Samoa

May I congratulate Mr. Opertti most warmly on his well-acclaimed election and express to him, on behalf of my Government, our full confidence and support for his presidency. We want also to pay tribute to Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine for his commitment and determined leadership during the fifty-second session. At this stage of my statement, I am honoured to speak as Chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and to do so on behalf of 32 AOSIS States that are Members of the United Nations. I take the opportunity from the outset to declare our heartfelt concerns and deepest feelings for the people and communities of the Caribbean and those bordering the Caribbean and in the southern parts of the United States who have lost families and properties or have been left homeless by hurricane Georges. We join in the call for the most generous assistance to them all. Several of the countries suffering severe damage and devastation — such as Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Virgin Islands — are AOSIS members, and we have them especially in our thoughts at this time. For our small island States, these climate-related events are occurring with alarming force and regularity. We have it from the experts that powerful hurricanes like Georges could be linked to the “cold event” of La Niña, the contrasting weather phenomenon to El Niño, and that La Niña may be setting conditions favourable to more frequent and dangerous Caribbean hurricanes like Georges. These were the same events described by the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea in his address to this Assembly last week, when he spoke of the damaging effects of El Niño, and by the Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji earlier today. They are events and disasters which demonstrate and underscore the extreme exposure and vulnerability of our island communities. AOSIS welcomed the action authorized by this Assembly last year towards early understanding of the El Niño phenomenon and its impacts, and we fully support the United Nations system-wide strategy now being developed. We welcome in particular the proposals initiated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to reduce the impact of environmental emergencies through early warning and preparedness, especially in the case of El Niño/Southern Oscillation. We note in this connection the importance of practical support for such initiatives, especially the generous financial donation from the Ted Turner Foundation. In Barbados in 1994, at the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, the international community recognized their special characteristics and needs and adopted a specific Programme of Action to address these needs. The United Nations Agenda for Development, adopted last year, reinforced the acknowledgement of special circumstances and stressed the need for international support to help island communities with their development efforts. The months ahead will be a critical time for our countries as we work towards the first five-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action next year at the two- day special session of the General Assembly. The review will be carried out against the background of the appraisal of Agenda 21 and the assessment arrived at by the world?s political leadership then that the overall trends with respect to sustainable development are worse today than they were in 1992. The conclusions of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) at its sixth session earlier this year, which reviewed several chapters of the Barbados Programme of Action, highlighted the continued 7 vulnerability of small island developing States, particularly to climate change, and the critical need for capacity- building in such areas as the management of wastes; freshwater biological resources; and science and technology. Placing priority on human resource development and the transfer of appropriate environmentally sound technologies are essential. Our national institutions and administrative capacities have been hampered by a severe lack of financial and technical skills, and the use of regional institutions and mechanisms for coordination needs to be strengthened or supplemented. We look forward to engaging the international community in detailed dialogue on these aspects at the donors? conference next February and during the other review preparatory processes next year. In doing so, let there be no doubt about our own determination in the matter, for the primary responsibility for the success of the Barbados Programme of Action lies with the small island developing States, first and foremost. We will not be sidetracked from the ultimate prize of self-reliance, but we must be assured of the vital support of the international community. The AOSIS countries continue to set high priority on the development of the vulnerability index and will follow with close attention the quantitative and analytical work which we believe must continue on the index. Recognition within the Barbados Programme of Action that small island developing States are a special case is further supported by the work of the ad hoc expert group on vulnerability indices, which reported to the Economic and Social Council earlier in the year. AOSIS takes particular note of the conclusion of the experts that, as a group, small island States are more vulnerable than other groups of developing countries. Looking to 1999 and the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development, we warmly welcome the election of the Minister of Environment of New Zealand, The Honourable Simon Upton, as Chairman of the CSD at its seventh session and look forward to a successful year of consultations under his leadership. The agenda for the Commission?s seventh session is full and an extremely important one: oceans, our heritage; sustainable tourism, so important to our future; and patterns of consumption and production, for we know all too well the need to change if our children are to have adequate and right choices for their own future. We hope that all States will take full advantage of the continued constructive dialogue that we have had in the past and which we expect during the Commission?s seventh session and the preparations for the review of the Barbados Programme of Action. The special session next year will provide an excellent opportunity to agree on the next steps to implement the Programme of Action, and to explore in a focused way the many difficulties which remain. It is no accident that the first chapter of the Barbados Programme of Action deals with climate change and that it leads off with a clear statement that small island developing States are particularly vulnerable to climate change, climate variability and sea-level rise. Indeed, the assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is that small island States are the least able to adapt to the impacts of climate change. We remain at the front line of this issue, an issue not of our making, and one that calls for urgent and concerted international action. With the passing of each season, small island States experience ever more serious impacts, and practical steps must now be taken to assist them, especially with the adaptation options that are available. The impacts of climate change put at risk habitats and fresh-water reserves, the very life force of our islands and communities, and thus the need for AOSIS to restate once again our profound concerns. As the globe suffers what is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history, it is essential that the international community as a whole be formally and unequivocally reminded that neither the efforts made thus far in implementing the Framework Convention on Climate Change nor the emissions reduction targets, on average 5.2 per