To better engage and support Pacific Island Nations, a high level United Nations (U.N.) Executive Board is in the region for the first time.
Eleven members of the 36 member joint Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P.), UN Population Fund (U.N.F.P.A.) and the U.N. Office for Project Services from the Permanent Mission of U.N. Member States spent time in both Fiji and Samoa during their visit.
According to the U.N, the purpose of the Executive Board’s field visit is to enhance their understanding of the extent and ways in which UN organisations, in particular U.N.D.P. and U.N.F.P.A., position their engagement with the Pacific Island Countries and Territories, in this case a Small Island Developing State (S.I.D.S.) such as Samoa.
“The visit is timely given the upcoming Third U.N. International Conference on S.I.D.S., scheduled to be held in Apia, Samoa from 1-4 September 2014,” the U.N. says.
“The conference is considered an historic opportunity for Pacific S.I.D.S. to shape a common development agenda tailored to their unique development challenges as small island nations with a vast ocean with untapped resources that are being noticed by bigger nations.
“The Conference also presents an opportunity for the Pacific to contribute to global forwardthinking on the sustainable development agenda beyond 2015, the target year for achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”
At a reception held at Sails Restaurant and Bar on Monday night, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative and President of the UNDP/UNFPA/ UNOPS Executive Board, Peter Thomson, said his Executive Board had a US$7 billion spend.
“We have a $7 billion US spend a year and as you know there are seven billion human beings on this planet that $7 billion doesn’t really go a long way, that is a dollar per person if you do the math,” he said.
“But we are wanting to see that the S.I.D.S. category, and in this case the Pacific S.I.D.S., are being looked after under those activities that come with that $7 billion dollar annual spend.”
The U.N. says that during their visit to Samoa, the Board members will be able to see directly some of the challenges and opportunities for U.N.D.P. and U.N.F.P.A. “They will interact with key Government and non- Government stakeholders as well as U.N. partners and will be briefed on U.N.D.P.’s support to youth and gender empowerment,” according to the Agency.
“The delegation is also expected to meet with the 
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s top management who is partnering with U.N.D.P., the U.N. Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization under the Global Environment Facility on an integrated approach to Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management.”
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