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KEYNOTE ADDRESS by Honorable Prime Minister, Acting Minister for MNRE, Honourable Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt
Reverend Denny Epati
Hon. Cabinet Ministers
Members of the Diplomatic Corp.
Excellencies
Distinguished Members of our local Communities, NGOs, Private Sector and Government Agencies
Talofa lava,
We gather today to launch Samoa’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC 3.0 — a manifestation of Samoa’s continued commitment to global climate action under the Paris Agreement, despite our negligible emissions by global standards.
Climate change for us is a lived reality. And this NDC is a reflection of Samoa’s unwavering commitment to action and leadership.
NDC 3.0 is the result of an extensive national consultation process. It builds on the progress and lessons of our past NDCs — NDC 1.0 in 2015 and NDC 2.0 in 2021 — as well as the Pathway for the Development of Samoa 2022–2026 and our National Climate Change Policy 2020–2030.
It sets forth ambitious and measurable commitments: to reduce our national greenhouse gas emissions by one hundred and four point one one gigagrams of carbon dioxide equivalent (104.11 Gg CO₂e) by 2035; to expand our forests and mangroves; to strengthen food security; to address loss and damage; and to integrate gender equality across all sectors. These are not abstract targets. They represent our conviction that climate action and sustainable development are inseparable — that the path to resilience is the path to prosperity for Samoa.
Our adaptation goals are equally ambitious and deeply rooted in our identity as a people connected to both land and ocean. By 2035, Samoa aims to expand its mangrove forests by 5%, increase forest cover and the protection of our rainforests, develop climate-resilient crops, and extend community-based fisheries management to 80 percent of our coastal villages.
These actions are not only about conserving ecosystems — they are about protecting people, livelihoods, and the well-being of future generations.
We also acknowledge that there are losses that cannot be prevented. Samoa’s NDC 3.0 introduces a strengthened focus on loss and damage — improving data collection, building institutional capacity, and developing policies that enable our communities to recover and rebuild from climate impacts.
Our commitment to inclusivity is equally strong. Samoa knows that women, youth, and vulnerable communities are not merely beneficiaries of climate action — they are its drivers. This is fa’a Samoa in practice: shared responsibility, cooperation, and care for one another.
Samoa has done its part and will continue to do more — but our ambition relies on access to international support, climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building.
To our development partners here today, we say: let us turn commitments into action. For small island nations, predictable and sustained climate finance is not merely a development issue — it is a matter of survival.
I extend Samoa’s sincere appreciation to the United Nations Development Programme and the Climate Promise Initiative, the Global Green Growth Institute, and the NDC Partnership for their support in financing the development of our NDC 3.0. I also acknowledge our communities, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and government institutions for your collective efforts in shaping Samoa’s NDC 3.0. Fa’afetai tele lava.
Colleagues, I wish to reiterate that all these plans are naught without the blessing, guidance, and protection of our Lord. Samoa is founded on God, and in God we commit our efforts and plans. In Him we have confidence in our collective strength to lead by example.
I now declare Samoa’s NDC 3.0 officially launched. May God bless Samoa, and may our shared actions light the way toward a sustainable, resilient, and just future for all.
Soifua ma ia manuia.
SAUNIGA ALOAIA O LE TAIALA O LE SAO TUUFAATASIA A SAMOA 3.0 MO LE TUUITIITIA O AAFIAGA MAI SUIGA OLE TAU [11 Tesema 2025]
SAUNOAGA AUTU a le Afioga Palemia, Sui Minisita Matagaluega o Punaoa Faalenatura ma le Siosiomaga Honourable Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt
• Susu lau Susuga ile Taitai ole Sauniga, Rev. Denny Epati, EFKS, Saanapu.
• Afifio Minisita ole Kapeneta ma Minisita Lagolago
• Malo Faaloalogia ma Paaga Faava-o-Malo
• Paaga galulue, sui o nuu ma afioaga, faalapotopotoga tumaoti, pisinisi ma Ofisa ole Malo. Susuga i tofi o nuu faapea sui tamaitai aemaise tupulaga talavou.
• Le mamalu ma le ma’ave eseese ua potopoto mai i lenei afiafi.
