UN head vows to push island issues

NEW YORK – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has promised Pacific island states that he will continue to call on industrialised nations to raise their level of ambition and prioritise the needs of the Pacific.

In his message to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) during a meeting with them in New York, Ban said: “I will continue to call on major economies to raise their level of ambition. And I will press for priority attention to the needs of small island developing states and least developed countries.”

He told Pacific island leaders he was counting on the region to help in resolving outstanding issues.

“This year we have agreed on key global policies on disaster risk reduction, on financing for development, and now on the Sustainable Development Goals. All of this will boost our work on the SAMOA Pathway for small island developing states,” said Ban.

“Now we need action on climate change, which has a severe impact on the Pacific region.

“You speak for the most vulnerable. That is why I am counting on you to raise your voices to build political momentum to resolve outstanding issues.”

He said on his visit to Lepa in Samoa last year he was reminded of how vulnerable small islands were when hit by extreme weather events.

“It was a sober lesson on how urgently we need to invest in climate change adaptation and mitigation,” Ban said.