Mr. Chairman,

Allow me to begin by aligning my statement with those delivered on behalf of the G77 and China, AOSIS, and the Pacific SIDS, respectively.

Mr. Chairman,

In paragraph 93(g) of his report, the Secretary-General announced his decision “to establish, in close consultation with the governments of the Micronesian region, a dedicated multi-country office in the North Pacific to address North Pacific  support the needs and priorities of the   countries in the their efforts to advance the 2030 Agenda and the SAMOA Pathway.” We welcome his decision. The UN Secretary General’s decision supports my delegation’s long standing call for the need to establish such office.

We view this move as bringing the UN closer to the five Micronesian countries, namely the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Marshall Islands, the Republic of Nauru, the Republic of Palau, and my own country, the Federated States of Micronesia. We expect the office to improve the delivery of services on the ground from the UN Development System, and in turn the quality of life of our peoples. It is indeed an important step by the United Nations to focus its delivery on the ground and assist our sub-region with their implementations of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SAMOA Pathway.

Mr. Chairman,

Last month, the Heads of State of the five Micronesian countries met at the margin of the high level week of the General Assembly in New York to consider the matter, and they recommended to the Secretary-General that the multi country office be established and hosted in the Federated States of Micronesia. My country is humbled and honored by the trust put in us by our neighbors, and our Pacific region. We also thank all our partners and we ready to continue to work with them and the UN system to make the office a reality.

I thank you, Chair.