Palau

Let me first congratulate you, Sir, on your unanimous election as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session. We likewise extend our appreciation to Mr. Didier Opertti, the President of the Assembly at its fifty-third session. We wish also to convey our appreciation and thanks to His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan for his leadership in promoting the objectives and the mission of the United Nations. I wish to convey the warm greetings of President Kuniwo Nakamura, the entire leadership and the people of the Republic of Palau to the Assembly on the occasion of the fifty-fourth session. On behalf of the Government and the people of Palau, I extend our sincere appreciation to the members of this body for their assistance. Since attaining membership of the United Nations in 1994, the Republic of Palau has benefitted greatly from a variety of United Nations-sponsored programmes and from international cooperation, which have helped us play our role in promoting peace and democracy in our region. This year, on 1 October, we proudly celebrate the fifth anniversary of our independence, which came about as a result of a unique and very successful political treaty with the United States of America under the Compact of Free Association. Diplomatic relations and economic cooperation with a growing number of members of this body assure stability and promise great economic potential for the future. Before I proceed, let me take this rare opportunity to welcome three of our regional neighbours — the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga — and to congratulate them on joining this important Organization. Palau also expresses its appreciation and support for the efforts of the Security Council in promoting peace, security and the protection of human rights and democracy throughout the world, and especially in troubled areas in need of United Nations intervention. Today we have less than 100 days left before entering the new millennium — 97 days to be exact. There are indeed many global issues and problems that certainly deserve our attention. The existence of the Earth in the next millennium may, however, be in great jeopardy if the environment and nature's forces can no longer support the human population. Global warming or climate change may merit the upmost attention and our concerted effort. I call upon every Member State, large and small, developed and developing, rich and poor, to work cooperatively to find meaningful solutions and preventive actions for this growing international problem and challenge. I am confident that through sharing information on climate change we can learn from one another and take the necessary steps to meet this very dangerous global problem. Let me share a Palauan proverb with the Assembly, one that foreshadows climate change. In Palau the winds are mainly from the east or from the west. When there are easterly winds, the sky is not so telling before the rain. As the rain commences, one may think it is just a light shower. However, it actually comes in a downpour. In the old days our raincoat was simply several leaves sewn together and put over our heads. So we would get soaked through and through during this downpour. The message is: do not underestimate the easterly winds, or you will get deluged with water. That is our message from yesterday, and it is our message today: do not take climate change lightly, or there will be dire consequences. Climate change for small island nations such as the Republic of Palau has great consequences because of our fragile ecosystem. To expand on just a few examples, the El Niño phenomenon, which impacted many communities throughout the globe, had far- reaching and devastating effects in Palau as well. At least one third of all our hard coral communities died. Our reefs are home to over 500 species of corals and 1,500 species of fish, and are vibrant with marine life. The loss of our coral communities effects our entire ecosystem and eventually our people and their economic livelihoods. The El Niño phenomenon also caused extreme drought that dried up our main water reservoir and destroyed over 1,400 patches of our most important root crop, taro, which of course added another burden to our daily lives. Palau and our Pacific region are also suffering from unusually high rises in tide tables, causing our farmlands to be infiltrated with salt water that eventually will have dire effects on our crops. This high sea level rise has literally caused islands to disappear, and others are in imminent danger of disappearing. Abnormally warm ocean temperatures have also caused extensive coral bleaching, and rising atmospheric temperatures devastate agriculture. According to the 1999-2000 World Development Report, a 1 metre sea level rise due to climate change would force about 70 million people to move, and would have a dramatic effect on food security in central Asia and the Pacific. Many other examples exist, I am sure. These few examples, and examples in other countries, beg for global cooperation on climate change. The Republic of Palau recognizes the link between climate change and biodiversity, and is committed to preserving our biodiversity. Protecting our forests is one of the most effective mechanisms to slow climate change. Forests, as we know, are carbon sinks, which absorb carbon dioxide rather than releasing it as a harmful greenhouse gas. Because of this, the destruction of forest has a dramatic impact on climate change. The Republic of Palau has taken responsibility for its forests through the National Forest Act and Mangrove Management Plan. Progress is being made on national regulations requiring protective vegetative zones along our wetland and coastal areas. The Republic of Palau sponsors a summer tree planting programme for our children in order to teach our youth the importance of our natural resources. We are taking steps necessary to ensure that our forests and reefs are available for future generations. The Republic of Palau has incorporated the grave issues of climate change and rises in sea level into long- term strategic planning. Instruments for accession to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol are in transmission, and we humbly request international assistance to develop a comprehensive vulnerability index that encompasses economic and environmental factors like climate change. We enthusiastically support efforts to adjust energy prices to accurately reflect the environmental 2 consequences of fossil fuel use. Alongside climate change, energy conservation is critical to Palau's economy and the environment. We have established a national policy, the National Energy Goal, to subsidize renewable energy programmes, and have audited all Government facilities for energy efficiency. At our national hospital we replaced standard incandescent lights with energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps. Solar panels provide lights for our outer islands and isolated villages. Solar beacons light our reef channels. Our national energy programme and public utility corporation are in partnership with the Million Solar Rooftops initiative to educate the public about renewable energy applications. Let us start off the new century with a dynamic move away from fossil fuels and towards a commitment to environment friendly energy alternatives. Entering into relevant agreements and conventions which target international response to environmental issues is another responsibility that our Republic has to its people and this world community. It is one that we are fulfilling as time goes on, being a signatory and party to eight international agreements, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Republic of Palau views climate change as being in the forefront of issues that need to be addressed, and that can only be effectively addressed if all Member States meaningfully contribute on the basis of common but differentiated responsibilities. The use of the Kyoto mechanisms is an integral component of a global solution to the issue of climate change. Therefore, it is critical that no artificial restrictions be placed on the use of these mechanisms. If we can all come to terms with the intent of the Kyoto mechanisms and develop a fair and realistic approach to their use, there will be no sufficient reason why we cannot enter the new millennium with positive remedies to the issue of climate change. Maybe we can even enter the new millennium with a breath of fresh air. As we travel towards the new millennium, let us move forward with the tools that we have developed as an international family, so that the benefits, although they may go unseen in our generation, may be fully appreciated by our children and their children. These initiatives shall be our imprint, our assurance of a healthier environment for generations to come.