The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Tonga, Hon. Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu, participated in Roundtable 2 of the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development on September 20, 2023. The roundtable was on the topic of “Scaling up affordable and accessible international public financing for sustainable development and ensuring efficiency.”
Given Tonga’s vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change and other external shocks, Minister ‘Utoikamanu emphasized the need to scale up affordable and accessible international public financing for sustainable development and ensure efficiency.
She recommended specific actions, such as increasing the volume of international public financing available to small island developing states (SIDS) and other vulnerable countries; improving the terms and conditions of international public financing; streamlining the application and approval processes for international public financing; and enhancing accountability and transparency in the use of international public financing.
Minister ‘Utoikamanu called upon the international community to take these recommendations on board and work collaboratively in scaling up affordable and accessible international public financing for sustainable development, while simultaneously ensuring efficiency.
By working together, the international community can help to ensure that all countries have the resources they need to achieve sustainable development.
