments and bid you safe travel back home. 
 
May God bless us all and bless Our Blue Pacific!
 
Vinaka vakalevu and Thank You!