High-level Political Forum Making the 2030 Agenda deliver for SIDS, building on the SAMOA Pathway

High-level Political Forum

Making the 2030 Agenda deliver for SIDS, building on the SAMOA Pathway

Remarks by the Director of the FAO Liaison Office to the UN, Ms. Carla Mucavi

14 July, 11:30-1pm, Trusteeship Chamber, UN, New York

 

Thank you for giving me the floor.

FAO recognises the sustainable development challenges faced by SIDS and is actively supporting them in reaching the goals set by the 2030 Agenda, in-line with the ambitious commitments outlined in the SAMOA pathway.

As has been said before, delivering the SAMOA Pathway and the 2030 Agenda is one and the same effort for SIDS. In these countries, the connections between the Sustainable Development Goals become even clearer, as well as the need to address them simultaneously.

Food security and nutrition, agriculture and fisheries production, the protection of biodiversity and responses to climate change must and can be brought together to achieve the promises of the 2030 agenda for people, the planet, and prosperity.

It is in this spirit that we are approaching the task given to FAO in paragraph 61 of the SAMOA Pathway, to facilitate the development of an action program for food security and nutrition in SIDS. And that we along with other actors and stakeholders are supporting the UN Conference on Oceans, to be co-organized by Fiji and Sweden in July 2017.

Looking at our challenges from an SDG-14 angle, ensuring healthy oceans is essential for adequate food security and nutrition in SIDS.

I would also like to emphasize that healthy and nutritious diets sourced from the oceans are necessary to combat the rise of non-communicable diseases in SIDS, and reduce the economic burden on health systems, those caused by loss of productivity, and food imports.

An example of how to articulate efforts to promote sustainable environmental, economic and social development is FAO’s ‘Blue Growth Initiative’, which seeks to harness the potential of oceans, seas and coasts and their resources in a productive, sustainable and inclusive manner.

Finally, while SIDS are blameless to the cause of climate change, we recognise they are bearing its greatest cost. In order to achieve sustainable development in SIDS we need to act on our shared responsibility in implementing the 2030 Agenda with global, regional and local responses to support SIDS, who in some cases have their very existence threatened.

Thank you for your attention.