It is a privilege to speak before the General Assembly for the first time. I bring warm greetings from the people of the Republic of Palau.
I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. Abdulla Shahid on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session, and I commend Mr. Volkan Bozkir on his leadership during the previous session.
Our seventy-sixth session convenes at a unique time in the history of the United Nations. Member States are still confronted with the monumental task of solving the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. On behalf of the people of Palau, we applaud and salute the first responders, doctors, nurses, public health professionals and all those who have worked on, and continue to diligently respond to, the pandemic, including scientists, pharmaceutical companies, civil society, Governments and others that have taken the lead in creating life-saving vaccines and innovative treatments in swift response.
Palau would also like to thank all our international allies and friends that came to our aid during this
difficult time, especially the United States, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. They delivered COVID-19 vaccines, personal protective equipment, testing capacity and vital training to the people of Palau, which allowed us to remain COVID-19-free through most of the pandemic. We are now COVID-19-safe, with more than 80 per cent of our total population fully vaccinated and with zero deaths or hospitalizations. The people of Palau are eternally grateful for the friendship, generosity and cooperation.
Along those lines, we would like to highlight the Republic of China-Taiwan’s leadership in the global response against COVID-19. Not only has it demonstrated consistent and effective management of the pandemic within its borders, but its leadership has also extended to Palau. Taiwan’s international response facilitated cooperation and the implementation of an effective sterile travel corridor between Taiwan and Palau. That sterile corridor has allowed Taiwan and Palau to resume medical and educational cooperation and recoup economic engagement and other benefits of international travel. We encourage the United Nations system to accept Taiwan as a valuable contributor to our collective efforts and strongly advocate for Taiwan’s participation in the United Nations system.
On behalf of the people of Palau, we also extend our deepest condolences to those whose lives have been affected by the pandemic. Our prayers go out to members and their loved ones. We also pray that we will further band together to find more equitable approaches to subdue the pandemic and continue the healing and economic recovery of our people, communities and nations.
If there is to be a silver lining in the pandemic, it is the strength of human resolve. In record time, we mobilized global resources and information to send protective equipment around the world and created numerous vaccines and treatments to counteract the COVID-19 virus. Although more can — and must — be done in our efforts to contain the pandemic, the global community responded to the threat of despair by taking action and working at break-neck speed to contain the coronavirus. Today I ask the global community to take the same level of urgency and bold action in responding to the existential threat of climate change.
In April of this year, Palau, which historically is outside the typhoon belt, was hit by Typhoon Surigae, our third typhoon since 2012. It damaged 20 per cent of our homes and destroyed major infrastructure, including our aquaculture facilities. It also destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of crops and wreaked significant havoc on our reefs and corals, consequently undermining Palau’s food security. That is particularly notable because Palau and other small island developing States (SIDS) depend on imported and highly processed food products, due to the lack of economies of scale as a result of our small populations. That results in significant increases in non-communicable diseases among our people. While there is potential for increased local production, our efforts are hampered by the adverse impact of climate change, including sea-level rise, typhoons, droughts and other stress on marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
The gradual destruction caused by climate change has allowed us to be complacent and to respond by kicking the can down the road. However, the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has indicated that we are running out of time. Simply put, we must act now to ensure that our children inherit a healthy and reliable future. We need to act now before further irreparable damage is done to our planet. As a SIDS, we stand here as one of the States most vulnerable to climate change, and we urge fast and comprehensive multilateral action to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Ocean-based climate action can play a significant role in shrinking the world’s carbon footprint. The Ocean Panel has commissioned research that found ocean-based climate action can deliver up to a fifth — 21 per cent — of the annual greenhouse-gas emissions cuts needed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2050.
One of the major issues in addressing the risks of climate change and the climate-ocean nexus is our inability and lack of capacity in accessing climate financing. That further exacerbates our vulnerabilities, and we are not alone in that respect. Of the 20 per cent of climate financing provided on adaptation, only 2 per cent of that support went to SIDS. Furthermore, of that 2 per cent, at least half of those funds were not in the form of grants, but in the form of loans. We urge the United Nations to address that inequality and reduce the artificial barriers to allowing small countries to access climate financing. We also urge the United Nations to create systems that, in line with its Charter, represent “we the peoples” for all people.
As a SIDS, Palau relies heavily on the ocean, not only as its main economic engine via tourism and fisheries but also for its food security. A recent study on the Palau National Marine Sanctuary by Stanford University stated that rising temperatures will produce warmer waters that will hold less oxygen. Those twin pressures will cause tuna and billfish, which have particularly high-oxygen requirements, to migrate in search of areas with cooler waters and higher oxygen concentrations. Those analyses project a 40 per cent decline in skipjack and yellowfin tuna biomass in Palau’s waters by the year 2100, if we continue on this high-emissions trajectory.
As Palau prepares to host the seventh Our Ocean Conference in February 2022, we reaffirm our commitment to sustainably manage, use and conserve our oceans. In 2015, we declared most of our exclusive economic zone as the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, but that is not enough. We need global action. It is time that the international community commit to establishing a 30 per cent target that focuses on marine-protected areas within and beyond national jurisdictions.
Many of the challenges that will be presented here this week must be addressed within the framework of the United Nations, as the custodian of the world. To that point, Palau is undergoing a renewal of its Compact of Free Association with the United States. The relationship was the result of the United Nations historic role in assigning trusteeship to the United States to administer our islands as part of a strategic trust territory, with the duty of developing the territory into full self-government and self-reliance.
After seven referendums, the people of Palau agreed to the Compact of Free Association in 1994, allowing the United States to exercise the fundamental elements of our national sovereignty — control over our national security and defence. And that enabled the United States to deny other nations access to our lands and waters, ultimately restricting our association with some members of the international community and limiting our prospective economic development opportunities.
In that regard, previous Compact reconsiderations have been unsuccessful because of inadequate regard for the complex dynamics of the modern world and the compounding vulnerabilities Palau is challenged with. Regardless, I am confident that the new United States Administration will rise to the task and correct the deficiencies in previous deliberations.
As the eldest, or big brother, in my family, the safety, security and well-being of my siblings were ultimately my responsibility. We grew up in our community as a collective unit, whereby “I” was always synonymous with “we”. This reassured us that no one would be left out and reinforced the principle that each of us reflected the stability and character of the family and the extended community. That is a fundamental Palauan principle that, I believe, signifies the Pacific way and reflects the United Nations system.
This family — the United Nations — has the opportunity to reconcile global issues and, through its collective membership, take the actions necessary to develop and implement innovative crucial solutions. This is our mandate, and we must not fail.
In Palau, many different fishes of the ocean are painted on our traditional Chiefs’ meeting houses, which we call abais. There are the sharks that symbolize bravery, the stingrays that symbolize steadfastness and the surgeon fish, which we call the mesekuuk, that symbolize unity. The surgeon fish represents a unique characteristic. They are fish that graze and roam on the reef alone, eating algae. But, once danger lurks, they all swim quickly from wherever they are along the reef and come together in a large school resembling an intimidating ocean animal to provide safety and security for all.
The nations of the world must act like the surgeon fish and come together, including Taiwan. Taiwan’s 23.5 million people must also be given a voice, as the Charter of the United Nations states, “We the peoples”. All the nations working together can overcome the challenges of our time, from COVID-19 to climate, and act with integrity and resolve to leave a better world for our children.
I am proud to stand among my brothers and sisters at the United Nations and champion a brighter and more sustainable world. God bless us all. Kom kmal mesulang.