Samoa - Prime Minister Addresses General Debate, 72nd Session

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of the Independent State of Samoa, addresses the general debate of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the UN (New York, 19 - 25 September 2017).

• Categories: Meetings & Events / General Assembly
• Video Length: 00:26:58
• Production Date: 21 September 2017
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish
• Personal Subject: TUILAEPA S. MALIELEGAOI
• Subject Topical: GENERAL DEBATE
• Geographic Subject: SAMOA
• MAMS Id: 1975331
• Parent Id: 1974538
• Alternate Title: 72_WS

Description

“As small island Pacific countries, we are no longer protected by our isolation,” said Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, the Prime Minister of Samoa, adding: “Climate change, like other global challenges, cross borders seamlessly. It has no respect for sovereignty and does not discriminate countries between rich or poor.”

“Its dire consequences are real including [for] those who remain in denial,” he underscored, urging global leaders to collectively prioritize the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Also in his address, Prime Minister Malielegaoi, spoke of the importance of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and highlighted that, for small island development States, the 2014 ‘Samoa Pathway’ is their sustainable development roadmap which highlights their key tasks and priorities and links closely with the 2030 Agenda.

The Samoa leader also noted the escalating crisis in the Korean Peninsula and called for visionary leadership to ensure that peace is given a chance. Concluding his remarks, he also informed the General Assembly of the Summit of Leaders of discussions and outcomes at the Pacific Island Forum, which Samoa hosted earlier this year.

• Scripts: File; Samoa.pdf (566.93 KB)