Eminent Speakers Series
AMBASSADOR TEVI CALLS FOR “OWNERSHIP” AND A STRONGER PACIFIC VOICE AT THE UN
2 May 2014
This morning the Pacific Institute of Public Policy (PiPP) held the second of its Eminent Speakers Series at the Holiday Inn in Port Vila.
Vanuatu’s newly appointed ambassador to the United Nations, H.E. Odo Tevi, was the guest speaker and he focused his speech on the transitioning of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015.
Ambassador Tevi highlighted the need for a stronger Pacific voice at the UN in helping to formulate the key elements of the SDGs, as well as calling on countries like Vanuatu to focus on strengthening their national institutions.
“We now have the opportunity to shape our collective future, and in doing so we must take ownership of our development challenges and opportunities and where there are factors impeding our development that are beyond our control we must articulate our expectations of the global community.”
He noted the post-2015 development agenda will not be business as usual and the biggest challenge is for nations like Vanuatu to “take ownership” of the new goals.
“There is a clear call for a transformative development agenda. One that puts the primary focus back on national ownership. Our national development frameworks must reflect our national priorities and circumstances. They should be aligned with, but not be subordinate to, global goals” Ambassador Tevi said.
As usual there were some lively questions from the audience that included the need to address gender balance, support the “80% of people who live in the rural areas” and factor in the emerging understanding of alternative indicators of poverty and affluence.
PiPP’s Eminent Speakers Series showcase some of the key thinkers in our region and these breakfast talks help policy makers and influencers at the national and regional level.
Ambassador Tevi’s full speech can be downloaded here and a video presentation will be on our website next week.
For more information please contact Kiery Manassah on:
kmanassah@pacificpolicy.org
PiPP exists to stimulate and support policy debate around the Pacific.
