THE Minister for National Planning and Development Coordination (MNPDC), Hon. Rexon Ramofafia, departed Honiara yesterday, 21st September 2024 to participate in the United Nations ‘Summit of the Future,’ one of the High-Level Meetings of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) scheduled for September 22-23, 2024.
Minister Ramofafia is accompanied by Permanent Secretary Dr. Melchior Mataki. The MNPDC has been working closely with the Solomon Islands’ UN Mission in New York in preparation for the Summit of the Future.
The Summit of the Future, endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2022, aims to reaffirm the United Nations Charter, reinvigorate multilateralism, enhance the implementation of existing commitments, agree on concrete solutions to global challenges, and restore trust among member states.
In a statement today, MNPDC says the key outcome of the summit will be the adoption of the Pact for the Future, alongside two complementary outcomes: a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.
It says this summit is particularly critical for the Solomon Islands, as the global implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is at risk, and the nation’s progress on most SDGs, as highlighted in the 2nd Voluntary National Review submitted to the UN in July this year and the initial findings of the review of the National Development Strategy (2016-2035), is also off-track.
During the summit, the Solomon Islands will advocate for key issues, including:
- Reform of the international financial architecture to align more closely with the SDGs.
- Ensuring access to adequate and concessional financing for developing countries to achieve the SDGs and address the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels.
- Reforming the United Nations to reflect current global realities, including expanding the membership of the Security Council to include Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
- Enhancing the flow of development assistance to the most vulnerable, including SIDS and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), of which the Solomon Islands is part.
- Minister Ramofafia is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings with relevant UN bodies and partners concerning the Solomon Islands’ LDC smooth transition strategy and other national development matters.
