Papua New Guinea

On behalf of the people and the Government of Papua New Guinea, I wish to join previous speakers in congratulating you, Mr. President, on your election to your important post. Your unanimous election as President of the General Assembly shows the esteem in which the international community holds both you, personally, and your country, Uruguay. The Papua New Guinea delegation is confident that you will guide this fifty-third session of the General Assembly to a successful conclusion. May I also take this opportunity, through you, to express my delegationâs sincere appreciation to your predecessor, the former Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, for his outstanding stewardship in facilitating the work of the fifty-second session of the General Assembly. We would also like to place on record our appreciation to the Secretary-General and the Secretariat staff for the care they put into the planning of the affairs of our Organization. This is the first occasion on which I have addressed the General Assembly. The year since I was elected Prime Minister has been a year of great challenge in which my Government has been confronted with problems associated with natural disasters and those that have resulted from many years of neglect. The realities of life in the rapidly shrinking world mean that a partnership must, in practice, be turned into something practical and viewed in a much broader global perspective as an element of a worldwide partnership in managing and, where possible, directing change. The point is brought home by a series of natural disasters which have affected Papua New Guinea over the past year. First came the drought caused by the El Niño effect, and then followed frosts, which led to severe food shortages in many different parts of the country. Then came the tsunami which completely destroyed villages in the Aitape area of the Sandaun province on the north coast of the mainland, killing more than 2,100 people, mainly children and women, and injuring many more. In between came floods and landslides, which caused death and destruction in several places. Meanwhile, people 11 around Rabaul continue to cope with the effects and try to rebuild in the aftermath of the 1994 volcanic eruptions. The drought, in particular, showed that people and States throughout the world have to be partners in dealing with the causes of disasters arising from climatic or other forms of environmental change. The prompt and generous response to the series of natural disasters by our neighbours and friends in many different countries showed that they are truly our partners in dealing with the effects of such changes. Like other developing countries, Papua New Guinea faces the challenge of providing its people with opportunities to improve both the material standard of living and the quality of life. My Government has had to address these multiple changes while dealing with natural disasters and carrying out a comprehensive programme of structural adjustment. In doing so, we are working hard to make sure that private initiative contributes to public welfare and national development, as it can and should, by focusing on trimming the public sector so that State resources are used where they can be most effective. The result has been a stable economy with continuing economic growth. It has been achieved and is being maintained despite the negative impact on trade and investment prospects arising from the economic crisis affecting so many of our East Asian neighbours. The lesson we draw from the experience is that the world is truly becoming a global community. The challenge we face is to develop a global partnership — strong, focused, and determined enough to manage and, where possible, to direct change. The lesson has obvious implications for a world in which some countries experience “aid fatigue”, while increasing numbers of people elsewhere fall and remain below the poverty line, where survival itself is the most pressing issue. I know that with its small, open economy, my countryâs development is directly influenced by developments in world markets for our products. Currently, my country is suffering from the economic crisis experienced by our major trading partners, in which we are forced to undertake significant reform programmes to protect our economy and our people. In this regard, we turn our attention to international financial institutions to help us restructure our economy. Unfortunately, we have had mixed reactions from them. Some of them, including the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank, have been very positive in their discussions with us, while others appear to be slow in responding. This leads me to think that sometimes some of these organizations are insensitive and do not appreciate the difficulties and hardships faced by our people without their help. This year, despite the El Niño drought and other natural disasters that devastated my country, Papua New Guinea, we have continued to become more vigilant to these challenges and to take remedial measures. Notwithstanding the hardship our economy is experiencing because of the international economic crisis, the value of our currency has consistently been recovering. For Papua New Guinea to realize and sustain its current reform programmes, it has to secure external financial support. The challenge is to forge a new global partnership for change — a partnership in which both developed and developing countries join together to address the issues that the global community will face in the twenty-first century. This partnership will be necessary if the shared hopes of humanity for peace, justice and a better way of life are to progress. I see my Governmentâs foreign policy of partnership in the Asia-Pacific as a building block for the global partnership on which the future depends. For developing countries in particular, there is really no alternative way. In facing the challenge of improving both the material standards of living and the quality of life of our people, we are carrying out comprehensive programmes of structural adjustment and changing our focus so that both private and State resources can be directed to social welfare and national development. Despite the negative effects of the current global crisis, we are achieving a stable economy, stabilizing our currency and attracting investments. When my Government came into office in July 1997, my priority was the resolution of the nine-year-old Bougainville conflict, which had caused terrible suffering and the loss of lives and property. Three factors — the desire of the men and especially the women of Bougainville to end the fighting, my desire for a consensus resolution and the moral and practical support of Australia and New Zealand — led to a meeting in 12 Burnham, New Zealand, in October 1997 where a truce was signed. As an integral part of the truce, my