Excellencies and colleagues,

1. I would like to thank and congratulate the incoming COP29 Presidency for organising this PreCOP Ministerial Meeting.

2. Samoa speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States. It is well known that the countries that I represent have been at the forefront of climate change well before even the establishment of the regime.

3. We require consistent and predictable climate finance to address the negative impacts of climate change. The urgency of action and support, and most importantly timely action and accessible support, is needed now more than ever.

4. Small islands are already facing irreversible loss and damage, it is only through limiting warming to 1.5 degree that we can truly safeguard the lives and livelihoods of our people.
Excellencies and colleagues,

5. Two of our high-level priorities for COP29 are:
1) Setting a new climate finance goal which accelerates the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement through its assurances of good quality, predictable and accessible climate finance for all developing countries, while also agreeing to specific and timebound measures which can boost access for SIDS and LDCs in accordance with Paris Agreement; AND
2) Urging the implementation of urgent and ambitious climate action focused on collectively achieving the 1.5C limitation goal including through calling on countries for early submission of their national determined contributions in line with the Global Stocktake outcome as well as pressing all countries to submit first biennial transparency report within the set time frame.
Excellencies and colleagues,

6. Please now allow me to briefly expand some of our expectations for COP 29.

7. Firstly, on the new climate finance goal, our two anchors are:
1) first the operationalisation of the many promises and protections in the climate finance article (Article 9), especially those for SIDS and LDCs, and
2) second the provision of the much-needed accelerant to fill the implementation gap in the ambitious way that has been highlighted in the first Global Stocktake

8. In relation to the GST outcome, we called for early submissions of NDCs in line with 1.5C. Furthermore, we need to take tangible steps within this critical decade to implement the ambitious energy package which calls for tripling of renewable energy, doubling of energy efficiency, as well as accelerating action in this critical decade to transition away from fossil fuels. For AOSIS, COP 29 must capture and demonstrate progress in advancing on the agreements we made last year.

9. On ambition more general, it is also important to ensure that we can keep the 1.5C at the center of implementation. In this regard, we welcome the efforts undertaken by the Troika towards pushing for 1.5C goal.

Excellencies and colleagues,
10. Let us be frank. The Mitigation Work Programme is failing in meeting its purpose. AOSIS expresses its deepest concerns over growing misunderstandings between Parties on the purpose of the MWP. We see mitigation within the process and broader implementation diminishing which is not a good signal for the global community as temperatures and climatic events are now more intense and frequent.

11. Which brings to my next point, on adaptation. The level and scale of adaptation requires major attention.

Chair,
12. The loss and damage fund remains as a beacon of hope for small islanders. We urge the Presidency to undertake all efforts to organize and call for more pledges for resourcing the fund, and the translation of those pledges into commitments and disbursements.
Excellencies and colleagues,

13. In closing, AOSIS looks forward to continued engagement with the hope of getting us to a place of:
1) urgent implementation of existing nationally determined contributions,

2) alignment of the next contributions with the 1.5C limitation goal, and
3) the commitment to, and ultimate follow through on commensurate ambition for climate finance in the new goal.

14. I thank you.