Visit to Samoa marks the third leg of my tour of the Pacific region where I also visited Tuvalu and Fiji
Today I concluded my third visit to Samoa, at the invitation of Prime Minister Tuilaepa S. Malielegaoi. The purpose of my visit was to brief the Government of Samoa on preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM), which takes place in Malta in November, and to participate in the meeting of the Commonwealth Youth Ministers for the Pacific region and the opening of the Fifth Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia. It was also an opportunity to strengthen our partnership with Samoa.
The generosity of the Government and people of Samoa in hosting these key Commonwealth events is testimony to their longstanding commitment to the Commonwealth and investment in young people.
In Samoa I called on His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, Head of State; Prime Minister Tuilaepa S. Malielegaoi; and the Minister for Women, Community and Social Development, Hon Tolofuaivalelei Falemoe Leiataua.
I also met with the Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
Our discussions included partnership in the following areas.
Debt Management
The Commonwealth Secretariat Debt Recording and Management System (CS-DRMS) is being utilised by Samoa to manage its public debt of US$450m. Samoa recently benefited from participation in a regional Pacific capacity building programme for officials on the new version of CS-DRMS. This is an area of ongoing assistance.
Rule of Law
The Commonwealth is currently working with the Government of Samoa to set up an Independent Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP). A dedicated Criminal Justice Expert has been engaged to assist with the legal and administrative issues relating to the setting up of this office. Three Samoan prosecutors recently received mentoring and office management training in New South Wales, Australia, under the Commonwealth Pro bono Placement and Mentoring Programme. They are expected to form the core of the newly created Directorate.
Trade
Samoa receives support from the Hub and Spokes II trade programme through the deployment of a National Adviser at the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Industry and Labour and two Trade Advisers based at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Fiji. Current work includes a structural review of trade and investment policies and regional and multilateral trade and policy agreements.
Women’s Affairs
We have welcomed the decision of the Government of Samoa to host the 11th Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting in 2016. The Secretariat will continue to work in close partnership with the Ministry for Women, Community and Social Development to ensure a successful Ministerial Meeting and outcomes.
The upcoming CHOGM will for the first time include a Women’s Forum which will assist in enriching the content of the Ministerial Meeting.
Youth
The Pacific Region Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting took place in Samoa from 1-3 September at which Ministers agreed on strategies to ensure that youth empowerment and development priorities are included in national and regional development frameworks. Areas of particular focus were youth engagement in development work, professionalisation of youth work, youth contributions to the global challenge of climate change (the Commonwealth globally has the first Climate Change Youth Network) and youth entrepreneurship.
For almost 40 years, the Commonwealth has been a global leader in the professionalisation of youth work in partnership with more than 30 universities and academic institutions across the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is exploring ways to expand this programme in partnership with the Australia-Pacific Technical College in Samoa.
Human Rights
The Commonwealth will be pleased to work with the recently established Human Rights Institute of Samoa to strengthen its institutional capacity and assist with the Universal Periodic Review process.
Oceans, Maritime Boundaries and Natural Resource Management
The Commonwealth has an ongoing programme of assistance with Samoa in the area of maritime boundaries and natural resource management. We are committed to expanding our work programme with Samoa in these areas, besides the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance.
Small States and Climate Change
The Commonwealth has made a distinctive contribution in advancing the cause of small states and in international awareness of the challenges and approaches required. We have worked in close partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), based in Apia, where Commonwealth technical experts have been deployed. We will continue to work in partnership with SPREP to identify ways of leveraging the contributions of the Commonwealth’s newly created division on Oceans and Natural Resources.
We advised on progress in the development of a Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub to assist Small States to practically secure resources for climate-related national plans. A technical expert is currently working in SPREP to provide assistance on climate finance access readiness in the region.
We further advised on the proposed Small States Centre of Excellence, to be based in Malta.
It was an honour for me to attend the opening ceremony of the Fifth Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia on 5 September 2015, where over one thousand athletes will be competing over the next few days. The Commonwealth Games are a brand strength of our association and encompass all we stand for: Commonwealth values of friendship, integrity and cooperation among our diverse nations. The Secretariat and the Commonwealth Games Federation are in full agreement also to advance the shared goal of Sports for Development and Peace and Commonwealth initiatives for educational enrichment. Sports are a principal means of advancing the values of character building, community cohesion, social inclusiveness and gender equality. I had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with some of our young athletes and wish them all success in their sporting achievement and the great social contribution they make.
My visit to Samoa marks the third leg of my tour of the Pacific region where I have also visited Tuvalu and Fiji. On Monday, I will be travelling to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to attend the 46th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Summit.
I look forward to Samoa’s participation at this month’s Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting in New York and also to welcoming the Hon Prime Minister at CHOGM in November in Malta.
Apia, 6 September