Malo le Soifua ma le Lagi e mama! Viia le Atua i lona alofa ma le agalelei ua mafai ona tatou feiloai ma le manuia i lenei afiafi.
E momoli atu le faafetai ile Taitai ole Sauniga, mo le upu faamalosiau, o lea ua tatou faanōnōmanū, sei tō manu mai lagi i le aso ma le faamoemoe. Alofagia e le Alii lau susuga ao feagai ai ma le tau’asuina o le vai ole ola I le nuu oloo aumai ai.
Ae o le auga ma le fa’amoemoe o le asō, ua tatou ofaga potopoto mai, se’i o tatou molimauina se tasi o sao taua a le tatou malo ma le atunuu i le tali atu i suiga o le tau ua iai nei; ua faaulutalaina o le Taiala o Sao Tuufaatasia a Samoa 3.0.
O le sini autu o lenei faamoemoe ina ia mafai ona galulue faatasi atunuu uma o le lalolagi e aofia ai ma atu motu laiti. O Samoa faatasi ma isi atu motu ole Pasefika o loo taulamua i taumafaiga e faaitiitia suiga ma’ale’ale o le tau e pei ona iai le si’isi’i o le sua tai, matagi malolosi, ma le aafiaga o faatoaga I le fesuisuia’i o vaitau o timuga. O nei taumafaiga o loo taulai lea ile faatapula‘aina ile 1.5 tikeri le mafanafana ole lalolagi mo se soifua manuia ma le maloloina o tatou tagata ma le siosiomaga.
O fesuisuiaiga o le tau ua iai nei ua tele tausaga o tatou molimauina. Peitai ane, tatou te le o nofoa’i ai ae ua tatou tapenapena i auala e tali atu ai ma faaitiitia ai aafiaga mai suiga ole tau. O lenei sao tuufaatasia a Samoa 3.0, o se taiala ua tuufaatasia ai polokalame a le atunuu faapea taunuuga e moomia ona ausia mo le isi 5 tausaga o lumanai. O le sao foi lea o Samoa i taumafaiga a atunuu ole lalolagi e tuuitiitia suiga ogaoga ole tau.
Ua iai nei lo tatou fa‘amoemoe ina ia fa‘aitiitia kasa oona e 104.11 kikakalama ile tausaga 2035, fa‘alautele vaomatua ma togatogo, siitia le tulaga ole fofoga taumafa ole atunuu, faalautele puipuiga o vaomatua faasao faapea le uunaia o avanoa tutusa mo itupa o alii ma tamaitai faapea i latou o loo iai manaoga faapitoa.
O loo ave foi le fa‘amamafa ile puipuiga o tagata lautele ma latou aseta e ala ile toe faaleleia o nofoaga ua faaleagaina poo le siitia foi i nofoaga saogalemu (Loss and Damage) ona o tulaga maaleale ole tau ua le mafai lava ona tali atu ai atu motu laiti pei o Samoa.
E ui ina laititi le sao o Samoa i kasa oona i le lalolagi ae o loo taulamua ile uunaia ole lalolagi e fai saofaga uma mo se lumanai manuia o tagata uma. O le talosaga ia tatou pa‘aga galulue faava-o-malo, ia savavali i a latou tautinoga e ala ile faatupeina o nei fuafuaga uma.
E fai ai a’u ma sui o le Malo o Samoa, e fa‘ailo le agaga o le fa‘afetai i tatou pa’aga galulue UNDP, Poloketi ole Climate Promise, Global Green Growth Institute ma le NDC Partnership. E momoli atu le faamalo i faalapotopotoga tumaoti, sui o nuu ma afioaga, pisinisi faapea matagaluega a le Malo na saofaga i lenei taumafaiga tāua.
E ia te au le ava tele, e faamaonia aloaia ai lenei Taiala mo lona faatinoga.
Tatou faafetaia ma viia pea le Alii ua taunuu ma le manuia lenei faamoemoe. Tuu ile Atua le faatinoga o lenei Taiala, aua o tatou lava na ole fuafua a o le Alii na te faataunuuina. O lo tatou faavae lena, e manuia ai mea uma tatou te faia aemaise Samoa ma ona tagata.
Soifua ma Ia Manuia.
December 18, 2025