UN General Assembly
2023

I extend Samoa’s deep condolences to the people of Lahaina. Maui, in the United States, and the families and friends of those who have been lost in one of the worst wildfires to have ever affected a Pacific Island community. Indeed, our sympathies go out to all those affected by those devastating disasters. But our sympathies will only take us so far. and we will continually face these ever-worsening disasters if we continue to refuse to address their root causes. Scientists have warned of imminent, more frequent and many more extreme weather events, resulting in more lives lost and costlier, less resilient infrastructure.