My Life in Samoa: The Picture Edition (II)

This post features more of my favorite pictures from my travels around Upolu, from exploring Samoa's famous ocean trench, to climbing on Upolu's main hiking trail, to hanging out at a few of my favorite beaches (among other things). I hope you enjoy them, and next picture post, I should be able to give you a glimpse of Savai'i, Samoa's other main island.

Exploring Samoa's most famous tourist destination

To Sua (literally “big hole”) has made it on BuzzFeed lists of hidden wonders of the world for a reason. I have truly seen nothing else like it, and swimming inside is equally unique. You can’t really tell from this picture, but the climb down to the deck is not for those with a fear of heights. The ladder is quite steep, and while the steps are large and solid, it can still be a little slippery, so I definitely took my time climbing down and up. Once you jump into the water, swimming in To Sua gives you what I imagine is the closest possible experience to being in a washing machine. The water feeding in from the ocean fluctuates quite quickly. We swum to the inside edges of the cave, and in the course of a minute, the water rose from my knees to my waist. As the water levels rise and fall, you are pulled from one side of the pool to the other. And so you bob, up and down, left and right.

Taking a dip in To Sua is a definite dose of adventure – from making your way down the steep ladder,
to jumping off the deck into the waters below, to bobbing up and down with the circling tide.

Looking up from inside the To Sua cave.

Climbing Mount Vaea – or finding Robert Louis Stevenson on his real life Treasure Island

I was quite happy to discover when I arrived in Samoa that the main trail in Upolu is not too far out of central Apia, with the path winding up the hill behind the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. Going up the trail, you have the choice of taking a fairly steep, 0.8 km path or taking a more windy, 2km hike. Either way, you definitely get a good workout. When you arrive sweaty and triumphant at the top, you are rewarded with a beautiful view and a visit with Samoa’s most famous and beloved expatriate: Robert Louis Stevenson himself! Standing beside RLS's tombstone after my first trek up Vaea, I couldn't help but be in awe of where I was and what I was given the opportunity to do. Who would have guessed when I was begrudgingly making my way through Treasure Island in middle school that I would some day get to see it for myself?

Samoa’s most beloved expatriate was honored with a spectacularly beautiful resting place.

The tombstone for Robert Louis Stevenson is nestled at the peak of the main hiking trail in Upolu.

Discovering a few beaches off the beaten path

Having spent my entire life in landlocked cities, it is quite new for me to have regular access to so many spectacular beaches. And now that I've beach hopped enough, I even find myself noting the pros and cons of different ones. Considering how beautiful they all are, this does strike me as a rather silly exercise. Even so, I still thought I would share my three favorite with you. What they all have in common is that they are just beach. No cafés, restaurants, hotels, or fales - just you, the ocean, white sand beaches, and beautiful blue skies.

After about 20-30 minutes of trekking through overgrown paths and fields, we came across this secluded oasis.

Vavau has to be my favorite beach. It’s a beautiful spot, and somehow you often have it entirely
to yourself. With nice shady spots to relax with a book, clear areas to swim, and places with coral where
you can snorkel and look at some stunning electric blue fish, it has everything that I love about the beach.

Virgin Cove is a lovely beach on the Southwestern side of Upolu. We were able to enjoy a couple hours
of great weather before we were hit by the storm you see looming in the back of this picture.

A close-up of one of the coolest mushrooms I have ever seen. It almost looks like a miniature fale!
(It’s also in the picture of Virgin Cove - look for the tree stump on the far right.)

Visiting one of six Bahai temples in the world

A trip up the central hill in Upolu will take you past a very unique spot – one of only eight Bahá’í temples in the world. Founded by Bahá’u’lláh in 19th century Persia, the Bahá’í faith is built around a central belief in the spiritual unity of humankind. At weekly services, people gather to read and listen to scriptures from all religions. The temple is surrounded by beautiful gardens, and both the temple and gardens are open throughout the week for visitors to come for quiet reflection and meditation.

Each Bahá’í Temple has its own unique character and style. What unites them is
the nine-sided, circular shape that makes up the core of each temple’s design.

The gardens around the temple are immaculately kept and open every day for public use.
They are a perfect spot for quiet reflection and a peaceful walk.

Enjoying more beautiful island sunsets

It seems appropriate to wrap up my second picture post with a few more sunset shots. I still can’t believe how often I am able to enjoy such truly spectacular sunsets. Luckily, I don’t think they could ever become commonplace.

Tofa soifua (or "fa" for short)!
Goodbye and good health!

I was able to enjoy this perfect sunset during a weekend stay in the beautiful, secluded island of Namua.

I witnessed this gorgeous sunset while having dinner at Return to Paradise,
a resort named after the 1953 movie filmed on this beach.

In a Nutshell: Small Island Developing States and the United Nations

The halfway mark for my fellowship is fast approaching, but there is still so much for me to learn and explore. I’ve only just started scratching the surface of Samoan culture and customs, and there is a vast depth of knowledge that I still need to learn about the history, economy, and politics of small island developing states (SIDS).
   
To help with this, I've decided to write another "In a Nutshell" post. This time, I've researched the major international conferences and documents that have defined the position of SIDS within the international arena since they were first recognized as a distinct group of countries in 1992. The list is organized chronologically, with the key document listed first, the related meeting written underneath in italics, followed by the main takeaways and achievements.

