[PDFlist] Fw: Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, Samoa 21-22 October, 2019 UPDATE

[Soloveni Vitoso]

FYI



Hello Everyone,



Here's a short update from the Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development meeting that was held in Apia, Samoa on the 21 October and 22 October, 2019. Followed by an organised VNR workshop for the Pacific SIDS that are reporting in 2020.



The confirmed CSO delegates were from Fiji & PDF. From Fiji - HoK Sulique Waqa and FWRM Losana Tuiraviravi were both at the event however we weren't able to meet the representatives from PDF. Other CSOs reps from Pacific SIDS member countries were present but most of them were sponsored or were part of the Government delegations.



As usual the event went through its formalities and was opened by Ms Noumea Simi - Chair of SDG taskforce, Samoa.



Day One

Session One - Where do we currently stand in the 2030 Agenda and the SAMOA pathway in the Pacific?



Mainly focused on the background of the spaces High Level Political Forum, Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development and the Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development.

·        HLPF - overview of the review process, presented on the findings from HLPF and additionally some of the VNR review process.

·        APFSD - overview of the event. Within the room there were only 5 that attended HLPF, 7 attended APFSD from the Pacific at PFSD. APFSD missing link- trying to understand from other countries, where everyone else is standing. Is our progress good enough or not. APFSD tries to provide that as a platform. A platform where they can share, identifying common challenges/ solution. Finding opportunities. Reviewing goals towards HLPF. 1200 participants, 32 side events, pre events CSO, academia etc. APFSD 25-27 March, 2020.

·        Political Challenges - Importance of organising and coordination.  Context of the blue pacific, bring together the importance of working together. Unique vulnerability, remote and isolation. New narrative to question the understanding, leverage of our collective benefit. Leverage the unique advantage. Partners and stakeholder, challenges and complexities of working in the region. For government stakeholders with small administration. Limited resources and capacities etc. 2107 Pac Roadmap on the Development framework encapsulates the various global frameworks. Strong accountabilities of parliaments to the public. Report - Pacific Sustainable Development - engaging with development partners. 2020 - FSM, SI, PNG and Samoa (2nd report).

·        Data challenge - Leader's task- sub set indicators, BASIS OF reporting. Recognising SDG partnership and implementation. 2018- Regional publications towards HLPF. Regional progress - High cost of sending money (remittance) 4 x higher. Marine conservation, reducing NCD- awareness, education on the risk factors, higher rates of reporting. Most countries doing well integrating the international frameworks in the region. Recognition global methodologies for the global issues, develop national mechanism to capture the story better, Tonga - deprivation measure. VNR process - desire to have effective database system in country level. - Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu. Regional data hub being developed. Still further support needed in the region.

Intervention:

TONGA

SGD3 more work. 17 and 16 some work needs to be done. Align the national strategy to the SDGs.Eg.SDG14 - indicators - challenges of measures with no existing methodologies. VNR experience - no consultant involved. Engaging of multi stakeholders in the process and writing the report. Clear examples of working together. The importance of monitoring the commitments of SDG; no purpose of having good reports with no monitoring.



VANUATU

SDG- helped in bringing issues to the forefront. More detailed manner. Vanuatu 2030 - 2 years of consultation, 6 provinces. Developed a national framework. Useful tool, the Pacific data hub. VNR- good opportunity to review national systems. Another tool to report on national systems and priorities. Useful way of engaging with partners and stakeholder. Good feedback and support. First country for peer review assistance from SPC and PIFS. Review of stakeholder engagement; best practices activities, countries can share, promotes peer to peer learning, expertise from within the region. Processes of review of the VNR before presenting at HLPF. Domestic resource mobilisation - more prioritisation, process of VNR, data hub would help/assist. MEL- process of learning and evaluating, not only SDG but other reporting commitments. Consideration with climate events and disasters.



We closed off day one with a panel discussion from the various intergovernmental agencies on regional coherence and for sustainable development in the region. PIFS presented on the 1st Quadrennial report produced and the upcoming Biennial report to FEMM, PRSD and the proposal for 2050 strategy for the blue Pacific continent. ESCAP and DESA presented on the Outcome of the climate summit, SAMOA pathway mid-term review and the SDG summit, I think will be conducted next year at Lisbon (If I'm correct). This panel was moderated by Sulique (HoK).



Day Two

Kickstarted with the first panel on the topic of identifying cross border challenges in the implementation of the SDGs and unlocking the means of implementation to overcome these challenges. The session identified some of the key cross border challenges in the implementation of the SDGs and discussing how the MOI in the Regional Roadmap for Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for SDG in Asia and the Pacific in addressing this challenges. Presentations of data statistics, technology, finance, policy coherence, North-South, South-South, international and regional partnerships. Some of the presentation also included issues that needed to be addressed:

·        Climate Change

·        Leaving no one behind

·        Connectivity in the region

·        Natural resource management



The next session continued from the previous session to further discuss of the experiences from small island nations which was later presented to the wider group.



Following session focused on Importance of VNRs for national implementation. Presenters shared of their experiences and processes on how can VNRs advance national implementation: institutions, policy coherence and mainstreaming of SDGs into national development plans, alignment with budget, integrated financial frameworks, data and stakeholder engagement. The speakers of the session were from DESA, ESCAP and PIFS.  The next session focused on Leveraging ocean resources for sustainable development in the Pacific examining how ocean resources in the Pacific can be better used to raise financial resources for sustainable development.  The presentation was delivered by ESCAP and also spoke on the opportunities for raising financial resources from oceans in a sustainable way. The 2020 Ocean Conference - what's in it for SIDS (as this was new to me, I quite could not figure myself through the presentation) but could pick on its providing the value of SDGs in this case Oceans.

The last session of the day focused on Pacific perspectives on accelerating process for sustainable development in the Pacific, FWRM was fortunate to be part of the panel. This panel comprised of PIPSO, FWRM and MIANGO (Marshall Islands). PIPSO spoke on the Private public partnership approach and the Private sector contribution towards accelerating the SDGs. FWRM spoke on the level of engagements from local to global in the national advocacy work and at the same time focusing on Goal 5 mainly on GBV (focus of FWRMs work). MIANGO spoke on the stakeholder commitments in the Marshall Islands and the benefits of multistakeholder contributions towards the SDG.



Fiji, Solomon Islands and PNG government delegates also had the opportunity to talk about their VNR processes. For Fiji government delegation they were represented by Mr Apolosi Lewaqai (Director Asia - Min of Foreign Affairs) and Ms Manisha Mudaliar (Senior Policy Analyst- Min of Economy). Vanuatu (CSO rep) spoke on the experiences of CSO involved in the VNR process towards APFSD and HLPF. The following 3 days was attended mainly by government representatives towards the VNR for HLPF 2020.



Interestingly on my way back to Suva, I sat with Nilesh (FWRM trustee) as he was in Samoa as well and chatted about the SDG work in Fiji. He was sharing that he is part of the Global technical team/group that looks into the SDG financing/financial resourcing as a Pacific rep. His also informed me to reach out to him for any discussions; the technical group are already preparing towards APFSD 2020.



Will share more or respond to question in the upcoming Fiji CSO taskforce meeting.







[LT]




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