Your Excellency, Ms Fekita ‘Utoikamanu, USG and High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS,
Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
It is a pleasure to address this consultative meeting on implementing the SAMOA Pathway and on the repositioning of the UN development system.
 
These two issues are inextricably linked and at the centre of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Small island developing states.
 
As all of us gathered here have been intimately involved in defining the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
 
It is the most ambitious global development vision and roadmap ever conceived.  The beauty is that we can fulfil this global promise, with a transformative shift in our approach and firm anchoring in universal norms and values.
We have the knowledge, resources, technology and capacities to achieve this vision for a people-centred and planet-sensitive future in all countries.
 
But we must fundamentally transform how we conceive, design, implement, monitor and finance our development agenda to ensure no one is left behind in the global march towards equality, prosperity, dignity and security - for everyone.  And we will need to take a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach to ensure its success.
 
Two years on, as demonstrated by the High Level Political Forum, each country, within their unique political, socio-economic and environmental context, have embarked upon this transformative journey.  SIDS are no exception.
 
As we look to ramp up implementation across all countries, I am very encouraged that, for the SIDs, we have a specific and visionary framework in the SAMOA Pathway to guide the efforts of member states. .
 
The SAMOA Pathway’s overarching objectives of poverty eradication, promoting sustainable patterns of consumption and production and protecting and managing the natural resource base for sustainable economic and social development, and its commitment to leaving no one behind, have provided–inspiration not only for SIDs, but also for the global community.
 
Next year’s high-level mid-term review of the SAMOA Pathway is vitally important for SIDS as they seek not only to advance implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
It will play an important input into the 2019 High Level Political Forum’s review of the progress of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and I look forward to your active engagement in the process.
 
Small island developing states have already made important strides in moving forward the 2030 Agenda in alignment with the SAMOA pathway.
 
The SIDS Partnership Framework is the first of its kind at the United Nations.
It exemplifies multilateralism and partnership for the common good.  Governments have leveraged partnerships, including regionally and beyond, reflecting a shift in how stakeholders work together to achieve the SDGs and leave no one behind.
 
The decision of the General Assembly in December 2015 to monitor and ensure the full implementation of pledges and commitments through partnerships for SIDS and promote the effective and efficient follow-up to the existing partnerships and to encourage new, genuine and durable partnerships laid firm foundation for the SIDS Partnership Framework and reinforces the importance of particular attention to the needs of small island developing states.
 
It remains a key test and a benchmark of our common global, regional and national resolve to ensure that the vision of the 2030 Agenda is translated into action and results in positive change in the lives of the local communities in the SIDs.
 
Oceans and marine resources are one area in which we see the potential for successful cooperation.
 
It is notable that of the 615 voluntary commitments Governments made during the first United Nations Oceans Conference last year, 176 were made by SIDS, building on concrete actions already taken.
 
SIDS are also the main beneficiaries of the close to 1,400 voluntary commitments made by governments, the United Nations system, civil society organizations, academia, the scientific community, and the private sector.
 
Several SIDS have protected miles of their country’s exclusive economic zone and some have already achieved SDG target 14.5, to conserve 10 percent of coastal and marine areas by 2020. This is highly commendable and sets an example of other members of our global community.
 
At the national level, integrated policymaking has helped many SIDS advance the implementation of the SDGs.  Further work needs to be undertaken to understand tradeoffs and synergies among the goals for policy and sequence national actions, but SIDS have sound foundations on which to build.
 
Governments also have made progress in adapting the SDG targets to national circumstances and priorities, and incorporating them in their development plans and policies.
 
Many SIDS customized MDG goals and targets to be more specific to their context and circumstances, and are doing the same with the SDGs to ensure they are continually building on progress.  Importantly, budgets are increasingly being allocated in conformity with SDG Goals and targets.
 
Nearly two-thirds of the Voluntary National Reviews of 2016 and 2017 make a reference to sustainable tourism – identifying this as a high-impact sector with the potential to advance all the SDGs.
 
For small island developing States, this link is even stronger. Sustainable tourism is critical to forging inclusive, resilient and sustainable development pathways.
 
Travel and tourism is an important economic activity in most countries of the world, with a global economic contribution of over $7.6 trillion in 2016 (WTO).  It is one of the main economic drivers in SIDS, typically accounting for one quarter of GDP, and reaching as high as 79 per cent in some countries.
 
Sustainable tourism was key to the recent graduation of Samoa, Cabo Verde and the Maldives from Least Developed Country status.
 
