"India's development assistance facilitated...development journey": Samoa PM

New York [US], September 24 : Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa on Saturday (local time) highlighted how India's development assistance has facilitated Samoa's development journey.
She spoke on how the India UN Development Partnership Fund has resulted in the launch of transformational sustainable development projects across the developing world. 
While addressing the India-UN for Global South: Delivering for Development event in New York, Samoa PM said, "I am happy to provide a brief overview of how India's development assistance has facilitated Samoa's development journey. Under the Samoa Knowledge Society Initiative, the India UN Development Partnership Fund supports southern-owned and led demand-driven and transformational sustainable development projects across the developing world, with a focus on least developed countries and small island developing states." 
She said that the fund is managed by the United Nations Office for the South-South Cooperation and UN agencies implement fund projects in close collaboration with partner governments.
Samoa PM said that the fund is based on the principles of South-South cooperation and prioritizes national ownership and leadership, equality, sustainability, development of local capacity and mutual benefit.
"Some examples of development initiatives the India-UN Fund has provided development assistance to include funding for knowledge sharing, including those to foster innovation and replicating success, such as demonstration projects that are expanding digital financial inclusion through pro-poor climate insurance schemes, expanding health e-learning and enabling vulnerable communities to make digital payments for micro utilities, fostering economic partnership, the mobilization of new and additional public resources to finance the SDGs, climate justice honouring commitments to the proposed Loss and Damage Fund, the doubling of adaptation finance and the replenishment of the Green Climate Fund," Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa said. 
She said that the Samoan Knowledge Society initiative funded under the India UN Development Fund is a rights-based initiative that acknowledges the right to access information for all Samoans contributing towards an enabling environment for enhanced digital development.
"The Samoan Knowledge Society Initiative is predicated on the belief that access to information and knowledge are prerequisites for building inclusive knowledge societies. Information to be available needs to be accessible formats and in open access domains under the Open Access license," Samoa PM said in her remarks. 
She said that the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture innovative Lifelong Learning Lab was launched on 30 June 2022 in partnership with UNESCO and called it an "inclusive innovation hub for training and collaboration that draws and identifies talents, mentors youth, provides accessible learning opportunities and pathways for learning." 
Samoa PM said, "The development and launch of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries agri touch app in March of 2022. The Agritouch App addresses knowledge gaps by providing up-to-date information focused on markets, crop management and current projects coordinated by the Ministry funding opportunities, as well as a tool to track production and expenses for farmers." 
Highlighting the benefits of Samoa Digital Library, Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa said that it was launched in January last year and produces a user-friendly, localized knowledge e-platform, providing access to full text, bibliographical and institutional information from Samoa and international sources that are openly licensed. She stated that ICT equipment and software were delivered in March 2021.
"About USD 190,000 worth of ICT equipment and relevant software, as well as Internet connectivity, were handed over to the National University of Samoa. The installation of this equipment has enabled the functioning of three online knowledge platforms that make up the Samoa Knowledge Society initiative, namely the National Digital Library Lifelong Learning Lab and the Open Access Research platform and Repositories," Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa said. 
She noted that the bilateral ties between the Governments of Samoa and India were established in 1970. She stated that the focus of cooperation between the two nations has mainly been in health, information technology and capacity-building sectors.