Cook Islands and its government have been commended for being one of the few nations in the world to craft a century-long strategic vision by the visiting United Nations Resident Coordinator Themba Kalua.

His comments come after a workshop in Rarotonga this week where the Cook Islands hosted the UN and its agencies and presented its 100-year country implementation plan for the betterment of the country.

Kalua commended the 100-year plan as visionary, people-centered and forward-looking, setting an example for the world.

“I want to commend the Government of the Cook Islands for its strong leadership in developing national strategies and plans, including the National Sustainable Development Agenda (NSDA 2020+),” he said in his remarks at the workshop.

“The UN is honoured to support the Cook Islands in translating this vision into action through our partnership.”

According to Kalua, who is based in Samoa and oversees UN partnerships with the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau, a lot has changed since the designing of the 2023–2024 Country Implementation Plan with the Cook Islands’ economy showing remarkable resilience.

Aside from improvements in its tourism sector, employment and the Russia-Ukraine war impacts, the government has also taken bold policy steps – introducing new measures to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs), he said.

According to the latest National Sustainable Development Agenda annual indicator report, progress across the 15 national goals has been mixed:

• Three goals are on track, particularly in welfare and equity, education, and agriculture.
• Six goals require urgent attention, including economic growth, waste management, health, biodiversity, cultural heritage, gender equality, and social inclusion.
• Five goals show signs of improvement, notably in infrastructure, transport and ICT, water and sanitation, renewable energy, and sustainable population growth.

Kalua said: “With three years remaining in our current cooperation framework, we must ensure that our efforts in the next Country Implementation Plan remain responsive, effective, and aligned with the evolving needs of the Cook Islands.”

According to him, the UN’s ultimate goal is to ensure that its support continues to strengthen the Cook Islands’ trajectory towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in a way that is sustainable, inclusive and impactful.

“To prepare for today’s discussions, my team visited Rarotonga in November 2023 and, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI), consulted many of you in this room,” Kalua added.

“Today, I am joined by Heads of UN Agencies and colleagues from ILO, IOM, UNDP, FAO, UNFPA, UN Women and UNCDF and others who will join virtually.  This is a clear demonstration of the UN working together in an integrated manner to support the Government.

“Rather than each UN agency engaging bilaterally, which can add pressure on already overstretched government resources, we are here as One UN – to engage collectively in this dialogue. This streamlined consultation process enhances efficiency, coordination, and impact in our support for the Cook Islands.”

The discussions at the workshop held this week involved three key presentations:

• First on the Cook Islands National Development priorities and development support;
• Second, an overview of the Pacific UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and A the 2023-2024 country implementation plan review;
• and third and last, an overview of the key development issues in Cook Islands based on the common country analysis conducted by the UN.