The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Dirk Wagener paid a courtesy call to the Minster of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Honorable Peter Shanel Agovaka, on Monday 11th November 2024. Mr. Wagener who is based in Suva, is the United Nation Resident Coordinator and coordinates the United Nations development operations in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Minister Agovaka thanked the UN Resident Coordinator for the support of the UN Organizations and also highlighted the programs supported by the 9 UN Agencies in the country.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027 programs based on the four pillars, namely, the planet pillar, people pillar, prosperity pillar and peace pillar aligns with the National Development Strategy (NDS) 2016-2035.
Minister Agovaka raised concern on disaster and early warning systems. Mr Wagener stated that there’s funding pre-assigned for this through the Anticipatory Action (AA) strategy to support countries for disaster preparation. He stated that Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands always face cyclone seasons so the funding would support this countries to prepare ahead. The funding will be channelled through the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and agencies involved in disaster response.
Minister Agovaka highlighted the need for a UN presence office in Honiara. Mr. Dirk stated that they prioritize this and work is ongoing.
Dirk Wagener is looking forward to hold discussions for the prep meeting on the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) during the last day of SDG14.4 Summit in February 2025.
Minister Agovaka emphasized that the relationship between the UN Agencies and bilateral partners is important going forward to ensure that the smooth transition strategy to Least Developed Country (LDC) graduation is a success.