Tuvalu

Standing before the Assembly for the first time, I am greatly honoured by this opportunity to speak on behalf of the people and Government of Tuvalu. Next week, on 1 October, Tuvalu will commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of its independence. While we take pride in moving forward in nationhood, as a small and young nation, we have full confidence in the noble goals of the United Nations to guide us through the waters of our destiny. Our presence here in the United Nations is our statement of hope and trust in the goodwill of humanity. Let me on this occasion express Tuvalu’s deep appreciation to all members of the international community for their invaluable support to my nation, and convey its warmest greetings and felicitations to the Assembly at its sixty-third session. I wish also to associate us with previous speakers in extending our congratulations to the President on his election and in expressing our appreciation to his predecessor, particularly for promoting the issue of climate change, among other matters, within the Assembly’s agenda. Climate change is without doubt the most serious threat to the global security and survival of mankind. It is an issue of enormous concern to a highly vulnerable small island State like Tuvalu. Here in this great house we now know both the science and economics of climate change. We also know the cause of climate change, and that human actions by all countries are urgently needed to address it. The central message to us, world leaders, of both the International Panel on Climate Change reports and the Sir Nicholas Stern report on climate change is crystal clear: unless urgent actions are taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions by shifting to a new global energy mix based on renewable energy sources, and unless there is timely adaptation, the adverse impacts of climate change on all communities will be catastrophic. This great family, the United Nations, must not fail to take heed of these timely warnings, and to save us all, particularly the small and most vulnerable, from this man-made catastrophe. The next 12 to 18 months are crucial in the context of negotiating a new international agreement on climate change, based on the Bali Action Plan. We must work together to ensure that all countries make a substantial effort to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. We need to find the right incentives to ensure that all countries contribute to dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This requires a substantial collective effort. It also requires strong political leadership. Tuvalu observes with great disappointment the clear absence of this leadership particularly emerging from the recently concluded Group of Eight (G-8) Summit. We need stringent, short-term targets by all major developed countries. Based on the principle of the polluter pays and common but differentiated responsibilities, the industrialized world must show strong leadership in advancing real actions on climate change. But all countries must also act. In the little way we can, we in the small island developing States are also committed to contributing to emission reduction through use of renewable energy. While we call for urgent action to reduce emissions, we know that the impacts of climate change are upon us. For a highly vulnerable small coral atoll nation like Tuvalu, the consequences of the impacts of climate change are frightening. The survival and security of our entire nation, along with fundamental human rights and its cultural identity, are under threat; Tuvalu is right on the edge of existence. Climate change could well push us over that edge. Last year Tuvalu produced an international blueprint on adaptation which we presented as a submission to the Conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This blueprint highlights a number of areas where we envisage greater collaboration within the United Nations system. Let me highlight a few. First, it is very clear that financial resources for adaptation are completely inadequate. Last year Oxfam International suggested that the adaptation needs of developing countries will cost a minimum of $50 billion per year. We must work together to find these additional funds. One means of increasing the 15 08-52265 funding for adaptation is through the creation of what we call a burden-sharing mechanism. Funding for this mechanism could come from levies on the share of the proceeds from emissions trading and international aviation and maritime transport. We also believe that new and additional sources of funding must be identified and channelled through the recently established Adaptation Fund to help fund concrete adaptation projects in-country to adapt to the impacts of climate change, while ensuring long-term survival and livelihoods of our God-given lands. While we welcome, therefore, the recent launch of several new funding initiatives on climate change, we must caution against the fragmentation of international efforts, and warn of the need, not to do more studies, but to fulfil obligations to urgently save those suffering from climate change. Secondly, we need collaborative action by United Nations institutions and non-governmental organizations to develop a comprehensive approach to long-term adaptation action. As a first step, we believe, a special coordination committee should be established under the auspices of the General Assembly. Thirdly, the blueprint proposes the establishment of an international climate insurance pool. This would be an internationally sourced pool of funds for an insurance mechanism to provide support to the most vulnerable communities to meet the costs of rebuilding after climate-related disasters. Those are only three ideas we have elaborated in our blueprint. There are a number of others. We encourage the President to look closely at the blueprint and develop the ideas further. We strongly believe that it is the political and moral responsibility of the world, particularly those who caused the problem, to save small islands and countries like Tuvalu from climate change and ensure that we continue to live in our home islands with long- term security, cultural identity and fundamental human dignity. Forcing us to leave our islands due to the inaction of those responsible is immoral, and cannot be used as a quick-fix solution to the problem. In the context of all this, therefore, Tuvalu also strongly supports the draft resolution on security and climate change submitted by the Pacific small island developing States, to be reintroduced at this sixty-third session. We urge others to co-sponsor this very important draft resolution and properly address the issues raised in it. Tuvalu recently attended the High-Level Conference on World Food Security. We share the grave concerns regarding the current global issue of high food prices, food shortages and their associated social problems for humanity, which are made worse by high fuel prices. We highly commend the initiative taken by the Secretary-General in establishing the High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, and the formulation of a Comprehensive Framework for Action. We sincerely hope that this Framework will produce concrete results in countries experiencing the food crisis. One of the most sensitive issues for small and vulnerable island developing States like Tuvalu has been the lack of recognition of our unique vulnerability in the consideration of the question of graduation from the least developed country (LDC) status. Our economic and environmental vulnerabilities cannot be ignored. The enormous threat of more severe weather events and a rising sea level hangs overhead like a large storm cloud. It hinders investment in our country and potentially puts into question our very survival. We therefore make a strong and heartfelt appeal to the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and our development partners to carefully reconsider the criteria for LDC graduation. Two issues are of particular concern. First, it is remarkable that nearly all recent graduates and potential graduates are small islands — including my own country, Tuvalu. The small island States that are also LDCs eligible for graduation all have improved their per capita income and their human assets. Also, they have in common the fact that they are highly vulnerable in economic and environmental terms. But this vital criterion of vulnerability does not seem to be taken seriously enough. In short, our countries are or could be losing LDC status because of progress they have made on per capita income, despite the fact that the sustainability of that income is challenged by our vulnerability. My second point has to do with the serious lack of coherence within the United Nations system. For several years the high level of vulnerability of small island developing States has been recognized and reiterated in many different United Nations circles — in Rio, Barbados, Mauritius and Johannesburg, as well 08-52265 16 as in several other major United Nations events, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Summit Declaration. Yet this special vulnerability has never been given serious recognition in the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, let alone recognized as the main criterion for LDC graduation. I therefore call on the United Nations to work seriously towards reform of the graduation rule so that no LDC that is recognized as highly vulnerable is forced to lose its LDC status. Tuvalu wishes to commend the ongoing reforms within the United Nations but would also note with grave concern that progress is slow. We clearly need to restructure and expand the Security Council in order to properly reflect regional balance. We must take a fresh look at the membership so that the Council can properly address emerging global peace and security challenges, including climate change. We also believe that a seat should be allocated for a representative from a small island developing State in the reformed Security Council. In the broader context of United Nations reforms, I support the Secretary-General’s remarks that “Our changing world needs a stronger United Nations. … “we need to be faster. … We need to pay less attention to rhetoric, and more attention to results — to getting things done.” (A/62/PV.4, pp. 1-2) I could not agree more. To this end, I appeal again to the United Nations for the earliest establishment of its Joint Presence office in Tuvalu in order to facilitate better coordination of United Nations interventions. Tuvalu believes strongly that nations have the right to self-determination. The United Nations must uphold this principle. Therefore, we believe it is time that the United Nations properly addressed the issue of Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the United Nations specialized agencies. My Government strongly supports Taiwan’s aspirations to meaningfully participate in the United Nations and its specialized agencies, recognizing Taiwan’s own political and economic achievements and its constructive contribution to international development, trade, health, education and technology. We appeal strongly that Taiwan’s aspirations to participate as a full member of specialized agencies of the United Nations be given proper and urgent attention. Finally, our story on the achievement of the MDGs is mixed. For small island developing States like Tuvalu, addressing our sustainable development challenges is not simply poverty reduction. It is the MDGs-plus. More than ever, we need a significant increase in direct financing, technology and capacity development, as recognized under the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation, to cope with our unique island challenges. Mr. Derrick Sikua (Solomon Islands), Vice- President, took the Chair. My Government firmly believes that the next 12 months will be an extremely critical time in the history of the United Nations. We must act promptly and decisively to address climate change, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to respond to the global crises on food and energy. These issues are closely linked. We must rise to these challenges. God bless the United Nations. Tuvalu mo te Atua.