cent, adopted in Kyoto last year, represent an adequate effort to stabilize greenhouse gases concentrations in the atmosphere at safe levels. We know from the IPCC reports that we need to do much more, and to do it immediately, by cuts of emissions of up to 60 per cent and more. There is emerging scientific evidence, supported by experience in almost every part of the world, that climate change is indeed taking effect, with devastating impacts, from the forest fires of South-East Asia to the extra severe and unprecedented flooding in China and Bangladesh, to the blistering heat of the American summer. These events, backed by science, must continue to drive the development of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. Developed country parties have an acknowledged historical role and remain primarily responsible for the 8 accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and they must be the first to accept the responsibility to redress the situation. They possess the skills and the capacity effectively to do so now. It is not sufficient per se to point to the new mechanisms created by the Kyoto Protocol, for there are numerous uncertainties concerning the new mechanisms. They are supplemental to domestic actions and they need rules for governance and compliance. Nor is it sufficient to say that developed country actions are conditional on developing country commitments. In the judgement of the AOSIS countries, such commitments must be allowed to evolve over time and in line with a common but differentiated principle, as well as the other fundamental principles of the Convention. There cannot be any doubt as to the major importance of the first steps taken in Kyoto, and of the quantum improvements brought about by the provisions of the Protocol. Notwithstanding the uncertainties I have referred to, we see a clear obligation on all parties to make every genuine effort towards early entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of its provisions. The size and the urgency of the problem require this of us all. It is the intent of the AOSIS countries to apply themselves in every positive and constructive way to help clarify such uncertainties. In this manner, we have submitted our suggestions and proposals in respect of several agenda items and in connection with the preparations for the fourth conference of the parties in Buenos Aires. We would need to acknowledge that the science on climate change is imperfect and incomplete. But the fact that we do not know everything is not a reason for ignoring the evidence which does exist. In this connection, we are concerned by the actions of certain industry interests which seem yet again to be determined on undermining the existing credible and universally acknowledged scientific findings, findings of the IPCC and others on this matter, and so to work in a negative way to influence public opinion. Climate change is far too serious and too urgent a concern for all humanity to be the subject of such manipulation. May I now turn briefly to address some additional issues which are of particular importance to my country, Samoa. First, we are deeply grateful to Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, for his leadership and for the reform process he has initiated. Samoa fully supports the ongoing efforts to strengthen and revitalize our Organization to better position it for the challenges of the new era. We need to say, though, that it does not accord with any real sense of commitment to look to the Secretary-General for performance, while denying him and the Organization the means to do so. We, like so many other Governments, must repeat the call for all arrears to be made good, and for all contributions to be paid in full, on time and without qualification. We are especially concerned about the failure, thus far, in reform measures for the Security Council and measures to deal with its current composition. Membership of the Council must be enlarged in both categories to reflect the realities of the present time and to enhance the Council?s effectiveness and legitimacy. We think the situation of Japan and Germany deserves special consideration. We believe very deeply in the sustaining power of international law in support of the Charter principles. The United Nations has been a necessary and a cohesive force in the elaboration of international law and rules for international cooperation, which now regulate a phenomenal range of human activity. An important and often overlooked fact is the comparatively high rate of State party adherence to international instruments and the acceptance of a wide range of obligations, whether on the environment, social development, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons or in so many other areas. The latest example would appear to be the Ottawa anti-personnel mines Convention, an unprecedented global achievement, which my own country has ratified, and which, by action of the international community, is soon to come into force. It is essential that all countries, large and small, take part in the creation of these rules for international conduct and behaviour. For small States, they constitute, ultimately, the most effective measure of protection. Samoa was able to play a role in the Rome negotiations for the establishment of the International Criminal Court, and is a signatory of its Statute. We believe that the Court will contribute significantly to the international legal order and security, for it offers, for the first time, effective responses to serious crimes of international concern: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The challenge now is to bring the Statute into force and to implement its provisions. We all have a duty to see to this, at the earliest moment. As the Secretary General has said, it is an opportunity to take a monumental step in the name of human rights and the rule of law. Let me note here our welcome for the recent and very important findings and decision of the International Tribunal for Rwanda in 9 respect of the offences of genocide and crimes against humanity. Our Pacific region is one of peace, and we treasure our peace. But our security and environment have been put under threat by explosions and the testing of far too many nuclear weapons. We will continue with our quest for a total ban through the development and the implementation of the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty, the second oldest of the international regional arrangements, and we call for the active participation and support of all nuclear- weapon States for the Treaty and its protocols. In like manner, we will give solid backing to all international efforts towards the final elimination of these weapons, in particular, the resolutions of this House on the landmark Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice concerning the obligation to pursue in good faith and to bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects. Samoa condemns all testing of nuclear weapons, as we did the underground testing in the South Asia region earlier in the year. However, we have heard in this Hall encouraging statements by India and Pakistan, and we join others in urging that they commit to a lasting moratorium by becoming parties to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty (CTBT) and that they adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Let me say also that we applaud Brazil?s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We welcome these positive developments most warmly. The United Nations remains a significant part of the modern development and progress of my country. It is with complete faith that we renew our commitment to the Charter. We do so as a small country and with abiding trust in the principles of the Charter and the most supportive concern for the welfare of the Organization.