Vanuatu

**Mr President,** **Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,** **Mr Secretary-General, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,** It is a great honour for me to address this distinguished assembly on behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Vanuatu. Mr President, I join previous speakers in offering my sincere congratulations on your election as President of the 79th session of the General Assembly. You can count on the support and cooperation of my delegation in guiding the work of this august assembly. Vanuatu welcomes the theme of this seventy-ninth session, *“No one left behind: working together to promote peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations”*, as it speaks directly to the global challenges of our time. --- **Vanuatu’s Situation** Mr President, Seventy-nine years since the founding of the United Nations, our collective efforts to create a better world for present and future generations remain deeply disappointing. It is alarming that after all this time, we are still mired in multiple global crises that undermine the promise of the UN Charter and fail our peoples—particularly the most vulnerable. Vanuatu welcomes the recent report by the UN Secretary-General, which highlights that we are far from achieving our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), underscoring the need to accelerate action to implement the 2030 Agenda. Our collective failures in addressing climate change, international development financing, and global peacebuilding continue to harm the development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Vanuatu. While industrialised nations advance their economies, SIDS suffer the brunt of climate change, which jeopardises our development ambitions. If the current trajectory of carbon emissions continues, Vanuatu’s recently achieved developing country status will be unsustainable. The increasing intensity and frequency of climate disasters threaten our livelihoods and erase years of development progress, leaving the most vulnerable even further behind. The real window for action to restore planetary health is closing fast. The latest IPCC report paints a bleak picture of our planet’s future. Yet, despite this stark warning, the global response to climate change remains inadequate, putting sustainable development and poverty eradication efforts at risk. The report warns we may breach a dangerous temperature threshold within the next decade. That is why Vanuatu has sought an **Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ)** to clarify states’ legal obligations regarding climate change—an initiative that has garnered unprecedented global attention. The **91 written submissions** from states and organisations to the ICJ, in response to our consensus resolution last year, demonstrate the crucial importance of legal clarity on states’ responsibilities and accountability regarding climate action. This is not about blame or singling out countries. It is about clarifying the existing rules of international law and their implications for all nations—so we can establish a strong foundation for climate action and climate justice based on shared responsibility and accountability. I urge all UN Member States, especially other climate-vulnerable nations, to participate in these historic ICJ hearings, which begin on **2 December 2024**. Your voices are essential to help the Court fully understand the impact of climate change on the most affected populations and to demonstrate our shared commitment to justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. --- **Mr President – LDC Graduation and Climate Change** Vanuatu’s economy performed well while it held the **Least Developed Country (LDC)** status. But following our graduation, structural challenges and vulnerabilities persist, while costs continue to rise. We reiterate the need for our development partners to support a phased and predictable removal of LDC-specific support. Small island economies are also contending with multiple crises amid tightening financial conditions and rising borrowing costs. This has increased debt distress risks and reduced our capacity for investment in recovery. Vanuatu welcomes the outcomes of the **Summit of the Future**, which calls for concerted global efforts to reform the international economic and financial architecture for this century’s challenges. We call for **deep reform of the Bretton Woods institutions** to restructure the international monetary and financial system, including the establishment of an **international sovereign debt restructuring mechanism** to address the current debt crises facing developing countries, especially the most vulnerable. Vanuatu and other small island economies are battling the onslaught of climate-induced disasters. While we continue efforts to build resilience and adapt to climate change, we often lose ground. Vanuatu loses over **half its GDP** whenever a severe cyclone strikes. We have endured **five major cyclones in the past three years**. The latest Adaptation Fund report estimates the **adaptation finance gap** at between **US$194 and 366 billion per year**. As a frontline nation facing frequent and worsening climate disasters, Vanuatu calls for a **new climate finance goal** that speeds up the transition away from fossil fuels, strengthens resilience, and realistically addresses loss and damage. To prevent severe damage to vital climate-regulating ecosystems, **Vanuatu has formally proposed the recognition of ecocide as an independent crime under the International Criminal Court**. We thank delegations for their support—especially **Fiji and Samoa** for co-sponsoring the proposal—and acknowledge the growing global support behind this initiative. --- **Mr President – Correspondent Banking Relations** Vanuatu and many Pacific Island States have faced multiple **withdrawals of correspondent banking relationships**, which have limited financial flows by delaying international development and humanitarian aid, and discouraging private sector investment—despite genuine efforts to improve anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks. It is vital to ensure **uninterrupted access to international financial services**, including remittances and export revenues. We welcome the World Bank’s recent support for Pacific Island countries on this issue and other challenges. --- **Mr President – Sustainable Development** In 2019, Vanuatu presented its first **Voluntary National Review (VNR)**, highlighting strong progress despite extreme climate vulnerability. This year’s second VNR, presented at the **High-Level Political Forum**, outlined the significant challenges we face in pursuing sustainable development. We continue to endure more frequent and intense tropical cyclones, compounded by the lasting impacts of COVID-19, with no clear end in sight. The government and people of Vanuatu have constantly adapted and strengthened resilience mechanisms to manage persistent threats and shocks. Achieving the SDGs is not merely aspirational for us—it is **a necessity**. The **2023 SDG Summit** saw the adoption of a strong political declaration and launched a new phase of accelerated action to deliver the SDGs by 2030. This year’s **High-Level Political Forum** once again provided a platform to monitor the 2030 Agenda and catalyse transformational change. The **Summit of the Future** further aims to rally collective support for delivering the 2030 Agenda, the **Addis Ababa Action Agenda**, and the **Paris Agreement** more swiftly and intelligently. We hope the reforms proposed in the **Pact for the Future** will help rebuild trust in the multilateral system. But this Pact will require strong political will to drive transformational action and lead us to a brighter future for all. --- **Mr President – Financing for Development** **Financing is the engine of development.** Yet, financing shortfalls lie at the heart of our failure to make real progress on the Millennium Development Goals. We remain on the front lines of a climate emergency that not only threatens sustainable development, but also forces us into **unsustainable levels of debt** to finance recovery from natural disasters due to the lack of affordable alternatives. We must **reform the international financial architecture** to meet today’s urgent challenges. Our diverse needs must be reflected in a more inclusive, equitable, and responsive global financial system. This includes tailored solutions and access to **affordable, long-term financing**, and addressing the decline in correspondent banking. Equally, we must **increase the representation and meaningful participation** of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in global economic and financial institutions. Amid persistent economic contractions and rising debt, **grants and concessional finance** are essential for recovery, resilience, and avoiding further debt distress. We look forward to the adoption of the **Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI)** as a tool to improve current decision-making frameworks on access to finance. We call for **collective support** to advance these priorities at the **Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4)** in 2025—ensuring the **democratisation of global economic governance**, where every country, not just those with power or wealth, has a voice in decision-making. --- **Mr President – Health** Vanuatu, like many Pacific neighbours, faces **acute and existential health and development threats**, including the burden of non-communicable diseases, malnutrition, and future pandemics. COVID-19 and violent tropical cyclones exposed the **fragility of our health infrastructure** and the urgent need for a system capable of meeting our population’s needs and withstanding climate change and related disasters. We call on the **World Health Organization** and SIDS partners to collaborate in improving access to **sustainable health financing**—supporting our efforts to prevent and control non-communicable diseases and build climate-resilient health systems. --- **Mr President – Decolonisation and Human Rights** To leave no one behind, we must **constructively complete the decolonisation process** for non-self-governing territories. Recently, the **Indigenous peoples of New Caledonia** voiced dissatisfaction over the conduct of the third referendum on independence from France. This has led to **riots, fatalities, and economic disruption**. It is essential to recognise and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples to their land, seas, and cultures. I have encouraged the Kanak people to work with France to determine their political future. Meanwhile, New Caledonia **must remain on the list of territories to be decolonised**. Similarly, we call for the **rights of the Indigenous peoples of West Papua** to be respected and urge them to collaborate with the Government of Indonesia to address their challenges and gain greater autonomy and participation in decision-making. --- **Mr President – UNSC Reform and Nuclear Disarmament** To achieve sustainable development, **we need peace**. Yet, some parts of the world remain unable to benefit from development due to the **UN’s failure to maintain international peace and security**. We call for **urgent reform of the UN Security Council** so it is fit for purpose and equipped to tackle today’s challenges. We are deeply concerned about the greatest threat to peace and security: the **continued existence of nuclear weapons**. In the context of worsening global tensions, we call for **renewed efforts** to break the current impasse on **nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation**. We also call for renewed commitment to the **UN Charter**. --- **Mr President – Conclusion** In today’s fractured and polarised world, we must redouble our efforts to work together and **restore trust in the multilateral system**, with the UN at its core. The **Summit of the Future** offers hope—but now we must move from rhetoric to **concrete action**. **We need peace to advance sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations. And we must act on financing as the engine of development.** **I thank you.**