Promoting sustainable tourism offers enormous potential and is a game-changer to significantly transform the domestic economy in SIDS and to be both people centered and planet sensitive.
 
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
 
Despite these positive developments, the international community needs to step up its support to SIDS dramatically, if we are to see all SDGs implemented, everywhere.
 
SIDS face unique challenges, relating for example to the size of their economies, limited access to financing and extreme exposure to the effects of climate change and other natural disasters.
 
As SIDs graduate from concessional financing windows, a notable risk has been the loss of access to sufficient and affordable long term financing for SDG investments.  The inability to sustain investments can significantly derail achievements and progress towards the SDGs.
 
The international development community will need to seriously explore how they can support SIDS with new or continued access to appropriate sources of financing, depending on country needs and vulnerabilities.
 
The international community’s support to SIDS in mobilizing additional private and commercial financing to leverage and maximize domestic resources will remain vital for the long term economic growth and stability of the SIDS.
 
Rising sea levels and recurrent extreme weather events threaten coastal zones and infrastructure, and increase the challenges in reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development.
 
These threats are reversing hard earned development progress and dividends and exacerbating existing inequalities and vulnerabilities. They are driving even more communities into precarious and unpredictable futures for their families and children.
 
Given the trajectory of global greenhouse gas emissions, we cannot expect any rapid improvement so we must make plans that anticipate the impact of climate change on environmental and socio-economic development and help countries to adapt.
 
The slow progress of financing and lack of resources for development investments in the SIDS as envisioned by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda must be reversed, if the international community is truly committed achieving the 2030 Agenda in the SIDS.
 
That means taking pre-emptive adaptive measures, based on specific vulnerabilities and resources.
 
It means stepping up efforts to deliver on mitigation and addressing the issue of loss and damage in holistic manner, to build the resilience of Small Island Developing States and to leave no one behind.
 
It means –  at the end of the day – that we need an international response that is much more aligned, responsive and tailored to the specific needs of SIDS. The Samoa Pathway stands as our guide.
 
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
 
As the UN considers its support to SIDS and other countries to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, this is exactly what the repositioning of the UN development system intends to do.
 
The system must be responsible to countries priorities and needs.  And it must be capable of context-specific responses to support countries efforts towards meeting the goals.
 
We have now reached the final mile in this process and we thank you for your leadership and active engagement throughout this process.
 
We look forward to Member States decisions, in the coming days, to ensure the Secretary-General receives the mandates required to ensure we are fit for purpose.
 
The package of proposals put forward by the Secretary-General in his December report would be a game changer for SIDS.
 
A “new generation of UN country”, led by empowered and impartial Resident Coordinators, will ensure we tailor our presence, skillsets and resources to the specific needs of each country’s development priorities.
 
In every country, we will seek a dialogue with national governments on the exact type of support they require to achieve the SDGs, ensuring alignment to national priorities and relevant aspects of the SAMOA pathway.
 
The Secretary-General has put forward a request for assessed funding from the regular budget to ensure predictable and adequate funding to the Resident Coordinator system.
 
This means more boots on the ground, in each developing country, to channel the wider expertise and resources of the UN development system, where it matters most.
 
This means enhanced capacities to broker partnerships and leverage financing in a way that aligns to your needs and priorities.
 
Finally, this means addressing the fragmentation in our funding base so that the UN country teams respond more flexibly and effectively to the needs on the ground.
 
We want to see economists in every UN country team, to ensure we can support the transformation of domestic economies and societies that will make or break the SDGs.
 
The RCs will be expected to steer the substantive contribution of UN country teams for 2030 Agenda implementation, and the SAMOA Pathway implementation for SIDS.
 
In the particular case of SIDS, we want to take advantage of the reform to engage in a deep review of Multi-Country Offices, in partnership with each and every one of you. We commit to maximize this opportunity to step up the level of engagement and support each of your countries currently receive from the UN development system.
 
In many ways, our success in SIDS will be a litmus test for the 2030 Agenda and our promise to leave no one behind. The UN development system must be fit for purpose – equipped to better meet the needs of SIDS
 
We intend to launch a review immediately, upon a decision by Member States on the proposed reform package.
 
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
 
Small Island Developing States will continue to be at the forefront of our development priorities.
 
You are at the vanguard – of challenges like climate change and sustainable development – but also in the way you are pioneering solutions for the entire world.
 
You are a strong voice in the international debate and policy making on sustainable development.
 
Together, we can deliver a development system that delivers for you.
 
Thank you very much.