Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku, delivered Tonga's National Statement during the General Debate of the Second Part of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed States in Doha, Qatar.
The Prime Minister spoke of the vulnerabilities of Pacific LDCs, including SIDS, to the whims of climate change.
"We face global commons issues among which climate change is our greatest security threat ... The Doha Programme of Action prioritizes climate change and will help LDCs build resilience against future economic and environmental shocks..."
Reflecting on the score-card of half a century of addressing the needs of the most vulnerable, those in LDCs, the Hon Prime Minister urged delegates to do more ... "We must close the funding gaps to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and move global commitment to spend $100billion on climate finance annually to action on the ground .."
Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku further acknowledged the significant challenges in LDCs sustaining the criteria for graduation in these times of global upheaval and the accelerating climate crisis impacting LDCs.
He highlighted Tonga's commitment to supporting efforts of Pacific LDCs to defer their date of graduation: "Our ultimate goal must be to make graduation lasting, to ensure that post-graduation, development maintains momentum and the SDGs are addressed" he explained.
Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku will co-host with the President of the Republic of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, the Sixth High-Level Roundtable on Wednesday which focuses particularly on the area of Health and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic where he will share Tonga's experience and how LDCs can build resilience to future shocks.
Photo credit UN