27 September 2015: The Pacific Community, which became a Permanent Observer to the UN in December 2014, enabling it to participate in UN debates, made its first statement at the UN Sustainable Development Summit. Pacific Community Director-General Colin Tukuitonga highlighted climate change, youth, oceans and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as particularly concerning to the Pacific region. He also noted that education is a fundamental building block for sustainable development.

Addressing the Summit in New York, US, on 27 September 2015, Tukuitonga explained that the Pacific Islands span an ocean area of approximately 36 million square kilometres, which is almost 20% larger than Africa, yet only 1.5% of this total area is land. Thus, he emphasized, sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources is “paramount.”

He said the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without a binding agreement at the Paris Climate Change Conference in December 2015.

He pointed out that NCDs constitute a significant portion of many island countries’ health budgets, and said that 75% of adult deaths in the Pacific are due to NCDs.

Tukuitonga also called for additional data collection and global investments to support effective SDG monitoring, without which “most of us will be doomed to fail in our responsibilities” to monitor and report reliably on progress made in implementing the goals.

The Pacific Community is the region’s main scientific and technical development organization. Formerly the South Pacific Commission, it was founded in Australia in 1947. [Statement of Pacific Community] [SPC Press Release on Summit Participation] [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [SPC Press Release on Permanent Observer Status]