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Tonga
Voluntary National Review 2019

The ethos of sustainability has historically been at the heart of Tonga’s development progress. King Tupou I, who ruled Tonga over 170 years ago, adopted our national motto, God and Tonga are My Inheritance which enshrines sustainable development as a way of life. Our motto embodies our inheritance and wealth in the form of our people, our land, and our strong Christian and traditional values underpinning our culture.
Tonga Strategic Development Framework (TSDF II) 2015-20125 is embedded within the foundations of our Christian and cultural values. The Framework underscores our approach to sustainable and inclusive growth and is aligned to the 2030 Agenda, the SAMOA Pathway, Addis Ababa Agreement, Sendai Framework and others. These have been integrated into our national planning processes and supported by a strong monitoring and evaluation framework.
VNR drafting process and focus
Tonga’s VNR is an opportunity to share our endeavours in terms of national development agenda and related SDG implementation. It highlights that improved coordination amongst stakeholders, is and, will be instrumental for the effective implementation of our development agenda. It provides information on key issues and selected priority programmes as well as update on priorities contained in the TSDF II.

  • Tonga has prioritized social protection and human rights with a focus on vulnerable groups. To fully inform policy changes and interventions, Tonga has utilized advanced statistical techniques to enable poverty reporting that is inclusive of smaller island communities and developed a robust multidimensional poverty measure that is reliable, valid and contextually appropriate.
  • Tonga continues to honor its commitment to Universal Health Coverage - striving for nationwide coverage and access to quality healthcare services. Non-communicable diseases and communicable diseases are ongoing concerns with high NCD prevalence, low contraceptive use and Sexually Transmitted Infections. Tonga, however maintains low maternal and infant mortality, and high immunization coverage.

 

  • Regulations are in place to make education inclusive of students in ECE, those with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Improvement to effective delivery of sustainable development principles and global citizenship are crucial to learning activities.  Strengthening access to vocational training as well as accreditation to meet international standard is a priority.
  • Tonga will continue to enhance accessibility to sustainable and energy efficiency services. Tonga’s energy efficiency target of reducing electricity network losses to 11% of total electricity generation has been achieved in 2017. As of date, Tonga has achieved 10% of the 50% share of renewable energy target by 2020.

 

  • To strengthen sustainable economic growth through use of relevant trade tools and employment opportunities for our people, we will continue to implement relevant structural reforms and further develop productive sectors. We will also promote decent work including those in the informal sector and public private partnerships for improved service delivery.
  • Tonga recognizes the need for equal opportunities for all, in particular vulnerable and marginalized groups including access to employment, political leadership and social services. This is underpinned by our commitment for all men, women and children to live in an environment free from all forms of violence and exploitation.

 

  • Collective efforts are in place to promote the rule of law and strengthen legal institutions to increase access to justice and judicial independence, through the application of international standards in line with our capacities and circumstances.

 

  • We remain committed to support the implementation of our development agenda through genuine and durable partnerships with development partners, donors and local stakeholders, recognizing national priorities and systems are critical. Further partnerships remain particularly important in areas of finance, appropriate technology, technical support, capacity building and statistics.

Conclusion
We acknowledge that reaching the SDGs by 2030 is a challenge for all, and that the journey is long mindful of the capacity and resource constraints we face. With adherence to our longstanding cultural and traditional values on sustainable development, we aim to achieve our national priorities in durable partnership with key stakeholders.

Focal point
For Capital
H.E. Mr. Mahe 'U. S. Tupouniua
Secretary for Foreign Affairs
mahe.uliuli@gmail.com

Ms. Ma'u Leha
Deputy Secretary (National Planning)
Prime Minister's Office
mau.alipate@gmail.com

For the Mission in NY
Dr. T. Suka Mangisi
DPR
t.suka.mangisi@gmail.com

Ms. Darlene Vaea
Second Secretary
darlenevaea@gmail.com
Documents & Reports

National Reports
Report Topics covered Process
Tonga

National SD Strategy

Partnerships & Commitments
The below is a listing of all partnership initiatives and voluntary commitments where Tonga is listed as a partner in the Partnerships for SDGs online platform.
Engaging Parliamentarians as Advocates with civil society to progress SRHR and ICPD in the Pacific SIDS

AFPPD in partnership with IPPF and Pacific Parliaments has trialled a post election module in Building Capacity of Pacific Island Parliamentarians to Advocate for ICPD and SRHR in Tonga and Cook Islands Parliaments. We also provide opportunities to build advocacy and knowledge skills of parliamentarians, including processes to enable them to work with CSOs. This partnership is effective in enhancing social protection and inclusion, improving well being, and guaranteeing opportunities for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, by focusing parliamentarians on their roles within their national pa...[more]

Partners
IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation) EASEOR Cook Islands Parliament, Tonga Parliament, Maldives Parliament, Kiribati Parliament, Australian and New Zealand Parliamentary Groups on Population and Development. UN partners - UNFPA, UNDP, UNAIDS, UN DESA
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Forum Compact - A Pacific Regional Enabling Mechanism to Achieve Sustainable Development

