The United Nations Secretary-General, Tupua Ban Ki-moon, sailed aboard the traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa with islands leaders in celebration of the International Year of Small Island Developing States in Apia Harbour, Samoa.
Tupua also presented Nainoa Thompson, President and Master Navigator of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and the crew of the Worldwide Voyage with a handwritten message in a bottle, asking them to carry it with them as they circle the globe.
The message stated, “I am honoured to be a part of Hōkūle'a’s Worldwide Voyage. I am inspired by its global mission. As you tour the globe, I will work and rally more leaders to our common cause of ushering in a more sustainable future and a life of dignity for all.
“People often say we are in the same boat,” Tupua said, “I would say we are all on the same small island on the same small planet Earth; this is like a small boat in the universe.”
For Mr. Thompson, having Tupua aboard was an honour.
“Hōkūle'a threads together stories of hope as she voyages across the world’s oceans,” he said. “We are inspired that His Excellency Ban Ki-moon and island leaders are coming together on Hōkūle'a’s deck around shared values of preserving and protecting our oceans.”
{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}
The UN Secretary General was joined on the Hōkūle‘a at the end of the sail by the President of Palau, Tommy Remengesau Jr., who is also the Co-Chair of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA).
“The crossing of this very ocean by our ancestors centuries ago is an appropriate metaphor for the complex issues that we as Small Island Developing States continue to face,” said President Remengesau.
“To sustainably develop our island countries, genuine and real partnerships are required to ensure that the pursuit of the conveniences of today do not come at the expense of the sustainability of tomorrow."
The Hōkūle‘a and its sister vessel, Hikianalia, were welcomed to Samoa earlier this morning by the Head of State of Samoa as the Patron of the Aiga Folau o Samoa (Samoan Voyaging Society) during a traditional ceremony attended by crowds, from island leaders to dancers and performers from the Apia community.
The Hōkūle‘a and her crew set sail from Hawai‘i in May 2014 as part of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage – meaning “to care for our Island Earth.” These courageous navigators have used only the signs of the waves, winds and stars to navigate to Samoa via French Polynesia, Cook Islands and American Samoa, for the United Nations Conference of Small Island Developing States (UNSIDS).
During the UNSIDS Conference, the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage and other innovative island-led initiatives such as the State of Hawai‘i's Aloha+ Challenge will be showcased at strategic events coordinated by GLISPA to inspire new partnerships and catalyze commitment to greater action for a sustainable future for our island Earth.
"The Aloha+ Challenge is Hawai‘i's commitment to Mālama Honua." said Mr. William Aila, Chair of the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources. "As islanders, we recognize that caring for our oceans, lands and peoples is part of our culture. The Hōkūle‘a has inspired us to be guided by our past as we navigate towards a more sustainable future with the 2030 Aloha+ Challenge targets as our shared destination."
The UNSIDS conference brings together world leaders to focus on determining priorities to promote sustainable development of Small Island Developing States: a group of countries that are unique and particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change, invasive species and overconsumption of natural resources that pose a threat to the very existence of some islands.
“The Worldwide Voyage represents a durable, lasting and innovative partnership to protect our oceans in a new way, inspired by traditional knowledge and local wisdom,” said Thompson. “Our sincere hope is that by sharing Hōkūle‘a’s voyage with the global community, it will inspire us all to acknowledge that the issues facing our environment are ultimately shared problems, for which we must devise shared solutions.”
After the Samoa conference, Hōkūle'a and Hikianalia continue their sail across Earth’s oceans to grow the global movement toward a more sustainable world. The Worldwide Voyage, sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines, will cover 47,000 nautical miles, 85 ports and 26 countries, including 12 of UNESCO’s Marine World Heritage sites, through June 2017.
The UN Secretary General was joined Worldwide Voyage crew and specialists such as Sylvia Earle of Mission Blue, artist Wyland, and Blue Planet founder Henk Rogers. The Polynesian Voyaging Society’s engagement in the UNSIDS conference is supported by the Global Island Partnership, United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Samoa Voyaging Society,
State of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Green Growth, Tuputupu-A’e Education Trust, Conservation International, Sylvia Earle Alliance and Mission Blue.
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}