Source: www.un.org/en/events/islands2014/

   
Agenda 21 (1992) 
UN Conference on Environment and Development
SIDS were first officially recognized as a distinct group of countries by the 179 nations present at this UN Conference in Rio de Janeiro. Agenda 21, the Conference outcome document, established the key features of SIDS and committed States to “addressing the problems of sustainable development of small island developing states.” (For more on what characterizes SIDS, see my last “In a Nutshell” blogpost.)
   
Barbados Programme of Action (1994)
UN Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States
The 1994 SIDS Conference took the broad commitments of the Rio Conference and translated them into specific policies and programs. The Barbados Programme of Action outlined fourteen priority areas for the sustainable development of SIDS (e.g. natural and environmental disasters, national institutions and administrative capacity, science and technology). For each of these priority areas, it identified actions that need to be taken at the national, regional, and international level.

Five-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action (1999)
22nd Special Session of the UN General Assembly
The UN General Assembly held a Special Session to assess progress since the 1994 SIDS Conference. Participants concluded that there had been “uneven” progress and highlighted priority areas for SIDS moving forward:

• improving freshwater resources
• developing renewable energy alternatives to expensive imported oil
• minimizing the environmental impact of tourism growth

   
Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (2002)
World Summit on Sustainable Development
States reaffirmed their commitment to respect the principles and fulfill the actions set out in Agenda 21. At the end of the Summit, States adopted the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, which brought up to date the priorities set out in Agenda 21.
   
This Summit was important for SIDS because states re-acknowledged their special case, characteristics, and challenges. In addition, Chapter VII of the Plan of Implementation was dedicated to SIDS, calling for a ten year review of the Barbados Programme of Action and drawing out the most crucial activities from previous international documents (e.g. building capacity, particularly within health services and waste and pollution management, and securing “adequate, affordable, and environmentally sound” energy services).

Mauritius Strategy of Implementation, Mauritius Declaration (2005)
Mauritius International Meeting
This international meeting served as the 10-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action and concluded with the adoption of the Mauritius Strategy, which set out how to take forward the actions and strategies from the Barbados Programme. The Mauritius Strategy built on the fourteen thematic areas of the Barbados Programme of Action and added five additional areas, including graduation from least developed country (LDC) status. With Samoa having graduated from LDC status last year, this is a particularly crucial topic for Samoa’s future development.
   
But why would reaching a higher development classification be a source of concern? While graduating from LDC status is a great accomplishment, it also means that Samoa will no longer have access to the preferential grants and funds that are available for LDCs and that the Government will now need to explore and identify alternative sources of funding. The Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund, for example, is currently supporting a large scale, six-year adaptation and disaster risk management project in Samoa. At the end of the project term, however, the Government will have to identify different partnerships and funding sources if they would like to continue any of the programs under this project. As this suggests, the transition from LDC status is a very crucial and delicate period, and how a country plans and prepares for this transition will determine whether it continues to make further progress or slips back under the line.

Five-year review of the Mauritius Strategy of Implementation (2010)
65th Session of the UN General Assembly
In the lead-up to the MSI+5 High-level Review, each SIDS submitted a National Assessment Report, and states discussed the findings from these reports in three regional review meetings. A final five-year review summarized current progress, continued challenges, and lessons learned.

Overall, states found that SIDS were still highly vulnerable to external shocks that could threaten the progress made since the Mauritius International Meeting. To combat that vulnerability, states recommended:

• strengthening support for national efforts to incorporate resilience into development planning
• focusing in on a few key areas from the Mauritius Strategy, depending on the specific situation of each SIDS
• strengthening partnerships to implement programs under the Mauritius Strategy (This point would prove to be a very crucial one and was made the central focus for the 2014 SIDS Conference.)
• increasing the amount of available financial resources and making it easier for SIDS to access those resources

SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway (2014)
Third International Conference on Small Island Development States

In December 2012, the UN General Assembly declared 2014 the International Year of Small Island Developing States. The highlight of this year would be the convening of the Third International Conference on SIDS – with the theme “sustainable development of SIDS through genuine and durable partnerships” – in Apia from 1-4 September 2014.
   
At the close of the meeting, states adopted the SAMOA Pathway. In this document, states reaffirmed that, with their specific challenges and vulnerabilities, SIDS remained a “special case” for sustainable development and should receive continued and strengthened international support. These international partnerships should help SIDS take forward national programs to become more resilient, better adapt to climate change, and develop efficient, sustainable energy systems.
   
To better monitor progress towards the various commitments made at SIDS and the other conferences discussed in this post, a SIDS Action Platform was developed. It includes a platform of 300 partnerships, a framework to monitor the implementation of partner commitments, and a matrix focused specifically on UN partnerships.
   
I hope you all found this exercise as helpful as I did. To keep this post from being too long, I have only given a very brief overview; there is a lot more information available on the topics discussed and the commitments made at each conference. If you're interested in exploring further, the following websites were really helpful for me in putting together this blog post:

• http://www.sids2014.org/ 
• http://www.sidsnet.org/  
• https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/smallislanddevelopingstates  
• http://www.un.org/en/events/islands2014/

Manuia le aso!/Manuia le afiafi!/Manuia le po!
Have a good day!/Have a good evening!/Have a good night!