NEW YORK, 22 March 2010 – Pacific Island Ambassadors to the United Nations came together over the weekend to finalize their strategic agenda for 2010, focusing on the key the issues of climate change, sustainable fisheries management, and development. This will be a particularly important year at the United Nations, with the ten-year review of the Millennium Development Goals and the five-year review of the Mauritius Strategy for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States both on the calendar for September and multiple climate change negotiations scheduled throughout the year.
While significant progress has been made in the Pacific region, most countries are not on track to meet all of their Millennium Development Goals. The Ambassadors agreed that the full implementation of the Mauritius Strategy - which sets out a framework of action for addressing the vulnerabilities of small island developing states – will be critical in this endeavour.
The sustainable use of the once abundant, but increasingly threatened, marine resources in the Pacific Ocean will be one important aspect of their efforts to accelerate economic development in the region. The Pacific Ocean holds the largest tuna stocks remaining in the world. Increasing the financial return on these stocks, while at the same time ensuring the sustainability of this resource will be a priority issue for the coming year. Necessary components of this effort include expanding ocean surveillance to curb illegal fishing and increasing the transparency of the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.
Ambassador Marlene Moses, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Nauru and chair of the group said, "Protecting the sustainability of the fish stocks of the Pacific ocean is part of our contribution to the international community and an important investment in the sustainable development of our islands."
The Ambassadors also discussed the urgent need for the international climate change negotiations to progress in an inclusive and productive manner towards COP16 in Mexico at the end of the year. They expressed concern at the lowering of expectations for Cancun. "Responding to the climate crisis is an issue of survival for our islands. We must not be fearful from what happened in Copenhagen, but all countries must urgently increase their cooperation and resolve their differences," said Ambassador Moses.
The group of ambassadors also discussed the lack of progress towards mobilizing fast track funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation projects pledged at Copenhagen.
The Pacific Small Island Developing, or PSIDS, work together at the United Nations to raise issues unique to the countries in their region. The PSIDS comprises the missions Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Press contact:
H.E. Ambassador M. Moses, Permanent Representative of Nauru to the United Nations
800 Second Avenue, Suite 400A New York, NY 10017
Email: nauru@onecommonwealth.org
Email: nauru@un.int
Tel: (212) 937-0074
Fax: (212) 937-0079
ENDS.