PALIKIR, Pohnpei—In a recent ceremony attended by the Honorable Kandhi A. Elieisar, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and Mr. Jaap van Hierden, Resident Coordinator for United Nations Micronesia, the Government of the FSM has signed the new Pacific UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027.
Aimed at supporting the Pacific nations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the regional-level UN Framework was developed after months of consultations with key partners, including Government agencies, development partners, Civil Society Organizations, and the Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific (CROP) agencies. The UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 charts the work of the United Nations across fourteen (14) Pacific Island Countries and Territories over the next five years, ensuring UN efforts align with national and regional development plans and aspirations, including the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
The UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 will be actioned at the country-level in the FSM through two-year Country Implementation Plans, aligning UN engagements with FSM National development priorities.
During the signing ceremony, Secretary Elieisar thanked the United Nations’ team in Micronesia, noting the importance and timeliness of the cooperation framework.
“This instrument will enable us to leverage all the programs, funding, and expertise of the UN agencies in Micronesia,” Secretary Elieisar said. “We are so delighted to be entering a new phase to enable us to achieve the [SDGs].”
Resident Coordinator for United Nations Micronesia, Mr. Jaap van Hierden, congratulated and thanked the FSM Government for their continued support to the United Nations, and reaffirmed the UN’s continued commitment to the FSM and its People.
“I wish to thank the Government of the FSM for their unwavering confidence and support to the UN. Among the ambitions stated, the one that stands out is to leave no one behind. To enable current and future generations to lead prosperous and peaceful lives,” Mr. van Hierden said.
In a statement following the signing ceremony, His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the FSM, said “The People and Government of this Paradise in Our Backyards, the FSM, appreciate, beyond that which words can express, the United Nations’ support to our country and to our Micronesian subregion. The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027, in particular, is a profoundly useful tool, as it strengthens partnerships to support countries in four interlinked areas: Planet, People, Prosperity, and Peace, as to ensure that no one is left behind, that people are equal and free to exercise their fundamental rights, to promote gender equality and peace, and to enable nations and their communities to become resilient to existential threats, such as Climate Change, allowing them to live in harmony within our beautiful Blue Pacific Continent.”
“The FSM is grateful to our Micronesian brothers and sisters in Kiribati, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, to be able to host the United Nations Micronesia Multi-Country Office, and we look forward to the forthcoming work to complete the One UN House in our Capitol, Palikir.”
The UNSDCF 2023-2027 focuses on strengthening partnerships to support countries in four interlinked areas of Planet, People, Prosperity and Peace, to ensure that no one is left behind, that people are equal and free to exercise their fundamental rights, to promote gender equality and peace, and to enable nations and their communities to become resilient to existential threats allowing them to live in harmony within the blue continent.
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Media Focal Point—United Nations Micronesia: Please write to avneel.chand@un.org with queries, questions, and requests for exclusive interviews.
Media Focal Point—FSM National Government: Please write to richard.clark@gov.fm with queries, questions, and requests for exclusive interviews.
