Pacific Urban Forum

• H.E. Mr. Sitiveni Rabuka, Prime Minister of Fiji
• Mr. Henry Puna, Secretary General, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
• Mr. Azam Khan, Suva City Council, acting CEO
• Members of the Pacific Urban Partnership and Members of the Pacific Urban Forum Organizing, Programme and Logistics Committee
• Excellencies
• Development Partners
• Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you on behalf of the United Nations to the Sixth Pacific Urban Forum.

This occasion marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards sustainable development and the New Urban Agenda. Allow me to begin by extending heartfelt congratulations to two stalwart UN agencies, UN-Habitat and ESCAP, for their unwavering dedication in organizing and nurturing the Urban Forum over the past two decades. Their commitment has been instrumental in shaping the discourse on urbanization and its challenges in the Pacific region.

While numerous UN agencies contribute their expertise to the Forum, it is also a testament to the robust coalition formed by local government networks, academia, development partners, professional associations, and civil society organizations. This united effort underscores our collective commitment to advancing the Pacific Urban Agenda.

This year’s Pacific Urban Forum is uniquely poised to address pressing issues that resonate not only within the Pacific but reverberate globally. Foremost among these is the paramount concern of climate change.

The Pacific region, a steadfast champion of climate action, brings its voice to discussions on local resilience and the imperative for international support.

The deliberations here will echo at the upcoming General Assembly, the Climate Ambition Summit in New York this September, and the crucial COP28 gathering. The United Nations in the Pacific remains steadfast in its pledge to carry forth the outcomes of this Forum, amplifying your voices on the global stage.

Today, we find ourselves at the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The path ahead requires a surge of commitment, solidarity, and transformative action. The headlines of the 2030 Agenda, including eradicating poverty, reducing inequality, and safeguarding our environment, beckon us, but without intensified efforts, we risk falling short of their realization.

The convergence of challenges, from the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 to the urgency of the climate crisis, alongside persistent poverty and inequality, poses a formidable challenge to the Pacific Island Countries in their pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals and to achieve the regional 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

Regrettably, not one of the 21 targets set out in the 2030 Agenda were achieved. Our current trajectory, if unchanged, portends that the Pacific will achieve no more than 20% of the targets by 2030. A sobering reality that calls for swift and strategic action in the blue continent.

Importantly, most SDG targets necessitate localized interventions. It is my fervent hope that the strategies and commitments emerging from this Pacific Urban Forum on SDG localization will become catalysts for accelerated sustainable development within the region. Let the deliberations of this forum resonate through the corridors of power and inspire resolute commitments from your governments at the forthcoming SDG Summit in September 2023.

I wish you all an inspiring and productive Pacific Urban Forum.

Your collective knowledge and innovative ideas hold the potential to transform our urban landscapes into resilient, inclusive, and sustainable communities.

Thank you.