National Statement by Tuvalu delivered by the Hon. Maina Vakafua Talia, Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment at the High-level 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific, 3-5 March, 2025, India.

• Your Excellency Shri Manohar Lal, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs of the Government of India, and the Chair of this Forum;
• Honourable Ministers from participating countries of Asia and the Pacific;
• Distinguished representatives from United Nations partners of this Forum;
• The Chief Minister of Rajasthan;
• Distinguished participants and partners;
• Ladies and Gentlemen

1. It is with great honour and privilege that I stand before you today to represent the Government and the People of Tuvalu at this important event.

2. At the outset I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to the Government and the People of India, and the City of Jaipur, for the warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation.

3. I acknowledge the hard work of the organisers that have worked tirelessly to ensure the successful convening of this Forum;

Waste management challenges

Honourable Chair,

4. Tuvalu is a small atoll country in the South Pacific, with a total land area of only 26 square kilometres that stand at only 3 metres above sea level. The geographical setting of my country posed significant challenges of waste management and increase vulnerability to environmental pollution due to an increase in consumption of imported products;

5. We are investing in effective and sustainable waste management solutions. Localising the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) has realised its own challenges, particularly the limitation of access to technologies that facilitate reduce, reuse, and recycle in a small island – like Tuvalu.

6. The implementation of established policies and plans, and the enforcement of laws, that aims to improve waste management at the national level is withheld by the limited of resources committed to waste management due to competing priorities of socio-economic development.

Commitment to address waste management at the national level

Honourable Chair,

7. In August 2024, Tuvalu hosted the 4th Clean Pacific Roundtable in Funafuti, the capital island of Tuvalu. This is part of our effort to showcase our leadership in waste management, and at the same time display hand to our development partners the challenges we faced on the ground in managing waste and environmental pollution.

8. In 2016 the government endorsed a 10 years Tuvalu Integrated Waste Policy and Action Plan. It focuses on strengthening institutional systems, establish public-private-partnerships, improve waste services, and enhance the capacity of waste practitioners.

9. These are major commitments that specifically aims to strengthen and improve the 3R principles of waste management - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. However as countries build their economies, and improve standard of living to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) it is evident that the world need a transformational shift in their approach to waste management.

Call on the global community

Honourable Chair,

10. It should be a moral duty and responsibility of any government to embark on a transformational shift from traditional linear economic models to a closed loop economy. It is essential to invest and promote that use of circular economy which focus on waste reduction, extended material use, and the restoration of regeneration of natural ecosystems.

11. I therefore urge our development partners present here today to take bold actions to support countries in this region - Pacific and Asia, the world’s most populated and dynamic region that accounts for two-thirds of global growth - transitioned to Circular economy.

12. As the Minister in charge of waste management in Tuvalu, I have realised the importance of creating political momentum that is well supported through embracing of cultural practices and traditional knowledge to drive efforts to achieve principles of 3Rs and circular economy.

13. Therefore I strongly call for innovative enhanced cooperation from multilateral agencies, the private sectors, and development partners to deliver effective circular economy, and strengthen greater political and economic integration in this region.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.

Tuvalu mo te Atua