UN General Assembly
2022

Samoa has for decades championed the importance of the rule of law and the protection of human rights. Many labelled the events that unfolded following our 2021 elections a constitutional crisis. While those were difficult times for Samoa, they were also key to our forward journey as a maturing democracy. They divided our country and tested the key pillars of our society: our faith, our culture and the rule of law. However, my delivering this statement today as the first female Prime Minister of Samoa and bringing about a change in Government after four decades are testaments to the fact that the rule of law has prevailed. Samoa today remains peaceful and stable, despite all the challenges we lived through. My Government will continue to safeguard the rights of all its citizens, especially the most vulnerable, by strengthening appropriate social protection measures and prioritizing assistance for those most in need. We have focused on people-centred development as pivotal to the implementation of our development agenda over the next five years.