Samoa Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affair, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, highlighted the impacts and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting early Friday morning.
Fiame also welcomed support from the Commonwealth Secretariat on trade and economic recovery particularly in the revival of the tourism sector and ensuring sustainable financing for recovery.
This is the second consecutive year the CFAMM has been held virtually since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The meeting was chaired by the Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom.
During the meeting, the Ministers heard a report from the Commonwealth Secretary-General on the implementation of the key mandates from the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting.
This was followed by interventions by the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers on trade and economic recovery, health and vaccine equity; climate change and the upcoming Twenty-Sixth Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Glasgow.
Samoa shared its vaccination rollout efforts for COVID-19 and that it remains focused on health priorities such as strengthening health systems, Universal Health Care coverage and investing in digital
technology.
Prime Minister Fiame also used the opportunity to call on the continued leadership of the Commonwealth members in providing and calling for ambitious climate action.
She stressed that small islands developing states count on a united approach from the Commonwealth to encourage all countries especially the major emitters, to achieve net zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century and keeping the 1.5 degrees promise within reach.
Photo file Caption: Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa,