I would like to congratulate you
warmly, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of
the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session, and to
assure you that the Tongan delegation will fully support
the crucial work ahead under your able leadership. I
would also like to thank your predecessor, Mr. John
Ashe, for his sterling conduct of the previous session,
especially his championing of issues relating to small
island developing States (SIDS). And I pay tribute to
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his exemplary
stewardship in advancing the commitment of the United
Nations to building a more peaceful and prosperous
world amid the diverse and complex issues it faces
today.
My delegation and I welcome the theme of this
year’s general debate, “Delivering on and implementing
a transformative post-2015 development agenda”,
and we look forward to the three high-level thematic
debates and the high-level event to be held next year.
As we work together to formulate a historic post-2015
development agenda, we are cognizant that we must be
ambitious and transformative in our approach in order
to ensure tangible benefits for our people. Responsive
access to financial resources is essential if we are to
cement the adoption of a meaningful development
agenda and its full implementation.
Tonga supports the consensus that the report of
the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development
Goals should be integrated into the post-2015
development agenda, with a global commitment to
eradicating poverty by 2030. The proposed sustainable
development goals on oceans, seas and marine
resources and climate change are woven intimately
and intricately into the fabric of the very survival of
Pacific small island developing States. Without them,
our joint aspirations for sustainable development and
economic growth will not be achieved, and we will
be left behind. The Small Island Developing States
Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway, known as
the Samoa Pathway outcome document, was endorsed
by SIDS leaders and their partners earlier this month. It
is a blueprint for the sustainable development of small
island developing States for the next decade and should
therefore be integrated into the form and substance of
the post-2015 development agenda.
In order to guarantee harmony in our implementation
of the development agenda, Tonga agrees that each
country should take primary responsibility for its
own economic growth, social development and
environmental sustainability. However, that can be
fulfilled only with the active engagement of all relevant
stakeholders through genuine and durable partnerships.
We look forward to working together towards the
summit in September 2015 when Heads of State and
Government will adopt a post-2015 development
agenda that will be inclusive and people-centred. It
will be a historic event, adding further meaning to the
celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the United
Nations.
This year, the Pacific island leaders endorsed the
Palau Declaration on “The Ocean: Life & Future”,
which is concerned with charting a course to
sustainability. Tonga is a joint custodian of the Pacific
Ocean, whose natural resources form the bedrock of
economic, social and environmental development in the
Pacific islands. The well-being of the Tongan people
is therefore premised on the sustainable development,
management and conservation of the ocean and its
resources. The management of seabed exploration and
exploitation is an important facet of Tonga’s interests
in the oceans, and we have worked diligently through
the relevant institutions established under the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
to ensure that activity within the area located in the
Pacific Ocean is managed appropriately for the benefit
of humankind.
For the first time, Tonga sought election to a seat
on the relevant body established under UNCLOS, the
Council of the International Seabed Authority, and
was elected by acclamation by its member States.
This year, Tonga passed legislation related to seabed
mining activities within Tonga’s jurisdiction and under
the provisions of UNCLOS. We joined our Pacific
Island neighbours in supporting the call for launching
negotiations by September 2015 on an international
agreement under UNCLOS on the management and
conservation of the ocean and its resources, both within
our national jurisdiction and in areas beyond.
Tonga commends the Secretary-General’s initiative
in convening the recent Climate Summit as a forum
for world leaders to deliver bold announcements on
climate change mitigation and adaptation. In the spirit
of sustaining international cooperation, we support the
urgent call for States to address the adverse impacts
of climate change. The collective response will depend
on the outcome of the ongoing negotiations being
conducted through the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change. Nevertheless, it should
be based on the principles of equity and common
but differentiated responsibility, as enshrined in the
Convention. The principles and overall objective
espoused by the Convention must be fully observed
if the threat of climate change is to be effectively
addressed and overcome for our common benefit.
The Global Risks Report 2013 ranked Tonga as
the second most vulnerable country in the world to
natural disasters. That vulnerability was demonstrated
by our first category-5 cyclone earlier this year,
which devastated our central island group, displacing
thousands and resulting in millions of dollars’ worth
of damage. However, and fortunately, it caused only
one fatality. Today, that same central island group is
experiencing an unseasonable drought. Tonga has
used a whole-of-country approach — through its joint
national action plan on climate-change adaptation and
disaster-risk management — to establish a base from
which to move forward with adaptation measures. In
terms of mitigation, we are gradually reducing our
fossil-fuel consumption.
Tonga applauds the convening of the high-level
event on combating climate change, and it would like to
recall here that Pacific island countries were among the
first to raise the alarm on the implications of climate
change for security, both regionally and generally. In
that regard, we support the call to the Security Council
to reconsider its stance and to recognize the links
between climate change and international peace and
security. We also support the call to the Secretary-
General to appoint a special representative on climate
and security to research those links and report back to
Member States.
Tonga associates itself with those Member States
that have appealed for a meaningful approach, going
beyond the rhetoric, to reforming the Security Council
through an intergovernmental process in order to make
it more representative and inclusive. We also support
the request of Heads of State and Government in the
2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 55/2) that
its goals include the important work of revitalizing
the General Assembly. That general reform process
must continue if we are to ensure greater efficiency,
representativeness and transparency throughout the
United Nations system as a whole, thereby enabling this
great institution to be better prepared to respond to the
realities we live with today.
Finally, for future generations to live in a better
world, we must work harmoniously to fulfil our
responsibilities and ask the Almighty to guide us
through our growing challenges.