The Pacific is home to one third of the 52 Small Island Developing States in the world. With the exception of PNG, the rest of the Pacific SIDS are constrained by small administrations and limited economies of scale. Despite universal support for the MDGs, MSI and the high per capita ODA in the Pacific, the region is off track in achieving most of the MDGs by 2015 . Recognising this, the Pacific Isalands Forum Leaders in 2009 agreed to the (Cairns) Forum Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination. The Compact comprises various initiatives including: i) annual Millennium Development G...[more]

Partners
Pacific Islands Forum members: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Development Partners & Organisations : ADB, EU, France, German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, Secretariat of the Pacif...[more]
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
IHO Hydrography Capacity Building Programme for Coastal States

The IHO capacity building programme seeks to assess and advise on how countries can best meet their international obligations and serve their own best interests by providing appropriate hydrographic and nautical charting services. Such services directly support safety of navigation, safety of life at sea, efficient sea transportation and the wider use of the seas and oceans in a sustainable way, including the protection of the marine environment, coastal zone management, fishing, marine resource exploration and exploitation, maritime boundary delimitation, maritime defence and security, and o...[more]

Partners
International Hydrographic Organization (IGO); 87 IHO Member States (Governments); International Maritime Organization (UN); World Meteorological Organization (UN); International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (NGO)
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Installation of Solar Panels at Tonga 's Royal Palace

The Pacific Islands Development Forum is partnering with Government of Tonga and Solar Head of State, to install solar panels on the residence of the King . This is part of the island’s target to generate 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 . This project will be a symbolic statement of intent by the government, and also a test project to encourage more future grid-connected solar projects on the island.

Partners
Pacific Islands Development Forum, Solar Head of States, Government of Tonga
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries (J-PRISM)

The objective of the J-PRISM Partnership is two-fold, firstly to strengthen and develop national waste management systems and human capacity in Pacific SIDS through partnership with Pacific SIDS, SPREP and the Government of Japan; and secondly to promote the regional sharing of knowledge and expertise and encourage the eventual uptake of good waste management practices in Pacific SIDS.Good waste management is a vital component of national sustainable development, since poorly managed waste has negative impacts on areas such as public health, environment, and tourism. By strengthening the syste...[more]

Partners
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) International Labour Organization (ILO) Member Countries (11 countries) Federated States of Micronesia Republic of the Fiji Islands Republic of Kiribati Republic of Marshall Islands Republic of Palau Independent State of Papua New Guinea Independent State of Samoa Solomon Island...[more]
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Lighthouses Initiative

IRENA has developed the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative to support the strategic deployment of renewable energy in SIDS, to bring clarity to policy makers regarding the required steps, and to enable targeted action. As a joint effort of SIDS and development partners, this framework for action will assist in transforming SIDS energy systems through the establishment of the enabling conditions for a renewable energy-based future, by moving away from developing projects in isolation to a holistic approach that considers all relevant elements spanning from policy and market frameworks, through technol...[more]

Partners
Antigua and Barbuda, Mauritius, Bahamas, Nauru, Barbados, Palau, Cabo Verde, Samoa, Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cook Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Fiji, Seychelles, Grenada, Solomon Islands, Guyana, Tonga, Kiribati, Trinidad and Tobago, Maldives, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Federated States of Micronesia, ENEL, New Zealand, European Union, Norway, France, SE4ALL, Germany, ...[more]
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Oceania 21

Noumea Communique2nd Oceania 21 ConferenceNoumea, 2 July 20141. The 2nd Oceania 21 Conference (Oceania 21), organised by the New Caledonian Government, with the support of France, and was chaired in turn by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Vanuatu, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu and the President of the Marshall Islands, currently Chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Partners
New Caledonia, France, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Nauru, Niue, Palau,Tonga, Wallis and Futuna, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and French Polynesia, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, SPREP, Prince Albert II of Monaco, the French Research for Development Institute (IRD) and Green Cross and Ocean Futures Soc...[more]
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Pacific Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Network

The network enables effective knowledge sharing and advocacy on the practical application of Integrated Water Resources Management approaches to address key water resource, catchment and coastal management challenges in Pacific Island Countries

Partners
SPC; Global Environment Facility (GEF); Pacific SIDS including Cook Islands, FSM, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, RMI, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu; UNDP; UNEP; University of the South Pacific; International Water Centre (IWC).
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM)

Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting is a summit-level meeting which has been held every three years since 1997. Leaders openly discuss various issues that Pacific Island Countries(PICs) are facing in order to build close cooperative relationships and forge a bond of friendship between Japan and PICs. The 7th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM7) was held in Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan, on 22 and 23 May, 2015. At this summit, under the slogan of "We are Islanders - Commitment to the Pacific from Iwaki,

Partners
Government of Japan in cooperation with Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries Management

The Partnership will support Pacific SIDS in meeting their obligations to implement and effectively enforce global, regional and sub-regional arrangements for the conservation and management of transboundary oceanic fisheries thereby increasing sustainable benefits derived from these fisheries

Partners
Pacific SIDS: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Vanuatu with UNDP, FAO, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Parties to the Nauru Agreement
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Pacific Mangroves Initiative

The Pacific Mangroves Initiative (PMI) is a partnership-based initiative promoting investment and action for sustainable mangrove futures in the Pacific Islands.

