Apia, Samoa – Planning is now underway for national consultations in Samoa as part of its involvement in the Stockholm+50 global initiative, a crucial international environment meeting convened by the United Nations General Assembly to be held in June 2022 in Stockholm, Sweden.

UNDP Samoa is partnering with the Stockholm+50 Initiative to carry out consultations and discussions with local individuals, communities and organizations to stimulate an inclusive whole-of-society and whole-of-government dialogue on the main themes of Stockhom+50 as they relate to the national context. 

Samoa joins many countries across the globe that are part of this initiative.  

All the activities will be implemented under the overarching theme of “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity.”

The preparatory meeting for the main conference in June 2022 will be held on March 28^th at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

In receiving the invitation for UNDP Samoa to coordinate these national consultations, the UNDP Resident Representative, Jorn Sorensen, stated: “Samoa is provided with a great opportunity to have a voice on the status of progress on the environment and the challenges faced by small island countries in the Pacific. Let’s ensure an inclusive participation of all sectors of Samoan society in these deliberations – it is critical for our islands to be heard at this global forum”.  

In light of the dire climate change situation we are now in, a lot of hopes are pinned on this meeting to provide a turnaround.

The event will be held on the week of World Environment Day in June. It will provide leaders with an opportunity to draw on 50 years of multilateral environmental action to achieve the bold and urgent action needed to secure a better future on a healthy planet.

Stockholm+50 will commemorate 50 years since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which made the environment a pressing global issue for the first time. Some 122 countries attended, and participants adopted a series of principles on the environment, including the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was created as a result of this conference.

By recognizing the importance of multilateralism in tackling the Earth’s triple planetary crisis – climate, nature, and pollution – the event aims to act as a springboard to accelerate the implementation of the UN Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals, including the 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreement on climate change, the post-2020 global Biodiversity Framework, and encourage the adoption of green post-COVID19 recovery plans.

It’s time for bold choices. It’s time for urgent action. It’s time for a better future on a healthy planet.

-ENDS-

For media queries, please contact:
Laufaleaina Lesa, UNDP Multi Country Office, Samoa | Tel. +685 23670 | E: laufaleaina.lesa@undp.org | www.ws.undp.org | @UNDP in Samoa, Cook Islands, Tokelau & Niue |@undpsamoa