Ratu Inoke Kubuabola
Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation & Climate Change
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S.I.D.S Inter-Regional Meeting - PRESENTATION OF THE PACIFIC REGIONAL OUTCOME

26th August, 2013
Barbados

The Honourable Minister for Environment and Drainage of Barbados
Honourable Ministers
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a great honor to present the outcomes of the Pacific SIDS Preparatory Meeting, which the Government of Fiji had the privilege of chairing last month. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Government and the people of Barbados for the warm hospitality extended to my delegation. Thank you also to the UN and our development partners for their support thus far as we move forward together to ensure that we have a successful and transparent SIDS inter-regional process.

Mr Chairman,
I wish to limit my intervention to some of the key recommendations from the Pacific Outcome Document, which I believe are very much relevant to all of us here today.

As a starting point, I would like to revisit the three key principles which are the basis of our common goal in addressing sustainable development.

First is change, real change. After 20 years of endeavor with limited progress against the major challenges we face, whether it’s climate change, poverty or other development issues, whether it’s a “paradigm shift” as the AIMS group puts it, a “transformational strategy” as the Pacific group describes it, or the Caribbean’s call for “fundamental changes in the way societies produce and consume”, this meeting and process should be about seeking real change to avert the ultimate collapse of our planetary systems and societies.

Second is the principle of the whole. The words “ecology” and “economy” share the same root, oikos, an old Greek word meaning the whole house. Our failure thus far to take a truly integrated approach to development has meant that the economy has effectively become the end, the supposed whole, not the means it was meant to be. When leaders in Rio last year called for development measures that go beyond GDP, they were asking for us to start treating and managing our economies as an important but only a part of the whole development agenda. Lives of people and, therefore, the integrity of our ecosystems, are more important than the kind of economic growth that has produced the externalities of the growing ecological and social “divides”.

The third principle is inclusion. Inclusiveness is a prerequisite for sustainable development whereby all stakeholders must effectively participate through genuine dialogue and partnership. In this regard, we fully support the theme for the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, which will be held in Apia, Samoa in 2014 to be “the sustainable development of SIDS through genuine and durable partnerships”.
This is consistent with the approach of the Pacific Way which is common in our region where consensus are build on mutual respect and trust for each other.

Mr Chairman,
I believe the synthesis report correctly reflects the fact that we will not be able to sustain our development, or our future, unless urgent global action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep the global average temperature increase to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

We need to address the security implications of climate change and natural disasters, not only for water and food but also for the integrity of territory and cultures. We would like to see the issue of forced displacement and migrating with dignity included as well in the discussion of migration at this meeting. We emphasize the need to deal with climate change and natural disasters through joint or integrated planning as we are doing in the Pacific.

Adaptation to climate change and all forms of natural disasters is a priority not unique to the Pacific region and the provision of sufficient, additional and predictable financial and other resources remains a significant gap. This is the reason, we must continue to push the agenda of climate financing effectively in the ongoing negotiations within the UNFCCC process.

The proposal to establish at COP19 an international mechanism to address loss and damage from slow onset events, is a priority for us; but it is also a call to re-examine the way we value or measure development progress. In the language of the “The Future We Want”, it means going beyond GDP; or, as framed in the Pacific recommendation on infrastructure, it means moving “beyond conventional economic considerations and partnerships to include equitable social and environmental considerations and circumstances”.

An excellent example of mitigation actions with strong co-benefits is renewable energy. While shifting to renewables will help reduce carbon emission, it will also save the oil-dependent Pacific islands hundreds of millions in foreign exchange, while enhancing the value of their tourism service and agricultural/fishery products. They also contribute to poverty reduction initiatives, particularly in more remote areas and outer islands.

Mr Chairman,
The ocean is a priority because it has enormous value, covering more than two-thirds of the earth’s surface and 97% of the planet’s water. Sadly, today, 60% of the world’s major marine ecosystems have been degraded or are being used unsustainably. The ocean and seas are under risk of irreversible damage to habitats, ecological functions, and biodiversity resulting from over-fishing, climate change, alarming trends of marine pollution, including marine debris, unsustainable coastal area development, and unwanted impacts from resource extraction.

Ocean acidification, which has increased by 26% since the beginning of the industrial revolution , is known to have significant impacts on ocean areas reducing growth and survival of early life stages of some species. Human activities on land are also linked to the ocean. Agriculture, in particular the excess nutrient and pesticide/herbicide use, ultimately creating dead zones thus adversely affecting development and food security.

Mr Chairman,
The sustainable management of natural resources is another priority. I think the point has been made already that without a restructuring of our economies and a major shift in our production and production types, we won’t win the battle. That is why we whole-heartedly agree with our Caribbean colleagues and the synthesis report that “fundamental changes in the way societies produce and consume are indispensable in achieving global sustainable development”. We also agree, given the extent of inequity in the world today and the universal principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” that developed countries must take the lead while the rest will follow as such change will have strong co-benefits for us as well.

If our people are the greatest natural resource of SIDS as the synthesis report says, then measures for social protection and inclusion need to be in place to improve wellbeing and guarantee opportunities for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Universal access to healthcare, and education need to be put in place or strengthened to support the most vulnerable.

Our youth need to have access to quality education and decent employment and must be included in the policy making processes.
We also recognize that addressing gender inequality and gender-based violence remain key challenges. Gender inequality and the disempowerment of women and girls are at the root of the problem so there is a critical need for economic empowerment and full participation by women in all levels of decision making.

Mr Chairman,
In PSIDS, up to 75% of deaths are NCD-related, many of them in working age groups. It is a major burden on health and public spending and on families. So obviously tackling this health crisis will have co-benefits for families, societies and economies. Challenges also remain in communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and environmental health; family planning; improvement in health systems; need for scaling-up of interventions in maternal and child and adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and mental health and in particular those programs targeting youth.

Applying our three key principles to health and NCDs would require a multi-sector response involving not only health but trade, agriculture, education, transportation and other sectors.

The means with which we pursue our future need to be consistent as well with the approach we take to our sustainable development goals.

As noted in the Pacific outcome document, we should clearly accept that domestic mutual accountability and risk sharing is needed to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources.

Mr Chairman,
The Pacific acknowledges that peace and security, and stability, are prerequisites of sustainable development. The building and strengthening of national institutions including leadership and political will for integrated and partnership development are critical.

We agree that national development priorities, strategies and plans should be linked but not be subordinate to the global development agenda. There is a need to improve international governance by facilitating the engagement of SIDS in the High Level Political Forum for example and by integrating and merging international parallel processes associated with the development of the post-2015 development agenda.

We also agree that a definition of ‘small island developing states’ is a fundamental requirement in order for the SIDS Group to gain special treatment by development organizations and donor countries. We reiterate that the strengthening of the SIDS Unit is important for dealing with specific issues.

Mr Chairman,
We recognise that population growth and urbanization are putting additional pressure, not only on natural resources, but also on infrastructure for water and sanitation, waste management, energy, transportation, telecommunications and health. Telecommunication can play a critical role in the Pacific where distances and volume pose challenges to transportation.

More importantly, in addressing infrastructure needs and development, the Pacific is of the view that we should move beyond conventional economic considerations and partnership to include consideration of equitable social and environmental conditions. In this regard we note the need to avoid locking into infrastructural development a pathway of carbon-dependent energy supply and wish to see more attention to sustainable transport including in maritime shipping.

The Pacific outcome document recognises the need for transformational change toward better economic management using green growth pathways and tools already utilized in some countries of the Pacific. Such a shift in economic management depends on placing adequate value on natural capital and ecosystem services and using fiscal incentives for example to promote sustainable consumption and production and capitalising on the significant contribution of our ‘blue’ economy.

As has been noted globally, we in the Pacific also recognise the need for macro-economic policies which support the promotion of decent work and poverty reduction; recognising that the broad objective of macroeconomic policy is to contribute to economic and social wellbeing in an equitable and sustainable manner and that policy makers need to pursue macro-economic policies that are inclusive and pro-poor; labour demand and supply, as well as the quantity and quality of employment that such policies need to address.

In terms of the means of implementation being proposed in the inter-regional synthesis paper, we suggest that the issues of finance, trade and technology transfer need to be approached with the three principles of change, holistic approach and inclusiveness. Otherwise they will not necessarily address the needs for mitigation or maximise the co-benefits; they may continue to deal with symptoms and not the root causes; and they may even exacerbate the kinds of production and consumption patterns that we’re trying to change.

On the issue of debt, even though it was not covered in the Pacific outcome, we agree it is an important issue for SIDS and that it should be approached both in terms of special consideration by the international community and our own macro-economic policies.

Mr Chairman,
A data revolution is required to increase access and capacity to compile current and accurate data for measuring and monitoring inclusive and sustainable development. This is one of the important things we can do to build political will and commitment. We need to value and incorporate as additional or alternative measures of development the ecological services and social assets that are currently un- and undervalued. And we need relevant and accurate data to measure progress and improve transparency and accountability.

In closing Mr Chairman, we look forward to working in a positive and constructive spirit with one and all to ensure that this meeting achieves a concise, forward-looking and action-oriented outcome.

I thank you.