The world that I see today is full of pain and mistrust, mysticism, cynicism and apathy. There are interconnected, complex crises that have been created by our own self-centred ambitions. Growing geopolitical rivalry is contributing to escalating tensions around the world, rather than leveraging multilateral determination to overcome the many crises that threaten us.
We are now living in an unpredictable world. We must act to survive these interesting times. Our collective effort is necessary to address the enormous challenges and reduce the risk associated with the unpredictable environment that we face today, not only as sovereign nations, but as the whole of humankind. Instead of leveraging global cooperation to manage our shared challenges and associated risk, growing geopolitical rivalry is escalating those tensions.
Our Blue Pacific is at the centre of geopolitical tensions. At the end of the Second World War. peace finally returned to the Pacific, but today we are facing renewed geopolitical competition with a similar but complex build-up. For the Pacific, climate change has been identified as a threat to peace, security and our very existence. The reality is that no country is exempt from the impact of climate change and no national can address it alone. As we mobilize to address the impacts and associated challenges, we must at the same time come together to share our common wealth. That is the only way we can ensure that no one is left behind.
We in the Pacific directly bear the brunt of climate change on our coastlines, our communities, our livelihoods, our security and. indeed, our very statehood and identity. In addition, small island developing States are struggling to respond to global supply shocks, with soaring debt levels impacting progress in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The inequality gap continues to widen.
This year marks the mid-point review of the Sustainable Development Goals. Earlier this week, the outcome of the SDG Summit issued a call to action. That was a rallying call. The targets of the SDGs are now in danger. That demands bold, ambitious and accelerated actions. In that regard. Fiji is committed to and will continue to support the Secretary-General’s report Our Common Agenda (A/75/982) in the acceleration of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
We commend and fully support the initiative of the Secretary-General in convening the Summit of the Future next year. It will be a pivotal opportunity to leverage global cooperation and address critical challenges in the lead-up to 2030. In our commitment to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we presented our second voluntary national review on the Sustainable Development Goals in July. It is clear from the review that this is a watershed moment. We have only seven years left. That underscores the need to forge stronger and robust partnerships to respond to the call to action.
The coronavirus disease pandemic conflated the impacts of recent natural disasters and worsened the burden on all sectors of the Fijian economy. We experienced a significant economic downturn as tourism, the backbone of our economy, came to a virtual standstill. Our economy is now on the recovery path, led by the tourism sector, which has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
Our challenges are interconnected. They must be addressed with integrated responses through effective multilateralism. International cooperation and solidarity are essential to protecting our collective interests through targeted engagement. Peace and security are fundamental to sustainable development. Fiji will continue to uphold global peace and security, as we have done for the past four and a half decades. I am proud to be standing here, having commanded two of our peacekeeping battalions. Currently, our peacekeepers are participating in six United Nations missions, contributing to the search for peace.
We are committed to the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace, which outlines a vision for multilateral efforts based on international law for a world in transition. The New Agenda for Peace echoes and is consistent with the Boe Declaration on Regional Security, issued by Pacific Forum leaders, which declared the Pacific to be a region of peace. That concept of peace is the premise for our future. I believe that it is time that we consider the Pacific as a zone of peace. We have had discussions on the concept at the regional level and I am convinced that it will be the Blue Pacific’s contribution to world order — the zone of peace.
The Blue Pacific is the world’s largest ocean. It is also an important carbon sink. Therefore, it is important for humankind that it be protected and sustainably managed. The large ocean States of the Pacific are guided by the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent in navigating challenges and leveraging collective efforts to create a prosperous and sustainable future for our peoples.
This year marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is also my seventy-fifth year of life. We are committed to our obligation to implement human rights covenants and conventions emanating from the Universal Declaration. I am also pleased to confirm that the Government I lead is committed to implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and International Labour Organization Convention 169. on the rights of tribal and indigenous peoples. We join the international community in affirming the implementation of indigenous peoples’ rights and aspirations.
The Climate Ambition Summit, held earlier this week, called for enhanced commitment to climate action. We must commit not only to reducing emissions, but also to supporting vulnerable communities and fostering climate resilience. We look forward to the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and in particular to the finalization of the Loss and Damage Fund modalities. We remain hopeful that the pledges towards the $100 billion climate finance goal will be met this year. Climate finance is inaccessible, in particular for small island developing States. There is therefore an urgent need for reform of the global financial architecture if future targets are to be met.
Fiji welcomes the announcement by President Biden earlier this week of his commitment to contributing $11 billion a year to international climate finance to help lower-income countries implement their climate goals. I also commend United States leadership in the reform
of the World Bank, which is geared towards helping low- and middle-income countries to access finance.
Whilst the mid-term review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 recognizes some progress in implementation, there is room for improvement in the pace of implementation. In Fiji, we continue to strengthen our disaster risk reduction approach by building resilient infrastructure, strengthening early warning systems, enhancing community preparedness, improving disaster response capacities and promoting ecosystem-based approaches. Fiji will continue to deploy humanitarian and disaster relief and rehabilitation to its neighbouring countries, including for bushfires, severe tropical cyclones, earthquakes and tsunamis. We are also undertaking climate mobility adaptation strategies. As of today, we have relocated 6 coastal communities out of the 42 communities that have been identified for urgent resettlement and relocation.
As a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Fiji continues to recognize the significance of ocean conservation and its sustainable use and management. Earlier this week. I joined other leaders in signing the agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, with the intention of ratifying it as soon as practicable. I am pleased to report that Fiji will ratify the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, after its endorsement by the Fiji Parliament last week. To combat plastic pollution. Fiji is actively engaged in negotiations for the new treaty. We urge countries to finalize the treaty by 2024. before it is too late.
For small island developing States, the triple burden of non-communicable diseases, mental health and the climate emergency are straining our health infrastructure and resources. Health financing, infrastructure, supply chain management for medicines, consumables and medical equipment, workforce retention and deployment, and development are critical to Fiji and other small island developing States. The World Health Organization (WHO) Voluntary Health Trust Fund for SIDS, established this year, will address the technical capacity-building needs of SIDS. We encourage development partners to contribute to the Fund. Fiji also supports the overarching WHO accord for pandemic prevention that is currently being negotiated. Equity must be at the centre of our global health responses.
We welcome the progress made thus far on the multidimensional vulnerability index to support access to credit through concessional financing and debt relief. Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will require a new framework for development finance institutions that is responsive and relevant to addressing the needs of small island developing States.
The people of Fiji, on whose behalf I address the Assembly, have given me the responsibility to lead our large ocean State. I cannot fail them. We need genuine and durable partnerships that ensure our collective security, that ensure our ability to facilitate economic prosperity, and that ensure that we safeguard our resources.
It is time to tell it as it is. It is time to be bold, to be blunt and to do what is necessary for our very survival. We want a future where global solidarity and the collective well-being of humankind are the ultimate objective. In the midst of the multifaceted crises that threaten our very existence, it becomes vital to demonstrate our resolve and the untapped reserves of courage and resilience within our innermost selves. We all hold the power to be a catalyst for the change that we need. I believe that, together, we can.