MANASSEH DAMUKANA SOGAVARE, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, said the planet’s health has declined and poverty has increased since the 17 SDGs were adopted eight years ago, and runaway climate change threatens the world’s very existence.  “Taking stock of our achievements, it is unacceptable that 85 per cent of the global Sustainable Development Goals are either off-track, regressed or stagnant,” he said.  “The gravity of this situation cannot be ignored, especially for LDCs and SIDS.”  As a least developed country reviewing its 2016-2035 National Development Strategy, the Government has made infrastructure resilience, digital connectivity, technology transfer, investment, trade and energy reforms its priorities.  He called for the immediate implementation of the six priorities of the Doha Programme of Action 2022-2031 and the translation of these commitments into reality.

The world’s commitment to multilateralism must be strengthened, and he called for stronger political will from the “haves” to grant the least developed countries non-reciprocal trade arrangements and the Generalized System of Preference arrangement.  Good neighbourly relations mean caring and striving for all, yet the 47 least developed countries account for only 1 per cent of global trade.  Acknowledging the value of South-South cooperation, he applauded China for several initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative.  During a July discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the two Governments established a comprehensive strategic framework to achieve the Solomon Islands’ National Development Strategy and the 2030 Agenda through transformative initiatives.  He called on all partners to adopt this transformative partnership model.  “If we are to rebuild trust and reignite solidarity, then let us start by changing how we engage and reforming our international financial architecture,” he said.

As a small island developing State, the Government supports the Fourth Small Islands Developing Countries Conference to be held in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024.  Turning to environmental issues, he said global stocktaking under the Paris Agreement is critical to “keep everyone honest, know where we are, what we need to do and how to keep the 1.5°C goal alive”, adding that global trust needs to be restored to uphold the accord’s credibility.  He welcomed the International Court of Justice’s deliberations on the Vanuatu initiative for climate justice.  He then noted that the Pacific has been a stage of power politics for many years, and this situation continued after the United Nations’ inception in 1945.  From 1946 to 1996, approximately 300 nuclear devices were tested in the Pacific, including in the Marshall Islands, French Polynesia and Kiribati.  “Did we have a say in this?” he asked.  “We never did.”  These countries and their people must be compensated commensurably. 

As the Solomon Islands is a signatory to the 1985 Treaty of Raratonga and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Government’s commitment to keep the Blue Pacific Continent nuclear-free is non-negotiable.  Standing with like-minded Pacific islanders, the Solomon Islands is appalled by Japan’s decision to discharge over one million tons of treated nuclear wastewater into the ocean.  He noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) assessment report is inconclusive and the scientific data shared remains inadequate, incomplete and biased.  “If this nuclear wastewater is safe, it should be stored in Japan,” he said.  “The fact that it is dumped into the ocean shows that it is not safe.”  He called on Japan to explore other options to address the treated nuclear wastewater and to immediately stop discharging it into the Pacific Ocean.  “If we are to rebuild trust and reignite global solidarity, we must be honest and frank in protecting our oceans, which is the lifeblood of our people.”