Early childhood development is a key investment for building climate resilience and prosperous communities. This is the commitment of Samoa’s Minister for Finance - and first female finance minister - Honourable Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioo.
Hon Mulipola serves as Co-Chair of the Pacific Regional Council for Early Childhood Deveopment (PRC4ECD) alongside Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services, Hon Ifereimi Waqainabete, and she reaffirmed the value of ECD last week in a meeting in Apia, Samoa with UNICEF Pacific ECD Specialist Loau Donina Va’a and Acting CFO for UNICEF in Samoa, Akshaya Mishra.
At the meeting, the Minister expressed her pleasure at progress on ECD and highlighted the value of collaboration across national sectors as well as with development partners. She shared that support for ECD was wide-ranging in Samoa and that the country is reviewing its workplan activities for its Advisory Committee on ECD, looking towards a partnership between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Women.
The Minister was present in Suva, Fiji during the 51st Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meetings in July, and attended the Pacific Child Website Launch and PRC4ECD Commitment to Climate Change on Wednesday 13 July. She also presided over the PRC4ECD Inaugural Partners Talanoa and Steering Committee Meeting on Thursday 14 July.
As custodian of the Pasifika Call to Action on ECD, with the endorsement of Pacific Forum Leaders in 2018 in Nauru, the 15-country member Council will be submitting a paper to this year’s upcoming Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (11-12 August), emphasising the region’s commitment to ECD, its integral role in building climate resilience, and advocating for ECD financing in climate financing mechanisms.
In her capacity as an attendee at the FEMM, Hon Mulipola will be a key advocate to furthering the ECD investment agenda for community resilience and achieving the visions set out by the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. She will include references to ECD in her remarks and looks forward to continuing to champion the role of ECD in resilience-building.