Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Chair and Samoan Ambassador to the United Nations, Fatumanava Dr Pa’olelei Luteru, affirms that the group has stood firm in their request for the development of a multidimensional vulnerability index.
“We have done so even when we were told our request was unrealistic and unreasonable.
“Our unwavering commitment to our own development drove our ambition and fortitude, and after three decades of continuous advocacy, we have achieved the first step in what has been a very long process towards justice,” Ambasador Luteru said at the Informal meeting of the UN General Assembly on the Development of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI).
His words echoed with the resilience of small island nations, those often overlooked in the vast canvass of global affairs.
“Our unwavering commitment to our own development drove our ambition and fortitude. And after three decades of continuous advocacy, we have achieved the first step in what has been a very long process towards justice.
“The tools of a foregone era can no longer ensure our future,” Ambassador Luteru declared.
“The complexity of the challenges that currently beset us requires a greater understanding of the challenges themselves, as well as those being challenged,” he said.
Turning his attention to the culmination of their efforts, he expressed gratitude towards the Co-Chairs of the High-Level Panel on the Development of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index.
“We welcome the Panel’s Final Report and wish to express our sincere appreciation and thanks to the distinguished Co-Chairs, Prime Minister Gaston Brown and Erna Solberg, and all panel members for their own commitment to the fulfillment of their terms of reference.”
Ambassador Luteru emphasised the importance of the report’s recommendations, viewing them as a substantive basis for the implementation of the MVI.
“We look forward to intergovernmental discussions on the report’s recommendations,” he said.
He assured the President of their active and constructive engagement in the process.
“The way forward must be grounded in a collective appreciation of the merits and utility of an index,” Ambassador Luteru said.
He emphasised the importance of continued work to represent the current and future reality of vulnerable countries.
“The governance arrangements should be agreed in earnest,” he urged, “for any delay risks our collective sustainable development.”
Ambassador Luteru reiterated the significance of the MVI, declaring it as an idea whose time had come.
“It represents for us one of the most practical ways in which the desire to reform the international financial architecture can be made tangible,” he said, leaving no doubt about the commitment of AOSIS to the cause.
