AOSIS Statement delivered by
Ms Farzana Zahir, Deputy Permanent Representative
On Sustainable Development
15 October 2018
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). We align ourselves with the statement delivered by the distinguished representative of Egypt on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
We would like to begin by thanking the Secretary General for his reports on the sub-items of Agenda Item 20 to guide our discussions. We are committed to realizing the 2030 Agenda, as well as the other related frameworks, and look forward to progressing this through the work of the Second Committee.
In September of 2019 sids will hold the high-level midterm review of the samoa Pathway, to reflect on the progress made in its implementation. The regional preparatory meetings have taken place over 2018 and the interregional meeting will take place in Samoa at the end of October. We urge other States to demonstrate their solidarity with sids through high-level participation in the meeting next year, and engaging constructively in the process as sids share best practices while also identifying ways to address our challenges.
In addition to partner countries, we would also like to emphasize the necessity of adequate support from the un System for sids to implement the samoa Pathway and 2030 Agenda. This year, the Secretary General’s report on the Assessment resulting from the evolving mandates of the small island developing States units of the Secretariat illustrates the resource gaps and needs of the Secretariat. Therefore we are requesting additional resources to be allocated to these units, and encourage Member States to support our request.
As the Secretary General’s report highlights, sids continue to face large development challenges that are directly attributable to our structural characteristics including small populations, spatial dispersion, remoteness and limited resources, therefore we need the support of both partner countries and the un System.
sids also face increasingly devastating natural disasters, rising sea levels, and other impacts of climate change, contributing to our vulnerability and undermining our progress towards sustainable development. The SG’s report states that risk from natural disasters is concentrated in small island developing states, when comparing average annual income losses against gross domestic product. We support the recommendation for international cooperation and provision of means of implementation to sids for implementation of the Sendai Framework.
Part of the efforts in working towards sustainable development are through a significant number of partnerships, as supported by the sids Partnership Framework. However, the report notes that despite some success, partnerships in sids face challenges due to inadequate financial viability. As partnerships are a key part of the means of implementation, we urge new solutions and new strategies to incentivize predictable and sustainable financing tools.
Recognizing the urgent need to implement the Paris Agreement, as illustrated by the recent ipcc report, we welcome the progress achieved in the transition towards renewable sources of energy. The sids Lighthouse initiative and sids dock have been instrumental in facilitating this transition in Small Island Developing States, and we welcome further partnerships to enhance this. We also urge all Member States to ramp up ambition to mitigate emissions across all sectors to curb global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Many other sub-items within sustainable development are also of great importance to sids, including the sustainable development of the Caribbean Sea for present and future generations, and we offer full solidarity and support regarding the regional efforts and national efforts, as well as those of partners and stakeholders, to advance sustainable development across all sids regions.
Action on sustainable development will require careful consideration, yet we cannot waste any more time as 2030 is quickly approaching. We hope that the decisions of the Second Committee this year accelerates our collective endeavor of achieving these Goals, while leaving no one behind.
I thank you.