Government approached our friends in the region to form an unarmed and neutral regional Truce Monitoring Group. The Government of the Solomon Islands — which played a very constructive role in the processes — New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and Vanuatu provided personnel to the Truce Monitoring Group, and its presence helped mutual confidence-building and made people feel safe. The peace monitoring group that took over on 1 May this year continues to provide a positive role in maintaining and consolidating peace. In March this year, I met in Lincoln, New Zealand, with the main Bougainvillean parties involved in the conflict, and we agreed that a permanent and irrevocable ceasefire should take effect from 30 April 1998. Proceeding on a bipartisan-national basis and in close consultation with all of the major Bougainville parties, I agreed that the State would approach the Security Council to endorse the Lincoln Agreement on Peace, Security and Development on Bougainville. I also requested that the Council send a small observer mission to monitor and report on developments. As the internationally recognized representatives of all of the people of Papua New Guinea and being proud of Papua New Guineaâs independence and sovereignty, we made these requests with mixed feelings, but with determination made strong by our faith in the cause of peace. I am pleased to report that the Security Council responded positively to our request, and, through the efforts of other South Pacific Forum missions in New York and others in close cooperation with the Secretary-General, the Observer Mission is now on Bougainville, operating side by side with the personnel of the peacekeeping mission. As I speak, my Government is making arrangements for a Bougainville restoration Government to take office within the framework of our Constitution before the end of this year. At the same time, the people and leaders of Bougainville are performing the traditional ceremonies of reconciliation. Our partners from Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, Japan and the United Nations Development Programme are providing resources for restoration and development. A number of non- governmental organizations, including churches, the Red Cross and Doctors Without Frontiers are also active. My Government is taking practical steps to strengthen civil authority by training Bougainvillean policemen to work in Bougainville. Having begun the processes of peace in Bougainville, we must now do everything we can to make peace work through peaceful means. While the peace process on Bougainville is still fragile, my Government is confident that with the support of all Papua New Guineans and of our neighbours and friends in the international community, it will continue to gain strength. As it gains strength, we expect direct international involvement to become of less importance, decreasing by agreement as mutual confidence and trust consolidates. The Bougainville peace process has shown in a practical and constructive manner how people can seek reconciliation and forgiveness. The Security Council, together with the Secretary- General, have given both moral, and through the Observer Mission, visible and practical support. On a separate though broadly related matter, Papua New Guinea commends the United Nations on 50 years of cooperation in international peacekeeping and reaffirms its commitment to these processes. Papua New Guinea makes a resolute commitment to the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter. In doing so, we recognize that like any other institution, the United Nations has limitations. Consistent with our view of the United Nations as a means of promoting global cooperation and partnership to meet the challenges of change in the twenty-first century, Papua New Guinea continues in its strong belief that its moral values and organizations offer hope to humanity. Consistent with our commitment to the United Nations, my Government is actively engaged in bringing our national laws, policies and practices into line with the important declarations and plans of action produced by the United Nations. We give priority to implementing United Nations declarations and plans of action to advance the rights of women and the elimination of child abuse. In common with the other Member countries, we believe that it is timely to bring the United Nations Charter into line with contemporary reality by eliminating references to “enemy States”. Papua New Guinea strongly supports calls for a new Security Council for the new millennium. 13 As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, we endorse the Declaration issued by its thirteenth Summit, held in Durban, South Africa. The Security Council should be reformed and expanded. An effective Security Council should be of a size and composition which matches the enhanced role that the world expects it to play in coordinating global approaches and actions directed to deal with the issues we will all face in the twenty-first century. Consistent with the mutual respect and equity on which partnership must be based, Papua New Guinea believes that all permanent members of the Security Council should have similar privileges and rights. Changing the world from a system of relations between imperial Powers to a partnership between sovereign States through decolonization is among the United Nations greatest achievements. The process will not be completed, as it must be, until the remaining 17 dependent territories have exercised their inalienable right to self-determination. Neither small size nor remoteness should be allowed to qualify or limit their rights. The recently concluded South Pacific Forum, held in Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, has confirmed its support for that right. As one of the States which has always taken a close interest in the situation and in the rights of the indigenous Kanaks of New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea is pleased to note the progress made in implementing the Matignon Accords, culminating in the recent Agreement to the Noumea Accord. The Noumea Accord will, we believe, provide a sound basis for the future fulfilment of all legitimate political aspirations. We urge all parties to honour both its letter and its spirit. The United Nations should continue to monitor developments in New Caledonia until implementation is complete and self-determination has been achieved. More than 80 per cent of Papua New Guineans live in rural villages, where they depend directly on the land, rivers, lakes and sea for their livelihood. Our national Constitution commits us to use and develop the rich variety of the countryâs natural resources for the common good and the benefit of future generations. In doing so, it upholds the most up-to-date principles of international environmental law. The same provisions also provide a