Samoa’s tenure as Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is finishing at the end of 2024.
The influential negotiating bloc of 39 small island developing states countries from the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean region, and the African Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and the South China Seas, will be headed by the Republic of Palau starting in 2025, continuing the Pacific’s term as Presidency Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
AOSIS’s mandate is guided by three main pillars: Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Ocean. Under the Ocean pillar, AOSIS has been vocal in calling for urgent attention and action to end the scourge of plastic pollution which continues to devastate communities least responsible for it.
AOSIS Chair, Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa’olelei Luteru, who is Samoa’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has been following the last five sessions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
INC-5 in Busan Korea aims to conclude negotiations and finalise the text of the agreement. INC-5 follows four earlier rounds of negotiations: INC-1, which took place in Punta del Este in November 2022, INC-2, which was held in Paris in June 2023, INC-3, which took place in Nairobi in November 2023, and INC-4, held in Ottawa in April 2024.
“On reflections there are times when you feel frustrated but at the end of the day, you sit down and say, hey why are we here? You know, you have to ask that question,” Ambassador Fatumanava said.
“And why we’re here is ultimately because people back in our country depend on us. The ultimate objective is to help those at the grassroots level. That’s what keeps us going.”
In this piece, we speak with Fatumanava about the progress of the plastics treaty. He also reflects on Samoa’s AOSIS Chairmanship during the past two years.
QUESTION: Talofa lau afioga Fatumanava, I remember back at INC-1 in Uruguay, you were very hopeful and keen for this INC process to ensure a treaty that reflects the realities for small island developing states and meets their needs. What is your take on the state of play in Busan in this late hour?
Ambassador Fatumanava: There seems to be mixed signal coming out from the negotiation rooms. Having spoken to some of our negotiators, they seem to be optimistic that at the technical level, there is a strong push, which means we need to do some work overnight to ensure that at the political level, we have at least identified common ground so that we can move forward. We’re hopeful. But we’ve also said that we would rather not have an agreement, than having one that does not embrace, include and take on board all our concerns.
QUESTION: Why is the INC process important and why does it matter for the AOSIS membership?
Ambassador Fatumanava: We all are aware of the impact of plastic pollution on us, not only on our livelihood but our everyday lives. It also touches on other areas of importance to us like health, ecosystem and our planet for example. Despite the urgency of this crisis, and the complexity and scale of the challenges, we also need to recognise the critical importance of agreeing on a legally binding instrument that caters to and take on board all our concern and the needs of small island developing states. So, I think there has to be a balance between urgency and the need to ensure that we have the substance of the treaty address the concerns that SIDS have. That really is the core consideration.
QUESTION: How important is the special circumstances of SIDS to the INC negotiations, as well as other multilateral environment agreements?
Ambassador Fatumanava: The special circumstance of SIDS is extremely critical because it is something that was recognised and agreed to by the UN community and yet it seems that we are still trying to justify this at every multilateral negotiation we engage in. I know some of the arguments that have been put forward but if you look at the way our development, our concerns and our vulnerability has been presented, we have become more vulnerable, not less. So, the special circumstances of SIDS do not change over time.
QUESTION: In terms of the work on a plastic treaty, what else do you think is important to think about?
Ambassador Fatumanava: The issue of institutions that will manage the implementation of the treaty is a priority because at the end of the day, it’s not just about the agreed text in the treaty. It’s more about how we implement and translate those into concrete actions on the ground to address the difficulties and the livelihoods of people and communities affected by plastic pollution.
It’s important therefore not only to have good text but to be very clear about the institutions to be established to implement the treaty and the sources of finance. As we have seen at COP29, when it comes to finance there seems to be a reluctance by those most responsible to provide the resources. Plastic is not really of our doing, we are recipients, we are the most affected. In the same vein that those responsible for plastic production should provide the resources.
With the reference to issue of private finance, I think those can be looked at, but with one caveat, and that is at the end of the day, the private sector’s bottom line is their profit and sometimes the two, in terms of plastic and profit, do not necessarily align.
QUESTION: Now let’s look at Samoa’s work as AOSIS Chair. Can you reflect on some of the successes and perhaps some of the challenges?
Ambassador Fatumanava: When Samoa, took over the Chairmanship of AOSIS, there were a number of areas that were of particular concern. The mandate of AOSIS when Samoa took over were primarily climate change and sustainable development. The first thing we looked at was the role of Ocean within the priorities of SIDS, and so we made Ocean as one of the three pillars, alongside climate change and sustainable development. And in those domains, when you look at what we have done over the last few years in climate change, I think it’s probably true to say that whilst we have been able to push the agenda forward and reach agreement on some of the key areas, for example in Loss and Damage, there is still a lot that needs to be done.
QUESTION: AOSIS played a pivotal role at COP29, what are your thoughts on the outcome?
Ambassador Fatumanava: The outcome of COP29 in Baku, I think was disappointing in the sense that we seem to be able, at least from the developed countries, to provide resources for wars, and yet, when it comes to a global issue that affects developing countries in particular not all countries are on board. It would appear that when you see images of wars that appears to attract more attention financially, whereas our people are equally suffering from climate change and its impacts, yet it’s not viewed as a priority. So, the outcome of COP29 was very disappointing.
