By Faridat Salifu
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has admonished Pacific Island nations to protect their environments.
Guterres also called on the international community to boost the Pacific Island nations’ support in the fight against climate change.
The Pacific Islands Forum, comprising 18 member states from Australia to Vanuatu, operates with a long-term vision and a 2050 strategy aimed at ensuring the health and wellbeing of all citizens by leveraging collective strengths.
Speaking at the opening of the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, Guterres emphasized the need for global solidarity in addressing the challenges facing these island nations.
The UN Chief highlighted the importance of this regional cooperation, describing the Pacific as “a beacon of solidarity and strength, environmental stewardship, and peace” amid a world grappling with conflicts, injustice, and socio-economic crises.
Addressing the annual gathering, Guterres acknowledged the faltering progress of the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is cantered around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He stressed the need for the rest of the world to learn from the Pacific’s leadership and to increase support for the region. “The world has much to learn from you. It must also step up to support you,” Guterres said.
He condemned the detrimental impact of human activities on the Pacific Ocean, a vital resource for the island nations.
“Your region, known for its fearless seafarers, expert fishers, and deep ancestral knowledge of the ocean, is being treated like a sewer by humanity,” he stated.
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The UN scribe pointed out the severe threats posed by plastic pollution, ocean heating, acidification, and rising sea levels due to greenhouse gas emissions. Despite these challenges, he praised the Pacific Islands for leading efforts to protect the climate and marine environment.
He commended the region’s initiatives, such as the Declarations on Sea Level Rise and the commitment to a fossil-fuel-free Pacific.
He also recognized the efforts of the Pacific’s youth, who have taken the climate crisis to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to seek accountability from major polluting nations.
“The young people of the Pacific have taken the climate crisis all the way to the ICJ,” he noted.
The UN chief called on the G20 nations—the world’s largest carbon emitters—to take immediate action by phasing out fossil fuel production and consumption.
“The G20 must step up and lead by phasing out the production and consumption of fossil fuels and stopping their expansion immediately,” he urged.
Guterres also emphasized the need for increased financial support, technology transfer, and capacity building to help Pacific nations accelerate their transition to clean energy and invest in adaptation and resilience measures.
“The region urgently needs more financial support, capacities, and technology to speed up the transition to clean energy,” he said.
Highlighting the need for systemic changes in global financial systems, Guterres called for reforms of the international financial architecture, including expanding the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks, implementing effective debt relief programs, and enhancing the redistribution of Special Drawing Rights to benefit developing countries.
“We are calling for a massive increase in the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks and debt relief programs that work,” he stated.
He stressed the critical role of Pacific Island nations in the global fight against climate change and urged them to make their voices heard at the upcoming Summit of the Future in New York in September.
“If we save the Pacific, we save the world,” he declared.
