Vanuatu

I bring warm greetings from the people of the Republic of Vanuatu. At the outset, I wish to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixtieth session. I assure you of my Government’s support for the work of the United Nations under your stewardship. I take this opportunity also to acknowledge, with deep admiration, the sterling dedication of your predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping, who meticulously steered the work of the fifty-ninth session to its conclusion. I would like also to pay tribute to the Secretary-General for his active role and for his resilience in continuing the work of United Nations reform. We come to the Assembly annually to reaffirm our faith and confidence in the purposes and principles of the Charter. This year is especially important, since leaders are meeting five years after the Millennium Summit to take stock of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Although the outcome document has been adopted, we are extremely disappointed with the omission of numerous paragraphs. The farcical ending of the negotiations resulted in a dilution of the quality of the final document. The United Nations must, in future, avoid becoming a rubber stamp for the powerful. The world is at a crossroads. Our meeting is taking place at a critical juncture. Civil and political strife, wars, poverty, diseases, famine, drought, natural disasters, terrorism, minority oppression and environmental degradation are affecting the lives of millions of people. The sacrilege of such human suffering is unbelievable and painful to bear. The United Nations must be able to do more and must respond more promptly to such situations. It must do so by improving its preventive-capacity mechanisms so as to minimize the devastating impact on peoples’ livelihood and to ease their suffering. We must ask, therefore, whether we are really doing enough for our peoples. Is this all about impressive speeches, rhetoric and pretentious, grandiose plans that detract from the real issues that need addressing? My Government is disillusioned by the lack of genuine goodwill and support that is being offered to the United Nations. I would like to reiterate my Government’s message to the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. “The Achilles heel of the current structure is the imbalance of power in the United Nations system. It has become so chronic that it has weakened 2 the multilateral focus, cohesiveness and internationalism of the United Nations.” (A/59/PV.14, p. 25) The principles of democratization and good governance, so actively advocated and championed by some Members, must be reflected in the reorganization and decision-making process of the United Nations system. If we are to get back on track, the United Nations must be rejuvenated. It must be reinvigorated so that it can reassume its legitimate and central responsibility in addressing the causes of conflict, maintaining peace and security and promoting the development agenda. But if it is to do that, the Organization’s decision- making and other processes must be transparent and truly democratized. Some of us preach strongly on democracy the world over, yet are unable to practice and enforce those values when it really matters. We are now on the threshold of a new beginning, so let us not allow this new opportunity to pass. At the summit, I said that tolerance and respect must form the nucleus for any reform of the United Nations. Only by enforcing those values will we come to realize the true meaning of justice, equality and human rights. The diversity of the developing world presents huge challenges for us all. However, the strong nations must be able to muster the political will to effect changes. The big players need to transform their philosophy and their mindset, because they have been hindrances to the creation of an equitable system of good governance within multilateral organizations such as the United Nations. The United Nations remains indispensable for future peace and prosperity. Globalization has brought nations together; we are interlinked and interdependent, and that requires global cooperation and governance from all responsible Members of the Organization. Understandably, there are vested interests held by the powerful. That requires genuine cooperation and goodwill, and those interests and the role of the United Nations must converge in order to ensure compatibility with the international legal framework. My Government fully supports efforts to reform the United Nations system so as to ensure a stronger and more effective Organization. In this context, my delegation shares the views of other delegations on the need to revise the membership of the Security Council so as to ensure fair representation of Member States without affecting the authority of the Council. A more representative Council will bring openness and transparency, create confidence and improve understanding and cooperation. The restructuring of the Security Council membership is long overdue. Diversity is essential in that respect. I agree that terrorism is one of three main scourges confronting humankind today — the others being poverty and disease. My Government condemns those deliberate callous and inhuman acts that have taken the lives of innocent people. There is no just act of terrorism. We agree that we must work collectively in eliminating that deadly menace from the face of the Earth. But the fight against terrorism must be balanced and targeted so as to ensure that resources are equitably channelled into meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The global economic situation today discriminates against many of the developing economies. Unfair trading practices and the imposition of intrusive policies on national economies affect our economies by opening them up to unfavourable conditions that only favour the stronger nations. Such negative actions marginalize nations and peoples. Marginalization then breeds and incites resentment, fuelling the hatred that eventually creates fertile grounds for extremism to grow and flourish. We have agreed on the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission, which will also enable more work to be done to combat the spread of terrorism, in particular by identifying areas where international support and understanding are required. Although we are injecting many resources into curing the problem, we are not really preventing it from emerging. The world needs a spirit of pacifism if real peace is to prevail. In order to achieve that, the United Nations needs moral leadership — leadership that focuses on security and dignity for the human person. The post-Monterrey Conference era poses extreme challenges for the economic survival and socio-economic stability of many of the small island developing nations like Vanuatu. We urge our development partners to honour their commitments to reach the 0.7 per cent target for official development assistance (ODA). In this context we welcome the commitments from the United States of America through the Millennium Challenge Account. We also 3 welcome commitments by Qatar, the European Union and the People’s Republic of China. Furthermore, we look forward to the coming to fruition of initiatives by France and other countries. The pivotal role of trade as the engine for economic growth cannot be overemphasized, but, as many of my colleagues from the small island States and the least developed countries have stated, market access and special preferential treatment must be provided. Furthermore, many of us are restricted by inflexible and immoral conditions that inhibit new financing and development initiatives. We continue to call for trade and investment and labour export to help our economies to grow. My Government’s national development priorities focus on building the productive sector. The Government’s prioritized action agenda highlights the policy areas that we believe to be essential in meeting our development objectives. It is the catalyst for Vanuatu’s medium- to long-term strategic planning, which emphasizes the need to empower our rural population through infrastructure- and capacity- building initiatives. The development policy framework is consistent with achieving the MDG targets, and the development strategy is being refined to give equal consideration to our other international commitments and the Pacific Plan. We appeal to our development partners to assist us in the effective implementation of our strategy. A fundamental lesson to be drawn from Vanuatu’s reforms is that they have been forced from outside, without being adapted to our national circumstances. From Vanuatu’s perspective, externally driven reforms must be buttressed by an equal partnership that respects local traditions and cultures and the rights of all citizens, without disturbing the essential uniting mechanisms of society that have successfully held us together. Vanuatu embraces democracy and the concepts of good governance and transparency, but those far-reaching principles must be tailored to traditional systems without affecting their relevance and significance. With regard to the environment, we urge our development partners to actively support the effective implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. The challenges confronting island States are ominous, and I repeat the call that more recognition should be given to accommodate our natural characteristics and vulnerabilities. We also urge States that have not yet done so to act responsibly by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol as soon as possible. On the question of the shipment of radioactive materials and hazardous waste, improvements in safeguards and assurances should not have to await a calamity. Preventive measures must be the course of action to take. The risks posed by the forces of nature, coupled with increased terrorist activities, are too grave for enhanced safeguards to deal with. The world would be better off banning such shipments rather than endlessly trying to perfect safeguards approaches that, at best, only limit such serious risks. Complacency would be our greatest mistake. The Charter of the United Nations espouses the principles that continue to guide the Organization’s efforts in the process of self-determination. That right must be progressively advanced. The United Nations must be consistent and not lose sight of the fundamental right of self-determination for those who are working their way out of the shackles of colonial rule. Ruling and sovereign authorities must ensure that the process remains on track. Where the United Nations has failed to fully comply with the appropriate legal procedures, it is only proper that such instances be adequately addressed to allow justice to prevail for the victims. Circumventing the issue only exposes the dark history and raises serious questions about the credibility, relevance and integrity of the United Nations. Only in an open and consistent manner can we redress past failures and provide a stronger basis for the advancement of United Nations ideals. Such contradictions simply make a mockery of the fundamental principles of human rights and self- determination clearly enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. How can we call for respect for human rights, yet blatantly ignore the pleas of the millions calling out for justice? The United Nations cannot, and must not, continue to turn a blind eye to its own past failures. It is morally, politically and legally wrong to do so. The continuing disputes raised over the implementation of United Nations resolutions are clear 4 examples challenging the integrity and validity of the United Nations. We cannot ignore the calls of the West Papuans in their quest for justice. We urge the United Nations to act responsibly in revisiting the case of West Papua. However, we are encouraged by the Indonesian Government’s efforts to address alleged human rights abuses. We also welcome decisions empowering West Papuans to manage their own affairs in collaboration with the central Government. The United Nations must also explore various avenues to end the economic embargo imposed on Cuba. Countless resolutions have been adopted to no effect, and the Cuban people continue to be marginalized in the multilateral trading system. This is a critically challenging responsibility. Some may see it as an improbable task, but it must be addressed with genuine support and goodwill on the part of the relevant authorities and sovereign States. In conclusion, I hope that the Creator’s wisdom will prevail as we continue our journey. Despite all our differences and diversities, human security for all is our main goal and should remain the focus of the United Nations agenda. The cardinal question is, will Members allow the United Nations to undertake serious reforms in meeting the challenges ahead? And will the Organization be capable of guaranteeing a future of peace and prosperity that is not reserved only for the big players but will be enjoyed by all? Will the United Nations become a juggernaut for the stronger nations? A famous biblical verse reminds us about the fundamental wisdom of building on rock instead of sand. The future remains in our hands, and the Republic of Vanuatu will play its part. May our beloved almighty Creator bless us all.