Activities of Secretary-General in Samoa, 21-23 August

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Apia, Samoa, in the evening of 21 August 2024.

The next day, he met with Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa.  This was followed by an ava ceremony, a cornerstone of Samoan culture that honours the arrival of high chiefs and dignitaries of the highest level.

The Secretary-General then visited the Aleipata district, which has been impacted by climate change, and spoke to local residents who were forced to move due to sea level rise and coastal erosion.  On the way back from Aleipata district, he filmed a video for social media on the impacts of climate change.

The Secretary-General then visited the new wing of the UN House and had a townhall meeting with UN staff there.  At the UN House he held a press encounter at which the Secretary-General said that “like many Pacific countries, Samoa is caught in a storm of rising prices, rising seas and rising geopolitical tensions — compounded by an ailing ocean and woefully insufficient finance”.

“These challenges demand resolute international action.  The climate crisis is the gravest threat facing this country and this region — and, quite possibly, the world,” he said, noting that the region contributes only 0.02 per cent of global emissions and yet it’s on the front lines of the climate crisis, dealing with extreme weather events from raging tropical cyclones to record ocean heatwaves.

The Secretary-General called on G20 countries — the biggest emitters — to act by phasing out fossil fuels fairly and ending fossil fuel expansion immediately.  The United Nations stands with the Pacific in calling for justice and change, he said.

In the evening, the Secretary-General attended a banquet hosted by the Government of Samoa with local leaders, church representatives and development partners.

The next day, the Secretary-General took part in an intergenerational dialogue with Samoan youth and members of civil society who shared their perspectives about the Summit of the Future.

After the event, the Secretary-General headed to the airport and departed for Auckland, New Zealand, that afternoon.