Partners
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature, WWF-SPPO, the United Nations Development Programme, Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Pacific Regional Navigation Initiative

Safe and reliable passage through Pacific waters is essential to protect fragile ocean environments and allow Pacific island countries' economies to develop. Up-to-date navigation charts based on modern, accurate surveys are critical transport infrastructure the ocean equivalent of well-constructed roads. Hydrography is highly specialised. Few Pacific countries have the technical capability or systems needed to undertake hydrographic surveys or update their own navigational charts.This new regional programme aims to ensure Pacific navigation charts meet international standards and support mari...[more]

Partners
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ); Geoscience for Development Programme at the South Pacific Commission (SPC); South West Pacific Hydrography Commission, the International Hydrographic Office, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; New Zealand and Australian naval Defence Forces; Governments of Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, and Tokelau initially, expanding to other Pacific nation...[more]
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Pacific Risk Resilience Programme: a partnership approach to risk governance in the Pacific

The Pacific Risk Resilience Programme (PRRP) is a large-scale risk governance programme in one of the most vulnerable regions to disasters and climate change in the world. The US$16.1 million Pacific Risk Reduction Programme (PRRP) is being delivered through a partnership between the Australian Government Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and international NGOs Live and Learn Environmental Education (LLEE) and the Mainstreaming of Rural Development Initiative (MORDI). The Programme is helping to build the national and regional ris...[more]

Partners
UNDP DFAT Live and Learn Environmental Education MORDI Vanuatu Climate Adaptation Network Governments of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga and Fiji
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Pacific Solarisation for Head of State Residences Initiative

The Pacific Islands Development Forum is partnering with PIDF Member Countries (including Fiji, Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) and Solar Head of State to facilitate the installation of solar energy infrastructure to power residences of heads of state of eleven PIDF member countries and the PIDF Headquarters to promote renewable energy in the Pacific This project will be a symbolic statement of intent by the governments, and also a test project to encourage more future grid-connected solar projects on the...[more]

Partners
Pacific Islands Development Forum, Solar Head of State and Government of Fiji, Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Pacific Tsunami Risk Management Project

The objective was to reduce loss of life, injuries and economic losses cause by tsunami in Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau through an end-to-end tsunami risk management programme.

Partners
Pacific National Disaster Management Offices in Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau. New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
PacSIDS Ridge to Reef Programme Partnership

The goal of the Pacific Islands National Priorities Multi-Focal Area ‘Ridge-to-Reef’ (R2R) program is to maintain and enhance Pacific Island countries’ ecosystem goods and services (provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural) through integrated approaches to land, water, forest, biodiversity and coastal resource management that contribute to poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods and climate resilience. This goal will be achieved through a series of national multi-focal area R2R demonstration projects which will support and address national priorities and development needs whi...[more]

Partners
Cook Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Samoa with the GEF, UNDP, FAO, UNEP and SPC.
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Project for reinforcing meteorological training function of FMS

Meteorological training is enhanced in the Southwest Pacific.

Partners
Southwest Pacific countries (Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu), SPC/SOPAC, USP, SPREP
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Protecting Children from Violence, Abuse and Exploitation in the Pacific

Outcome 1: Child Protection Systems (including Justice and Police, child and family social services, health and education and communities) provide improved quality of and access to services for the prevention of and response to violence, abuse and exploitation of children at all times.Outcome 2 Parents, caregivers, and children demonstrate skills, knowledge and behavior enabling children to grow up in caring homes and communities, including schools that are free from violence, abuse and exploitation.

Partners
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia UNICEF Governments of Nauru, Palau, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tuvalu
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Sea Mercy - Remote Island Service Delivery Platform

Sea Mercy is a US based 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to "stand in the gap" with service delivery vessels, trained health volunteers, support equipment, and critical care services as island nations develop their "outer island" infrastructures. Due to distance and a lack of service delivery vessels, there is a huge disparity between the services offered on the primary islands, to those available on the remote islands. Working directly with our island nation partner's health ministries and leadership, Sea Mercy provides free Floating Health Care Clinics (FHCC), which also serve ...[more]

Partners
Sea Mercy is currently partnered and has an active service deliver program with the Health Ministries of: The Republic of Fiji The Kingdom of Tonga
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
The Pacific Regional Data Repository for Sustainable Energy for All (PRDR for SE4ALL)

The primary objective of this partnership is to support Pacific governments and their development partners working in the energy sector by facilitating access to up-to-date, reliable energy data and project information for planning, policy and investment decision purposes. A secondary objective is to make it easy for countries and their donor partners as well as potential investors to access reports and documents relating to existing and proposed energy projects in order to help in the replication of successful activities and to avoid repeating mistakes that have been made in past projects.

Partners
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Government of Australia, Government of Tonga, PICs Energy Offices, Power Utilities, Petroleum Companies, Statistics Offices, Development Partners, CROP agencies, Civil Society Organisations, the private sector, national pricing authorities and consumer groups.
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations