On behalf of the Government and people of Solomon Islands, let me first convey my warmest greetings to the President and the members of the General Assembly. It is indeed very humbling to stand here today to address the Assembly at its seventy-seventh session as sovereign equals. I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Csaba Korosi on his election as President of the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly. I assure him of Solomon Islands’ support and cooperation during his tenure in office. I also commend and thank his predecessor, Mr. Abdulla Shahid, for his assertive leadership of the Assembly during an unprecedented period in our history.
Solomon Islands is a member of the family of Commonwealth countries and a realm State; therefore, on behalf of the Government and people of Solomon Islands, I express our profound grief over the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and convey our heartfelt and deepest condolences to His Royal Highness, King Charles III, the royal family and the Government and people of the United Kingdom. Her Majesty will always be remembered as an inspiration and a figure of stability, dignity and grace. May God bless the reign of King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth and all realm countries.
The shifting international system has generated renewed strategic interests in the corner of the world that we regard as our home — the Pacific — with superpowers and middle Powers coming together seeking to strengthen their presence in the blue Pacific continent. Solomon Islands sees the global system as interlinked and interdependent. The recently adopted 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, approved by Pacific leaders and launched here in New York yesterday, defines the Pacific region’s priorities and strategic interests. The Strategy offers opportunities that can be leveraged to benefit our people. The large ocean island States that inhabit the blue Pacific continent share a common sense of identity and purpose. All partners that wish to work with Pacific countries must align with that strategy.
The right to establish diplomatic relations between sovereign nations is a universal principle shared by all members of the United Nations. Solomon Islands has been unfairly targeted since it formalized diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China just over three years ago. We have been subjected to a barrage of unwarranted and misplaced criticisms, misinformation and intimidation that threaten our democracy and sovereignty. Solomon Islands has been vilified in the media since formalizing its relationship with China. That decision was reached through democratic processes by a democratically elected Government. Our decision to establish a relationship with the People’s Republic of China is consistent with resolution 2758 (XXVI), observed by most of the countries in the Assembly, and which also articulates the One China policy that Solomon Islands respects. I reiterate the call for all to respect our sovereignty and democracy.
Solomon Islands has adopted a “friends to all and enemies to none” foreign policy. In implementing that policy, we will not align ourselves with any external Powers or security architecture that targets our or any other sovereign country or threatens regional and international peace. Solomon Islands will not be coerced into choosing sides. I am reminded of the wisdom conveyed by the late President Nelson Mandela during an interview with Ted Koppel, which is relevant to our situation:
“One of the mistakes which some political analysts make is to think their enemies should be our enemies. Our attitude towards any country is determined by the attitude of that country to our struggle.”
Solomon Islands has no enemies — only friends. Our struggle is to develop our country. We stretch out our hand of friendship and seek genuine and honest cooperation and partnership with all. Mutual respect for the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of any country is universal and paramount. As a sovereign nation, we embrace and zealously guard those principles.
Looking at the wider region, the Taiwan Strait is one of the world’s busiest trading routes used by international shipping. We call on all countries to be
sensitive and not inflame tensions that could threaten the unity and security of any country. Any miscalculation could threaten international peace and security and have disastrous consequences on global trade.
Regarding the Ukraine conflict, Solomon Islands calls for maximum restraint by all the parties and a de-escalation of the conflict. We continue to hear words of war in this Hall of peace. We must be united in our resolve to seek peace and urge all parties to pursue a diplomatic solution to the conflict, based on the spirit and purpose of our Charter of the United Nations.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, climate change, the impact of global conflicts and domestic civil unrest have jeopardized our progress on delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They have undermined our ability to graduate out of least developed country (LDC) status in 2024. Solomon Islands has experienced negative economic growth owing to the closure of our international borders since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic more than two years ago. Those circumstances have changed the landscape for our progress and sustainable development. We will collaborate with partners to undertake an in-depth assessment of our readiness to graduate out of LDC status in 2024.
Solomon Islands joins other countries in the blue Pacific continent that are signatories of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty for maintaining a nuclear-free Pacific. We encourage nuclear-power States that have signed the Treaty to take the steps to ratify it. The Treaty is aligned with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We reiterate our call for the total elimination of nuclear material, nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered military assets in our blue Pacific. Solomon Islands also echoes the concerns expressed by other Pacific countries about Japan’s proposal to discharge water treated by the advanced liquid processing system at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean, because of the potential transboundary and intergenerational implications.
I am pleased to inform the General Assembly that Solomon Islands has now legally formalized the delimitation of all five of its maritime boundaries with Australia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, France and Fiji. With the completion of all five maritime boundaries, our rights and obligations are protected under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in perpetuity. In that connection, the Solomon Islands Government supports the ongoing work undertaken by the International Law Commission on the question of sea level rise and sovereignty. The position taken by Solomon Islands is that once the signed instruments are deposited with the United Nations, our boundaries have achieved permanent status. That also upholds the principles of stability, security, certainty and perpetuity enshrined in UNCLOS.
Solomon Islands is a post-conflict country and our work to address the underlying causes of that conflict is still a work in progress. Sadly, in November 2021, that progress was seriously hampered by civil unrest and rioting that exposed the country’s security and economic fragility. We welcome any assistance in addressing our post-conflict challenges.
On a brighter note, Solomon Islands will, for the first time, be hosting the Pacific Games in 2023. The event will strengthen the unity of our nation and will contribute to our nation-building and peacebuilding processes. I take this opportunity to thank our partners who have assisted us thus far in our preparation to host the Games, including the People’s Republic of China, which funds the bulk of the Games’ facilities; the Republic of Indonesia; Australia; Papua New Guinea; and Japan. The 2023 Pacific Games infrastructure has transformed our capital city and has opened new opportunities for our youthful population.
Solomon Islands has embarked on a digital transformation journey to enhance and modernize our telecommunications infrastructure, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 9, to link its more than 900 inhabited islands distributed over 1.2 million square kilometres of water. Together with Australia and Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands commissioned its first submarine cable in 2019. The geographical reach of the submarine cable will be expanded with the installation of approximately 170 telecommunications towers under a Belt and Road Initiative that will link 80 per cent of Solomon Islands and provide our rural populace with much-needed access to reliable, accessible and affordable telecommunications services.
We also acknowledge with appreciation the ongoing support from our bilateral and multilateral partners, including Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, the Green Climate Fund and others, for our infrastructure projects by building new roads, bridges, airports, wharves and hydropower dams.
I stand here in solidarity with my Pacific island brothers and sisters to continue our fight against climate change. The onset of extreme temperatures, heatwaves, droughts, flooding and sea-level rise has increased the vulnerability of Pacific countries to the negative impacts of climate change. For least developed countries like Solomon Islands, vulnerability is a key hindrance to sustainable development. Currently, indicators to measure vulnerability are inadequate. Solomon Islands therefore calls on all States and partners to support the development of the multidimensional vulnerability index and looks forward to its finalization and adoption.
Pacific Island countries, including Solomon Islands, are in a constant mode of recovery from disasters. Global financial mechanisms for disaster recovery need to be established to ensure the economic burden of recovery and building back better and stronger following rapid onset and climate-related disasters are not borne solely by countries that are in serious need of support.
Considering those challenges, the Pacific region has declared a state of climate emergency. Sadly, we are seeing more resources spent on wars than on combating climate change. This is extremely unfortunate. Pacific countries have also established a Pacific Resilience Facility — a financing mechanism that aims to build the resilience and reduce the vulnerability of Pacific populations to the negative impacts of climate change. A pledging session for the Facility will be held during the current session, and we call on all partners to support the Facility.
Solomon Islands also commends the Vanuatu-led initiative requesting support from the United Nations to ask the International Court of Justice to provide an advisory opinion on climate change, which has also been strongly supported by Pacific leaders.
As the world continues to combat climate change, we ask all parties going into the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) to set more ambitious nationally determined contributions that would put our world on the pathway to 1.5°C. We would also like to see a road map for ease of access to and timely disbursements of the $100 billion earmarked for adaptation financing by 2025. The discussions on loss and damage demand a standalone agenda at COP 27 aimed at establishing a loss and damage financing facility.
Solomon Islands embraces the promotion and respect for human rights as a fundamental freedom for all. We subscribe to resolution 60/251 in that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated, interdependent and mutually reinforcing, and that all human rights must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis.
Now, I am pleased to inform the Assembly that Solomon Islands has successfully deposited its instrument of ratification to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. We will be submitting our instrument of ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict within the coming weeks.
We join the international community in reiterating the call for the lifting of the economic embargo imposed on Cuba. We commend Cuba’s resilience and urge the United States of America to take the initiative and normalize relations between those two close neighbours. I also wish to convey my deepest appreciation to Cuba for the training of our medical students. More than 100 Solomon Islands medical doctors have graduated from Cuban medical schools over the years.
Solomon Islands also closely follows the outcome of the third referendum in New Caledonia, which took place in December 2021 in an atmosphere of uncertainty. Solomon Islands subscribes to the contents of the draft resolution contained in document A/AC.109/2022/L.22 and supports the call to all relevant parties to ensure that the next steps for the self-determination process are transparent and inclusive.
In relation to our successful fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, we express our heartfelt gratitude to our partners, including Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, the United States of America, United Nations agencies, the World Bank and other multilateral agencies that stood with us. They provided us with tremendous support and much-needed vaccines through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, as well as bilaterally.
Solomon Islands is also extremely grateful for the employment opportunities provided by Australia and New Zealand through their respective labour mobility programmes to accommodate some of the 20,000 unemployed youth who enter our labour market every year.
Let me conclude by once again thanking the President of the General Assembly for the theme for this year’s session. Our world is at a crossroads and is feeling the strain of divisive elements that can divide us. We must not allow that to happen. We have been weighed down by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are feeling the negative impacts of geopolitical conflicts and wars. The time has come for our world to rally and focus on what unites us, rather than what divides us, for the world will always be stronger if we are together. We must foster friendship and solidarity through genuine and durable partnerships. We must commit to working together, with one other, to ensure we can leave behind a legacy of a more peaceful, more just and brighter world for the younger generations that will come after us.
The key questions we must all ask ourselves are the following. First, what legacy do we, as leaders today, leave behind for those that will come after us? Secondly, how do we wish to be remembered by the generations that will follow? I am sure that we would all wish to be remembered as the generation of leaders that uplifted our world and united our people and our countries to live together in peaceful coexistence. If we can leave behind a legacy that safeguards the survival and freedom of our future generations, we will have done our jobs well.