QUESTION: Can you tell us about the Sustainable Development pillar of your work, what were some highlights?
Ambassador Fatumanava: On the Sustainable Development pillar, one of the key things we have been able to push to its conclusion during our Presidency is the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index. This is something we started over 30 years ago, and I think it’s an extremely important matter in terms of sustainable development viewed through the lens of our vulnerability. Yet we never had a metrics that measured that vulnerability in the context of access to concessional financing as a complement to GDP in the allocation of grants, and the issue of debt.
It was a long process, but it is now finally adopted by the UN. I think in terms of energy, we also launched the SIDS Energy Strategy during COP29. If you look at energy as a driver for sustainable development, especially for our countries, then you know that was one of the key issues for us, in cooperation with UNDP. The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) is something SIDS are all very proud of, transitioning from the SAMOA Pathway into the ABAS Agenda under our chairmanship was very appropriate and timely. Our focus now is on the issue of implementation and Samoa, as the chair, has been able to pull together some of the key donors, like the EU. We’ve had meetings with all EU Ambassadors as well as AOSIS Ambassadors and we’re looking at how and the EU can help us in the implementation phase. I think one of the other key achievements for us is to take AOSIS at the global level in terms of visibility, whether it’s during negotiations or meetings, and I think especially, our moral position on some of the key issues is something we continue to advocate for.
AOSIS as an institution has grown from what it was about 20 years ago because of the coverage of issues. Our ability also to engage in sustainable, durable and genuine partnerships is important, because I think that is how we are able to address and implement some of the key priorities. We need to ensure this visibility and momentum continues. Under our Presidency, we had two AOSIS Leaders meeting back-to-back to provide leadership on some of the key issues, for example, the issue of sea level rise.
QUESTION: Tell us about AOSIS work on Ocean?
Ambassador Fatumanava: Ocean is the third pillar for AOSIS. When you look at Ocean, our main concern is at three levels, governance, the ocean’s health, and the third one is the effective and sustainable use of ocean resources. So, our engagement here at INC is on the health of the ocean, and that’s a top priority for us.
We are also starting the process in terms of looking at the high seas, the areas outside our normal EEZ. We’re examining the current provisions in the Law of the Sea on the possibility of setting up an organisation or an authority that looks at regulating that 64%. It’s true to say what happens in that domain will also impact on our own EEZ.
We’re looking at sustainable use of ocean resources, and you know, it’s also something that we are concerned with, especially in the context of deep-sea mining. I think the need for proper research to get the relevant information is important for decision making.
As the least funded SDG, the challenge here is to make sure we direct resources into the ocean domain.
QUESTION: The issue of governance is quite important, and we know Samoa, as Chair, has been working hard on this?
Ambassador Fatumanava: The issue of governance within the Alliance is very important and Samoa has been trying to institutionalise some of the key processes because I think it’s important to avoid ad-hoc decision making and being inclusive in terms of member states being part of the wider decision-making process. We institutionalised monthly meetings, where our leads in those three pillars report on the work accomplished and the developments in their pillars to keep the member states informed and involved.
We are also looking at finance because it’s one of the big challenges for us. We’ve now finalised an agreement to designate AOSIS as a non-profit and we’re dealing with the legal aspect of that. This will allow partners to put funds directly into the organisation without going through other institutions, causing delays on the timely receipt of funds.
QUESTION: Thank you, Ambassador Fatumanava, for taking your time to share on the work of AOSIS and Samoa as Chair. Any last thoughts?
Ambassador Fatumanava: I think overall, Samoa has done some good work but there is still a lot to be done. I’m happy that Samoa was able to take on the leadership at that critical period in terms of the transition from the SAMOA Pathway to the ABAS but also on the broader picture, in some of the big challenges, we’re facing. And I think it has sort of put the spotlight on the Pacific. It is a Pacific Presidency, and we just happen to be leading it at this stage. We hope that Palau, as incoming, will continue some of these and improve on them.
On reflections there are times when you feel frustrated but at the end of the day, you sit down and say, hey why are we here? You know, you have to ask that question. And why we’re here is ultimately because people back in our country depend on us.
The ultimate objective is to help those at the grassroots level. That’s what keeps us going.
Sometimes you get frustrated but that’s just the way things are set up at the multilateral level, but it shouldn’t be a deterrent. I think, if anything, it should encourage us to continue and do the best we can. As a Samoan, I am very happy we have two young and able Samoan women leading two of those three pillars with Anne Rasmussen at Climate Change and Anama Solofa in Ocean. This is extremely important in terms of building national and regional capacity to be able to take the work forward.
On behalf of the Samoan Government, Prime Minister Hon. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, and the people of Samoa, I want to thank the membership of AOSIS, all our partners and friends for trusting us to sail our va’a for the past two years. I also want to acknowledge our team and wish the Government of Palau the best for their tenure.”
