My name is Josaia Tokoni from
the Fiji Council of Social Services and also the Pacific Youth Council representative.
Bula Vinaka and warm Pacific greetings.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are halfway
towards the deadline of achieving the 2030 Agenda, but it is more and more
apparent that we are not only years but decades behind in achieving these
goals.[1] The
Asian Pacific region is projected to achieve the SDGs only by 2065, notwithstanding
the regressions, at the current rate of progress. Besides, the projection is
based on 53% of the available data, and the scale of unpredictability is
humongous with the unknown 47%, that could push it well into the 22nd century
if concrete corrective measures are not applied in time. We were also off track
prior to COVID-19, but the last three years been
particularly disastrous in their impacts due to exacerbating effects of the
pandemic, the worsening triple planetary and energy crisis, the increasing
militarism and conflict, imperialist wars, as well as the rise of patriarchal
authoritarian governance throughout the region.
Estimates tell us that around 574 million people globally
will be in extreme poverty, and a similar number of people will face hunger by
2030.[2]
Despite the model’s limited scope of reviewing select goals of select
countries, while leaving both goals and countries behind for those not under
review, the goals under review this year also do not exude confidence. For
instance, 1.6 billion people will lack safe drinking water and 2.8 billion
people will be without sanitation and hygiene in 2030 (SDG 6).[3]
Despite a slight increase in access to electricity, 100 million people might
revert to solid fuels and 679 million will still be without access to
electricity in 2030 (SDG 7).[4] Not
even half of the countries were able to enact credible policies despite
committing to end international financing of fossil fuels by 2022. While mobile
connectivity has increased, half of the population has no equipment to access
it with the digital divide impacting women more than men (SDG 9).[5]
Cities and urban poor vandalised by the climate crisis, 99% of the urban
population will continue to breathe polluted air, impacting human and
environmental health (SDG 11).[6]
When we zoom into the Pacific, we will
appreciate that these issues are being exacerbated by structural
vulnerabilities that we are exposed to. Most of our Pacific Island states, if
not all, have narrow economic base which are consumption driven.
The Sixth Pacific Forum on Sustainable
Development (PFSD) which was held in December last year recognises the urgent
need for Pacific governments, together with civil society, private sector and
other stakeholders to address the multiple challenges of climate change, energy,
health, food and finance through regional cooperation and global solidarity[7].
There is a need for policy coherence, regional
collaborations and exchange of learnings, development of financing option including
debt management, tailored coordinated support that strengthen national capacity
and strategies to mobilise resources.
Our collective ambition and commitment as
Pacific Islander are been captured in the 2050 Strategy and I must commend our
leaders for that. However, it should not just stop there. It is rather
unfortunate that most of these discussions looks good on papers as it has been
echoed far too many times in this room already this week. It requires political
will for drivers and accelerators to change.
The realisation of the goals needs everyone’s
collective effort. Allow me to share few of our demands as Pacific civil societies.
People-Centred Approach. People should be at the heart of the SDG
implementation agenda from the formulation of policy framework to the actual
work on the ground.
Meaningful engagement and participation of CSO actors. We need to be
recognised in all our diversity as equitable development partners in the
implementation of the SDGs. Engagement with civil societies must include consultation
from the initial stages and not the tail-end of the process where it is nothing
more than just a “tick-in-the-box” exercise.
We need inclusive representation
that allow better reporting of issues especially for women, persons with
disability, children and youth. These are cross cutting issues that needs to be
reflected and recognised.
The civil society demand enabling civic
spaces that encourage active participation of CSO and the public. Dialogues
spaces and platforms should allow robust participatory discussion as these
would be a platform to collect stories that can generate data and information
for reporting.
Communities and people need to take ownership
of the processes. Indicators and targets are to be redefined and contextualised
and localised. Localisation include the recognition of local leadership,
systems and structures. It also includes the recognition of indigenous knowledge,
local practices and experience in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Implementation plan should articulate the
disaggregated data collection processes, reporting, validation and
parameters in which these data are to be used. In addition, these processes
should include a feedback mechanism and reporting back to the
participating community.
Our communities need to receive adequate
awareness and relevant trainings before being consulted. They should be
making intervention from an informed position.
Resources are to be mobilised to support evident base studies and
research that help inform policy makers the necessary changes that need to
be made.
Last but not the least, Succession Planning.
As visionary leaders, we should be including young people in the process at all
level. Programmes are to be designed where we embark on the journey of
imparting knowledge to our future generation before it too late.
We are living on borrowed time and time
is not on our side. As I have alluded to in my opening paragraph that at the
rate we going, we might achieve the 2030 agenda by 2065.
Your Excellencies and distinguished guest, I want to end by quoting an Australian Aboriginal Proverb and I quote; “We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to OBSERVE, to LEARN, to GROW, to LOVE and then we return home". Unquote.
Time is not on our side and we have to
ACT NOW!. Government and development partners cannot do it alone and you need
the support of the civil society in the implementation of the 2030 agenda.
Vinaka vakalevu and thank you kindly
indeed.
[1]
https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/d8files/knowledge-products/ESCAP-2022-FG_SDG-Progress-Report.pdf
[2]
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview
[3]
https://www.who.int/news/item/01-07-2021-billions-of-people-will-lack-access-to-safe-water-sanitation-and-hygiene-in-2030-unless-progress-quadruples-warn-who-unicef
[4]
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1119452
[5]
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-digital-divide-internet-data-broadband-mobbile/
[6] https://www.who.int/news/item/
04-04-2022-billions-of-people-still-breathe-unhealthy-air-new-who-data
[7] https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/d8files/event-documents/Sixth-PFSD-2022-Proceedings-Report.pdf