sound basis for domestic policy and law-making. Papua New Guinea has spoken out strongly and worked actively on a wide range of environmental issues. Consistent with our record and ongoing commitment, my Government will shortly be signing and then ratifying the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In line with the importance we attach to such matters, Papua New Guinea is party to conventions arising out of the Rio Summit on environment and development and Agenda 21. My Government will continue to follow and support the future work of the Commission, including efforts to translate and integrate internationally agreed objectives and standards into domestic laws and programmes of action. Like other members of the South Pacific Forum, Papua New Guinea is firmly committed to the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island States. We strongly urge its full implementation. Together with other States in the region, we have joined as partners with distant-water-fishing nations to develop a programme to manage the sustainable use of tuna stocks in the western and central Pacific. The worldâs leading scientists have concluded that the rise in global temperatures poses serious threats, such as sea-level rise and an increase in natural catastrophes, such as the El Niño phenomenon. Papua New Guinea, together with the small island States in the Pacific, will continue to stress the urgency for developed countries to take a strong lead in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol has paved the way for annex I countries to fulfil their commitments under the Convention on Climate Change and the Protocol itself. We urge those parties to translate their legally binding targets for the reduction of their emissions into concrete action. While it is our firm conviction that there must be a global approach, we cannot support shifting the burden to developing countries as a precondition for the ratification of the Protocol. At the recent South Pacific Forum meeting, our Government, together with other heads of the South Pacific region, confirmed our support for the South Pacific Environmental Programme and the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) as a key sector. The FFA programme will ensure the maintenance of sustainable fisheries in the region as well as enhance the economic 14 security of coastal States, particularly those economies which are highly dependent on this one resource. This is the International Year of the Ocean. Papua New Guinea will work actively with other South Pacific Missions in New York to commemorate this Year, with particular emphasis on the sustainable use of resources derived from the oceans. With its recent share of national disasters, some of which have taken the ultimate human toll, Papua New Guinea is concerned about climate change, rising sea levels and the urgent need to reduce carbon and other emissions in the atmosphere. Having experienced natural disasters at first hand, I would say that the greatest challenge for the United Nations is to strengthen the global communityâs capacity to respond promptly and effectively to natural disasters. I am sure that my friends from China and Bangladesh, where large areas have recently been devastated by floods, would agree. Papua New Guinea strongly supports the renewal of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and preparedness and the Yokohama Strategy adopted in 1993. Consistent with our shared commitment to a stable, peaceful and environmentally safe world, my Government supports the objectives of the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. We support efforts to ban transboundary movements of radioactive and other hazardous wastes in and through our region and to ensure that damage arising from nuclear explosions is adequately compensated. Together with our partners in the South Pacific Forum, we recently reaffirmed our determination to maintain the South Pacific as a nuclear-free zone. We also expressed our support for the other regional nuclear-free zones, in Africa, South-East Asia and the Latin American and Caribbean region, and the proposed new initiative in Central and South Asia. Like people and Governments throughout the world, we in the South Pacific were seriously concerned about the series of nuclear weapons tests conducted by India and Pakistan. The best course of action would be not only to stop testing now but also to destroy all nuclear weapons. Papua New Guinea believes that the same should apply to all weapons of mass destruction in other parts of the world. Encouraged at the positive signs of progress towards resolving conflicts and securing peace in several areas of tension and concern in Asia and Africa, Papua New Guinea nonetheless remains anxious over recent developments affecting Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea and Ethiopia. We are heartened by the efforts made by the Organization of African Unity to restore peace and stability in the Great Lakes region. Also, we support the initiative of President Nelson Mandela of South Africa to revive a common vision for peace in Africa. Consistent with our commitment to peaceful dialogue between nations, Papua New Guinea condemns those who employ terrorism against innocent people, including women and children. Diplomacy is the means by which States join together as partners and cooperate in bringing about changes to promote peace, development and justice for people both in principle and, even more importantly, in practice. It is therefore vital that diplomats be able to live and work safely, free from the threat of terrorism, such as that practised against American diplomats in Africa. In this connection, following recent events on our common border with Indonesia, my Government would like to make clear its strong and consistent recognition of the sovereignty of Indonesia, including Irian Jaya, and the continuing mutual respect in all aspects of our relationship. In conclusion, I wish to reaffirm Papua New Guineaâs commitments to the United Nations Charter; to the inalienable rights of the independent territories to self- determination, noting the Matignon and Noumea accords for the Kanak people of New Caledonia; the declaration to advance the rights of women and eliminate child abuse; to our determination to maintain global natural disaster preparedness; to work actively in commemorating the Year of the Ocean; to the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on global warming; and to the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island States. Partnership in promoting change is the key to addressing the challenges that the world will face in the twenty-first century. I believe the challenge for the Member States is to join together to change this Organization for the better so that it will serve as an effective basis for partnership, to address and resolve the issues that lie ahead.