10 April 2014
Pacific Ministers Recommend Including Transport in SDGs
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Transport and energy are key enablers for development, according to participants at the second Pacific Regional Energy and Transport (Aviation and Maritime) Ministers Meeting, organized by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

Pacific ministers adopted the Denerau Communiqué, which calls for including transport in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SPC7 April 2014: Transport and energy are key enablers for development, according to participants at the second Pacific Regional Energy and Transport (Aviation and Maritime) Ministers Meeting, organized by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). Pacific ministers adopted the Denerau Communiqué, which calls for including transport in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ministers recognized the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) convening in September 2014 as an opportunity for the Pacific to discuss its priorities for the post-2015 development agenda and ensure that the region’s challenges and priorities are reflected in the new agenda.

Noting increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, rising sea levels and increasing fossil fuel costs, Fiji’s Minister for Works, Transport and Public Utilities, Timoci Natuva, emphasized the need for collaboration to “chart a better roadmap for the sustainable development of our people and countries” and have a collective voice in articulating development issues that affect the region’s people.

Ministers welcomed the Pacific Regional Data Repository for Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative, including the initial work by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the decision for SPC to host the repository for 12 months on an interim basis. Ministers agreed to develop a regional transport data repository for the aviation and maritime and sectors.

The Communiqué stresses the link between sustainable energy and transport access, including their relationship with education, food security, health and water. The Communiqué encourages the role of the private sector in investing in and achieving sustainable energy and transport services.

Nearly 200 delegates from 19 Pacific Island countries and territories attended the meeting, which took place on 31 March-4 April 2014, in Nadi, Fiji. The next meeting will be held in 2017 in Tonga. [SPC Press Release]

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